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BATTLE OF THE BLOOMS It’s voting time! Melbourne is choosing a new floral emblem, and everyone’s invited to have their say. Nine native flowers, including the austral stork’s bill (Pelargonium australe, pictured), have been shortlisted. Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece says the council is committed to opening more green spaces across the city: “We’re planting the seeds to make Melbourne the garden city – and to supercharge greening across our neighbourhoods.” Voting is open until February 15. Cast your vote at participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au. See over for more news and events… NATURE REFRAMED ‘Garden Variety’, a new exhibition at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum in Sydney, celebrates the beauty and contradictions of gardens. The exhibition presents a curated selection of works from both the Manly gallery and the Art Gallery of…

These two compact gems are ideal for smaller garden spaces. Escallonia ‘Pink Elle’ (right) looks gorgeous as a feature plant in a pot, although it’s also impressive grown as an evergreen hedge, reaching up to 2.5m tall and 2m wide. Massed spires of flowers appear through summer, fading from pink to white as they age. It’s happy in full sun or part-shade, and in the right conditions can produce a second flush of flowers in autumn. Choisya ‘Little Sweetie’ (below) is a mini-me version of the ever-popular Mexican orange blossom, with its glossy leaves and masses of fragrant starry white flowers in spring and autumn. This hybrid grows to just 60cm tall and 80cm wide, so it’s another plant that’s delightful either in a pot or as a low hedge.…

ECOLOGY MATTERS The Ecological Society of Australia and Grace Heathcote CSIRO Publishing Ant expert Alan Andersen says ecologists are driven by “a strong passion and the need to follow our dreams”. This passion shines in the stories by Alan and others in Ecology Matters. The contributors range from climate change pioneers to indigenous rangers and students. A recurring theme is the importance of First Nations voices in understanding and conserving Australia’s unique ecology. While many of the essays detail habitat loss and species decline, there are also stories of resilience and recovery. The dedication of the ecologists themselves is another reason for hope. PLANT PARENTING FOR BUSY PEOPLE Dr Nora Mutalima, Affirm Press Nora Mutalima is a medical researcher whose love of indoor plants reached a whole new level during…

HIGH-RISE HARVEST A rescue mission was recently launched to collect seed of the endangered Jillaga ash (Eucalyptus stenostoma), from deep in the rugged bushland of Wadbilliga National Park on Yuin Country, in south-east NSW. The Threatened Species Conservancy initiated the expedition after surveys conducted in the wake of the 2019-20 bushfires revealed just how precarious the species’ future had become. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) horticulturist Amy Downie says there are only two known populations of the tree – at Wadbilliga and at Deua National Park, also in south-east NSW: “It doesn’t reproduce from a lignotuber – so another fire could wipe it out entirely.” Reaching 25m, the species features slender leaning trunks of smooth cream-white bark that becomes fibrous near the base, along with creamy summer flowers and neat,…

When Phillip Withers and Molly Shelton bought an early 1900s weatherboard home in East Geelong, on Wadawurrung Country, in 2023, they inherited little more than a modest front patch and a disjointed split-level backyard with no garden to speak of. What they saw, however, was an opportunity to craft a distinctly Australian garden for themselves and their young children, Charlie, four, and Reggie, two – one that wove recycled materials and indigenous plantings into a family-friendly landscape grounded in its local roots. “Period homes are usually paired with a certain style of garden. I believe it’s time we start connecting Australian gardens to period homes. There’s absolutely a place for it – and I’m calling it the Australian meadow,” says Phil, who owns and runs a landscape design consultancy. Their…

KATE SEDDON LANDSCAPE DESIGNER Melbourne, Victoria Do you believe Australian garden design is changing? It feels like there’s a groundswell towards a more natural and conscious approach – one that integrates diversity, climate-appropriate planting and habitat. While not every garden design embraces biodiversity principles, we’re increasingly seeing bits and pieces woven in: planting to attract insects and wildlife, water features for birdlife or the use of local and natural materials to give a garden a sense of place. How would you define the contemporary Australian garden? There isn’t a single ‘Australian look’, but contemporary gardens increasingly show a deeper engagement with native and indigenous plants. Designers and homeowners are choosing species and cultivars that celebrate our flora without defaulting to a bush-garden aesthetic. International design principles are being reinterpreted through…

Climbing plants open up a world of possibilities for gardeners, from the practical to the cleverly ornamental. They can hide ugly fences, blur boundaries to make gardens feel larger, disguise sheds or parts of the house, and soften walls, arbours, pergolas and other structures. They can even be trained up otherwise unremarkable trees, transforming them into striking features. Deciduous climbers offer passive solar benefits, too, providing summer shade, welcoming winter light, and marking the seasons with bare winter stems, fresh spring growth and autumn colour. Like puppies, climbers aren’t just for Christmas, so take the time to choose the right one for the job. Some look wonderful weaving through other plants, providing two seasons of colour from the one spot. Quick vertical accents can be created by pairing an eager…

Lilly pillies are the archetypal native hedge or screening plant, and also make ideal topiaries and standards. Botanically, they’re in the Myrtaceae family and represent an ancestral form of the gum tree, from a time millions of years ago when rainforest swathed regions that are now dry eucalypt forest or even desert. Those ancestral myrtles looked a lot like the present-day lilly pillies, with glossy, broad leaves and fleshy, colourful fruits. As the Australian continent dried out over multiple millennia, the fleshy fruits evolved into the woody gumnuts of Eucalyptus species across the country while their fleshy fruited cousins diminished. Luckily, many beautiful lilly pillies survive and thrive in the remnant rainforests of the east coast. Lilly pillies are a group of related species in the genus Syzygium (and, historically,…

If you’re indoor plant-obsessed, like me, chances are your house is already filled with monsteras and philodendrons. But what about the fabulous foliage anthuriums? With so many striking species available, far beyond the ubiquitous ‘florist anthurium’ (A. andraeanum hybrids), you could easily add some to your collection! Anthuriums are the largest genus in the aroid family. There are more than 1000 epiphytic and terrestrial species found in Mexico, Central America and the top half of South America. While they all produce that distinctive aroid flower (which is actually a cluster of flowers called a spadix surrounded by a leaf-like spathe), I encourage you to get more excited about their diverse foliage, which ranges from velvety, heart-shaped leaves to long, narrow ones. Many are surprisingly easy to grow, but a word…