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NATURALISTIC TALENT Echoing the colours and textures of the surrounding bushland, this garden in Wattle Glen, on Melbourne's north-eastern outskirts, is a picturesque example of naturalistic design. Created by landscape designer Sam Cox and his partner, Lisa Hatfield, it's opening to the public on November 14 and 15 through Open Gardens Victoria. For a full list of openings, go to opengardensvictoria.org.au. For more news and events, see over the page. A rosy future This arbour, dripping with Souvenir de la Malmaison roses (right), is one of the highlights of The Heritage Garden in South Australia’s Clare Valley. Opening on November 1, this is just one of the diverse gardens welcoming visitors for Open Gardens SA – including country, urban, cottage-style and Mediterranean-inspired – all demonstrating resilience in the face of a…

Plant these bulbs from November to February for a lovely autumn display, then leave them in the ground to naturalise. The more crowded they are, the better. Red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) (1) grows to 30–60cm tall. Its intricate, spidery scarlet blooms appear in late summer or autumn, often triggered by some decent rain. Guernsey lily (Nerine sarniensis syn. N. rosea) (2) is hardy and frost-tolerant. It can grow up to 60cm tall and produces spectacular, deep-pink flowers that demand to be cut for a vase. Zephyranthes ‘Autumn Raindrops’ (3) grows to just 20cm. It has glossy, grass-like leaves and starry white flowers that start to appear after late-summer/autumn rain. Grow all three in well-drained soil, in full sun to part-shade. Plant red spider lily and Guernsey lily with the…

THE CURIOUS LIVES OF VEGETABLES Written by Ali Francis, illustrated by Adriana Picker, Hardie Grant North America Ali Francis’ book is an indictment of the global food industry and a homage to biodiversity. As we scale up production of a few specialised plant varieties, Ali says, countless others vanish. Among the overlooked plants she spotlights are purple winged bean, one of the first domesticated crops; the fish pepper, ‘a miniature sunset in edible form’; and the O-Higu soybean, revived early this century after it was almost lost in the wake of World War II. Other plants have cultural heft, like Australia’s murnong, a symbol of identity and belonging for some First Nations peoples. Still others offer hope in the face of climate change, like sea fennel, a coastal specialist. Ali…

There’s a clearing among the trees on a property in Arthurs Seat, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, where an old tennis court has been converted into a wonderful wildflower meadow. At one end, productive wicking beds sit in repurposed concrete cattle troughs. In the early morning, when light moves through the trees, it’s here you’ll find Ann-Maree Winter. From this garden she walks the perimeter of the property – in a big circle. “I’ve seen the whole garden first thing in the morning and that sets me up for a good day,” she says. Ann-Maree and her husband, Paul, swapped a suburban block in Melbourne for this nearly 3ha site on an exposed ridge on Bunurong Country in 2015. The space is divided into three garden areas that track the arc…

For 10 years Skye Murtagh and Gordon Andersen loved living at Evandale on Adelaide’s leafy eastern fringe. So, when they were ready for a change, they didn’t move away – they demolished the old house and reused materials in a sustainable new build. This had many advantages, including the chance to create their dream “forever garden”. The original house had been surrounded by a garden of manicured lawns and rose beds. As Skye and Gordon’s passion for gardening grew, so did their wish list. “When we decided to build on the site, we really started thinking about what we wanted to achieve in this garden,” says Skye, a freelance writer. “One thing we didn’t want was lawn.” They had a few priorities, says Gordon, who works in local government. “We…

Cottage-style gardens are wonderfully forgiving. They’re places where plants mingle and spill over pathways, seedlings appear in unexpected places and any gap is an opportunity to squeeze in something extra. While gorgeous dahlias and towering hollyhocks may be the attention seekers in a garden, it’s the little pretties – the fillers and spillers – that weave together to create the magical tapestry that defines a cottage garden. Here are 10 hardworking cottage cuties: NATIVES 1 BLUE LACE FLOWER (Trachymene coerulea) An Australian annual with exquisite lavender-blue flower heads held on slender stems above finely divided foliage, blue lace flower is a spectacular inclusion for a cottage garden. Grow from seed and scatter through borders for a lovely, loose effect. The nectar-rich blooms attract beneficial insects and make beautiful cut flowers.…

O‘h, the flame trees will blind the weary driver’ is a well-loved line in the song Flame Trees, by Australian band Cold Chisel. It conjures the scarlet bells of the Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) – but did you know there is a form of flame tree that has beautiful salmon pink bells? Brachychiton ‘Bella Donna’ is a small to medium evergreen tree, and one of my most loved. I have several in my Brisbane garden and have found them to be incredibly drought-hardy specimens that thrive and flower every year, despite my dry location and extremely poor soil. Brachychiton is a genus of 31 mainly Australian species of trees, some with the swollen trunk that gives them the name bottle tree. ‘Bella Donna’ is a cross between the Illawarra…

Spring-flowering shrubs bring joy to the garden, and Geraldton wax (Chamelaucium uncinatum) is one of the most dazzling, producing a profusion of colourful, waxy blooms from winter through spring – with some varieties flowering into summer. The five-petalled, nectar-rich blooms come in shades of pink, purple, red and white. Carried in abundance along the stems, they make gorgeous cut flowers, ideal for small bouquets or for adding a floral flourish to wrapped gifts. In its natural habitat, Geraldton wax can reach 5m tall. Its airy, fine-textured form pairs beautifully with a grass-like plant such as Lomandra ‘Nyalla’ grown beneath it. Both tolerate coastal conditions, while the lomandra’s slender green leaves echo the waxflower’s needle-like foliage. There are numerous smaller cultivars available, perfect for home gardens and suitable across temperate and…

Australia is home to an astonishing variety of native bees, found in habitats across the country. While a small number form social colonies, most are solitary, although many nest alongside others. Having evolved with our native flora, they are important pollinators, yet their small size and cryptic behaviour mean many go unnoticed. Others are colourful, charismatic and surprisingly easy to spot once you know what to look for. Learning to recognise the different groups brings a new dimension to the garden – and adds to the pleasure of watching these fascinating pollinators at work. identifying native bees Australia’s native bees belong to five families, but identifying individual species can be extremely difficult. Believe it or not, experts begin by examining their tongues – but, unfortunately, bees aren’t always co-operative when…