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  • Garden Privet – Best for Garden Privacy

    Garden privet continues to be the main choice for garden hedging when privacy is desired. It is an attractive option with its small oval shaped leaves and light structure that allows it to be shaped from the ground up. Very versatile, fast growing and resilient plant that can be trimmed and pruned when necessary to keep its shape and look attractive all year round. Semi-evergreen, depending on conditions, it provides a thick screen once established and well maintained. In early summer it will produce a display of small white fragrant flowers and small black berries in the autumn. 

    Wild Privet vs Garden Privet

    The garden privet, Ligustrum ovalifolium, oval-leaf privet, native of Korea and Japan, has oval shaped leaves with better coverage and may stay green longer. Wild privet, Ligustrum vulgare, native to Europe, has narrower, longer leaves but is less dense and not so good for hedges.  Ligustrum is part of the oleaceae family or Olive family that includes plants such as Lilac. Privet looks like a miniature Lilac. Like much of the family, it requires a sunny, well-drained site but will tolerate a dryer, partial shade.

    Ligustrum ovalifolium - Garden Privet

  • Poinsettia Plant Care – Outdoors

    On a recent trip to St Julian’s, Malta, strolling down the road from my favourite Sicilian coffee shop, I came across a plant growing in a way I had to seen before. The plant itself was familiar, although there are lots of plants that have fresh new leaves of bright red. This was the first time I had seen a Poinsettia other than in a plant pot in Winter Holidays. Understanding proper poinsettia plant care can help ensure these vibrant plants flourish beyond the holiday season.

    This one was growing in a small patch of ground in an otherwise stone paved street. It has shelter from the elements by being close to the building with some overhead protection from the midday sun. The plant looked healthy and had grown to about 2 meters high and 1 meter wide, an impressive feat of poinsettia plant care in an urban environment.

    Growing Outside Poinsettia Plant Care

    These plants are native of Mexico and Central America where they thrive in a warm stable climate that is moist but well drained. They need some sunshine but don’t like extremes or sudden climate changes. In their native environment they can grow to a height of up to 3 meters, provided they receive the right poinsettia plant care.

    The other surprise is that they are in fact a Euphorbia, Euphorbia pulcherrima. The same Genus as commonly called Spurge. I don’t think I will be planting one outside anytime soon as the climate here is just too variable, so likely the next time I see one will be December

    Poinsettia plant care
  • Indian Bean Tree – Vivid Golden Yellow Foliage

    The Indian Bean Tree, actually native of the Southeastern USA, is a popular tree to grow in temperate climates where it is reasonably hardy and requires little attention. Now grown across the UK and Europe due to its striking nature of vivid green heart-shaped leaves with a tinge of purple. It later on in the season produces clusters of white flowers and then long slender pods that are like beans. However, non of this is edible as is the case even in plants belonging to the Fabaceae family that contains both edible peas and beans and highly toxic plants. So only eat what you know to be safe.

    The Indian Bean Tree, Catalpa, is part of the Bignoniaceae family known for its Trumpet Vines. The variation popular in the UK is the  Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’, that has golden yellow foliage. In the US it can attract the catalpa sphinx moth that can strip its leaves bare. In the UK, I have found the young and tender leaves susceptible to blackfly aphids that will need controlling. Later in the summer it can suffer from powdery mildew if the air is very humid in an enclosed space. Removing the worst affected leaves keeps the plant looking healthy. The plant can put on strong growth upwards that makes it a little top heavy while the trunk may not keep up. So in the early years support is required in windy conditions. 

    Catalpa bignonioides - Indian Bean Tree

  • Musk Mallow – A stunner in the Flowering Meadow

    The flowering meadows are in full swing and among the stand out plants I found was this Musk Mallow. The Mallow I normally see is the large shrub mallow often used in borders for height and width, the Malva arborea or Tree Marrow. This Mallow sits just above the grasses to produce a stunning flower head that stands out as a flower among flowers. The Musk Mallow is part of the mallow family (Malvaceae), and can be seen in meadows, hedgerows and by roadsides.

    Musk Mallow Alba

    The flowers emit a slight musky scent, hence the name. They are a perennial flowing plant that is native to Europe and Western Asia. Sometimes used for its culinary and medicinal use, best left to the experts. They certainly standout in wherever they can be found flowering. Some Musk Mallow naturally form a white flower, in this case identified as Malva moschata f. alba.

    Malva moschata pink - Musk Mallow

  • Cape Fuchsia – Keeps Coming Back

    Cape Fuchsia is a plant that thrives in my area where it is protected from the harsh elements. It not only keeps coming back but tries to spread out using suckers that spread along the surface producing their own roots it not trimmed back. Although it flowers well the flowers don’t last long in the heat we are seeing at the moment. Of course it is not a Fuchsia, nor closely related, but does have some resemblance.  It also sits well along side my perennial Fuchsias.

    Known scientifically as Phygelius, this particular variant is the Phygelius aequalis ‘Yellow Trumpet’. It is a member of the Scrophulariaceae family. The Scrophulariaceae family has at least 2 other members that work well for me, Buddleja and Namesia. Although, to be fair they will grow almost anywhere. The shrub maintains a tidy look throughout the season but needs some pruning in the autumn to keep it at its best and not spreading out of control.

    Cape Fuchsia - Phygelius aequalis - Yellow Trumpet

  • Veronica brachysiphon – Hebe from New Zealand

    Veronica brachysiphon is a shrub that is endemic in New Zealand but making its way across the planet to be found in gardens, like UK. It is part of the Plantaginaceae family that includes  Antirrhinums and Fox Gloves among many more species. Common name is Hookers Hebe after Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

    Loved by the Bees

    The Bees were very active on this flowering shrub. It thrives on well drained soil and can tolerate a wide range of situations. 

    Veronica brachysiphon