English Daisies
English daisies are trouble free and easy to grow, which is why they have been garden favourites since the early 16th century. Long ago they were given the name 'day's eye', because the flowers close at dusk and open again at dawn. 'Day's eye' ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Brown Boronia
Boronias were named after the Italian botanist Francesco Borone (1769-94). They have a wonderful perfume reminiscent of lemons, which is not surprising when you consider that they belong to the Rutaceae, along with their relatives the ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Common names:
Most gardeners think of cyclamen as delicate indoor plants, but they occur naturally in harsh, rocky areas in Europe and the Mediterranean. Peter Valder considers Cyclamen coum and Cyclamen hederifolium to be two of the best wild ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Chinese Lantern
Chinese lanterns or abutilons (Abutilon x hybridum) are charming evergreen shrubs with attractive maple-like leaves and an open, pendulous habit. They grow to about 2-3 metres (6-10') tall. The lantern-shaped flowers are produced in September to ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow
Brunfelsias are evergreen shrubs from tropical America. There are about 30 species, all with tubular flowers which change colour over successive days. Don's favourite, Brunfelsia bonodora, has masses of violet, lilac and white scented ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Print fact sheet - Camellias
Camellias are amongst the world's best flowering plants. They are hardy and disease resistant, most varieties have attractive, glossy green foliage, and they put on their fabulous flower display in the cooler months of the year when the rest of ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Print fact sheet - Daylilies
Modern daylily hybrids have bright, cheerful flowers which come in a wide range of colours, including yellows, buffs, oranges, reds and other shades towards plum-purple and deep reddish violet. They are called daylilies because individual flowers ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Black Plants
When discussing colour in the garden black plants usually don't rate a mention, although there are quite a few available which have either very dark, blackish leaves or black flowers. They can look very stylish used in bright areas particularly ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Camellia 'Gay Baby'
A miniature camellia with a vigorous, upright growth habit. Unpruned it grows from 3-5m (10-15') tall. The leaves are small and green, with bronze new growth. The semi-double flowers are deep lavender pink and are borne in profusion along the ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Don's Top Six Low Maintenance Plants
Plant selection is very important if you want a low maintenance garden. Some plants are high maintenance nightmares. At the top of the list is lawn, which needs regular mowing, fertilising and edging (paving is a much better low maintenance ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Cardinal Creeper
This vigorous and attractive flowering vine is native to the West Indies. The genus name, Ipomoea, is from the Greek, meaning 'worm like'. It is interesting that both parts of the scientific name of this plant contain diphthongs, that is the ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Dwarf Sacred Bamboo
This plant is not a bamboo but a dwarf form of Nandina domestica, which grows naturally in Japan, China and south-east Asia through to eastern India. This little shrub is very tough and hardy - it almost seems to thrive on neglect! A low, rounded ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
