Hidey Ho, neglecterinos!

I do like to occasionally get out to my back garden. The 'lawn' (weeds) has been whipper-snipped, the fermenting piles of cumquats have finally been disposed of, and more often than not I am met with a few surprises. (Mostly that nothing's died due to neglect. Let's just say that if the plants were kids, DOCS would have my rear-end in the slammer.)

I would be confident in saying that most people have a plant or two in their garden that they bought year ago then completely forgot about, right? Relegated to the back corner when the thrill has worn off, then one day you're out there harvesting the millionth bunch of spinach and you notice said plants are DOING SOMETHING COOL....?

Yep, guilty as charged..

I bought this fella in a 6" pot three years ago. After moving house a couple of times, the beautiful Lepiderema pulchella (Fine Leaf Tuckeroo) flowered for the first time this year. It is a small rainforest tree that really isn't used often enough. In fact at a recent job we planted two of them as feature trees, and the dude from the nursery said they were the first two he'd picked out since they'd been growing them. Sheesh!

Close up of the flowers in the axils.

In Sydney it will probably get to about 5m. New growth is a pale, pinky-green and flushes occur throughout the growing season. The fruits are vivid orange and one Stirling Macoboy reckons it is 'spectacular in fruit'. Ahhh Macoboy, always enamoured.

Another cheeky little number that flowered prolifically this year is Libertia paniculata. It is a small clumping plant from the east coast. I have it in a pot that gets about an hour of morning sun a day in its current location, then dappled for the rest of the arvo.

Oh you tease!

Easily divided, great under trees, good substitute for Liriope.
I often suggest Libertia paniculata to people who want English-style underplantings (Iris, Hellebore etc) and "can't stand natives".


When will they ever learn......