You often hear of those inspired family Mother’s Day gift ideas for a Mum who is always hard to find a gift for. A few months ago I received a letter searching for some assistance in selecting plants for a Mother’s Day garden to be constructed in the Range area of Rockhampton. This garden will be a family effort for this lucky mum.
The plants for this garden are to have flower colours of either white or pink. With the plants to tolerate afternoon shade, a little seepage during the wet season and with flowers that can be picked. The location of this garden also had some other advantages due to the good natural drainage and a rich red soil similar to the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens.
Some of the hardiest plants that come to mind first are the Pentas and Agapanthus. The Pentas lanceolata or Egyptian Star Flower is a very colourful compact garden shrub. The Central Queensland region is perfect for growing Pentas with hot wet summers and warm winters. Pentas lanceolata flowers are commonly a rosy-mauve, other colours include white or pink. Pentas lanceolata will grow to approximately 60cm high for a part shade to sunny position in a frost-free climate. To have the best growth it prefers well-drained sandy soils and a regular pruning.
While the Agapanthus orientalis alba or Lilly of the Nile are hardy flowering lilies producing large white flowers during the summer months. Agapanthus are easy to grow and will tolerate soils from sandy and well-drained to heavy clay. It is important to remember that they do not require a lot of water once they have established. There is a very prolific dwarf hybrid Agapanthus called Snow Storm that would also be suitable.
One of my favourites for a partly shaded garden would be the Clerodendron nutans or Bridal Veil. It is an upright evergreen shrub grown for its showy flowers of pinkish buds which open as cream five-petalled flowers in pendant clusters backed by small bronze bracts. It grows well in compost rich free draining soils though it will require some shade and can grow from 1.5m to 2.5m high. It is also excellent in decorative pots or tubs on paving or patio areas.
With showy pink flowers is the Dianthea Pretty in Pink. A compact tropical shrub with dark green foliage that is perfect for cottage gardens and containers. It has clusters of dark pink fan shaped pink flowers that will appear along the topside of its branches throughout the year. It Grows up to 1m in most free draining soils and is tolerant of shade but needs protection from frost. This native of eastern Brazil will attract Butterflies to the garden.
The unique flowering Whitfielda longifolia is another recommendation. This small shrub may be a little harder to find in local nurseries but it is well worth a position in a home garden. Whitfielda is an attractive plant that is suitable for a sunny or partly shaded are. It has glossy, green veined leaves and flowers that are a clear white, with a distinctive, arching tubular shape that blossom throughout the year. It grows approximately 1.5m x 1m high. Pruning, when required, will help maintain a compact shape and encourage repeat flowering.
I always believe a garden needs at least one perfumed shrub and my recommended perfumed shrub would be Gardenia radicans. This Gardenia is a near-groundcover variety growing to a maximum of approximately half a metre high, this dense shrub is ideal to use as an edging plant for a tropical garden, or even to be pruned or shaped to make the perfect border plant for a formal garden. Flowers are very much the traditional waxy white, with a delightfully sweet perfume. In recent years, a variegated foliage form has become available to local gardeners, and this one is also very suitable.
Finally for the eye-catching flowers the Justicia carnea or Brazilian Plume Flower is a must. This small shrub has large, glossy dark green foliage that contrasts well with the striking beauty of the pink plume flowers. Justicia carnea is fairly tolerant of most soil types but does require a more protective part shaded position.
This garden would now be complete and awaiting the lucky mother to arrive home this next Sunday.
