We are so excited to announce that one of our gardens has been featured in a book by Angus Stewart and A.B. Bishop. Called The Australian Native Garden, it is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated book on how to create gardens based on Australian plants. Angus and A.B. take you on a journey around Australia, firstly looking at the Australian flora in the wild, and secondly, showcasing gardens around the country from large to small.
Our garden that is featured in The Australian Native Garden is a small suburban garden. The landscaping design incorporated feature beds to compliment the outdoor living zones. The simplicity of design, foliage themes and combination of large mature species of grass tree with its iconic black trunk and tussocky head of foliage, with numerous plantings created a garden that the authors describe as "an unmistakably Australian garden that works all year round".
Dealing with climactic extremes has certainly taught me the value of planting with a species that has a proven ability to adapt to extreme conditions. But that is not the only reason why I have a particular passion for gardening and designing with indigenous plants.
They hold an amazing variety of colours and textures, from the soft blue tussock grass to the burnt oranges of "King's Park Federation Flame', the purple flowered 'Joey' and ever-blooming dwarf white 'Kangaroo Paw', to name just a few. The diversity of foliage, textures and plant forms available in Australia's indigenous landscape makes for a resplendent palette with which to work.
The Australian Native Garden contains comprehensive chapters on how to create your native garden from scratch including growing bush foods, soil preparation, cultivation techniques, minimising fire and drought risks, pruning, fertilising and maintenance. It concludes with a comprehensive illustrated listing of recently released Australian plant cultivars.
I am a big fan of the work of Angus Stewart. He is an absolute authority on native plants and I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more or be inspired by the incredible native flora that adorns this country.
Being featured in his book is such an honour. Angus Stewart's website http://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/ is a valuable resource on native plants and gardening, and well worth a look. The book is also available for purchase on his site. Happy reading and gardening!
