Maples and Camellias aren’t the only blaze of colour autumn and winter has to offer.  With its dull mid-green flattened stems arching over in agony, the Schlumbergera or Christmas cactus is a seemingly unattractive and inconspicuous potted plant at the best of times. However it becomes transformed into a thing of beauty In April and kindly sustains its show right throughout winter.

 

Commonly known as the Zygocactus and very popular in the 80s when Brindley’s Nursery acquired the rights to new varieties of S.truncata from B.L.Cobia of North America, the many hybrids like 'Christmas Cheer’ and ‘Lavender Doll’ flooded the market and turned many backyard gardeners into collectors.

 

One such collector and breeder is the charming Ted Clapson, Secretary of the Epiphyllum and Hoya society. I caught up with him last year at their holding of the zygocactus show in Bass Hill. An avid grower of ‘Zygo’ for 26 dedicated years, he proudly let me paw through hundreds of photos showcasing his collections, oohing and ahhhing intermittently. Although just the first day of the show, more than three quarters of the plants had been sold before I got there at midday, which just proves what a popular potted specimen they really are.

 

And being an epiphytic plant in nature they’re perfectly suited to being housed in a hanging pot on a verandah, temporarily indoors or under shade cloth. Ted likes to grow his in a regular orchard mix with a bit of leaf litter thrown in (so as to replicate their natural environ).

 

 

If you’re after the thornless type with smaller clusters of cream or even white blooms look for banksias roses.

 

From the noisette climbers group. It has pale orange flowers that fade to apricot. Its bushy canes reach around 4m in length and it's a moderately quick grower. It shouldn't be pruned until after the first year to allow the main long canes to develop. These should be trained onto your wall or fence. The main flowering will occur off the laterals that come off these.

 

Named after the French Poet Pierre de Ronsard, this climbing rose is bred by Meilland. A relatively small climber, but lots of flowers over a long period. Flowers are creamy white to pink, large and full (lots of petals). Pierre de Ronsard should be pruned back hard in the winter. Deadhead this rose and in the right climate you will have flowers for 8 - 9 months of the year. Pierre de Ronsard can stand a little shade, but thrives in full sun, mulch to keep the root run cool. ‘Red Pierre’ is from the same breeders but with deep red double cup flowers, it’s repeat flowering and a gorgeous arbour rose

 

 

When selecting what to buy really have a think about your dedication to looking after plants. Do you go away a lot? Do you forget to water? Or are you going to adopt that new African violet as one of your own? This will help with the level of maintenance and watering you’re willing to put in and help you choose between a hardier or fussier plant.

 

If you're just starting out choose plants that have thick, shiny leaves like the Zamiocalcus, Philodendron sp, or Ficus elastica or lyrata. Look for rooms in need of a green injection and think about the size of plant required to fill a space or mimic the existing objects in a room. Proportion is important. So is the amount of light available. Have a look at the available light and what spots will be best for your plant to thrive. Remember when plants have ideal conditions, water and nutrient they will be more resilient to pests and diseases.

 

When it comes to planning a garden palette we usually talk in shades of green, but in fact some of the toughest, most striking plants are in that limbo between black and white. In fact some leaves could even be described as silver because of the sheen that tiny hairs they possess give off. The leaves of Stachys byzantina (lamb's ear) are so tactile and furry they beg to be touched, and the shimmering silver bush Convolvulus cneorum, a lamp post in any garden. You'll find that the plants with this trait also cope better with heat stress as they reflect the sun's glare. They also usually perform really well in seaside gardens or exposed sites because these hairs act to trap in any moisture and prevent water loss through holes on the leaf surface (called stomates) via transpiration (much like how we lose water via perspiration).

 

Shrubs and trees from hot dry climates like olives, lavenders, and convolvulus have proven to do really well in Australia even when water restrictions are in force. Aesthetically, grey foliage makes a nice contrast to most other colours in the garden, and a whole garden planted out with this hue can look magnificent. Monochromatic spaces can be very effective especially within a modern context. Think walls bleached stark white and raw polished concrete. Basic geometry and chunky overhead beams frame the space below and the garden beds possess a sea of grey weathered coastal rosemary, dianellas and agaves dotted with some olives for height.