By Beatrice Hawkins
At the time of writing I have just spent the day as chauffeur to the judge visiting some of the gardens entered in the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Spring Garden Competition. We did not complete the task in one day and a second will be needed. It is wonderful to see so many entries in this years competition and with the better season, it has really been enjoyable to see so many beautiful gardens.
I have seen some interesting shrubs and plants in my travels as well as some wonderful paddocks of cereal crops. Flourishing and as flat and even as a table top!.. a delight to behold for this one time farmer’s wife…. the promise of a great harvest. It really is a joy to drive around the area and see the improvement in the season. Good crops and fat cattle are always a delight to see.
There are so many beautiful flowers and shrubs out at the moment and one that I have noticed around town is the highly perfumed, brunfelsia paucifora, commonly known as “yesterday, today and tomorrow”. It comes from Brazil and one of the other common names is Brazilian rain tree. It is a most beautiful shrub and there are 3 outstanding examples in a garden along Baguley Street.
The flowers actually start out a beautiful deep mauve and fade through to white over their 3 day lifespan, hence the name, with all colours showing on the shrub at the same time. It is an evergreen perennial that blooms heaviest in spring and then intermittently through summer. Although research tells me that it is not frost hardy, there are many of them blooming beautifully in gardens around town so it is obviously not too susceptible once established.
There appears to be about 30 different varieties, so I would guess that some are more frost tolerant than others. Some are Australis, grandiflora, latifolia, bonodora and the list goes on, so it would be wise to consult your nursery person in this regard.
It is suggested that it makes an ideal potted plant and that it can be pruned to keep it in shape after it has finished flowering. A pot that can be moved about seems like a solution if you are worried about frosts.
As part of the nightshade family, all parts of the plant are toxic to dogs and cats with the berries being the most potent, so to avoid vet bills, take care of your felines and canines or remove it from your garden!
The perfume is so lovely that a specimen in a pot near my front door seems like it might be a good idea. Brunfelsia Australis appears to be “sweet and petite”, only growing to about a metre, so this may be the one I need to find for a pot. As with many things, fertile, free draining soil in full sun seems to be ideal conditions for it to grow and flower well, but it will tolerate some shade.
Another lovely South American import, blooming beautifully in many gardens at the moment, is the Peruvian or Princess lily, Alstroemeria, in all its many colours. It is considered a “half hardy” perennial, surviving cold winters once it is established in full sun but away from prevailing winds. It is native to South America, but has become naturalised in many parts of the world including Australia. Given the right conditions, some varieties can become invasive so be careful where plant them.
They take about 4 weeks for their roots to become established after planting, so keep them watered for this period. Once established they can be quite dry tolerant with the fleshy rhizomes retaining moisture and they will bloom from spring through to frosts. Mulching helps retain moisture and keeps them blooming well. A tip I read that might be useful when picking them.. apparently it is best to pull them from the base rather than cutting them. This would apply to removing spent blooms also.
They are a great addition to any garden as there is a height for most situations from the dwarf through to about almost a metre and a colour to fit any scheme.
It is a beautiful flower, has no perfume and is prized for bouquets as it keeps well, up to 2 weeks, as a cut flower.
I have been giving each entrant in the garden competition a schedule for the coming flower show as the judge has visited, so I expect to see a great show in St Mary’s Hall on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st. Schedules are available for anyone to pick up from Bryson’s in Palmerin Street, so check it out and see what sections you can enter. Without the support of the keen gardeners in our area we do not have a show.
