Phormium tenax - New Zealand flax
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Size: 3x1 m, flower panicles up to 4 m tall
Cultivation notes:
Do not trim down, just remove old leaves from the base as necessary. Benefits from a deep layer of dry mulch in the winter in frost-prone areas.
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| P. tenax 'Yellow Wave' leaf on the left. |
Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave'
A slightly smaller variety with softer, arching leaves. The contrasting yellow in leaves makes this a good plant for winter interest. An architectural plant for slightly smaller gardens.
Size: 3x1 m, flower panicles up to 4 m tall
Laurus nobilis - bay laurel
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A dense and dark green evergreen shrub that can grow to a small tree. Grown for the aromatic foliage as a culinary herb and takes pruning well, so is often used for topiary. Thrives in coastal regions and can be used as a hedge.
*Award of garden merit
Size: 12x10 m
Cultivation notes:
Can suffer frost damage in cold areas.
For interesting natural history trivia, see laurisilva and laurel forests: relict evergreen broadleaved forests from time when the Mediterranean area was more humid back in the Pliocene.
Leycesteria formosa - pheasant berry
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| L. formosa, bract detail |
A deciduous shrub with arching green stems. White flowers in claret bracts in the summer, followed by purple berries attractive to many birds. Bracts and berries last long into the autumn and green stems create winter interest. L. formosa was first cultivated on the estates of Victorian stately homes as a feed and cover plant for pheasants bred for shooting. It is still used for this purpose, more so than in gardens.
Size: 2x2 m
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| L. formosa |
[Shrubs:] Plant November to March, add a 5 cm layer of mulch and water in drought conditions.
Worth knowing: considered an invasive species in Australia, New Zealand, and Macaronesia.
Euphorbia characias wulfenii - spurge
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A large herbaceous perennial with silvery foliage and showy heads of lime-green, long-lasting bracts in the summer. An architectural plant.
Like many Euphorbias, has poisonous sap which irritates the skin and can leave it highly photo sensitive for years after exposure: take care!
*Award of garden merit
Size: 90x90 cm
Cultivation notes:
Sunny and dry or well-drained position.
Miscanthus sinensis - silver grass
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| M. sinensis, bloom detail |
A very tall and imposing deciduous grass with an upright habit and silky white blooms. Forms clumps rather than spreads and works well as a windbreak or by water.
*Award of garden merit
Size: Up to 4x1.2 m depending on cultivar
Cultivation notes:
Full sun, well-drained moist soil
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| A mass of M. sinensis. Image source: Wikipedia |
Aster novi-belgii - New York aster
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| Flower detail |
A freely flowering herbaceous perennial, available in a wide variety of colours. A vigorous, easy to grow plant for a profusion of flowers in the autumn.
Size: 1.2 m x 90 cm
Cultivation notes:
Likes well-cultivated moist & fertile soil in sun or partial shade. Withered stems should be cut to the ground by early spring, before new growth starts.
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| A. novi-belgii in an urban front garden in late October |
Fatsia japonica - false castor oil plant
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| F. japonica leaf |
An evergreen exotic-looking architectural shrub with vast, shiny, palmate leaves. White globular panicles of flowers in the autumn. Excellent plant for adding interest in seaside gardens.
*Award of garden merit
Size: up to 4x4 m
Cultivation notes:
Does well in most types of well-drained soil, both in sun and semi-shade. Can be damaged by cold winds, but most seemed to survive the 2009/10 winter, at least in urban settings.
Viburnum davidii
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| Leaf detail |
A low evergreen shrub with large, glossy, strikingly 3-veined leaves. Mature plants in groups form attractive if rather dark mounds with cymes of white flowers in the summer and striking metallic blue berries in the winter. Popular ground cover.
*Award of garden merit
Size: 1-1.5 x 1-1.5 m
Cultivation notes:
[Shrubs:] Plant November to March, add a 5 cm layer of mulch and water in drought conditions.
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| Handsome mound of V. davidii in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. |
Arbutus unedo - Killarney strawberry tree
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| A. unedo flowers. |
A small, spreading evergreen tree that manages well in coastal and exposed situations. Has berries and flowers at the same time in late autumn and older specimens have attractive reddish brown, shedding bark.
*Award of garden merit
Size: 8x8 m
Cultivation notes:
[Trees:] Planting hole 1.5 times width of rootball, add organic matter and support(s). Add a 5 cm layer of mulch around the base and keep well watered until established.
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| A mature A. unedo. |
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| Bark detail. |
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus - Californian lilac
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An evergreen shrub with small glossy leave and clusters of blue flowers in summer. Suits seaside locations.
Size: 6x6 m
Cultivation notes:
[Shrubs:] Plant November to March, add a 5 cm layer of mulch and water in drought conditions.
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' - stonecrop, syn. S. 'Herbstfreude'
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A herbaceous perennial, lasting late into winter. Small flowers in domed terminal cymes in autumn, suits well-drained, even poor soil.
*Award of garden merit
Size: up to 60x60 cm
Cultivation notes:
Prefers full sun. Divide every 3-4 years to encourage flowering.
Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' - Blue Atlas cedar
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| Branch detail |
An impressive blue evergreen conifer, best suited for a stately specimen tree in a large enough space to do it justice.
*Award of garden merit
Size: 40x10 m
Cultivation notes:
[Trees:] Planting hole 1.5 times width of rootball, add organic matter and support(s). Add a 5 cm layer of mulch around the base and keep well watered until established.
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| Mature blue Atlas cedar. Note the apparently tiny garden bench. (Image source: instantplants.ie) |
Euonymus japonicus - Japanese spindle tree
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A nondescript dense and bushy evergreen shrub best suited for use in towns and coastal situations. The dark green leaves are glossy and leathery on this ever so popular hedging plant.
Size: 4x2 m
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| E. japonicus leaf detail. |
Cultivation notes:
[Shrubs:] Plant November to March, add a 5 cm layer of mulch and water in drought conditions.
(Arundinaria) Fargesia murieliae - bamboo
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| Bamboo branch |
A perennial non-invasive clump-forming bamboo with arching green to yellowish canes. Best suited for use either as a specimen or a screen. Fully hardy.
*Award of garden merit
Size: 4x1.5 m
Cultivation notes:
F. murieliae tolerates full sun and wind.
General note on bamboos: always make sure to choose a clump-forming species, or else plant in a pot.
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Queen' - variegated pittosporum
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A fast-growing evergreen shrub with wavy, silvery-grey white-edged leaves and small honey-scented flowers in the spring. Forms a handsome and neat specimen shrub or small tree.
*Award of garden merit
Size:1-4 m x 2 m
Cultivation notes:
[Shrubs:] Plant November to March, add a 5 cm layer of mulch and water in drought conditions.
Interesting fact: P. tenuifolium is native to New Zealand.
