aromatic foliage repels pests , and it bears dainty , pale-violet , orchid-like flowers in late spring and early summer . A true member of the mint family , Lamiaceae , it is native to high-elevation shrublands of New South Wales and Victoria . It performs best in full sun to light shade , with average , well-drained soil . Avoid excessive watering !
Greenish gray foliage and orange flower parts of Grevillea victoriae . ( Photo by Niall Dunne )
pruning . Its greenish-gray foliage is attractive year-round , and the plant is effective as a single specimen or planted as a screen . Although you can ’ t kill royal grevillea with benign neglect , you might be able to kill it with fertilizer ( especially ones containing phosphorus ), too much water , and too little sun . In other words , plant it in a sunny site with lean , well-drained soil .
Podocarpus lawrencei ‘ Blue Gem ’ could compete for the title of most useful garden plant . Not only is this gorgeous blue-needled conifer lovely planted en masse , it also combines well with other shrubs and grasses , and is even effective as a groundcover around trees . A spreading Tasmanian selection of the mountain plum-pine , ‘ Blue Gem ’ grows up to four feet tall by eight feet wide or more , but it can be sheared or snipped back to pretty much any size you need it to be . Drought-tolerant once established and adaptable to most growing conditions , it doesn ’ t perform well in deep shade . If there were ever a plant one could install and then forget about , this podocarp might just be it .
What a sweet , evergreen subshrub is Prostanthera cuneata , the alpine bush mint ! Maxing out at about two feet tall with a spread of five feet , it is effective in a drift or as a bridge between taller plants . Its tiny , glossy ,
Podocarpus lawrencei ‘ Blue Gem ’. ( Photo by Janine Anderson )
CHINA Scheffleras are more than just tropical plants that we can only grow indoors here ! Some species , such Schefflera delavayi , have proved reliably hardy in our region . Native to mountain forests in Southwest China and Vietnam , this evergreen shrub is prized mostly for its large , exotic , compound foliage that can span up to three feet wide . However , the airy sprays of tiny white
The orchid-like flowers of Prostanthera cuneata . ( Photo by Niall Dunne )
12 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin