Spring flowering plants that won’t die after blooming!
Spring has arrived and so have the flowers! Instead of filling your garden with flowering annuals why not plant beautiful flowers that are displayed on evergreen foliage. This means that when your plants finish flowering you will have a lush green plant instead of a dead plant! There are so many pretty flowers to choose from, I have selected a few easy to grow plants for you to try.
1. Rhaphiolepis indica ‘Oriental Pearl’
I love this plant and use it frequently in my designs. It has a lovely lush green leaf and really pretty white flowers that are blushed with pink. The Oriental pearl is also hardy and can be planted in full sun to part shade. It can also be clipped into a ball.
2. Acanthus mollis (Oyster Plant)
Acanthus mollis has stunning textural foliage creating interest in the garden all year round. The flowers are just gorgeous, they are white with hues of dark purple. This plant prefers not to grow in a humid climate, so it is for my gardens in Toowoomba (and other non humid regions) not Brisbane. However having said that, I placed it in a garden design in Brisbane under an old poinciana tree in the hope that it would live in the micro climate created by the tree. So far so good! This photo is also taken in the Mt Cootha Botanical gardens in Brisbane, the growing conditions is under a shady tree. It may be grown here as an ‘annual’ with the plan to replace it if it dies.
3. Viola hederacea (Native Violet)
Our native violet is ever so cute! And the flowers can be eaten, so you can use them to decorate your patty cakes. Viola hederacea can be grown in the shade and part sun. I recently used this pretty plant as a ground cover in a tropical design to add a touch of ‘pretty’. It is great as a ground cover or in between stepping stones. I love watching this plant grow.
4. Alpinia mutica (Dwarf Shell Ginger)
The Alpinia mutica is a lovely dwarf ginger with a white flower that is a similar shape to a lupine. Leaves are fragrant when rubbed, they smell somewhere between cinnamon and a citrus, how yummy!
5. Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’
Diamond frost is such a pretty plant. It blooms with dainty white flowers that seam to ‘float’ above the plant giving a garden a soft and whimsical feel. Will grow in full sun or part shade. Lovely and hardy.
6. Aptenia cordifolia (Baby Sun Rose)
How dainty is the baby sun rose!? This plant is a groundcover that ‘hugs’ the ground, I saw this plant growing in many pots on the balcony gardens in Italy. It is very hardy and will tolerate forgetting to be watered (once established), poor soil conditions and some salt spray. I use this plant to drape over retaining walls and rockeries. Aptenia has cute little daisy like flowers.
