EASTCOAST PERENNIALS
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Miscanthus

These outstanding grasses are well behaved enough even for those gardeners who have an innate distrust of grass! They are neat, do not run at the root, nor self-seed to any degree. The soft buff autumn foliage should be cut back once it starts to break down as winter advances, (in time to allow the new foliage through in spring). Picked early, the flowerheads of the fine leaved sorts make excellent dried flowers that will not shed their silken fluff and remain beautiful for years.
x ‘Giganteus’ - Giant Silver Grass. To view this enormous grass only in early summer (v. green, v. grassy, v. large), is to miss its greatest season of beauty. In autumn and winter, a towering column amongst smaller shrubs, perhaps silhouetted against evergreens, its pale featheriness is breathtaking. The huge branchy plumes
start buff-pink but quickly turn to silver. Strictly clump forming, with its wide white-ribbed leaves arching down from stiff bamboo-like stems. (3.5m)
***$9.00
sinensis ‘Dark and Stormy’ - This is one of the very few seedling Miscanthus we have had over the years, (even when trying to germinate them) and it stood out even when young as a vigorous grower with wide well marked leaves. The pale fawn flowers are not particularly noteworthy or even numerous, but in autumn the upper leaves, and the stem-leaves of the flowers, colour through brown to red and even to burgundy-black when conditions suit. As the central leaf-stripes remain pale, this effect is quite startling, (athough it is probably going to be less pronounced in coastal climates). (1.75m)
***$9.00
sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ - A cheerful clumping grass with its 2cm wide leaf blades brightly cross-striped in creamy yellow. This is an effect not often seen in plants and gains the immediate admiration of small children. The perfect companion for autumn flowering yellow daisies such as Rudbeckia and Helianthus, bright Dahlias, Daylilies or Agapanthus. (1.75m)
***$8.00
transmorrisonensis - Taiwanese or Evergreen Miscanthus. A clumping species from the mountainous areas of Taiwan. 1-1.2m mounds of light green foliage decorated from summer through autumn with masses of tall arching sprays of feathery flowers, beginning with pretty golden stamens, maturing through pinkish buff silk and finally opening fully to a beautiful fluff of pale gold.
***$8.00 SOLD OUT

Nerine

filifolia - A kind lady gave the bulbs of this to me as she could never get it to flower on the coast. Here, 20km inland it does flower, and I have recently been surprised to find that it also flowers in the frost free environment of far northern NSW. The foliage is fine and hair-like, the exquisite little flowers are surprisingly large for the foliage and come several to a head on sturdy stalks in early autumn. They are bright sugar pink, frilly and with long stamens - the perfect thing for a specimen vase. Sun and sharp drainage, very suitable for pot or trough. (20cm)
*$7.00
masonorum - Probably the tiniest Nerine in cultivation, this is a high altitude species from the Transkei in South Africa. The foliage is evergreen and very, very fine, in time forming mats on the soil surface that display the tiny ruffled soft pink flowers. Charming in a rockery or at a path edge, this is only 150mm high in flower. Resents disturbance, so out of the pot and into the ground without fiddling!
*$7.00
umptata - A similar bulb to N. masonorum but taller in flower. The individual flowers are small at just over 2cm but they come in small heads and are held way above the foliage mats. This one is soft mid-pink with dark smokey-purple stamens Again, a resenter of disturbance, so pop it straight in. (30cm)
*$7.00

Penstemon

Lovely fast growing plants with a wide colour range, originating in Mexico and the USA. The flowers come in terminal spikes of tubular bells with flared lips. Reliable even on heavy clay if in full sun; occasional losses to fungus in sub-tropical climates are easily insured against by raising a few cuttings before the summer rains, or encouraging the odd branch to layer itself. Full sun is best or a very little shade ; these plants are quite remarkably drought hardy once established. The main flowering season is early summer, but many will oblige at other times also. Feed and trim spent branches to encourage sturdy new shoots from the base; these are the ones that give the best heads of bloom.
‘Knightwick’ - A 1993 UK raised cultivar resembling ‘Stapleford Gem’ but said to be superior to it in cold hardiness there. (Not an issue here unless you live in Cooma!). The colour is a shade darker mauve and shows some pink as it ages and very obvious dark penciling in the throat. The flowers are arranged in distinct whorls up the tall sturdy stems. (1m)
**$7.00
‘Rose Robin’ - A gift from a gardener on the magnificent red soil of the Comboyne Plateau with flowers in the breast colours of the lovely Rose Robin, a vibrant deep pink with dramatically contrasting white throats. The stems are strong and tall with many flowers in each head, the foliage is a complimentary light, almost limey, green. A bushy vigorous growing plant to 1m.
*$7.00
smallii - This is one of the rosette forming Penstemon species, with beetroot stained (and veined) leaves. The flowers are mauve-purple without and white within, with jutting lower lobes that give them a bright perky look. Excellent plant from the eastern USA. Sun, not difficult, sometimes self sows. (45cm)
**$7.50

Phlox

paniculata ‘Hesperis’ - Few plants give such a wonderful burst of colour as do the Phlox. ‘Hesperis’ is a tough customer and stands humidity quite well. At just over 1m tall with flowers topping each stem, this is a plant best displayed with a lower growing partner in front to hide its legs. Low Euphorbias would be fabulous, Ceratostigma or pale Daylilies. Not too dry a spot for these to look their best.
$7.00

Physostegia

virginiana ‘Alba’ - White Obedient Plant. This is another of those things that has been out of fashion for so long we have tended to forget it ever existed - rather silly of us really as it is most useful - hardy, easily propagated and in a neutral colour. Initially it is capable of enthusiastic spread when happily sited, (read well fed), but the effect is self-limiting and it settles down to being a weed excluding deep green patch about 1m wide with pure white flowers through summer . Sun. (50-80cm)
*$6.50

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The letters AGM following a plant's name indicate a current Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society of the United Kingdom. Although this relates of course to its performance in the UK, it gives a good indication of its worthiness compared to others of its genus.

DROUGHT TOLERANCE INDICATORS

* denotes a drought hardy plant (infrequent watering)
** a very drought hardy plant (water only in extreme conditions)
*** a totally drought hardy plant (no watering after establishment)

Remember that this is determined here, for our summer rainfall climate and clay loam soil, and be willing to adapt if the area you garden in is significantly different.

Some of the newer introductions may not yet have received a star rating even though they may later be found to merit one. For this reason star ratings may suddenly appear on plants that did not have them in previous catalogues.