Beware , here comes the Assassin Bug !
This bug ambushes, captures and sucks out the living guts of its prey ! The assassin bug is a “goodie” in the garden as it preys on pests, its strong mouthpart able to punch into the prey’s body and suck its juice. Be careful, it can give a painful bite!

Assassin bugs are quite common in S/E Queensland and are also known as bee killers although they actually eat a wide variety of insects. Adult bugs at 25mm are brown with transparent wings while young adults at 15mm ( nymphs) are black with orange abdomen.

                      Tall Narrow Plants
How many times have we heard “  I need  plants for screening but I only have a narrow garden bed”. In recent years the lilly pillys have often been  recommended, and they are certainly very useful. For many areas Camellia sasanquas are great,  particularly semi shade beds.

Here are some other suggestions:Aralia ( Dizygotheca) elegantissima  grows 3-5 m with a narrow upright outline Pleomele ( Dracaena) song of India or malay stripe grows 3-5 m with twisted branches.   Tiger Grass  similar to clumping bamboo to 3m, will lean out. Bambusa oldhamii for larger garden beds, will grow 10-18m with rapid vertical growth

           Weird & Wonderful Facts
Cycas thouarsii

Did you know that male cycad cones actually heat up when they are pollinating ( all cycad plants are either male or  female). It was proved using heat probes and showed that cones heated up as
much as 17 C above the air temperature. The heat is probably related to the fact that cycad cones at maturity release a distinctive odor particularly in the late afternoon – possibly  to attract insects for  pollination.

          Waterwise, modern & stylish 
What plant is incredibly Waterwise, can live in pots for years with minimal maintenance, and  has the modern stylish look similar to the popular Yucca? The dragon tree (Dracaena draco) is all those things and more – it has no serious pest or disease, has soft strappy leaves and is something different.

Our wonderful Dracaena draco ( dragon trees) are looking great in 300mm pots, perhaps surround them with Carex or Stripey White with some Cordyline Red Sensation for colour?

Grassy plants are “ in vogue” right now and Carex glauca is a short clumping grass with greyish foliage, just perfect for borders or under planting that modern style garden. It can handle full sun to semi shade, needs average moisture conditions and is easy to look after – the ideal modern plants

The ponytail (Beaucarnea recurvata) is a weird palm like succulent with a greatly expanded base and a single trunk with a rosette of long, strap like leaves that arch and droop with age, the trunk eventually develops a few branches. Ponytail can get up to 30 ft (9.1 m) tall and the base up to 12 ft (3.7 m) across, but houseplants generally remain less than 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m) tall. The leaves are thin and flat, up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long and only 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. They are clustered in dense tufts at the ends of the branches and arch upward, then droop downward. The plant looks a little like a palm, and a little like a big onion sitting on the ground with a single stalk growing up and sporting a parasol of drooping, straplike leaves. Flowers are produced only on large specimens. They are creamy white and inconspicuous individually but borne in large showy upright clusters that extend above the leaves..

Life wasn’t meant to be easy……..
Name changes are not my favourite subject but here is a few  that we should be aware of:
            Baeckea is now Babingtonia………
            Rhoeo is now Tradescantia…..
            Dipladenias are Mandevillas……
             Helichrysum  are Chrysocephalum……….
             and some Eucalypts are now Corymbia……     

                   Canker in Conifers
Have you seen the disease that can badly affect conifers? Cypress canker causes dieback  of branches, brown spores on  affected limbs and evidence of resin weeping from branches. Trees often show symptoms of decline when stressed.

Watch out particularly in pencil pines such as Cupressus sempervirens Gracilis, Swanes Gold and Stricta. Systemic fungicides seem to be ineffective, although beneficial trichoderma fungus can be injected by an arborist every few years. Perhaps better to replace with a more suitable species…..

   Acmena Allyn Magic

The new dwarf lilly pilly that is even better than Tiny Trev is also now available. ALLYN MAGIC PBR is probably the best dwarf hedging lilly pilly around – only growing to 50cm high, pink new growth and resistant to psyllids – the perfect border plant. Acmena smithii Allyn Magic PBR requires virtually no pruning as it grows into a beautiful little shrub – we have 140mm pots now and 200mm

RHOEO SPATHACEA (or  Tradescantia) does not spread vigorously like its  smaller sister, but grows neatly to 60cm with larger purple leaves. Hardy and colourful, this plant looks great in a modern style landscape.

At this time of year the spider lilys stand out, and the broad lush leaves of HYMENOCALLIS SPECIOSA is the best of them. This better looking sister of H.littoralis has wider leaves which gives a more tropical appearance, but still the same attractive white flowers in summer (the correct naming now appears to be H. latifolia). Customer feedback indicates a better tolerance and look through the winter time also- available now in 140 and 200mm pots.  

    Look at me, look at me !!

This plant wants you show it off , make a display – it is so dramatic…… perhaps the Liberace of the plant world ?   Furcrea foetida ( Mauritius Hemp) commands attention with its strong  variegated foliage of peppermint and cream, making a bold statement in any landscape.

Furcrea ‘Mediopicta’ is very waterwise and so is suitable for both a dryland or tropical theme, and the colourful foliage has no spines or sharp edges which is very useful. It makes a great pot feature but also will grow steadily in ground to perhaps 2 m height x 2m spread.

Let this “Liberace” make an exhibition in your landscape……….available now in 300mm pots.

 Keeping Plants Healthy

Keeping plants healthy after planting is always the goal, which is both an art and science. The skill of diagnosing a problem and then suggesting a solution was tested recently at the ABC Gardening Expo where working on the Plant Clinic really tests the knowledge reserves !

Successful plant growth involves a triangle of three factors: the health of the plants, the effect of pests and disease, and the influence of the physical environment. Keeping plants healthy will minimize pest and disease problems and also lessen problems from the environment like cold, heat, wind and other stresses.

The first step is knowing whether the plant species is the correct choice for the position – the right climate zone ( subtropical in coastal S/E Qld), the sun /shade position, preferred soil etc. Then the water and nutrition requirements are supplied, which are greatly influenced by soil conditions.

A very useful product is liquid seaweed which can be applied even to unhealthy plants, increasing resistance to disease by strengthening cell walls and stimulating new root growth and vigour. Seasol is one of the better brands than can be applied to any plant, but particularly for newly planted gardens.

Organics and Balance

We need to understand the soil is alive with trillions of animals and microbes in every square metre. When it comes to fertile soil, there are no “magic bullets”. No one fertiliser that will do  everything! Balance is the key to the many relationships that make up fertile soil for healthy plants.

Understanding the importance of maintaining the equilibrium is essential when building long term fertile soil and profit. Once a grower understands this, they never revert back to total chemical  farming

   The indestructible Zanzibar Gem

Looking for a plant that is almost indestructible? It sounds impossible, but there is such a plant and it is called Zanzibar Gem.  It is almost prehistoric looking, somewhat like a cycad, making a striking pot plant or general garden plant for shadier areas.

 It is native to the lowland forests of Tanzania in Africa where it's shady and the soil is dry and rocky. So in the home, you will find it will grow quite happily in a dark corner - but best of all - the Zanzibar Gem doesn't care if you forget to water it, in fact, it prefers that you don't. Just a good dunk in a bucket of water once a month is plenty.

Why is this plant so incredibly tough? Well the first thing is the leaves, they are shiny and waxy - sort of succulent like - so they're designed to hold the water in.

And the stems - they are swollen and fleshy so they hold water too and there is even a water-storing tuber underneath the soil. This plant likes it dry, and if you over-water it, it can rot It has got to be the perfect, easy care indoor plant, especially if you are a little forgetful with the watering.

If you like the Zanzibar Gem so much you would like one outside as well, that is fine as long as you give it some shade.