Fairy Magnolia Blush

Fairy Magnolia Blush is a startling free flowering evergreen bush or hedge, laden with fragrant flowers at this time of year.

Reaching mature heights of three to four meters and widths of 1.5 – 2 meters it makes a model hedging shrub for both ornamental and screening purposes and looks stunning presented in a single tub.

With blush lilac/pink flowers from March to May and dark green foliage it is a stunning and robust addition to any garden or conservatory.

Bred in New Zealand by the reputed plant breeder, Mark Jury, the shrub’s evergreen, bushy appearance, winter weather tolerance and general resistance to disease ensures it as a garden staple.

Specifications:

· Flower size - 60mm diameter

· Spacing – 1.5m apart for a loose screen or 1m to create a hedge

· Temperature – trialed to -15°C

· Pests – no major issues

· Special care - performs best with good drainage, though needs moisture when establishing

· Pruning - can be trained to single leader or trimmed as a bush, hedge, topiary or espalier

· Soil – suitable for a range of soil types, but prefers well worked friable soils. Avoid heavily waterlogged conditions

· Water - requires moderate moisture levels over summer, but can handle drier conditions once established. Occasional deep watering recommended.

Available April/May 2012, SRSP: £37.00 per 5 litre pot.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Sustainability, Style and Stunning Seasonal Weather.

Once again I am reminded of why we live in Melbourne (voted one of the world's most liveable cities on multiple occasions) as I enjoy fantastic Autumn weather with sunny days and mild temperatures combined with inspiring atmosphere of the world renowned Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (entering its 17th year in 2012 and regarded as the largest and most successful horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere).

The show is staged within the Grand Dame of Melbourne - the world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and beautiful surrounding Carlton Gardens (right in the centre of Melbourne City), the Show is well established in the psyche of Australians as a "must see" event with visitors from far and wide (including international tourists) making the trip to see the show .

Featuring the best landscape and floral talent that Australia has to offer the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show is a celebration of Australian lifestyle and our great outdoors and this year's popular themes have been Sustainability and Style; combining both to inspire even the most novice of gardeners to think about how they can improve their garden at home.

Highlights for me from the show in the attached images are:

· The repurposing of tires, old cans and wheelbarrows to make an interesting and entertaining water feature; plus the use of pallets and discarded beds to create raised vegetable beds.

· Inspirational Floral Design with the conventional interpreted in flowers / fruit and root vegetables – I am not sure about the longevity of a wedding dress made of Garlic but it would certainly protect the bride against cold & flu + keep the vampires away.

· Amazing combinations of Australian stone and plants all demonstrating the possibilities for us to use our gardens as an extension of the house i.e. an outside room that just flows.

· Finally a real treat was seeing one of my favourite plants (and one of our own) Tropicanna included throughout the Carlton Gardens looking resplendent with the sun shining through their amazing foliage.

Once again I return home from the show with a thousand ideas of what improvements can be made in my own garden and then spend the rest of the year trying to decide where the design ideas can be replicated in my own surrounds; and how I can start these multiple projects in between the travel around the world required for our business.

If you have a bucket list and you are a gardener then time to make sure that visiting this show is included as one of the key items to be placing a line through / tick against as apart from the Show this time of year also has Melbourne hosting the month long Comedy Festival (of the same ilk as Edinburgh and Toronto), the food and wine festival and multiple other cultural activities such as the launch of our Australian Football season making it an incredible time to be visiting Melbourne.