By Drew Cooper
Well, here we are again! The short, cool days have really settled in now and our gardens are moving through another beautiful seasonal change. While we may not have quite the abundance of spring flowers, there is certainly no shortage of plants putting on a wonderful winter display.
One of the most popular winter-flowering plants for Peninsula gardens is the coastal banksia, Banksia integrifolia. Flowering through autumn and winter, its golden cylindrical blooms bring warmth to grey days while attracting honeyeaters and bees. In the landscape, banksias work beautifully as canopy trees or informal screening plants, providing height and sculptural structure above lower shrubs and grasses. Their rugged bark and silver-backed foliage pair naturally with softer textures beneath, such as correa, westringia, and indigenous grass species.
There are a number of correas that perform particularly well on the Ninch. Correa reflexa, a Peninsula species, is at its best at this time of year, producing masses of tubular flowers that range from lime green to deep red forms depending on the selection. Correa alba is also in full bloom, with its small star-shaped white flowers brightening coastal plantings. Both are excellent at attracting spinebills and honeyeaters into the garden. Correas complement banksias beautifully, as their softer, mounded habit balances the stronger vertical form of larger trees, and they are equally comfortable in full sun or part shade. Other worthwhile forms include Correa glabra, the lower-growing Correa nummulariifolia, and the shade-tolerant Correa Dusky Bells
The ever-resilient Westringia species are widely used in local gardens and will flower for much of the year, with many now in bloom and attracting insect pollinators. Species such as Westringia glabra, Wynyabbie Gem and Westringia fruticosa all provide strong mid-storey structure and are often clipped into balls or low hedges. However, regular heavy trimming can reduce flowering, and the mass display of small white or mauve blooms is well worth allowing to develop.
Yellow-flowering species such as goodenia and acacia help brighten gardens during winter and make up for the seasonal dip in colour. Goodenia ovata is a tough, fast-growing indigenous shrub with soft green foliage and bright yellow flowers, highly attractive to pollinators and ideal for informal coastal plantings. Acacia retinodes is a graceful indigenous wattle with fine weeping foliage and a long flowering period, making it useful as both a feature specimen and a natural screening plant. Both wonderful plants.
So it’s not all gloom and doom during the colder months. With good planning and thoughtful plant selection, you can keep your garden and its visitors humming throughout the year.
Peninsula Plants Nursery: peninsulaplants.com.au
