I was glad to see our virtuoso local chef Chui Lee Luk single out salad burnet the other night as one of her favourites. It’s an excellent plant for a sunny balcony, as it’s happy in a pot, very hardy, available to pick all year, and hard to find in the shops. The leaves are very pretty and have a cucumber aroma, with maybe a little coriander leaf in there too. Only pick the young leaves while they are the paler green, as the older leaves get tough. I think…
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Phalaenopsis
Great orchids for Sydney, you can buy Phalaenopsis as a flowering display that will last for over a month, then keep them with an expectation that they will flower again. They are easy to keep as long as the basic conditions are right, and that means light and water. Phals are low light plants, naturally growing deep under the rainforest canopy. Their thick leaves easily overheat in sunlight, even morning sun in Summer. A south facing window or a spot inside a brightly lit room are good locations. If you…
Read MoreDrosera capensis sundew
This sundew looked so pretty in the sun this morning. It’s Drosera capensis, from South Africa. My plants are about 3rd generation, from a plant that stowed in growing with a pitcher plant. They have stems of little pink flowers, which open one per day, then hundreds of dust-like seeds that germinate freely in the right spot. Keeping these is all about the potting medium. They will not tolerate fertilizer, so specialty mixes are necessary. Sphagnum, peat, sand and perlite are all good, singly or in combination. These ones are growing…
Read MoreCamellia
This Camellia japonica gives us beautiful winter colour out on the living room balcony. Its partner has a white flower with pink streaks, and flowers a little later.
Read MoreEasy orchids
Lots of orchids grow easily in Sydney, given the right spot. The native orchids are a good starting point. The big Dendrobium speciosum rock orchid is spectacular, and although ideal in a tree, will grow well on a board in a lightly shaded or East-facing spot. Little Dendrobium kingianum is sweet and super tough, will grow almost anywhere and even in soil. Dendrobium nobile grows easily in bark, and the Cooktown orchid, Dendrobium phalaenopsis grows and flowers with protection from winter cold. Cymbidiums grow easily and flower reliably when given…
Read MoreZygopetalum
This Zygopetalum is tough and reliable. It makes a dramatic indoor plant while it flowers in May and June, and also has a strong sweet scent, something like hyacinths. It’s a big plant so it gets a pot on the floor while it’s inside. This is a very hardy orchid, and it grows happily on the South balcony with morning sun in summer, no cold protection in winter (and full shadow) and rainwater or a weekly watering when it’s dry.
Read MorePurple Dancing Ladies
This orchid flowers twice a year if we are lucky; a small flowering in Autumn and the main show in Spring. It’s tough and stays out on the South facing balcony unless it’s flowering, then it lasts for a long time indoors and has a beautiful vanilla scent. It is one of the Oncidium type, apparently a complex and uncertain genus. It likes bright light, with direct sun only early mornings if at all, and is happy with watering by rain, or a weekly watering if it’s dry. It is…
Read MoreRooftop gardening herbs
Herbs are good plants for roof top gardening, as they are so tough and stay ready for picking when needed. On my rooftop terrace in inner city Sydney I grew them in big pots and troughs across the open North side, I had oregano, salad burnet, and parsley, lemon grass, thyme and chives, rosemary, and sage. In smaller pots against the East facing wall I grew mint, basil and coriander. The first eight are set and forget plants; the oregano seeds and spreads from year to year, and the salad burnet needs a…
Read MorePlanning a balcony
The style you choose for your garden will influence not just the plants and pots you use, but also the function of the space. A Japanese style might be too densely planted to allow a large dining table and barbecue, but would be perfect if you need a quiet space to relax. For an urban garden you may want something that will work like an outdoor room, and it’s useful to think of the plants as items of furniture. That means not getting confused by the endless variety of plants…
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