Solanum is a mysterious group of plants that include potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants and a whole lot of strange berries. Although this is a pretty big genus there are only a few of them that will […]

Lavender – Lavandula genus – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender I’m growing a wide range of these plants and have built up a good sized collection. I have a large collection of the most commonly available species and varieties of them. […]

Cape gooseberry – Physalis_peruviana – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis_peruviana Perennial but short lived vine like soft herby plant from Andes in South America The fruit is a small berry that is marble sized [about 1cm+] and bright orange when ripe. It […]

Feijoa – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acca_sellowiana Sometimes called pineapple guava or fruit salad guava due to the taste. This is a really hardy and productive but under rated fruit tree. The bush is an evergreen from the Andes in […]

Currently growing: snow pea – green and yellow – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_pea long pod climbers purple pod peas – http://glallotments.co.uk/Peas.aspx bush snap – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_pea chick Pea – actually a bean – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickpea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea Planted in late July. Producing peas end of september. […]

pleione formosana in flower in early October- a very nice ground orchid. This is one of 3 pseudobulbs in a pot together that have flowered for the first time this year. It is a fairly […]

Beans – Phaseolus vulgaris & Broadbeans – Vicia Faba http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_vulgaris http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba I’m growing a wide variety but these are my favourites Green Beans Runner – string Scarlet runner French – Stringless and snap Blue lake Painted Lady […]

A summary of some Mexican style food flavour plants that I’m growing – or trying to grow… Currently I’m trying to grow as wide a range as possible given the cold temperate climate where even […]

Having a lot of luck with Waratah growth in the back  garden. Telopea speciosissima The species version usually has more serrated edges to the leaves, and has a much slower and weaker growth than the F1 […]

Uses: culinary the purple varieties have less sugar and more starch and higher anti-oxidant levels. orange varieties were originally mainly developed by the Dutch. whites are least nutritious and tasty but look good when mixed […]

Uses: culinary – excellent in salads or in risotto as with Milanese recipe tends to be bitter when younger and greener Propagation & cultivation Seed – only reliable method – plant in sandy mix and […]

Eucalyptus caesia 23/9/2010 Growing on raised gravel bed. This one was a seedling. Uses: Oil from leaves Gum from wounds Oil and Gum both Antiseptic Propagation & cultivation Seed – only reliable method – plant in […]

Here’s a currently flowering orchid that has a really nice classic orchid scent on tiny flowers and an odd growth pattern or shape. It has numerous small flowers growing from the base of the pseudobulb […]

Uses: Eat fresh Preserve Other culinary uses Propagation & cultivation Cutting – best Seed – somewhat unreliable Loves water but needs good drainage too Hates wind Needs full range of minerals and very useful to […]

Uses: Eat fresh Tea – dried and fresh Antiseptic & decongestant Essential oil can cause allergic reaction – especially pennyroyal Propagation & cultivation Division & cutting – best Seed – unreliable and easy to cross […]

Oncidium ornithorhynchum [orchid] seems highly variable in it’s flowering shape and colour. This variety I have growing is quite small but really an intense pink and symmetrical in petal and sepal size. This is the […]

An excellent specimen of Lotus – Nelumbo nucifera – growing at the Auckland NZ botanic gardens. A very white variation that was almost up to 2 meters above the water line. The water was only about 60 […]

Purple Dragon carrot. They grow fast and seem to like loose fairly well composted soil. Seeded in early spring and this one was pulled 22 December and was about 12-15cms at this stage.

dead horse arum Helicodiceros muscivorus Only flowered for about 3 days [photo 9th of November] … but took about 2 months for the flower to develop. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicodiceros_muscivorus Here it is developing it’s flower. 27/10/10