Jane Grows Garden Rooms has started publishing on Medium! In pursuit of creativity and new audiences there’s even a publication…
I will continue to post Plant Profiles and details of my garden adventures here on my blog. There’s a lot of things I want to say that aren’t exactly “on topic” here so I am going to use Medium for that.
Suitable for pots, rockeries, hedges and garden beds
Tolerates moderate pruning
A ripe berry ready to be harvested.
Propagation
Cuttings
Fresh cleaned seed (germination 3-4 weeks)
Uncleaned seeds (germination 4-5 weeks)
Seeds need no stratification
The dark green mature leaves are almost as pretty as the red new growth.
The fruit of this plant has been hailed as a superfood. The berries are about the size of a blueberry and the flavour (from my experience) is reminiscent of blueberries with a touch of eucalyptus. The scientific name refers to the berries and translates to Sweet Southern Myrtle (Latin: Austro=Australis=Southern, Myrtus=Myrtle, Sweet=dulcis). The Naturalist James Backhouse, who travelled through the Australian colonies and took specimens back to Kew Gardens describes the berries favourably and cites them as an important food for local Aborigines. His quotes are recorded variously in historical record.
“…Taking therefore my compass, I determined to make my way direct to my companions, whom I succeeded in reaching, after same fatigue, by wading through a lagoon and crossing some steep hills. The latter was overgrown by Myrtus tenuifolia, a Myrtle of low stature with narrow leaves, and sweet aromatic, white berries spotted with purple. These are the most agreeable native fruit I have tasted in Australia; They are produced so abundantly as to afford an important article of food to the Aborigines…”
James Backhouse in A Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies 1843
I planted two of these and the one in full sun thrived while the one in part shade was slow but steady. The plant in full sun flowered and fruited readily until a combination of flooding rains and increasing shade from the plants around it caused it to perish. I was devastated and unknowingly made the situation worse by giving it more water. If this happens again I will remove and replant in a position with better drainage and more sun. Apart from this event Midyim Berry Bushes have been a rewarding addition to my garden.
This plant is never more delightful than when the white flowers contrast with the red new growth and pink buds about to burst open.
The red new growth is delightful and the tiny flowers are gorgeous. Add to this the grey berries speckled with dark blue spots and this species is a perfect feature plant.
A drawing of the leaves for my sketchbook.
If you want to grow this subtle beauty, find a spot with good drainage and plenty of sun as well as protection from heavy frosts. This will reap rewards with occasional watering in hot weather.
Blue-banded Bees, Teddy Bear Bees, Sweat Bees… all the buzz pollinators love this rainforest plant which flowers sporadically all year and produces edible berries.
Also known as:
Melastoma affine
Native Tibouchina
Native Lasiandra
Dhumulu (Yolngu)
Growing Conditions:
Prefers fertile, well-drained, moist soil
Part-shade (no afternoon sun)/Light shade
Not frost tolerant
Small to medium shrub
Suitable for pots, rockeries, garden beds
Needs protection from hot winds
Propagation:
*Cuttings or seed
This plant has beautiful lush green foliage with contrasting reddish stems. In good conditions it has a lovely thick habit and flowers over and over again. The berries are slightly sweet, but not exceptional. The children love them for the blue stain it leaves on their tongues.
I love this plant for the flowers and the bees… and the leaves and the stems… what’s not to love about this plant? It is a little more maintenance than most of my garden. The three plants I have don’t thrive on neglect, but I wouldn’t call them high maintenance. I do need to keep an eye on their moisture levels and throw them a handful of fertiliser every now and then. Most sources say that they flower in Spring and Summer, but mine flower sporadically through much of the year. The flowers are more consistent and plentiful in Spring and Summer, but they are by no means absent during the rest of the year.
It is a variable species meaning that different specimens may have different features despite being the same species. Botanists think that with further study the plants may be divided into more species. All the leaves have a distinctive difference to their overseas cousins, however, rather than having one central vein and two on each side (five longitudinal veins altogether) this plant has only one vein on each side of the central leaf vein making three in total. It is distributed from the South coast of New South Wales all the way along the coast to the Kimberlies in Western Australia.
The contrast of dark green leaves against the pale sandstone rocks in my rockery creates a pleasing visage.
Also known as:
Viola hederacea (Not the same plant, as explained later)
Australian Violet
Growing conditions:
Shade/part shade (some sources advocate full sun, but this plant has not survived in full sun in my garden)
Tolerant of most soils but prefers moist site
Will tolerate boggy sites
Will tolerate light foot traffic
Tolerant of light frost
Propagation:
Layering
Separating runners from established plants
I love this delightful little groundcover. Whether it’s scrambling through my rockery, tumbling out of a hanging pot or trailing along the ground from my frog hotel, it’s always a source of delight. Its tiny flowers stand up amongst lush green kidney shaped leaves and both bloom and foliage look great in a salad. Like most Violas they are completely edible from root to bloom.
A botanist on a Facebook identification site kindly explained that he could differentiate this specimen, Viola banksii from Viola hederacea due to the deep, narrow gaps between the lobes of the leaf and the clear white and purple on the flower. Viola hederacea has a more kidney shaped leaf and the flowers have a gradual fade from purple to white.
In the process of researching for this post I discovered that despite being labelled as Viola hederacea, most Native Violets sold in nurseries are in fact Viola banksii. The distinction between species is a relatively recent one in botanical terms. They weren’t described as two different species until 2004.
One of the steps in my rockery covered in Native Violets. Some weeds struggle through but they are easy to remove and rarely given room to thrive.
As this species tolerates light foot traffic I am growing it on the steps in one of my rockeries near a bird bath. The birds tend to splash a lot which ensures that the steps get regular moisture. The experiment has been a resounding success. During the drought it grew slowly, but held on as this hardy little native tends to do. With more rain this season it is thriving and has spread along the step and through the rocks. This habit offers a pleasing visage and shows off the lovely green leaves against the pale sandstone rocks. We don’t use the steps much, but there’s little evidence when we do and it is competing healthily with the weeds making it relatively low maintenance. The site gets dappled shade for most of the day from a Soap Tree which prevents moisture loss.
I also grow it in a hanging pot by my front door. This pot was inside the house, but my house is generally dark and it didn’t thrive. I believe it would grow quite well indoors in a bright spot provided the soil was kept moist. This plant tolerates over watering quite well.
My frog hotel under construction with a small Native Violet as the feature plant.
I chose a Native Violet for my frog hotel which has a dangling set of leaves that look pretty, but the leaves tend to die off in the pot. This makes the hotel itself less leafy so I will find an alternative plant to give shelter to my amphibious friends. The Native Violet dangling down will remain as a ladder for small frogs like the Eastern Sedge Frogs (Litoria fallax).
Wishing you lush, green, edible groundcover,
Jane Grows Garden Rooms
PS This plant is on my Ten Australian Bush Food Plants for Your Garden list. Click here to read the full article.
This plant is invariably covered in bees and other pollinators. No plant in my garden gets more visits than this one and it flowers constantly!
Also known as:
African Blue Basil
Ocimum killmanscharicum x basilicum
Dark Opal Basil
The long, attractive flower stalks are consistent, prolific and make a lovely edible garnish.
Growing conditions:
Tolerant of most soils but prefers well-drained soil
Grows up to 1.2metres tall and wide
Will tolerate some shade
Can be grown indoors in a brightly lit position
Suitable for garden beds, rockeries and pots
Needs protection from frost
Perennial in warm climates, annual in cool and cold climates
Perennial Basil loves raised garden beds and happily grows next to Native Basil. I have to prune it regularly to prevent it from taking over. The pruned stalks make propagation by cutting easy.
Propagation:
Seeds are sterile
Cuttings strike easily (soft or hard wood)
Cuttings should be kept moist (Not wet!) until established in soil
I propagate this plant in my propagation station where it continues to be visited by bees until it produces roots and is planted out. It only takes a couple of weeks.
Uses:
Cooking, as for any basil, has a mild flavour with slight hint of camphor
Pesto
Edible Flowers
Can be processed and frozen for use in the kitchen
Attracts pollinators and other garden friends
I originally purchased this plant from Mudbrick Herb Cottage because I liked the idea of fresh basil all year. It has delivered, but I still grow sweet basil for those dishes that need its pungent sweetness.
A Black-banded Hoverfly harvesting pollen.
During Wild Pollinator Count Weeks it’s the first plant I visit. It is a wonderfully positive beginning as I try to count and capture (with my camera) the numerous pollinators attracted to its prolific blooms. I haven’t managed to photograph the elusive butterflies but I have shots of various bees, hoverflies and other unidentified pollinators, as well as the spiders who opportunistcally set up their webs in hope of capturing the insects harvesting pollen.
This Golden Orb Weaver is a permanent resident in the Perennial Basil. No doubt it is taking advantage of the many insects who frequent its flowers.
It is a hardy plant, but not very tolerant of drought. Having said that, it only requires occasional supplementary watering to keep it going. This seems a small price to pay for the ecosystem services that it provides.
Wishing you edible blooms and pollinators aplenty,
Living Upstream and Downstream in a Global Community
I reuse as many containers I can which makes my pantry shelves look somewhat eclectic.
When you think about it, every revolution in human history started with a trickle, a small group of humans pushing for change. As the trickle moved downstream it gathered volume and momentum, followers, and the push for change intensified until it became a flood that the most obstinate could not stand against. It follows then, that if we want to create a revolution to save our place on the Earth, every little drop of change adds to the trickle and keeps it moving towards that flood.
Contour Banks are a great way to catch and store energy. They slow water and nutrients on their way downhill and stop topsoil washing away.
Water
I started saving water by being mindful of consumption. I had short showers, washed laundry only when I had enough for a full load and minimized use wherever I could. I learned about permaculture and started purposefully using my greywater and built contour banks on our slope to catch and store the rain water and topsoil that was being washed into nearby waterways. I planted and planted and planted. I learned that scientists estimate that more than 35% of microplastic pollution in our oceans comes from laundering synthetic clothing. I started checking tags and buying natural fabrics whenever I could. Did it cost more? Yes, it cost more money from my pocket, but it reduced the cost to the Earth. I am spending my money in ways that support the society that I want to live in. And the trickle grows…
Food Waste
I started composting. Only the “bad compost foods” like citrus and alliums made it to landfill. I learned about soldier flies and started composting anything biological in origin. I got a worm farm and fed them carrot peels and banana skins and eggshells. I researched how people used to store vegetables before refrigerators and tried them. I was stunned to discover that in combination with refrigeration this made my vegetables last longer. I learned about biochar and started charring bones and meat scraps. My general refuse bin started going to the kerb with less than a third of the original waste each week. And the trickle of change became stronger…
Energy
I started reusing plastic containers and glass jars. I stopped buying matching plastic containers. I learned to live with a “mismatched” pantry full of all kinds of containers. I started preferencing brands that used containers that I could reuse or repurpose afterwards. I started turning lights off. We got solar panels on our roof. I started spending extra to buy more energy efficient appliances. I am trying to stop throwing things away and repair or repurpose instead. I am asking myself, “Do I need that appliance?” I am buying less cheap plastic and more items that will last. And the trickle of change continues to grow…
Transport
I live in a rural area with no public transport. I started minimizing my trips by going without or being organized enough to get everything at once. I started parking in one place and walking between locations rather than driving and parking again. I started buying local produce even if it meant going to multiple shops and using seasonal produce in the kitchen. I planted vegetables and fruit trees. I started carpooling whenever I could. I am staying home more and eating better food. And the trickle gains momentum…
“Refusal to participate is a moral choice. Water is a gift for all, not meant to be bought and sold. Don’t buy it. When food has been wrenched from the earth, depleting the soil and poisoning our relatives in the name of higher yields, don’t buy it.”
All my life I have witnessed the damage that invasive species can cause. We bought property covered in invasive Lantana. We spent every weekend for months clearing it with a machete and a mattock, no power tools or machines. I planted and planted and planted. We moved on. We bought property covered in many different invasive species. We cleared and cleared. I planted and planted. We sectioned off a part of the property to rehabilitate and another part to live in. In the rehabilitation section I planted endemic natives and identified each new species that appeared once the neighbours’ herding animals were fenced out. New natives stayed, I removed the invasives. I wanted to see more frogs. I started hunting cane toads, horrified at having to kill them even using stepped hypothermia. The frog population exploded. The local wildlife discovered my vegetable and herb gardens. I planted more and more to share. An ecosystem is starting to develop and we have seen at least five endangered animals and I have planted and nurtured rare and endangered plants whenever I can find them. Trickle, trickle…
I am a teacher. I taught Drama and History, then I seized an opportunity to teach Science. I taught my students to analyse, theorise and criticise. I gave them raw data and conflicting opinions and I told them to challenge me. They did. I told them to have their own opinions. They began challenging each other and we had debates and they disagreed and I was glad. There is no change without a pressing need and those to argue the pressing need against those who wish to stay the same. And the trickle meets other trickles and the volume heading downstream grows…
This is a summary of my contribution to the trickle of environmental change. Do I still use plastic? Of course! It’s hard not to in this day and age. Do I still drive my car? Yes. Do I still buy synthetic fabrics? Sometimes.
Robin Wall Kimmerer said “we all live downstream” in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, and I love that concept. I am trying my hardest to send only good stuff downstream but I’m not perfect and I am a product of my time and place in history. I can only work with what I get from the society upstream from me.
There is cause for hope. I am sure that the trickle has grown in my lifetime. I have seen things become normal that were unheard of in my childhood. Reusable coffee cups are everywhere. Plant-based plastics are getting more shelf space in supermarkets. Countries are banning plastic straws and cutlery.
My greatest hope is with the children. No one is better at changing minds than a child and they are more environmentally aware than ever before. I hope as each year of new adults take their place in society and voting lines they bring with them enough understanding to push that trickle to a flood that saves our Earth. Until then I will keep trying to add drops of change to the trickle I send downstream and spread the word, as revolutionaries have always done, before the flood of change.
These delicious berries take their time to become truly ripe. When they are they almost fall off the vine when touched.
Did you know that Australia has eight native raspberry species? All adapted to our climates and varying in taste, they are a great choice for a bush tucker garden. One of the most palatable and abundant, in terms of fruit, is Rubus probus or Atherton Raspberry.
A Native Stingless Bee harvesting pollen from a flower. The five petals contrast delightfully with the five sepals forming a star shape.
Also known as:
Rubus probus
Atherton Raspberry
Rubus muelleri
Rubus fraxinifolius (now accepted as the name for a different species in Asia)
Growing conditions:
Full sun/part shade (prefers full sun)
Well-drained soil
A vigourous grower that can be confined to a large pot
Will climb a trellis
Scrambling habit
Flowers in Spring/Summer and Fruits Summer/Autumn, but can be variable and flower and fruit at any time of year
Propagation
Fresh seed (benefits from cold stratification – one month at 3 degrees Celsius)
Cuttings from firm new growth
Layering – tip layering
Division
The flowers have five petals but they inevitably get damaged by heavy traffic and wind. Here you can see an ant and a Native Stingless Bee harvesting pollen.
“Mummy! There’s a ripe Raspberry!” No plant in my garden gets more visits from my children than our Native Raspberry when it is fruiting. At the beginning of the season it’s sweetly frustrating as the berries ripen individually limiting harvest to one berry every two or three days. But hey, it’s teaching them (and us) patience and rewarding with healthy snacks. Red doesn’t necessarily mean ripe either. You’ll know they are fully ripe when they seem to be almost falling off the vine at a touch. Interestingly they also go through a “plumping” stage just before they ripen, growing by one and a half times the original size overnight. Their taste is sharper than commercial Raspberries that you buy at the store, but it is by no means unpleasant. A healthy plant in good conditions can produce up to three kilograms in a season. That’s a lot of raspberries!
Our Native Raspberry is planted in a large terracotta pot to prevent its growth becoming an impenetrable thicket. Its flexible green stems are covered in small thorns that will grip and climb a trellis, but ours is freestanding and is currently almost three metres tall. The long flexible stems insist on climbing the nearby ginger plants and grab us with their thorns as we walk past. Time for relocation? Probably, but I need to consider the best location. They do lose leaves when the weather cools and they fruit best with regular moisture and light fertilizer, so I like to have them in a location where I can monitor them closely.
Overnight this berry “plumped” growing half as big again. This is another indication that it is ripe.
This species is found across Northern Australia and in parts of Papua New Guinea. The young leaves and shoots are also edible, however I am yet to sample them. I know that wallabies can strip a young plant back to stalks, so they obviously enjoy the leaves and shoots! Truth be told we are happy to just have the berries which live up to their latin name “probus” or “good”. In fact they are so good that many people have to cover them in bird netting to get any harvest at all.
The canes of the plant can be hard to find in a large thicket.
Native Raspberries are somewhat drought tolerant and have survived the dry seasons in their partial shade position. Perhaps they might have fruited better in full sun, but they may not have survived the dry weather. Being a predominantly tropical and subtropical species, they are very tolerant of hot, humid weather and, if protected from frost, they will even grow in temperate zones.
When you pick the raspberries you may notice white pith in the centre. This can be eaten or discarded, but if you’re making jam make sure the pectin rich pith goes into the mix to help the jam set!
Handy Tips from the Garden Rooms!
Wondering where to buy them? I got mine at Lamington Native Nursery. Every plant that I purchased there has thrived.
If you have the space for a large pot or a dedicated patch, this is a great plant for an edible or permaculture garden!
Wishing you abundant harvests,
Jane Grows Garden Rooms
PS This plant is on my Ten Australian Bush Food Plants for Your Garden list. Click here to read the full article.
The children have found their foraging more challenging since the Rainbow Lorikeets have finally discovered the Native Mulberry Trees.
This plant is a biodiversity hub in my garden. A few moments of close observation on any given day reveals species galore. From the Eastern Sedge Frog family to Rainbow Lorikeets to countless insects, I am never disappointed. My children are also regularly drawn to the tree to gather and gobble the tiny sweet fruits or search for caterpillars and eggs. They are inevitably rewarded for their efforts.
I love seeing my children forage for fresh berries in the garden.
Also known as:
False Stinger
White Mulberry
Amahatyan
Ghasooso
White Nettle
Koomeroo Koomeroo
Kongangn
Queensland Grass-Cloth Plant
Thi-la-wo
This shiny fellow is one of the Eastern Sedge Frog family that lives in our Native Mulberry Tree and no doubt feasts on the abundant insect life that the tree attracts.
Growing conditions:
Full sun/part shade (Prefers full sun)
Prefers moist conditions, but is drought tolerant with intermittent watering (It may defoliate, but mine have come back with regular moisture. )
Well drained soil
Frost tender, especially when young
Grows 3-8 metres tall and 3-5m wide, responds well to pruning
Excellent hedging or screening plant
Eggs on a leaf. We believe that they are from a Jezebel Nymph Butterfly, but time will tell!
Propagation
Fresh seed/cuttings
Dioescious (Male and female plants) – female plants will set fruit without a male, but will not produce viable seed
The small white berries can be super sweet but the birds love them too! Look for them along the stems, hidden beneath the leaves.
It’s easy to see why this plant is called Native Mulberry. It’s form, structure and flowers are certainly reminiscent of the Mulberry Trees that many of us grew up raiding for the succulent purple berries that stained our hands and mouths. However, that’s where the similarities end. This tree is part of the nettle family. Thankfully it doesn’t sting like many of its cousins and it produces delicious, if variable in taste, small berries. It produces fruit from January to July, but the harvests are small and inevitably shared with wildlife.
The first tree that I bought survived the drought and is still going. It is small, probably partly due to its position which gets dappled shade for most of the day. Of the two I bought later, one perished during the last months of the drought and the other is flourishing and threatening to overwhelm the Lemon Tea Tree that is planting next to it. It is in a position that gets full sun for most of the day. It has been flowering and producing fruit since mid January, around four months and shows no signs of stopping. It is frequently visited by all of our family, as well as Rainbow Lorikeets, Blue-eyed Honeyeaters, various butterflies and moths and countless other insects. An Eastern Sedge Frog family of at least three individuals also lives in the branches and calls at all times of day and night.
Some kind of fruit fly feasting on a berry.
This is a rainforest and wet schlerophyl forest plant that appears in disturbed areas. It is a hardy pioneer that responds well to pruning. Without pruning it has a tendency to become “leggy”. Its natural distribution is from Lismore in New South Wales North along the East Coast to North Queensland and around to the Northern Territory, as well as some Asia-Pacific nations, including Guam, Samoa and Indonesia.
The flowers of the Native Mulberry Trees are similar to the exotic Mulberry Trees. This picture demonstrates why the Greek origins of the name might refer to the tail like stigma.
First described during Captain James Cook’ s 1769 voyage, this plant had been used for centuries before that by First Nation peoples in its range. Indigenous Australian women and newborn babies ate the seeds. The bark was used to make fishing nets and dyes in Eastern Australia. Every aerial part of the plant was used medicinally to treat ailments from coughs to malaria to burns to centipede bites. The wood was used for construction and the tough fibrous bark was used to make traditional mats in Samoa.
These Hawk Moth Caterpillars regularly appear on my Native Mulberry Tree. Did you know that most moths build their crysalis underground?
As for the scientific name, argenteus is generally accepted as referring to the silvery underside of the leaf. Pipto is Greek “to fall” perhaps referring to the fruit which drops easily from the branches when ripe and ouro means “long tail” which could refer to the hairy stigma or the leaf petiole.
This plant is host to many butterfly species which is clearly evident from the activity in my garden. Having said that, the foliage is so abundant that the damaged and eaten leaves are far from obvious.
This tree is a rewarding addition to a garden or food forest that will enhance your biodiversity and provide a welcome snack whenever you pass by during the long fruiting season.
Wishing you berries and biodiversity,
Jane Grows Garden Rooms
PS This plant is on my Ten Australian Bush Food Plants for Your Garden list. Click here to read the full article.
There’s a hungry critter in my pumpkin patch and we’re not getting any pumpkins! So instead I am going to cook up some of the flowers. They’re a delicious, nutritious snack or side dish and they’re not being eaten as often as the fruit. I am using the male flowers which are easy to identify.
Our pumpkins are being devoured overnight! So I decided to cook the flowers instead.
Ingredients:
9 pumpkin flowers
1 teaspoon of minced basil leaves
3 small lemon myrtle leaves – new growth only, minced (optional)
2/3 cup of plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
4 tablespoons cold water
2 eggs
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper (optional)
Only use the tender young Lemon Myrtle leaves for this recipe.
Method:
1. Cut the stems off the flowers, remove the stamens (male flowers without the bulb at the base are best for cooking) and wash thoroughly to remove any pollen.
2. Dry the pumpkin flowers, making sure that they are dry inside and out.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl.
4. Add basil, lemon myrtle leaves and parmesan cheese and mix well.
5. Add water and eggs. Whisk until a smooth batter is formed.
6. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat.
7. When the oil is hot, gently dip the flowers in the batter, coating evenly.
TOP TIP: To check whether the oil is hot enough, add a small drop of batter. If it sizzles straight away, it’s ready!
Jane Grows Garden Rooms
8. Put the battered flowers in the oil a few at a time and fry until golden brown.
9. Remove flowers and drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Let me know if you try this one by posting in the comments!
