Plants I love: Star magnolia

Magnolias can languish in their formative years, but perseverance will be rewarded. Here Graham discusses his favourite magnolia's story.

Polyanthus and Primula

We like them on a windowsill to brighten up the dullest day or cheery winter welcome at the front door. Primula, or fairy primrose, is a delicate-looking thing with candelabra-like bunches of small blooms balancing on fragile stems. The dainty flowers, in shades of pink, white, mauve and carmine, have a faint perfume.

Queen of the Night, a very special kind of Orchid Cactus

If you are an early riser and usually early to bed - this plant is not for you! The queen of the night cactus flowers between dusk and dawn - for us she is the highlight of the party season.

Roses

Winter is rose-planting time, and to help you make the most of these much-loved flowers, we’ve put together all the information you need. Armed with some growing advice you'll be picking armfuls in no time at all.

South Africa's best plants

Australian gardeners have long relied on hardy and beautiful plants from our Gondwana partner, South Africa. Graham Ross explains his passion for some of the best plants South Africa has to offer.

Star of the season Dwarf Banksia

Dwarf Banksias prove that no space doesn’t mean no impact. These low-growing banksias have full-sized flowers that are shining beacons all through winter, drawing nectar-loving big birds as well as tiny little insect-eaters.

Star of the season: Agastache

These easy-care, minty-fresh flowery fillers offer reliable and long-lasting summer colour.

Star of the Season: Begonia

If you still think floral clocks when you think begonias, check out these timely stars.

Star of the Season: Bottlebrush

Brilliant scarlet is not the only shade that cloaks the bottlebrush. They also dress up in pink, mauve, yellow and white so offer the ultimate in easy-going dazzle - in whatever colour you need.

Star of the season: Clerodendrum

Glory bowers, bleeding hearts and butterfly bushes – the common names tell us why we love Clerodendrums. In summer the delicate, scented panicles dangle sweetly in shades of scarlet, pink and blue making the garden a delight.

Star of the Season: Correa

Maria Hitchcock holds the National Living Collection of this wonderful little native, which is easy-care, versatile, generously flowering and bird-attracting. Here she shares her favourites and her growing tips.

Star of the season: Daphne

The fragrance and dainty beauty of daphne is enough to make you fling open the doors on a chilly morning so you can breathe it in. Here Mez Woodward showcases daphne - star of the winter season.

Star of the season: Daylilies

Flowers for a day; for lots of days

Star of the season: Jacaranda

The purple veil that floats over Sydney in November is an international star – but not one most of us can bring home.

Star of the Season: Jasmine

The jasmine moment is a brief celebration. Grab hold, cut armfuls of it and drape it all over the house, because in a flash it’s all over til next year.

Star of the season: the Magnolia

Sweet Peas

Sweet peas (Lathyrus odorata) are annual climbing plants with fragrant and romantically ruffled, pea-shaped blooms. They were discovered in 1695 and have intoxicated cottage gardeners ever since.

The Blues

Sandra Ross sings the praises of the blues, and finds inspiration from fine gardens around the world for using azure, cornflower, powder, navy, violet, lavender and mauve in our planting palettes.

Tibouchina

These glorious purple flowers dazzle just as the summer-flowering show-offs are tiring. Let’s take a closer look.

Tiger Grass, Thysanolaenia maxima

Tiger grass is an ornamental grass with arrow-shaped foliage. It grows in tight clumps, and is ideal as a dense hedge, or a feature pot plant.

Waratah

A swag of new and improved waratahs mean this much-loved beacon of spring can now find a home in any garden.

What’s new this spring

Here's what's new in the garden this spring

What’s new this winter

Even if she hadn’t been running Collectors’ Plant Fair, Linda Ross would have been there before the gates opened to be sure of securing a swag of treasure. Here’s part of her shopping list from this year.

Winter Fragrance

Linda Ross steps into the winter garden for aromatherapy of the botanical kind.

Wisteria

To sit or stand underneath a flowering wisteria vine in full bloom, gazing through the mauve veil of flowers, inhaling the scent, and listening to the bees is bliss. A wisteria in full beautiful bloom escaping up a random tree will stop traffic, but as we mention here you don't need a garden to grow one.

Worsleya, the blue hippeastrum

When we revealed that the current favourite plant of Myles Baldwin, curator of the Australian Garden Show Sydney, is the blue hippeastrum (Worsleya procera) we were amazed at the response! This flower seems to have flower captured everyone’s imagination and lots of you were keen for more growing tips.