'Scarlet Moon' is currently easily the most popular winter flowering grevillea in my garden with bees, butterflies and a myriad of smaller flying beasties enjoying the numerous red 'toothbrush' flowers.

'Scarlet Moon' was one of the first hybrids coming out of the Kings Park, WA breeding program led by Digby Growns to be widely available in SE NSW. Parentage is G. nivea x 'Crowning Glory' which has created a bushier, more spreading version of G. nivea with softer foliage and (more) larger flowers.

Pretty reliable on the east coast where it is often seen in nurseries now. Provides a great winter display - and is always popular with pollinators.

#Grevilleas #InTheGarden #OzPlants #Winter #BloomScrolling #Pollinators #NativePlants

Hakea 'Burrendong Beauty' is starting to flower in local gardens. This is a really nice hybrid hakea which came up in the Burrendong Arboretum and despite having WA parentage does well in SE NSW summer humidity if the drainage is pretty good. This one has been planted (client's garden - terraced beds) for almost a year now and has starting to fill out a little more this autumn. Will eventually be pruned slightly into a neater mound.

Not uncommon in east coast nurseries although usually only once or twice a year. Always an eye-catcher when in flower.

#Gardening #OzPlants #InTheGarden #Hakeas #BloomScrolling #NativePlants #Winter

The Lysiosepalum involucratum are looking pretty good in the nursery this weekend. This compact native shrub from WA is probably the best of the obscure small Aussie Malvaceae in SE NSW where it does surprisingly well in summer humidity (with excellent drainage) and usually features a mass of delicate pink/mauve flowers from winter into spring (but also can flower as early as autumn).

Can be found occasionally in east coast nurseries but not well known at all - another native shrub that would definitely benefit from someone coming up with a catchy common name!

#OzPlants #NativePlants #BloomScrolling #Biodiversity #Malvaceae #Gardening

Grevillea 'Raspberry Dream' looking good in the nursery this morning after overnight rain. I wasn't that excited about this recent release from the Kings Park hybrid grevillea breeding program when I first saw it but after some extensive testing in the garden (and by 'testing I mean leaving a batch sitting in pots for six months at the back of the house before finally remembering I still had them - then cutting them back to nothing before planting!) they are actually pretty good.

They flower a lot and respond well to a hard prune - new foliage is finer and a lighter green than a lot of other red/orange/pink hybrids.

Parentage of this hybrid is pretty interesting. I've see it described as 'involving' Grevillea scortechinii (black flowers) and a hybrid of Grevillea 'Little Honey' (orange/yellow flowers) and Grevillea formosa (large yellow/green flowers). 'Little Honey' is thought to be 'Honey Gem' and G. banksii 'White Dwarf' ... 'Honey Gem' is G. banksiii red form and G. pteridifolia. So quite a lot going on in the mix there!

#InTheGarden #Grevilleas #OzPlants #BloomScrolling #Autumn

Purple hyacinth orchid (Dipodium punctatum) at Mystery Bay, NSW. Only one plant out and only just starting to flower in late February near the ocean. I usually see this species flowering nearby from late November - this is probably the latest flowering I have seen (although it can apparently flower into March at some locations).

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #Dipodium

Large duck orchid (Caleana major) and sun orchid with spots (Thelymitra ixioides / Thelymitra juncifolia) near Karbeethong, East Gippsland, VIC.

Only made it down to East Gippsland on three mornings this spring / early-summer but still managed to see a good range of the regular locals (plus a couple of interesting new ones!)

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #SunOrchids #Thelymitra #Caleana

Microtis parviflora (slender onion orchid) growing amongst the sun orchids at the back of the house - Corunna, NSW.

Grows here alongside Microtis unifolia (common onion orchid) which has shorter flowering stems with more crowded flowers at this location.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #OnionOrchids #Microtis

A few more late-flowering sun orchids with spots (Thelymitra ixioides / Thelymitra juncifolia) variations near Mallacoota, East Gippsland, VIC.

Only plants in part shade on the edge of the forest were still flowering in early November at this location - usually in slightly damper soils than the adjacent open grassland.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #SunOrchids #Thelymitra

Rosy hyacinth orchid (Dipodium roseum) still flowering at Christmas at Corunna, NSW.

Only a few small scattered plants out this year at home with almost no meaningful spring rainfall and a dry start to summer. But quite a few larger flowering stems still out on the side of the road between Tilba and Narooma.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #Dipodium