Its been awhile since my last blog and so much has happened since I travelled to Germany, little did I know it would be my last time as a international traveller for awhile. Covid19 hit and for the past 2 years we have been in and out of lockdowns, coping with isolation and the fear of catching this dreadful thing. Working from home has been interesting, to say the least! Teaching horticulture online is not what students signed up for and how can you really show someone how to make compost if your not digging in the dirt? I have a renewed appreciation for having a garden full of joyful plants to make me happy and keep me busy. I’m very keen on my native section of late as it brings the birds to the garden for a visit. Listening to them and watching them is ever so calming in these crazy times. Flowering now is my Isopogon formosus a pink form to delight, commonly known as the Rose coneflower.

The Rose coneflower is a delightful Australia native that naturally occurs in Western Australia but as long as you position this well in the garden its a tough, soft and attractive addition. Well drained soil and full sun is a must and this little beauty will tolerate moderate frosts. I’m in Victoria and love this plant in my native section of the garden. The flowers are so unusual in their button like globular state. Beautiful pink, changing colour with age and drop down towards the earth after they open. The flowering time is in winter and spring. I love plants that flower in the winter, we usually feel like gardening in spring and summer but we often forget about the winter as we tend to hibernate indoors to escape the cold. Winter doesn’t need to be drab in the winter if we remember to pay the nursery a visit and see what’s in bloom, our selections are often tainted as we wander through a nursery in the nice weather drawn to what looking good at the time. The habit and form of this shrub is quiet erect so its great for narrow spaces and backdrops as it reaches 1.5-2metres tall. The foliage is really unusual, sort of prehistoric looking. So while I wait for restrictions to lift I am grateful to be out of lockdown and at least now I can visit the local nursery and look for more Isopogon’s to add to the garden.