from The Land Downunder

I can’t help but wonder if I made the most of my travels. But I guess twenty years ago, my priorities were very different. Perhaps it is reasonable that in my early 40s, I wouldn’t find sleeping in a car for several months, showering sporadically and eating rice and tinned corned beef appealing! But that was a different time, carefree, with a focus on hedonism and surfing with plenty of late nights thrown in for the memory bank to recount, to ensure I still sound ‘cool’ as I enter middle age where my weekends now involved kids football clubs, Strictly Come Dancing and Radio 5 live.

Australia is a vast country, some 37 times the size of the UK. It offers bustling cities, tropical forests, vast coastlines and endless emptiness in the Outback. This incredible array of environments supports some of the world’s most interesting wildlife and plants, many, found nowhere else on earth. With soils varying from nutrient rich in the north in Queensland to the impoverished nutrient deficient soil of WA, the varieties of plants are some of the most diverse in the world.

It was in Queensland that I first encountered a banana plantation. It was vast! Compact and productive. Did you know, QLD produces some 360,000 tonnes of bananas annually, around 94% of Australia’s banana production? But I’m sure you know, banana plants are for another story.

Perhaps the most famed Australian plant is the eucalyptus. These iconic trees can reach colossal heights, even dwarfing our very own Eucalyptus nitens Champion Tree at Marwood Hill Gardens. They have an unmistakable form, with long, hanging, blue-green leaves, peeling bark and of course the smell! Eucalyptus have evolved to have some special adaptations in order to survive the harsh Australian landscape and environmental challenges. Eucalyptus roots are where those adaptations begin. The lignotuber is an underground storage system, or larder, for the eucalyptus tree. This specialised root enables the plant to regenerate after catastrophic damage such as fire, forage or human intervention. The lignotuber activates hidden buds under the bark or at the base of the plant to re-establish growth. This makes eucalyptus a great subject for pollarding and together with its fast growth rate, makes it a very sustainable source of hardwood. The common aroma associated with eucalyptus is that of the chemical Cineole. This oil is highly concentrated in gum trees and is used widely in all sorts of medicinal and cosmetic products due to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. This oil is a natural insect repellent and there are only a handful of animals which can tolerate foraging eucalyptus including koalas! Maybe Marwood Hill Gardens could become a koala sanctuary!

The Eucalyptus collection at Marwood Hill Gardens boasts many mature specimens, my personal favourites being ‘delegatensis’ or mountain ash for its scale like bark and ‘archeri’ here specifically for the form it has taken, splitting at the base into four stems. They have ap-peeling (see what I did there!) bark, which is why we decided to carve out a new path amongst them. This path allows visitors to get up close to the trunks of several big trees, touch and smell the plants and see close up, the very different leaf structures of gum trees. You may even see some of the flowers and the protective cap, from which ‘Eu’ (well) and ‘calyptos’ (covered) gained its name, fall to reveal petal-less flowers. Like many Australian native plants, Callistemon spp., Banksia spp., Grevillea spp. and Acacia spp., Eucalyptus Have evolved to have no or very tiny petals in order to attract very specific wildlife for pollination such as hummingbirds.

Marwood Hill’s sheltered valley offers great opportunities for growing many of Australia’s native plants and trees. The bottlebrush plant is one of those versatile, generally hardy, plants of which we have many established specimens. Callistemon rigidus, pallidus and ‘mauve mist’ are a few of the best. Rigidus Is generally thought to be the hardiest, with very narrow, stiff leaves and a red flower. Pallidus, My favourite, has broader leaves than rigidus, a yellow flower, and offers more interest with furry leaves that are more reddish-orange when new. ‘Mauve mist’ as the name suggests, offers a purple flower. Callistemon are one of those plants which just make you stop in your tracks, especially when in flower. The long vibrant lengths of stamens from which its ‘bottlebrush’ nickname is derived, looks like nothing else in the garden. The decorative character continues after the flowers fade to reveal a knobbly group of semi-permanent seed pods proceeded by the new foliage. Callistemons also have that decorative bark in both texture and colour which just screams Australian landscape. These plants are very similar, if not, genetically identical to Melaleuca spp., another native Australian bottle-brush shrub. The two remain separate for now, but many believe they are one in the same. However, this separation is useful, as many more melaleuca’s are tender or with a low cold tolerance. To -5 Celsius. ‘Squarossa’, ‘pustulosa’ and ‘gibossa’ Are well worth a try after the achievement of thick, woody stems. Our master propagator, Malcolm, has produced several beautiful varieties of Melaleuca and Callistemon plants in our nursery including some more rare varieties such as Melaleuca’s ‘hypericifolia’ and ‘diosmifolia’.

The Australasian border was created by Marwood Gardener Lin Collins, it is sighted on the north side of the valley, facing south on a raised area of the slope by the walled garden. The elevation ensures that the border receives lots of sunshine and light year-round and also, crucially, provides good drainage. Many of the plants in the border are from areas of Western Australia as well as eastern and southeastern parts. The similarities are poor soils with low nutrients, sandy in consistency and temperate or mild climate characteristics. Several of the plants are from the Proteaceae family. This group needs some very specific conditions to thrive, mainly free draining soils with poor nutrient levels, especially concerning phosphates. Proteaceae are notoriously intolerant of phosphates due to an inability to regulate the uptake of these nutrients. Phosphate poisoning happens quickly and is terminal to the plant, so it is important that no fertiliser is used in the vicinity of members of the this genus. Banksia spp., Grevillea spp., Leucadendron spp., Hakea spp., among others, will react with yellowing foliage, blackening stems and eventual death if high levels of phosphates are supplied to the planting area. They also do not appreciate root disturbance, so transplanting is usually not an option. However, these plants are some of the most eye-catching and beautiful plants of Australia. The flowers of Banksia spp. are incredibly intricate and equally bizarre, some, such as Banksia ericifolia var. macrantha sit vertically like candles atop the stiff, heath like foliage. While flowers of Banksia coccinea have much wider, spherical inflorescence. The flower cones produce seed which will require smoke contact to break dormancy.

The border is also home to several Grevillea spp. These plants vary tremendously, from low, creeping varieties to large trees, hardy, tender, broad leaved, narrow needles and a whole spectrum of colourful flowers resembling groups of jesters’ hats. We have several Grevillea spp. here at the garden including ‘victoriae’ and ‘rosemarinifolia’ from south-eastern Australia, both proven, very hardy indeed. In Australia these plants, as well as Banksia spp. are used in municipal plantings and hedges, it is funny what we prize when something appears exotic! Cut flowers of some Proteaceae can claim around £30 per stem in the UK. However, these are most likely to be the South African contingent from the genus such as Protea cynaroides, the king Protea.

There are several other groups of plants which make up the majority of the Australasian garden, Leptospermum scoparium, Correa spp., Prostanthera spp., and the surprising experiment, Anigozanthos Flavidus ‘red’ or Kangaroo paw plant.

There are several Leptospermum trees in the garden. Varieties ‘apple blossom’ and ‘burgundy queen’ provide a stereotypically Australian backdrop to the Australasian border. With flaky bark, fine dark foliage and tiny flowers which of course in habitat are pollinated by bees of which will produce the highly desirable manuka honey. Trees have proved very hardy indeed, in well-drained soil in full sun they thrive. In short these are a fantastic low maintenance tree for the domestic garden which provides for you the gardener and wildlife in droves.

Fragrance and scented plants have always been welcomed in any garden I have worked or lived with. The usual roses, Mediterranean herbs and climbers are worth their spots, but I had never come across the Protanthera’s. The Australian mint bushes have been a revelation! The scent given off with the slightest disturbance of foliage is incredible. Prostanthera ‘ovalifolia’, ‘rotundifolia’ and ‘badje peak’ are some of the best are grown here at the garden. Coupled with prolific Spring flowering and mature hardiness in city gardens and sheltered spots, they are a wonderful addition to a garden. They take hard pruning well and in Australia are used with the coastal rosemary Westringia fruticosa spp. in low, clipped hedges and topiary smothered in small lilac-pinky flowers. The collection is growing at Marwood, with cuttings striking well and larger plants tolerant of rainfall, drought and moderate frosts.

As my enthusiasm and intrigue has peaked with regards Australian plants I have met, spoken and read fellow growers’ books and articles to delve deeper into what is being grown here in the UK. The overriding choice which keeps coming up is the Australian fuchsia, the Correa. Now I’m admittedly not the biggest fuchsia fan, not because they aren’t beautiful but simply because they are everywhere, gardens, hedgerows, roadsides, derelict buildings and supermarket shelves. Maybe that has been an ignorance of myself. Along came the Australian fuchsia, Correa spp., from the Rutaceae family, citrus, primarily due to the pellucid glands giving a citrus scent when leaves are crushed. So, this is not actually a fuchsia at all, PHEW! I can retract the previous statement. In fact, the similarities are few and fairly cosmetic, they have hanging bell like flowers with a long stamen and the fuchsia flower form of curled petals. They are beautiful and what’s more they offer prolific flowering from October right through the worst part of the calendar year into Spring. What’s not to like about that! At Marwood we offer a large range of Correa spp. on our website from ‘pink mist’ (my personal favourite) with its pastel pink flowers and compact habit, to ‘poorinda Mary’ a larger shrub with contrasting golden brown stems and deep green foliage. Other options include ‘backhouseana’, ‘reflexa var. nummulariifolia’, ‘Marion’s marvel’ and ‘decumbens’. Look out for the rarer ‘glabra’ with green flowers and tall growing ‘lawrenceana’. Most Correa thrive in full sun to dappled shade in a range of soil types. They are salt tolerant so make good coastal plants and at Marwood we have used these plants in the Australasian garden and Mediterranean garden highlighting their versatility.

Finally, we come to a plant which perhaps is a permanent experiment. The kangaroo paw. Anigozanthos flavidus ‘red’ had come through and survived winter of 2024/25 after gardener Lin covered the crowns in large Magnolia leaves, seemingly just enough to blanket the cold weather from the rhizomatous root system. Anigozanthos look very similar in foliage, to iris with tall strap like, sword leaves but it’s the flowers that really grab your attention. Raised on tall, strong stems the flowers appear to resemble the arms and paws of the iconic Australian marsupial before opening into a star shaped trumpet. The flowering season is anytime from mid-summer to the first frost and goes on for weeks and weeks. Still relatively rare and difficult to find, especially in larger clumps they are well worth looking out for. Many hybrids are becoming shown at plant fairs and the Eden Project have a massive display of all different hybrids of ridiculous colour combinations in the Mediterranean Biome.

It makes sense to have a strong contingent of Australasian plants at Marwood Hill Gardens, the owners, the Snowdon family, live out in Sydney and the next generation of the family have only ever lived in the land down under. Dr. Smart began the interest in this region’s plants, and it is our duty to carry on that interest and showcase some of the most intriguing and beautiful, hardworking plants in the world. As we continue to build on the collection for season 2026, we have Restios spp., an Australian creeping rush, new Acacia spp. varieties to add along with sourcing cuttings of the emu bush, Eremophila nivea, several new Ozothamnus spp. varieties and the garden team have set many seeds of exciting varieties of Callistemon spp., Eucalyptus spp., Libertia spp., Melaleuca spp. and Alyogyne spp.

I believe the garden already has one of the most impressive collections of established Australian trees and plants so anybody who is interested in deep southern hemisphere flora should be satisfied with those on offer here. I hope to continue growing plants from Australia because why wouldn’t you want to grow plants with names like ‘gungurru’, ‘illyarrie’ and the ‘wonga wonga vine’!