Festive Cheer
December 2023
The festive season and all it brings is just around the corner!
If you are planning on having the family or friends over for Christmas this year, now is a great time to add some colour and structure to the alfresco and garden areas. We've got a great selection of plants that will help lift your garden and help make you the envy of every guest who visits.
The majority of these plants will be available direct for wholesale customers and at all good Garden Centres and Hardware stores across the state. Keep an eye out for them in stores over the next few weeks. Most are a limited release and won't be available for long.
Living Trees
There is nothing better than a real, living Christmas tree in the home, they look good, smell good and are completely unique. To top it off they are a living plant, they can go into a bigger pot or into the garden after the festivities and can be re-used next year. They are not single use, they are a green, sustainable option for those looking to reduce their plastic and environmental footprint. Best of all, they are grown right here, in WA.
Our top picks for an indoor or alfresco suitable tree for the home are pictured above, from left to right they are Adenanthos sericeus (Woolly Bush), Cupressus 'Lemon Scent' (Lemon Scented Conifer) and Syzygium 'Backyard Bliss' (Lilly Pilly)
All three of these grow to form the traditional shape of a Christmas tree, conical, pyramidal and this makes them easy to dress with decorations. Our top tip for making them a little more Christmassy is to wrap the pot in wrapping paper to make your tree look festive.
Once the festive period is over, slowly re-introduce your tree to sunlight. This will stop foliage burning as our summer sun is particularly harsh. We also recommend watering your trees on a regular basis when inside, air conditioners and warm weather can dry potting mix out fast.
Alfresco Colour
If Christmas Trees aren't your thing or you would like to add additional bright colour to your festivities, we have large Pelargonium (Ivy Geranium) bowls that will add a splash of colour to outdoor dining areas. Our Pelargonium baskets come with hangers attached so you can hang these in alfresco areas but these can be easily unclipped to make a bowl.
These bowls make a great centre piece, they are bright, floral and hardy. You can keep them in a sunny spot in the garden and use as a table arrangement for your event. They will remain in flower for a few days in a shady spot.
Keep these well-watered during long periods of hot weather, this will ensure plants stay vibrant and full.
Pelargonium
Succulent Baskets
If would like to add additional colour and texture to your festivities we have large mixed Succulent Baskets that will add interest to outdoor dining areas and patios. Whilst these are supplied with hangers, these can easily be unclipped allowing you to use them as a bowl for a table centerpiece.
These bowls make a great centre piece, they are bright, slow growing and hardy. You can keep them in a sunny spot in the garden and place as a table arrangement before your event. They will even flower for a few days in a shady spot if given enough sunlight before being moved inside.
Keep these well-watered during long periods of hot weather, this will ensure plants stay vibrant and full. Once the Christmas festivities have passed these can be planted out in the garden or left in their basket and enjoyed through the seasons. Be sure to feed them and give them water, especially during prolonged high heat.
Succulents
Garden Fillers
If you are looking for colour to help lift garden beds, paths and pots around the home then a selection of the below will help achieve a fresh, colourful look throughout the garden.
Alstroemeria Fire and Replay
A compact range of Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily) that has recently been released to market. These plants are compact, hardy and will add a riot of colour to any garden. We think they look best planted in clumps and when used to border garden beds. They are tolerant of light shade and full sun positions but do best in improved soil.
There are other colours in the range but these two stand out to us for their vibrant colours and neat habit.
Agapanthus 'Bingo Blue'
A striking blue flowering agapanthus that holds flowers for long periods over spring and summer. A good plant for adding colour to the garden, especially in semi-shaded spots as this delays flowering until later in the season. Like with most agapanthus, Bingo Blue is tough, drought and frost resistant once established.
Plant in pots if you live in very coastal areas, they enjoy having their root space restricted and will often flower more prolifically if they have been in a pot for a few years.
Grows to 60cm high by 60cm wide with flowers up to 80cm high.
Eremophila 'Pink Passion'
A native hardy shrub that has masses of deep pink flowers right through late spring and summer. A great addition to the garden, they appear soft which makes them a great addition to cottage gardens but are in fact very tough. Plant in full sun and water well until established.
Flowers will appear over many weeks and are long lasting, growing to 1.2m high by the same wide. Plant in full sun to part shade and tip prune once flowering finishes.
We think these look great mixed in amongst white flowering plants like roses, daisies or salvia. They will add a pop of colour when the garden needs it most, making your festive celebrations that bit more special.
Limonium Perezii 'Blue'
Blue statice is an incredibly hardy, long flowering plant. The flowers appear high above foliage and have a pale white centre with deep blue/purple petals that give this plant its striking appearance. Flowers last weeks and weeks and make great cut flower specimens for the home. You can even dry them and have year round colour in a vase.
We think Limonium look great planted as a border around garden beds, they add formality to a garden and soften edges. They are incredibly hardy, tolerant of full sun and part shade and very free draining soils. They will even tolerate being right on the coast so if you have a salt sprayed, wind prone exposed garden put a few of these in and watch them thrive.
Nandina Magical Lemon Lime
An easy care, low maintenance and high foliage impact plant. The fresh new growth is lemon toned making this plant stand out in spring and autumn. Foliage fades to lime green over time, this change gives seasonal interest to the plant and makes it a great addition to shady or part shaded garden beds around the home.
Magical Lemon Lime is frost tolerant, making it suitable for hills gardeners and will only grow to 70cm high and wide. Once plants are established delicate white flower bracts appear in spring.
A great addition for some festive cheer around the garden and patio.
Scaevola 'Aussie Crawl'
A hardy groundcover that is covered in a carpet of pale mauve/blue flowers from Spring through to Autumn. It likes free draining soil and does best with a little late afternoon shade through summer. It would make a great plant for hanging baskets for the patio over Christmas or in pots to trail over in a waterfall of colour.
Keep well watered through hot spells until established and feed in autumn with a native safe fertiliser. Grows to 40cm high by 1m wide.
If you would like any further information on any of the plants listed above please visit our website www.domusnursery.com.au or if you would like to purchase any of these please visit or contact your local Garden Centre or Hardware store. The above plants will be available from December 2023 pending supply and weather conditions.
