Alyogyne Hakeifolia

Alyogyne hakeifolia syn Melissa Anne

Alyogyne hakeifolia, Melissa Anne

I’ve grown quite a few Alyogyne hakeifolias over the years. The best feature of this Alyogyne would have to be the deep purple tulip type flowers which occur on mass over summer. There aren’t many plants around that actually flower this well over summer so it may quite possibly be the only plant you may have in your garden that’s flowering at this time of the year.

Alyogyne Huegelii

The other great thing about this Alyogyne is that it is very drought tolerant and actually seems to thrive on a lack of water. It comes from the desert areas of South and Western Australia and has very long needle like leaves which are a little bit succulent like and obviously help with its drought tolerance. The leaves are a deep green colour and actually seem to glisten in the sun on a hot day which adds to its appearance.

Alyogyne Hakeifolia, Elle Marie

This Alyogyne grows to about 2m and it is best if it is pruned quite hard after flowering as it can grow very tall and lean and as the branches can be quite brittle this with help it with its wind tolerance.

The best place to plant Alyogyne Hakeifolia is in full sun in a raised bed or well drained soil in an area sheltered from the wind. Also never fertilize this plant as despite not being a member of the Proteaceae family it still really doesn’t like fertilizers with Phosphorus as this will probably kill the plant.

The other type of Alyogyne that is popular is Alyogyne huegelii but I think I will cover this in a separate article.

Alyogyne Hakeifolia also has a variation called “Elle Marie” that has creamy yellow flowers which look great as a contrast but don’t look quite as good as the purple ones. But that’s just personal choice.

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Posted in Alyogyne, Garden Plants, Gems | Tagged Alyogyne hakeifolia, drought tolerant plant | 9 Comments

My 7 Favourite Drought Tolerant, Australian Natives Plants.

The words “drought tolerant plants” have different meaning to different gardeners. I once knew a gardener who believed if a plant was considered to be drought tolerant it meant that once you’d planted it you could then walk away and never have to water it again. The funny thing about it, in some respects this can be the case with some drought tolerant plants, in some situations.

If you are a gardener though who wants to give your plants a better that even chance of surviving their first summer then here is the best way to go about it.

I’ve always found that the best time of the year to plant is in autumn. This gives the roots some time to get established over winter and spring before the following summer. It also gives the plant a head start, especially if you have a large garden full of drought tolerant plants that rarely get watered over summer.

The next important thing to do is then water the plant for the first summer and after that it should be able to survive just from the water that falls from the sky. This to me is what the term “drought tolerant plant” means. It means plants that have evolved in their natural environment to withstand long periods without rainfall and as a consequence can do the same when introduced into a garden situation.

Over the years I’ve grown lots of drought tolerant plants and as a consequence I’ve got just a few that are favourites and if I was to start a new garden tomorrow from scratch then these one’s would be definite starters. It’s also important to point out that this list isn’t a list of the seven most drought tolerant plants you can find. Instead it is a list of seven very garden worthy plants that will look and perform very well in the home garden and once established, survive on a very minimal amount of water. So here they are;

1. Alyogyne hakeifolia syn Melissa Anne
2. Eremophila Calorhabdos
3. Banksia Ericifolia
4. Grevillea “Ned Kelly”
5. Eucalyptus caesia “Silver Princess”
6. Acacia glaucoptera
7. Callistemon Salignus

These are a just a few of the many Australian Natives that are drought tolerant plants. There are many others that could be added to the list but I’ve included them here because I’ve grown them in my garden and if I was to plant a new garden tomorrow these would be the ones that would make a great starting point.

If you want to try them in your garden just remember these rules.
1. Don’t fertilize them.
2. Plants them in a well drained soil or on a slope or raised garden bed (exception C salignus).
3. Don’t cultivate around the roots.
4. Only water to establish or when conditions are extreme and the plant is stressed.

There are other drought tolerant plants mentioned throughout my gardening blog and many, many more to come. So please have a read and feel free to ask a question or two.

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