Episode: #14 23/12/06
Presenter: Dean Boone

In previous programmes we have featured the plants grown by Ozbreed and we also showed you their No irrigation garden, well here is another great Australian native, that is going to make you rush out to your local nursery. ?Katrinus Deluxe? is a sensational new plant variety and Dean just loves it.

Lomandra longifolia is a well known Aussie native and ?Katrinus Deluxe? is a new cultivar with exceptional qualities. The one that will please most of us is that the big yellow flowers are not spiky and it remains bullet proof in the garden.

Lomandra produces both male and female flower spikes, with the females producing dark seeds that can look unsightly. ?Katrinus Deluxe? however is a bit of a show pony and puts all its energy into producing masses of flowers.

You can expect big yellow flower displays right throughout spring and summer. This makes it a great specimen for mass planting in the garden and it is best located in the middle ground, with a growth habit of up to 1 metre tall.

?Katrinus Deluxe? retains all of the perfume Lomandra is famous for. This plant absolutely fills the garden with a sweet nectar smell and it lingers in the air for hours. It adds another sensory layer in the garden for months on end.

The fine leafed foliage form of this new cultivar is another element of surprise. Unlike common Lomandra, it?s a more delicate looking plant and carries graceful, dense dark foliage ? year round.

That doesn?t mean ?Katrinus Deluxe? is delicate in any other way. It is extremely drought tolerant and can survive and flourish in a wide range of soil types, locations and conditions. Planted on mass it can out compete weeds and forms a thick barrier.

Another reason Dean love this plant is it looks great in pots. Architectural foliage means, for Dean as a designer, that this is a really versatile and adaptable plant for a variety of situations.

Lomandra longifolia is known as one of Australia?s toughest plants, and now with ?Katrinus Deluxe?, it is also known as one of the most beautiful. Grab it at all independent garden retailers and add it to your no irrigation garden, it is fantastic.

Ozbreed
www.ozbreed.com.au
1300 25 2000