Episode: #12 18/11/06
Presenter: Dean Boone

Imagine a garden that requires no irrigation. Water restrictions and the desire to create a garden that requires no water have lead plant breeders, like Ozbreed, to create a huge range of new plant varieties for us to enjoy.

A no irrigation garden is achievable for most of us, if you select the right plants. The range of sexy strappy foliage Dean shows you would melt the heart any gardener, and the great thing is, they are all cultivars of much-loved Australian native plants.

?Little Jess? is a new cultivar of Dianella caerulea, which is famous for its vivid blue flowers. The variety is a dwarf, compact form, with masses of flowers and forms a thicket in the garden like a clumping bamboo. It is incredibly hardy and a treat to the eye.

?Breeze? is also from the Dianella family, but grows 40% larger than ?Little Jess?. Ozbreed calls it the ?no cane? variety as the stems form a mass from the ground up, with no brown straw-like growth at the base. Both are incredibly hardy and tough as nails.

Another great Aussie plant, Dianella revoluta, has produced the cultivar ?Little Rev?. The amazing dwarf blue foliage is an ideal edging plant and contrasts well with surrounding foliage. So plant it near some deep, dark greens for maximum effect.

The garden featured is 4 years old and has survived on nothing but rain. It is a no irrigation garden and all the plants are frost and drought hardy, resistant to weeds and tolerant of a wide range of soil types and conditions.

?Revelation? (Dianella revoluta ?Revelation?), is a very new cultivar from Ozbreed. It is a taller variety with blue and yellow flowers, which are followed by the most exquisite purple berries for most of the year. It is a real gem.

?Tanika? is a stunning cultivar of Lomandra longifolia. This plant is famous for its hardiness and scented flowers. ?Tanika?, is both tough and beautiful with fine, gracefully leaves and flower spikes in Spring. It is a delight for all designers and gardeners for its versatility.

?Cassa Blue? (Dianella caerulea ?Cassa Blue?) is one of Dean?s favourites. Known as the Blue Flax Lily, it is a tough and elegant plant that puts on a show in every garden. Stunning foliage and baby blue flowers make this a must for accent planting and mass displays.

All of these plants will be available at most garden centres so look out for the Ozbreed label at your local garden centre.

Ozbreed
www.ozbreed.com.au
1300 25 2000