 Growing Gardens
with Julia Hancock
Focus on Foliage
A cool garden off the Maclean/Yamba road will offer relief from the heat this long weekend when it opens as part of Australia's Open Garden Scheme.
Kites Way, the home of Ros and Neil Higgins, is at 227 South Bank Road, Palmers Channel. The garden is open 10am to 4.30pm, January 26 and 27. The entry fee is $4.50 (unders 18s free), and cool drinks and tea will be available. For directions to the garden, phone 1902 261 026 and select 2.
 If the flowers in your garden have given up the ghost during the incredible recent heat, it may be a good investment for future drought periods to think about growing plants that have colourful foliage.
Many flowering plants have gone into a state of suspended animation, or ended their growth cycle prematurely, but look around as you go from street to street and make a note of those species which are still making a bold impact.
Acalypha wilkesiana would be top of my list for ease of growth and attractiveness, and modern hybrids have been produced in dwarf forms for low hedges and mixed beds. They come with many different leaf colours, from maroon and cream, to copper and lime, usually with interesting variegations.
Cordylines are another tough plant with attractive, rich foliage. The beauty of cordylines is that they are small enough to make excellent understorey plants, but big enough to be a feature in their own right. Blood red, peach and sage are just some of the colours they come in.
Bronze, cream and pink varieties of New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax cvs.) have become the darlings of European landscapers for their versatility and presence in a garden. They are usually teamed up with ornamental grasses featuring stripey leaves and soft flower heads for a fabulous contrast.
Grey is a colour not generally considered exciting, but in a garden it can transform an ordinary group of plants into something extraordinary. French lavender, sage, buddleja and artemesia team up superbly with the green spectrum, as well as everything else on the colour wheel.
Lower to ground level, creeping plants such as ajuga, lambs' ears and lysimachera combine well with clumps of black mondo grass, striped liriope and Festuca glauca in a satisfying tapestry of colourful cover.
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