NATIVE LILAC

or HAPPY WANDERER

(Hardenbergia violacea)

(Photos: E. Cousins)

Want a lovely climber for your garden? Hardenbergia looks superb growing over old tree stumps, through a shrub, or up a trellis. The stems are wiry, growing up to 2 metres long. The leaves are elongated, leathery, and dark green on top but paler underneath.

The outstanding feature, though, is surely the sprays of purple flowers that are as long as the leaves. These occur all over the plant, from winter through to early summer. Now there’s a nice way to brighten your garden over dull days!