Charlie Albone’s top five plants

The gardening personality says, “I love all plants — as long as they’re in the right spot.”

2 min read

August 25, 2022 - 4:46PM

Costa celebrates Botanic Garden Day May 29 at Cairns Botanic Gardens with Charles and Ross

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Gardening personality Charlie Albone is regularly approached for advice and tips. And the question he’s asked most often is this; “What are your all-time favourite plants?” It’s an impossible question for Charlie to answer. There are just too many, he says. “I love all plants — as long as they’re in the right spot. Obviously you’ll have your own opinions about what you like in a plant and there are some species you’ll never be drawn to, no matter how well they’re grown or how well you’re situated.” Clearly, it’s up to us as to what we plant and where but when it comes to flowers, these are Charlie’s top five.

This is an edited extract of Garden of your Dreams by Charlie Albone (Murdoch Books).

Decorate Garden. Gardenia flowers.

Gardenia

(Gardenia jasminoides)

These come in a range of sizes to suit any garden, from large shrubs to small ground covers, but they all boast an intoxicating scent from their waxy-coated, creamy white flowers. They like sun, but I wouldn’t plant them in a hot westerly position. They prefer a slightly acidic soil, so ensure that you dig lots of well-aged manure through the soil before planting. Feed them regularly, as they are hungry and need lots of nutrients to put on a good show of blooms.

2BWX9HR Red Rose Bush Growing In Garden

Rose

(Rosa)

The reigning king of fragrant flowers, the scent of a rose is the epitome of romance. I grow Lamarque, an old-fashioned climbing rose with a sweet scent, as well as several other lovely cultivars with scents that range from sweet apple through to dusky citrus. Roses like a sunny spot. Enrich the soil with lots of compost before planting them and then mulch with leaf mould. Water well with drip irrigation, as overhead watering can cause fungal problems.

White flowers of Osmanthus fragrans on branch. Sweet Olive in bloom in the garden

Tea olive

(Osmanthus fragrans)

A small shrub, tea olive offers a profusion of small white, tubular flowers that have the most magnificent scent. It is drought-tolerant once established, and requires little to no attention. It can be used for low hedging – mine sits next to my bins to eliminate odours – but be careful not to prune off the flower buds when cutting to shape.

Beautiful White Flowering Camomile Chamaemelum nobile Growing in a Small Herb Garden

Roman chamomile

(Chamaemelum nobile)

This daisy-like plant is well known because you can make tea from the leaves and flowers. It makes a great ground cover in a hot, sunny spot. Grow it at the edge of a path where it can spill on to the paving, and as you step a soft and relaxing scent will be released. Roman chamomile likes free-draining soil, so add some horticultural grit to the planting zone for the best growth. This is washed grit with a particle size of 1–4 millimetres (less than an inch) and a neutral pH.

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Japanese wisteria

(Wisteria floribunda)

The flowers of this plant have an intense scent that fills the garden on a warm spring day. It is a vigorous climber that needs room to grow, so ensure that you have a sturdy pergola or frame for it to clamber up. Japanese wisteria is deciduous so offers summer shade and winter sun, and the beautiful stalks of purplish flowers drip off the plant before the leaves emerge. The flowers are fleeting but well worth it. The plant prefers a well-drained soil and a position in full sun.

Garden or your Dreams by Charlie Albone is out now via Murdoch Books.