Ivory Curl Tree Blooms Are Enormous! - Jan 22, 2026
Dear gardening friends
I've had a lot of people complaining that their Crepe Myrtles haven't flowered this year, they make it sound like it's somehow my fault.
It's not my fault, Crepe Myrtles flower off new growth and when it didn't rain in spring, the Crepe Myrtles didn't get new growth, so they didn't get flowers. If they did get flowers, they were much smaller than in the past.
Gardeners who watered their gardens still got flowers. The head gardener at Mawson Park got heaps of flowers although he's got smaller bunches this year too.
He went back to Pollarding the Crepe Myrtles in Mawson Park and around the Campbelltown Council Building. Pollarding is a tree-pruning method where the upper branches are cut back to a fixed height, and then re-cut regularly from the same points.
In plain English: you deliberately chop a tree's top growth so it regrows in a controlled way. The results have been spectacular!!!!!
I'm usually not a fan of this process but when it's dry, these trees still flower because pruning invigorates trees and makes them sprout new growth. I've seen fabulous examples of Pollarded Crepe Myrtles in Elderslie too.
It's normally older gardeners that still practice this process, but maybe with smaller gardens, we might see this practice come back into fashion. It's a bit like pruning Rose bushes.
What do you think?
If your Crepe Myrtle did flower this year, prune the spent flower heads now, and you will trick your tree into flowering again.
i came home from a couple of weeks break to find my garden over grown and looking terrible. My Leaks were all going to seed so I've cut them off at ground level with my hedge trimmer. I'm hoping they reshoot so I get a second chance to eat them.
I also pruned my Rosemary plant back to a frame. That's the dead looking stump in the pot. I did this a couple of years ago and I was amazed how much Rosemary loves being pruned.
I also pruned my Mint with the hedge trimmer. It got eaten while I was away so I cut it back so it sprouts fresh new growth.
I also pruned my Silverbeet back to stumps with the hedge trimmer too. It was just so big and the leaves had fungus spots after recent rain and hot weather. The pruning allows air to flow around the plants and now the new leaves will be disease free. You don't always need chemicals to fix problems.
My Tim's Chilli plant is covered in flowers but still no fruit. This happened last year and then it produced over 100 fruits in late summer and autumn.
I'm going to top up all my pots tomorrow with Tim's Best Potting mix. It reignites tired potting mixes and makes your plants grow faster. It's so simple but the results will surprise you.
I also pruned my Mandarin and Lemon tree. Everything got a haircut. Plants love being pruned it keeps them alive.
I love looking out onto my vegetable garden. It's peaceful. It's not neat or tidy but it's the place that brings me so much joy. The Garden Fairy was a find from Bulleen Art and Garden Nursery in Melbourne about 20 years ago. Made by an artist in NZ who just happened to love Fairies and Frogs.
This is one of my most exciting guerrilla tree plantings. I planted three Ivory Curl Trees in a carpark in Campbelltown. I wasn't sure how this native tree would cope with the winter cold here in Macarthur. But I'm happy to say they are thriving.
I can't understand why this native tree isn't famous. It has these huge ivory coloured flowers that have an amazing honey fragrance. They are full of nectar and it drips from the flowers.
The Lorikeets and bees feed on this nectar. You can hear them in the trees buzzing and squawking with delight. The tree is absolutely covered in flowers in mid summer.
Botanically known as Buckinghamia celsissima this rainforest tree has beautiful foliage too. Coppery coloured new growth and lush green finger like leaves are the perfect backdrop for the fragrant white flowers.
I've since seen these trees growing in Minto Primary School, they must have had a gardener there once, who loved to plant native trees. Someone might know who that gardener was. They deserve a shout out.
I've noticed they grow about 4-6ms here in Sydney, they grow much bigger in the tropics, but the cooler weather here, makes the growing season shorter.
My tree planting has been so successful I'm going to plant more. As Macarthur gets warmer with more development, more houses and more concrete we are going to need more trees to help keep us cooler in summer.
It makes me happy to hear the birds and nature that these trees attract. They'd be a great street tree at your place. They grow into the perfect shaped shade tree. We have trees in the nursery.
Some great news, I really am going to be on Gardening Australia and it's airing on Friday the 6th of March. Costa spends the day with me finding out about my love of trees. We even plant a tree in my neighbour's garden and I share a tip which just might save your tree's life. Put it in your diary, let's make this the biggest Gardening Australia show ever.
Please don't tell me your garden is too small for a tree because I just won't believe you. This tiny garden in Manly has two trees and they have been pruned to shape and don't they look fabulous.
As I was contemplating taking a photo a young man walked in through the gate, "I love your garden mate".
It's my mum's, but I'll tell her you love it.
"I'm going to take a photo if you don't mind"
Perfect.
Modern gardeners complain about their tiny gardens but tiny gardens aren't new. Everyone had tiny gardens when Sydney was settled. Every patch of soil got planted up.
This garden is only one metre wide and four metres long yet they have squeezed in a hedge, a Frangipani and a Magnolia "Little Gem". Both trees have been shaped to fit the space.
But that wasn't enough for this gardener, she's managed to grow a topiary Fig in a pot on the patio. This garden faces north so it gets the sun during the heat of the day.
These plants cool the house, give it privacy and make it look like it's loved. I don't need to meet the mum, I already know that I like her.
TRUMP SET TO TAKE OVER TIMS GARDEN CENTRE!!!!! It's rumoured that Trump is about to invade Tim's Garden Centre because he wants our RARE EARTH. We just call it Tim's Best Potting mix.
He's hoping to create a Greenland, he's even thinking about changing the White House into a Green House.
What Trump wants, Trump gets.
You better get your bags of Tim's Best Potting mix while you still can. 2 bags for $26.00.
We are open all long weekend so come and see us.
Monday from 9am till 4pm.
Zoom Zoom.
Happy gardening
Tim