Monday, March 18, 2013

Plant of the Month - Correa 'Canberra Bells'



Did you know Canberra had an official plant to commemorate our 100th birthday this year? Well, now you do!

Canberra Bells is a beautiful Correa which features two-tone, red and cream bell-shaped flowers that are Autumn flowering. Of course this coincides nicely with Canberra Day each year. The Correa is an Australian native and is indigenous our region. It's dry tolerant and frost hardy so will survive all seasons in the ACT. The Canberra Bells variety was developed specifically to commemorate our centenary by experienced local native plant breeders, Peter and Jennifer Ollerenshaw.

Like Canberra itself, the plant is born out of Federation: one of its parent plants is appropriately called Federation Belle, while the other is Correa Mannii. The common name Canberra Bells was the most popular choice among more than 250 suggestions received from Canberrans and gardening enthusiasts across Australia. Canberra Bells can already be found growing in excellent company, with plants set to thrive at Government House, the Australian National Botanic Gardens and the National Arboretum.

So why not plant a little piece of the Centenary in your own garden!









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