Front garden beds

It is a great house and a great location - I'm just outside Townsville. How about you - you are obviously a north Queenslander?

What is that variegated shrub? Obviously too tender for the UK but I'd love to know what it is.

Hi Chloris - that variegated shrub out the front is a type of acalypha - acalypha wilkesiana. It is the green and white version of what we sometimes call 'the fire dragon' acalypha (called that because it usually has shades of red). You can see close-up shots of it on page 7 of my photos. It is a very hardy plant but I think it is a tropical plant and I'm not sure it tolerates frost well.

Bernieh:

I love your green and white Acalypha I grew this plant at another house...it is an extremely vigorous grower...even more so than the other varieties.

I grow many Acalypha, they are my favorite variegated plant. I've posted many photos in the past. I also, have the uncommon Acalypha macrophylla...it has huge reddish/pinkish variegated leaves. The locust like it also. LOL!

They are very tender plants...they will not tolerate freezing temps or even extended cold periods without die-back or dying!

They are a fabulous although rather under-rated shrub - perhaps because they are rather old-fashioned in the sense that our grandparents' gardens would have been full of them. But I agree with you they have the most fantastic foliage and yes! our grasshoppers and locusts love them too.

Bernieh:

It used to be an under-rated shrub several years back...now they are very common and so many new hybrids are becoming available here. In the local nurseries you can purchase many old and new varieties now. They have become very popular because of their drought tolerance. They are also used as a large hedge growing up to about 16 feet / 5 meters tall.

I have never seen the acalypha grow that high Delonix1. They are still used for hedging here although maybe not as much as the crotons.

I guess I'll just have to move on out to N. Queensland if I want to grow these shrubs! I think they will be too large for my window sill.

This is a very nice setup Bernieh

love ya house and garden bernieh, to sit on the porch and look out, wonderfull :o))