They say it takes all sorts but when I saw these swan pots in a country nursery recently I found it hard to imagine them ever selling.  I suppose you could argue that they are an improvement on the tyre swans which graced many gardens during the 80s…but only just!

These ugly ducklings grew up into ugly swan pots...

Mike and I couldn’t stop laughing when we saw them.  Strangely though noone else in the nursery seemed remotely amused by them.  Maybe cement swan pots are big business in that town.

The silvery grey plant in the pots is the Western Australian native, Eremophila nivea. It has beautiful soft furry felt-like foliage and mauve flowers.  Its a personal favourite of mine.  Being from Western Australia they require excellent drainage and dislike the summer humidity and rain we get here in Sydney.  You can get them grafted onto different rootstock which helps them to withstand this extra moisture but be prepared to pay more for these guys. 

Their common name is Emu Bush and I still wonder if the nursery staff placed the emu bushes into the swan pots intentionally or if it was just serendipitous…

PS Don’t forget to check out The Plant Addict Shop while you’re here. 

You’ll find great gift ideas for garden lovers and fellow plant addicts!