In my Canberra garden along a pathway, I planted a row of Lavender with African Marigolds in front. The flowers bloomed like friends accompanying me every step of the way down the path. The combination of purple and yellow looked stunning and I have been hooked on it ever since. They are like sunshine and twilight in a single glance.

Why do these colours work? They are complementary colours on the colour wheel, creating balance – calming purple with energetic yellow. They add a vibrant natural harmony to gardens.

To my surprise, after I planted my double yellow Allamanda creeper on the front fence in my current garden, I discovered that I had a Petrea Volubilis growing nearby. (Flashback to Darwin – this is one of the few botanical names I remember from my Horticulture course). What a great day that was – discovering that purple and yellow are to be enjoyed together again.

Petrea Volubilis, or Tropical Wisteria, has many common names including purple wreath, queen’s wreath, and sandpaper vine. Its a woody evergreen climber native to tropical America. Needing full sun, it flowers Spring and Summer. The purple star-shaped flowers are spectacular, hanging like clusters of grapes on a vine. The leaves are just as amazing with a texture of sandpaper, as rough as a cat’s tongue. Butterflies are attracted to its nectar-bearing blooms.

Apparently, there is an incredible display of Petrea Volubilis at the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens.

My Petrea grows near my driveway and the long branches often drape over the driveway after rain. They look beautiful but they won’t be cut back until after flowering, even though they kiss the roof of my car each time I drive through.