A gorgeous, blue sky, autumn day with the sun so warm that I could garden quite happily in short sleeves. I took my tools from the garage and finished pruning the murrayas (Murraya paniculata) that are in the garden that runs down the side of the drive way.

It has taken me about 3 weeks to complete, between family and the need to protect my weak back, so to complete it today has been a real sense of achievement for me. Gardenia are planted in front of the murraya and so they got a prune as well, as it is the new growth that flowers each season.

I love the glossy, green foliage and dense growth habit  as well as the gorgeous, perfumed white flowers that both murrayas and gardenias provide. I have found both easy to grow in Brisbane’s sub-tropical climate, through drought and extended rain periods and on a heavy clay soil! Both are long lived plants, even for me!

Murraya will grow to about 3 metres in height and become quite sparse and woody if not pruned. I love a plant that responds to good pruning. I find it so therapeutic to prune and then the sense of satisfaction I feel as I watch the plant blossom from my efforts is not easy to describe. Simply, I get to feel like a superior person for a week or two, secretly congratulating myself every time I catch sight of the new, thick growth!

That is what I love about gardening, that flush of achievement and joy in a job well done. The garden is a kind mistress, as it responds to care and attention with green bounty and glorious perfumes.

I should not get carried away, as that is not the only garden with either murraya or gardenias yet to be pruned! I just hope that I can walk tomorrow to continue!

 Murrayas (Murraya paniculata)  or mock orange

• creamy white flowers smell just like orange blossom.
• flowers are produced in abundance in spring, again in late summer or early autumn, and tend to appear after heavy rain
• dense, twiggy habit 
• Murrayas grow best in warm climates from Sydney to Perth and areas north.
• prefer a sunny position in well-drained soil enriched with organic matter.
•  prune lightly two to three times a year in spring and summer. Give a final prune in autumn after flowering.