Staff at Yarralumla Nursery have unveiled a new variety of the popular plant Hardenbergia, featuring unique deep burgundy leaves. Unlike the standard variety, which has green foliage, this new plant stands out for its striking color.
The discovery began in 2018 when seeds were collected from the Brindabellas near the Murrumbidgee River. The nursery team grew 1,500 plants from these seeds, and among them, one plant displayed a distinct burgundy hue.
Over the next four years, the team closely monitored the plant to ensure its color remained consistent. Unlike the others, the leaves did not revert to green. Instead, they retained their vibrant burgundy shade, which beautifully contrasts with the plant’s deep purple pea flowers.
Named *Out of the Dark*, the new variety references the way the plant’s flowers appear against its dark foliage in late winter.
The *Out of the Dark* variety is versatile—it can be used as a groundcover or as a twining climber for a trellis. It thrives in dappled shade and is frost-tolerant once established. The plant is also adaptable to a range of soil types.
Such a discovery is rare, with only a few similar events occurring in the 110-year history of Yarralumla Nursery.
Dr. Matthew Parker, General Manager of Yarralumla Nursery, expressed the team’s pride in the new release: “We are thrilled to introduce *Out of the Dark* to the Canberra community and beyond.”
A limited number of plants have been distributed to local nurseries across Canberra. For those unable to purchase one now, Yarralumla Nursery is producing more for future sale.
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