Articles
A compost heap is a microbiological festival of organisms that are vital to breaking down various organic materials. The most prolific are fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes and these are the most important groups of the many species that can be found in a compost...
This article includes excerpts from Angus's book Creating an Australian Garden This remarkable group of Australian plants embody many of the qualities that make our native plants so distinctive. Their vibrant, almost iridescent flower colours are combined with a...
Stepping Stones - A Great Sydney Project Creating Wildlife Habitat We are lucky in Australia to have some great areas of natural bush adjoining our towns and cities, which are home to our own unique plants and animals. But as our cities grow, these spaces are...
Austromyrtus, the midgen berry, is perhaps the sweetest of the Australian bush fruits and is well worth growing for that reason alone. For the gardener it also has a host of desirable traits. Beautiful bronze new growth, a low growing and mounding habit, the ability...
Tetragonia- a useful and hardy Australian native food plant Tetragonia tetragonioides has the common name of Warrigal greens or New Zealand spinach, and is one of the better known Australian native edible plants. It is common at seaside locations as well as inland,...
Traditionally Australian gardens were on quarter acre blocks or larger, but with more people in cities, garden spaces are getting smaller. But this should not deter keen Aussie gardeners who are interested in growing their own native food, as there is a wealth of...
I took the shortbread recipe from 1977 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook, and added a generous pinch of dried and powdered lemon myrtle to the dough. I mixed it in thoroughly, and baked according to the recipe. Very nice with a good cup of tea....
Ingredients- 225grams of good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces 175 mls of double cream 1 teaspoon of ground aniseed myrtle Icing sugar to dust Cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles Place chocolate pieces into a bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to...
•Cut back spent flower stems of kangaroo paws ensuring that the old leaves associated with it are also removed at the same time. This old foliage is usually starting to blacken by this time anyway and its removal will hasten the development of lateral buds from the...
•Many of the Melaleucas are tough, adaptable plants. A number of species such as M. hypericifolia will also tolerate poor drainage as well as dry conditions. Have a look at the selection available to you at your local retailer and give them a try as they are also...
•Climbers such as the wonga wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana) and happy wanderer (Hardenbergia violacea) have finished flowering and will benefit from a vigorous trim to keep them in shape but avoid cutting into older wood. A handful of general purpose fertiliser will...
•This is a great time to establish specimens of the pea family such as happy wanderer (Hardenbergia violacea) or the spectacular flame pea (Chorizema cordatum). They can be either planted from seed or from pot specimens. •Bottlebrush specimens (Callistemon species)...
•Time to begin fertilising native plants in frost free districts. While many natives are now being shown to be less sensitive to phosphorus than has been thought in the past it is still worthwhile using low phosphorus fertilisers designed for Australian plants as this...
•If you are experiencing frost damage to tender specimens such as native rainforest species it is best to leave the damaged shoots in place until spring as cutting them back now may lead to further burning of tender new shoots •Seedlings of colourful annuals such as...
•Go to a nursery and select one of the interesting compact Correa varieties such as ‘Canberra Bells’ and put it in a pot near an outdoor living area where you will be able to enjoy the nectar feeding birds it attracts. •Be on the alert for myrtle rust, which shows up...
•Native rock orchids such as Dendrobium speciosum can be fed with a liberal helping of well rotted animal manure around the base of the plant followed by a thorough soaking to wash it in. •Autumn flowering shrubs such as the various Crowea species and cultivars are...
• Many species of everlasting daisy can be planted now for spring flower displays. Seedlings can be raised in punnets or simply scatter seed into a cultivated bed of soil and rake over to create a more random 'wildflower meadow' effect. • Clumping plants such as...
• Curl grubs can play havoc by eating the roots of a wide range of species. Check for them by scratching around the roots of any sick plants. Treat with beneficial nematodes or a registered insecticide • Watch for the larvae of white cedar moth, which will defoliate...
• A burst of flowering can sometimes be induced in bottlebrush by giving them a feed of native plant fertilizer and a deep watering if natural rainfall has been absent. •Spring and summer flowering climbers such as Pandorea and Hardenbergia can be tidied up with a...
What jobs should I be doing with my Australian native plants in January? • Feed banksias with a low phosphorus fertiliser to encourage new growth and extra flowers in the coming winter • Prune off spent flowers, seed heads and dead leaves from flax...