Articles
What jobs do I need to do in the Australian garden in May? This is a good time to be liquid fertilising bulb plantings such as daffodils and hyacinths that have gone in during early autumn and are now sprouting their new leaves. There is still time to plant bulbs such...
Climbers and creepers are plants that are able to expand at will to fill the space available to them and as such are incredibly useful in the garden. They are great to beautify fences and pergolas, and can be trained to twine through various shaped structures. Their...
Orchids are one of the wonders of the plant world with a staggering diversity of plant and flower types that provide endless fascination and sometimes obsession for gardeners. World-wide there are approximately 30,000 species in 600 odd genera that comprise roughly...
What Australian ferns, palms and cycads can I grow in my garden? This group of plants represents an ancient part of the world flora that dominated along with conifers before flowering plants emerged and eventually evolved into the fascinatingly diverse collection we...
What are the best Australian Native Shrubs for the Garden? Shrubs form a huge group within the Australian flora and can be defined as woody plants that remain relatively low (say less than 5m) and generally have multiple stems or trunks. This type of plant abounds in...
What Australian Native Trees Should I Grow In The Garden? Strictly speaking a tree is a woody plant that has a single trunk and a distinct elevated canopy. There are, however, quite a number of woody plants in the Australian flora that are commonly thought of as trees...
What are the benefits of seaweed products in the garden? Seaweeds and their various derivatives are some of the more interesting organic materials that can be used to help create healthier, more sustainable soils and plants. In order to better understand how such...
There has been an explosion of interest in using earthworms to compost domestic organic waste such as kitchen scraps. The question is often asked as to whether composting worms such as tiger and red worms can be added to the garden. There are usually some species of...
How can I grow better roses in my garden? Roses are arguably the favourite flower of the western world. They are after all our undoubted symbol of love, with every prospective Romeo bearing gifts of red roses on Valentine's Day. We also love to grow them in our...
Pruning For a Better Garden How do I prune my garden? The first question to ask is whether you need to prune your plant at all. There are several situations where pruning is desirable and you should be very clear about what you are trying to achieve before grabbing...
Autumn and winter is often a quiet time for flower power in the garden. Camellias are one of the quiet achievers at this time of year, as they are very reliable and remarkably problem free, yet provide a beautiful display of flowers in colours ranging from white to...
What bulbs can I plant in my garden for flowers in Autumn? The mere mention of the word bulb often evokes images of spring with hosts of golden daffodils or spectacular drifts of Dutch tulips. However, there is another world of bulbs that has the wonderful quality of...
The issue of drainage in your garden needs to be considered. This is vitally important for plants that require good drainage, as waterlogging will usually lead to death by root or collar rot. By far the best strategy is to install sub-surface drainage (if it is...
What are the worst weeds in my garden and what do I do about them? The simplest definition of a weed is that it's a plant that you don't want there. That means a plant can be a weed in one place and highly valuable in another. The key to keeping weeds under...
One of the great pleasures of gardening is in using freshly picked edible plants to add a special touch to meals. Undoubtedly, the various members of Citrus group are outstanding in this regard with both fruits and foliage being useful in a culinary sense. The...
The hot lazy summer months are often disturbed by the buzz of the lawn mower, a chore that drags us away from more sensible pursuits such as cooling off at the beach or taking that well-earned afternoon nap. Lawns are wonderful things for children's games and other...
When it comes to low maintenance plants for the garden and pots, succulents are perhaps the ultimate. These wonderful ornamental plants have been rising in popularity for a number of years not only because of their strong constitution, but also due to the simple...
Permaculture for home gardeners In the late 1970s Australian biologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren coined the term 'permaculture' to describe a philosophy of ecologically and socially sustainable human settlement. In its broadest sense the concept can be...
There are times when it can be useful to import soil mixes into your garden. Perhaps you have heavy clay or something akin to beach sand, in other words a soil that is just plain difficult whatever you do to it. Bringing in a ready-to-plant soil mix provides a...
Severe droughts and water restrictions are a sobering experience for us all as we realise that good clean water is one of our most precious resources and its supply is not automatic. It is inevitable that we must all take stock and realise that water will start to...