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Ugly BottlebrushBottlebrushes (Callistemon spp.) are wonderful plants for the garden. They are long-lived, require little maintenance and are almost impossible to kill. They make good screens, hedges, feature plants and street trees, and they are...

Underground BungalowBruce and Margaret Dunn have always longed for a peaceful place in the bush. They have spent the last 2 years building their architect-designed home in...

A 'Burke's Backyard' viewer sent in a photo of an unusual plant in flower in their front yard. The plant is Agave attenuata or the century plant. DetailsCommon name: Century...

Unusual CitrusRecently on 'Burke's Backyard' Don showed a photograph of a very strange rose growing out of the centre of another rose! Don invited any viewers with interesting or unusual things happening in their gardens to drop him a...

Update Native PruningAbout eighteen months ago Don visited the Cumberland State Forest Nursery in Sydney and talked to Steve Sullivan, Operations Manager, State Forest Nurseries about renovation pruning of native plants. They looked at a fifteen-year-old Grevillea 'Honey Gem',...

Upright Western Red Cedar Hedge Don looked at the upright, narrow-growing form of the western red cedar. Thuja plicata 'Fastigiata' is a small tree to about 10m (30-40') tall and 2m (6') wide. It has a narrow, columnar...

Uromyrtus 'Weeping Beauty' In recent years some of the most exciting new plants to become available in Australia are the dwarf lilly pillies. A close relative of these plants is Uromyrtus 'Weeping Beauty' which has...

Using Green Bird's Nest or Crow's Nest ferns (Asplenium australasicum) are lovely plants which are easy to use in the garden. Don Burke suggests using them creatively in a jungle setting. Experiment at the local nursery by mixing around...

Using GreyThe bird of paradise, Strelitzia reginae, is a wonderful landscaping plant. It has silvery grey, paddle shaped leaves with a spiky look about them, and beautiful blue and orange flowers which look just like the crests of exotic birds....

The vanilla plant is a perennial vine from Mexico and Central America, which climbs to around 15 metres and supports itself by means of aerial roots. It has fleshy, bright green leaves varying in length from eight to...