Do you know what a Mediterranean climate is? Well it’s a climate where the summers are quite dry and the winters are quite wet. So Mediterranean plants actually like water in winter so that they enter spring with a lovely moist soil. Which are the plants that like...
It gets cold in June. The days shorten until the Winter Solstice on 21st June, after which they begin to get longer. Many animals and plants measure the day length and their activity throughout the year is often ruled by specific hours of day or night length....
Many gardens have areas of useless sloping land which is too steep to use. Well even the ancient Incas knew about terracing! You can construct some retaining walls out of concrete blocks or treated pine sleepers. You should research retaining walls on the net so that...
Nothing looks better than a glade or field of the one sort of plant. This looks so much better than a “bitty” garden where there is one of everything. So, what about a field of jonquils or daffodils? – maybe 50 bulbs planted together in one area. The spring display...
There are magical moments to be shared by families who keep some of the varieties of chickens – black Australorps, Barred Plymouth Rocks or Silkies. But have you ever considered ducks? Ducks are fascinating creatures and, yes, they do lay delicious eggs. Of all the...
Have you ever heard of plants called cycads? As a kid we used to be given bits of cycad leaves on Palm Sunday – presumably the church didn’t know that they aren’t palms! Cycads do look a bit like miniature palm trees up to1 to 2 metres high. Australian cycads are...
We get emails from mums and dads asking about gardens for kids. So here goes: Kids love special places like a fairy castle for girls or a fort for boys. These can be slightly modified sheds. Kids love a grassy mount to roll down, plus magic plant areas like: Daisy...
What chooks lay eggs and when do they lay? Well crossbred black Australorps, crossbred white leghorns and Isa Browns are the main commercial layers. They lay around 300 eggs per year and we recommend the crossbred Australorps as the best of all for home gardens....
If you have a cat, please try to remember that cats in houses are often bored witless. This is, however, easily fixed. Cats adore raised runways around the house, and their own refuge areas. They love toys that mimic mice or insects when shaken. So much of cat bad...
About this time of year, backyard farm gluts occur. That is, you produce more fruit and vegies than you can use. Many people swap excess produce with friends and neighbours and family. Some people use fruits like citrus, apricots, peaches, apples, cherries,...