Mulch Path The garden path is usually given a hard surface of bricks, pavers or concrete. Occasionally softer surfaces such as grass or gravel are used. Another option is a eucalyptus mulch path: it looks sensational and costs next to nothing. The path is soft and...
Pruning Hydrangeas in Autumn In most areas hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) can be pruned in March or April. Don’t cut back into old, grey wood. If hydrangeas are pruned too fiercely year after year flowering will be reduced to 10% or less, so just cut back...
Soil is the most important gardening basic there is, so it pays to get it right. Here are Don’s tips on working out what kind of soil you have, how to test the pH of your soil and how to keep your soil healthy. Soil texture test There’s a simple test you can do...
There is a bewildering array of glues in any hardware store and deciding which one you need for a particular job can be very confusing. There is no single versatile glue but Burke’s Backyard has assessed the range and concluded that you only need five different...
How often do you wander through antique shops and know you can’t afford to take any home? For a fraction of those prices you can achieve your own antiqued effects with a great product called crackle medium. We purchased a paper-mache rubbish bin (approx. $19.50)...
This is a recipe for a green cleaner that works, because most of them don’t – or not particularly well. The problem with any green (as in environmentally sound) cleaner is finding something that cuts through grease – you know, that horrible gungy...
A new product available in some states and coming available Australia wide is a drip-proof tap washer called a ‘Doustvalve’. The West Australian development has a nylon base and spindle with a rubberised material inside which is burst-resistant. The result...
The driveway at the front of a property is often the entrance to the home and so making a welcoming impression is important to add to the overall effect of the garden. More often than not it is an unappealing concrete scar at the front. To transform an uninteresting...
His Royal Highness King Henry the Eighth had six wives, one navy, several armies, a keeper of the royal pillow and someone responsible for the royal salads. The King was very fussy about his salads which contained at least 40 different leaves. But his favourite...
Wisterias are beautiful flowering plants but Peter Valder noted that some people seem surprised to see this plant with seed pods. Peter Valder recently looked at these plants when he visited some Mt Wilson gardens. Ornamental pods Wisteria is a legume, like peas and...