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...
Most of Australia has just emerged from the awful El Nino drought. Our garden plants have suffered badly through this period. So, this is the most important spring in the last 10 years – put in some effort now and the results will be tremendous. The problems:...
There are many statues and garden ornaments available these days. They are often white concrete which look great in a formal Roman or Greek old style garden but unfortunately don’t suit most gardens. In a conventional garden a more neutral colour such as...
Two viewers’ letters were mentioned on Burke’s Backyard recently. One included a photo of a 10 year old Grevillea ‘Pink Surprise’ which was covered in flowers and still looking like a very healthy plant. The grevillea had been pruned heavily...
Soil which has been exposed to the hot, dry conditions that have been experienced recently in much of Australia can become resistant to water. Even after heavy falls of rain or deep watering, soil that is water resistant will remain dry just below the surface. Both...
Professor Struan Sutherland is the man who developed the antivenene for the funnel web spider bite and also antivenenes for many of the key Australian snakes. He has recently written his autobiography and has a lush garden based on hydroponics. Sadly he is now...
It’s spring and the sneezing, red eyes and runny noses are with us as some 20% of Australia’s population succumb to spring fever. Common allergies Allergies amount to some of the worst medical problems that we face in Australia. More than one in five...
When writing plant labels in the garden Don Burke always suggests a 6B pencil. The reason for using a 6B is because it is a soft pencil which will write on most bought labels (except ice-cream container labels) and is not affected by the weather. Permanent markers for...
Along the east coast of Australia in particular there has been a wetter season after the drought. This can lead to some problems especially an increase in the number of insects (flies, mosquitoes and sand flies) in summer. So don’t leave lots of water lying...
Winter is rose pruning time and the Flower Carpet or other ground cover type roses are some of the easiest to prune. They can be trimmed throughout the year to maintain shape and size and then once a year in late winter cut the bush back to rejuvenate and reinvigorate...