Australian native plants are excellent in the garden especially the new varieties of grevilleas, grafted darwinias, banksias, compact and prostrate wattles. An excellent base for a native garden is sandstone rubble. Sometimes this is produced when digging is done to...
Figs are beautiful trees that can be grown as hedges or topiarised into interesting shapes. However many varieties of figs grow into large trees if unpruned and left unattended. The roots can grow so large that footpaths and driveways can be cracked and foundations of...
The Dramm water breaker is the best all round nozzle for serious gardeners. It can be attached to a wand to reach plants easily and dispenses a soft stream of water so you can water right up to a pot plant without washing out all the potting mix. It has an aluminium...
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...
If you like conifers and particularly pencil pines remember that they will only grow straight up. Pay attention to where you plant any young trees or large shrubs. Look up and make sure there isn’t anything that will create a problem later on, like electricity...
To get the best flowers from most roses you must prune them in winter. Roses can be pruned when they are dormant, between June and early August. Prune earlier in frost free coastal districts (usually July) but leave pruning until August in areas which experience...