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...
After a heavy thunderstorm in Sydney, two large trees from a neighbour’s property fell onto the recently built ‘Burke’s Backyard’ aviary. Some damage occurred to the structure but no birds were lost. However much it may look like an accident,...
Tibouchinas (which used to be known as lasiandras) have purple or pink flowers in late summer or autumn, with some varieties flowering during winter. They range in size from small shrubs (the variety ‘Jules’ is a shrub to 1m (3′) tall) to tall trees...
Some unusual plants to grow in your garden are the elkhorns or staghorns. The difference between these two plants is the elkhorn (Platycerium bifurcatum) has thinner, wispier leaves and multiple “eyes” or rosettes of foliage whereas the staghorn...
The cut and fill method of construction is very popular for sloping building sites. It involves cutting back into a hillside and moving the soil to the lower side of the site to create a level building site. A retaining wall is then required to hold back the earth....
Topiary is a fascinating gardening activity where people can create all sorts of animals, birds and shapes in the backyard. Anthony Cabret is a master of topiary who can transform amorphous blobs of trees into artworks, like his model titanic that is sinking into the...
Many parts of eastern Australia received heavy rainfalls recently bringing relief to some drought situations. There are some gardening tips for autumn that will help your garden look even better after the rain. Autumn is a good time for planting particularly after...