Liquidambar Roots Don’s favourite native plant is the scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma). These trees have beautiful smooth, white and grey mottled bark with distinctive “scribbles”. The marks often look like some mysterious form of writing, but...
Myths and superstitions are part of the rich fabric of our lives – we rely on them to forecast the weather, tell the future and even to grow plants! The trouble is that sometimes it’s very difficult to separate fact from fiction. Throughout the program Don...
Plant Botanical Names People often laugh at the complicated scientific names that are given to plants and animals. Sometimes they really are funny, for example Rhododendron goodenoughii, a plant which comes from Goodenough Island in Papua. The island itself was...
Plant New Lavenders Now Plants like lavender and rosemary come from Mediterranean areas, and they can’t tolerate excessive summer rain, high humidity and poorly drained soils. The past twelve months or so have been unusually wet and humid, particularly along the...
Topiary is an art form that has been rediscovered by gardeners in the last 10-15 years. It’s now very fashionable to use buxus cones and cubes, spiralled conifers, or lilly pillys clipped into balls on sticks as focal points in the garden or to create a dramatic...
Plants for Dry Conditions Travelling to other countries can sometimes be a real eye opener for gardeners, because they see plants growing in climates and conditions that suit them best. It’s suddenly very easy to understand why a particular plant is struggling...
The very fine dust or waste material left over from making blue metal is known under different names in Australia. Below is a list of the known names used: NSW: Blue quarry sand or Crusher dust QLD: Crusher dust or Cracker dust VIC: 5mm minus SA: Quarry sand WA: Metal...
Plants Packaged for Kids Applewood Seed and Garden Group has produced a new range of beautifully packaged seed products, which would make excellent gifts for children. There’s a kit to suit every child’s taste, they’re great fun, and they teach kids...
Don looked at some bushland infested with lantana (Lantana camara). He pointed out that the weeds did well in this area because it was very moist and rich in nutrients. Simply removing the lantana would be a complete waste of time, because birds would deposit more...
Don noticed a group of Rainbow Lorikeets feeding in a Port Jackson fig tree (Ficus rubiginosa). All the native evergreen figs, including the Port Jackson and Morton Bay figs, produce genuine fig fruit. Fig fruit forms from an enlarged, hollow stem base or