Don looked at a Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) that had been grown as a weeping standard. He pointed out that although wisterias are vigorous climbers, they do not really develop strong stems when trained as standards, so very strong supports are required....
Summer in the Garden This has been a very hot summer. The high temperatures and hot winds have killed or burnt plants in a lot of gardens, and high humidity has caused fungal diseases to occur on plants in many areas. Don’s advice is not to do much gardening at...
Last year when Milton Old of Beauty Point, near Launceston in Tasmania, was watching Burke’s Backyard, he was inspired by the topiary animals and shapes in the gardens of John Mircello and Peter Nguyen. Milton decided to have a go at pruning one of his conifers...
Trimming a Lilly Pilly Topiaries are plants that have been trimmed into interesting shapes, such as cones, animals or balls on sticks (standards). Growing them is a lot of fun and they look great in the garden. However they do need regular and careful pruning, and...
Don looked at some of the materials commonly used to build retaining walls. Treated pine log or sleeper walls are popular, cheap and easy to erect, and they are used for both small and quite substantial walls. However, they don’t last well. Examples shown in our...
A fine piece of architecture can be spoiled at ground level if the landscaping is not quite up to standard. Don looked at a classic example of getting it right: a garden and building that worked together particularly well. The result was not only stylish, but it also...
Lawns in many areas of Australia are being attacked by armyworms (Spodoptera mauritia). These caterpillars are brown, greenish brown or black, sometimes with striped or triangular markings along the body. They feed on lawns in large groups then when the food...
Six weeks ago Don planted a new lawn. Part of the lawn was planted with cell-grown grass, and the rest was sown with runners. In our segment Don checked on the progress of the two lawn areas. Both areas were sown with a shade-tolerant variety of soft buffalo called...
The November edition of the Burke’s Backyard magazine includes a 20-page guide to creating gardens that really are low maintenance. The guide goes through all the elements of a garden, distinguishing those that are easy-care from those that mean work such as...
Don showed how to mount a staghorn on a wall. This particular plant had been growing on a dead tree trunk, but had fallen off. Elk or stag? Don used a staghorn to demonstrate the mounting process, but an elkhorn could be substituted equally well. The difference...