One of life’s pleasures is to go without shoes in summer – unless there’s bindii in your lawn. If you’ve ever had bindii prickles in your bare feet, you’ll know how painful it can be. Bindii (Soliva pterosperma) is a specialist plant,...
The bushfires that swept through areas of New South Wales recently caused an incredible amount of damage. Sadly, some people lost their homes, while many others lost everything around their homes, including their gardens. We contacted Carmel Niland, Director-General...
If you live near the bush, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for any weed seedlings and remove them immediately. Weeds are always a worry in bushland areas, particularly in places where there are high water and nutrient levels. Don pulled up some weeds growing...
Don showed how to create a lovely, soft visual effect in the garden with a Clayton’s hedge – the hedge you have when you don’t really have a hedge. An ugly masonry fence along the front of a house was completely covered by a creeping fig (Ficus...
This week’s program was a Come & Save My Garden special. Don Burke and Scott Cam were on the road, knocking on doors and asking people if they needed any help with their gardens and homes. They pruned, nailed, planted and fertilised their way across the...
Coriander grows better during the cooler months of the year. During summer, coriander plants change rapidly from leafy to seedy (this is called ‘bolting to seed’) and it’s almost impossible to have a crop on hand for use in the kitchen in the hot months. During...
Every week, parts of Burke’s Backyard are filmed in Don’s garden. It is a native garden, which includes many plants that are indigenous (that is local) to the area. Over 200 species of birds visit the garden throughout the year, including silver eyes,...
This ugly, disused courtyard was planted with sharp, spiny succulents. The owner, Sally Gebert, explained that it wasn’t a safe place for her baby, Cody, to play. Don, Scott and Tara transformed the courtyard into a stylish, outdoor living area, which the whole family...
Last year Don teamed up with Cheryl Maddocks to create a stunning succulent ball. The succulent they chose to make the ball was Echeveria secunda (sometimes sold as Echeveria glauca), which has grey-green leaves arranged in flattened rosettes. The ball looks even more...
The theme of our first program for 2003 is outdoor living – extending the indoor living areas out into the garden. Many Australian houses have poor access to the backyard, with one door and perhaps a few small windows, so the occupants feel closed in and trapped...