Dying tips on agave Don was asked about dying tips on an agave (Agave sp.) growing in the garden. He thought that too much water may have caused the brown tips, or that it could be a salt problem. He suggested replanting the agave in a raised garden bed, where the...
Bichons Bronson and Bianca Boyle, Bichon Frises from Townsville in Queensland, emailed to dispute some of the details in our Bichon Frise road test. The breeder interviewed in our segment said, “For dogs with that length coat, you’d be looking at spending...
Before doing any work or purchasing plants for your garden, it
Funky fig Don was asked to suggest a funky, modern plant for a large pot. He suggested two, the Kentia palm and the fiddleleaf fig. The kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) has a slender trunk and a graceful crown of dark-green drooping fronds. The trunk can grow 5-15m...
Kathie Johnson wrote to Don to say that she would really love some help with problem areas around her garden. One area (5m x 3m) faces due north, the other is a very dark, shady garden (5m x 70cm) along the southern side of the house. There was also a small, weedy...
Jap pumpkin Maree Allen wrote to say that she has recently grown a Japanese (Jap) pumpkin weighing 17 kilos, and she wonders if this is an extra large specimen. Don asked anyone who has grown a bigger Jap pumpkin to let us know. For the time being, Maree holds the...
Tulip tree An audience member asked Don about her tulip tree, which is 15 years old and has never flowered. Tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) are closely related to magnolias. These large, deciduous trees are native to North America. They have long stemmed,...
Grevilleas are by far the most popular Australian native plants grown in gardens today. They attract native birds to the garden and many of them flower for most of the year. The only problem is that after five to six years some grevilleas start to look straggly, and...
Don looked at a scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma) with vertical splits in its trunk. He explained that during periods of drought trees often don’t grow much, but as soon as it rains they make up for it with enormous amount of growth. Sometimes the girth of a...
The main function of a lawn is to evenly shed water during periods of rain, so when putting in a lawn it is critical to get your base levels right. When preparing to lay turf for our French makeover, Don first checked the natural fall of the land and found that it was...