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...
Question Time – Tasmanian blue gums/black spot/onion weed Tasmanian blue gums Don was asked whether it was a good idea to plant Tasmanian blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus) in the garden. Eucalyptus globulus is the floral emblem of Tasmania. Don said that this...
Japonica camellias Jenny asked about the best aspect for japonica camellias (Camellia japonica). Japonica camellias like a position in filtered sun, that is, under a lacy canopy of trees where little dots of sunlight are coming through all day. Don suggested to Jenny...
Standard plants, otherwise known as ‘balls on sticks’, are not hard to train. Standards make great container plants and are usually expensive to buy, but it is very easy to create your own. Some standards are grafted but this is not necessary for many...
The entrance to your house is very important. It should be welcoming, interesting and inviting. The owner of the house shown in our segment tried to make the front steps of her home look good, without success. She found it particularly hard to find plants that would...
Succulents look fabulous with their amazing diversity of leaf shapes and colours. They create strong focal points in minimalist designs and their evergreen foliage makes them ideal for small urban gardens. Succulents store water in their leaves, stems or roots to help...
Paula O’Hara loves her muehlenbeckia ‘hedge’ and enjoys clipping it, but her next door neighbour, Merry Howie, told Don that the vine is a curse because it creates so much work. Merry admitted that the job of trimming the hedge might be easier if her...
Don visited Ann Goldstone, who has a problem with her wisteria. The wisteria was planted 8 years ago, but has never flowered. It shares a garden bed with standard roses (Rosa ‘Iceberg’), which are watered well and fertilised every 6-8 weeks. Don’t...
Shovels and spades are designed to do different jobs in the garden. A shovel has a scooped blade and is used for moving garden material, such as mulch, sand and dirt. A spade is a cutting implement. It has a flat blade and is used for digging, cutting edges and...
This lovely garden features a row of sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua) planted as a privacy screen along the front fence, and a charming arbour over the gate. Don showed how to plant and train climbers over the arbour, to create a really spectacular entry to the...