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Garden designer Mark Vowles has transformed a bare block of land at Deception Bay, Queensland, into a lush, tropical garden. He has travelled widely, and was inspired by the ancient and modern tropical styles of Thailand, Bali and the South Pacific. Mark has a passion...
If you live anywhere along the east coast of Australia you might have noticed that the leaves of your frangipani look brown and rusty. There is a new disease attacking frangipanis in Australia called frangipani or plumeria rust (Coleosporium domingense syn C....
This South African native was once a very popular ornamental plant, but it’s now a serious bushland weed in some areas of Australia. Common name: Mickey Mouse bush or ochna Botanic name: Ochna serrulata Description: An evergreen shrub to 2m (6′) tall....
One of the banksias (Banksia serrata) in Don’s garden has died. In recent months high humidity and heavy rainfall in many areas of Australia have made plants in the protea family, such as banksias, proteas and grevilleas, very vulnerable to root rot. Citrus,...
The cheapest and best way to buy plants is to purchase them in small pots known as ‘tubes’. Tubes are long and thin, with ridges running down the sides to encourage the roots of the plant to grow downwards, rather than coiling around the sides. Although tubestock is...
Your local nursery is a great place to find bargains. That’s because many plants, especially perennials, can actually be divided straight away. You may only buy one plant, but after dividing you could finish up with 10 or even more! To divide plants simply place the...
There are free plants in virtually every garden in Australia. Clumping plants such as aspidistras and agapanthus can easily be chopped up and used elsewhere in the garden, given to friends or sold at the local fete. Don demonstrated the technique by using a sharp...
The lily caterpillar seems to have increased in numbers and horticultural importance along with the increased popularity of mass-planted crinum or spider lilies (Crinum pedunculatum) and clivias (Clivia miniata). Don looked at a mass planting of clivias that had been...
Lumpy growths on young leaf stems, leaf mid-ribs and fruit stalks of citrus trees are caused by a pest called the citrus gall wasp (Bruchophagus fellis). All citrus trees are attacked, but grapefruit and rough lemons are the most susceptible. The adult is a black wasp...
If you buy your premium potting mix in 30 litre bags, you’ll pay around $14 per bag. That’s more than $460 for one cubic metre of potting mix (roughly 33 bags). If you take your trailer to the landscape supplier, you can buy premium potting mix in bulk for around $95...