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Don looked at a row of murrayas (Murraya paniculata) that had died back through the winter. This problem was caused by frost chilling the leaves down, stopping them functioning properly and leaving them susceptible to sunburn next morning. The parts of the bushes...
Don and the Burke’s Backyard team travelled west of Sydney to Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains. There they met Greg Bailey, the owner of ‘Springside Gallery’, who showed them around his beautiful 4 hectare (8 acre) garden. Don was amazed at how lush and...
Growing Carnivorous Plants Don visited specialist plant grower and author, David Banks. David demonstrated how easy it is to set up a bog area in a sunny part of your garden, where you can grow a mixed collection of carnivorous plants. Plants featured in our segment:...
When hedges such as camellias or lilly pillies are in active growth during the warmer months of the year, Don recommends pruning every 4 weeks or so. Regular light ‘haircuts’ keep hedges tidy and prevent them getting out of hand. If you wait too long...
Don looked at a spectacular red-flowering variety of bougainvillea called ‘Scarlett O’Hara’. This particular plant had been pruned back hard on one side and as a result it had produced lots of rampant, thorny growth. The unpruned side was covered in...
An irrigation system is an integral part of a low maintenance garden. Instead of being a slave to your garden, you can set up systems to water your lawn, flowerbeds, vegies and even your pots. You can put each one on a timer, so you won’t even have to remember...
If you’ve always wanted to grow a lush, green lawn but you’re not having much success, the problem could be soil compaction. Grass does not grow well in compacted soil. Don’s tip Simply stamp your foot on the ground! If it feels fairly hard...
Don visited turf farms at Clarendon and Windsor, on the outskirts of Sydney. Recently, this area has had severe frosts with temperatures as low as -6°C. He compared lawn varieties being grown at the farms for frost and cold tolerance. ‘Couch’ Couch is a...
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...