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Pruning Hydrangeas in Autumn In most areas hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) can be pruned in March or April. Don’t cut back into old, grey wood. If hydrangeas are pruned too fiercely year after year flowering will be reduced to 10% or less, so just cut back...
Soil is the most important gardening basic there is, so it pays to get it right. Here are Don’s tips on working out what kind of soil you have, how to test the pH of your soil and how to keep your soil healthy. Soil texture test There’s a simple test you can do...
One of the best things about winter in Australia is the fragrance of daphne in flower. Winter daphne (Daphne odora) originally comes from China. As well as the green-leafed variety with pink and white flowers, there is also one with a creamy yellow border to the leaf...
To show the ornamental potential of many of our native everlasting or paper daisies, the gardeners at Kings Park have created a meadow-style planting using native daisies from Western Australia. Australia has many daisy species (such as Brachyscome sp., Rhodanthe sp....
Flanders Poppies Among all of the flowers that evoke a memory or emotion, the red Flanders poppy (Papaver rhoeas) ranks highly. This is the poppy which speaks of World War I as its red flowers carpeted the fields disturbed during battles especially in Flanders. The...
Grevillea banksii – Best Backyard Native Recently Don looked at one of the most important grevilleas of all time, Grevillea banksii. This grevillea is considered to be important as it has been used as a parent of many popular grevilleas. There are three...
Woodruff: The French Alternative Back in Medieval England fragrant herbs were strewn on floors to disguise household smells. Among the plants used were rosemary and lavender as well as what may be considered the sweetest and most fragrant herb of all, woodruff....
Pansies Pansies are short-lived perennials that are grown as annuals. They were developed in the late 19th century when the small-flowered heartsease (Viola tricolor) was crossed with other species. It’s hard to imagine that these appealing little flowers with...
Great Perfumed Plants of Spring Perfume adds atmosphere and a wonderful feeling of romance to any garden. The next time you visit your local nursery, think about buying some spring flowering, fragrant plants. There are many to choose from, including port wine...
Rosemary Peter Valder looked at rosemary, an evergreen, perennial shrub belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae). An important herb throughout the history of folklore and medicine, rosemary is native to the Mediterranean coastal region. Remembrance The Ancient Greeks...