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Winter Flowering Plants Don looked at some of the beautiful native plants that flower in winter. Native hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) A fast growing, open shrub to about 2m (6′) tall, grown mainly for its mauve, hibiscus-like flowers. It is long flowering, hardy,...
Yellow Camellia Don travelled to Kulnura, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, to meet leading camellia hybridist, Bob Cherry. Don asked Bob about his work on the development of new varieties of yellow-flowering camellias. Background Although camellias are...
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...
Scientists at Kings Park Botanic Garden in Perth have discovered some mysteries about the Australian bush orchids. They’ve had so much success with growing them that they have put together a kit so you can grow your own, and they say it’s as easy as...
There is a bewildering array of glues in any hardware store and deciding which one you need for a particular job can be very confusing. There is no single versatile glue but Burke’s Backyard has assessed the range and concluded that you only need five different...
How often do you wander through antique shops and know you can’t afford to take any home? For a fraction of those prices you can achieve your own antiqued effects with a great product called crackle medium. We purchased a paper-mache rubbish bin (approx. $19.50)...
The Sydney Blue Face brick was popular in the 1920s and 30s and was used in Federation and Californian Bungalow style houses. In many instances it was used only along the face of the house and common brick was used up the side. The unique dark blue/grey colour...
This is a recipe for a green cleaner that works, because most of them don’t – or not particularly well. The problem with any green (as in environmentally sound) cleaner is finding something that cuts through grease – you know, that horrible gungy...