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Stanhopea Orchid There are around 30 species in the genus Stanhopea, and they are spectacular epiphytic orchids native to South America. Their most unusual feature is that the flowers actually grow downward, and they are also highly prized for their very strong,...
Wood Borers Don looked at a gum tree with marks all over the trunk, probably caused by the larvae of wood boring insects like longicorn or jewel beetles. They’re often found feeding in the phloem region just under the bark, and in severe cases they can ringbark...
Spanish Shawl Something that covers the ground and gives you a bit of colour and stops the weeds is welcome in any garden. Spanish shawl (Heterocentron elegans) is a colourful ground cover native to Central America, that will brighten up a sunny spot in the garden....
According to Garden Designer Phillip O’Malley, this modern Gold Coast house is fairly typical of waterfront properties – very large homes built on small blocks. The site was fully landscaped and the existing floral garden was very pretty, but it just did...
Succulents In Australia cacti and succulents are often grown as novelty plants for kids, and although they can be a bit garish and over the top they’ve given many children enormous joy for years. However, there is much more to cacti and succulents than meets the...
Twenty years ago Maureen and King Newman started work on “Naalong”, their dream garden. The two acre (0.81ha) property is at Farrants Hill in the Condong Range, which is part of the rim of the largest and oldest known extinct volcano in the world. Coming...
Garden design is changing rapidly in Australia. After hundreds of years of basically copying the English cottage and formal styles, Australians are now coming to grips with designs and planting schemes that are more suited to our climate, light levels and soils....
Designer Jim Fogarty faced several challenges when called in to make over a small narrow courtyard. As well as doing away with the lawn and creating some usable space, the owners instructed Jim to screen the large block of flats next door, and to do something with the...
Landscape Arthitect, Judy van Gelderen was given a very detailed brief by the owners of a small, flat and uninteresting block of land in Canberra. They wanted to incorporate fourteen different ‘spaces’ or characters, including Japanese, Australian, an English rose...
Williamstown Garden Gina and Ian McVicar searched for a long time for a house to serve as both a home and a business base. Then one day they saw an old fisherman’s cottage made of bluestone, and fell in love with it immediately. Even though the house had...