Solve a problem, find a plant or look for a design inspiration
Until recently if you were looking for something to add a little bit of class to the garden, perhaps a beautiful sculpture, you had to import it from overseas. The good news is that there’s now a range of locally made artworks starting to become available in...
MacLean’s Spring Garden Twelve years ago Jack and Margaret MacLean purchased half a hectare (1.25 acres) of land at Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of NSW. The property was on sheet rock covered by a thin layer of topsoil and it was overgrown with...
Don’s colour wheel Imagine a stylish, colourful feature as a centrepiece in your front yard. Much as you place a beautiful vase or painting inside the house to create a feature, you can create a living piece of garden jewellery outside. Don showed in easy...
March Happenings We’re sort of between seasons at the moment, the summer flowering plants have just about finished and soon many of the trees will be decked out in their beautiful red, yellow and brown autumn colours. Even so, Don still managed to find plenty of...
Garden on a Garage As you can imagine, landscape designer John Happ faced quite a few problems when he was asked to create a garden on top of a concrete slab! The property had already undergone extensive renovations, including the building of new garages. The clients...
The general consensus these days is that stakes weaken plants, and they should not be used. However, there are times when it is necessary to give your plants some support. For instance Don staked a melaleuca which had fallen over, to prevent the rootball from rocking...
Irrigation System in Hedge A watering system is an integral part of many good gardens, but sometimes the overall effect can be spoiled by unsightly black irrigation piping and risers. Don looked at an irrigation system growing up through a freestanding plant, with the...
Old Husbands’ Tales There are many gardening related myths, and sorting out fact from fiction can sometimes be difficult. Don took a close look at two classic old husbands’ tales – top dressing lawns, and the effect of lime on azaleas. Tale: You...
Liquidambar Roots Don’s favourite native plant is the scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma). These trees have beautiful smooth, white and grey mottled bark with distinctive “scribbles”. The marks often look like some mysterious form of writing, but...
Myths and superstitions are part of the rich fabric of our lives – we rely on them to forecast the weather, tell the future and even to grow plants! The trouble is that sometimes it’s very difficult to separate fact from fiction. Throughout the program Don...