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Mulching depth If your garden is mulched but you are still having problems with weeds growing through, you probably haven’t applied the mulch correctly. Mulch needs to be at least 75-100mm (3-4″) deep to control weeds. It is very important to mulch your...
The weather has been very unseasonable in Australia recently, particularly along the east coast. Summer didn’t really eventuate. We’ve had the occasional very hot day, but then later that day or the next day it’s been cold again. When temperatures...
There’s something about pruning that seems to bring out aggression in people, especially men. However, pruning doesn’t have to be like a shoot-out at high noon. You don’t need to take out all your frustrations on your plants, nor should you be...
Although grasses are fashionable in gardening circles at the moment, many of them really don’t perform very well. A notable exception is a gorgeous new blue coloured Australian native grass. It is called Mingo, which is claimed to be the aboriginal name for...
Robinia Problems Don looked at a street tree planting of golden robinias (Robinia pseudocacia ‘Frisia’). This was a vogue tree in Australian gardens and landscapes during the 1980s and it is still tremendously popular today. However, before you plant a...
Ground Covers There’s nothing as tedious as pulling up weeds, and it’s a chore that takes up a lot of valuable time. Don’t despair – there are other things you can do to help control the problem. The first step is to mulch the garden, and then...
Plants produce most of their annual growth over the next few weeks, so it is important to fertilise them now. Most plants: use Dynamic Lifter, slow release fertiliser, or liquid Nitrosol (apply liquid fertilisers with a hose end sprayer). Lawns: use a complete lawn...
Spring Tart Up If your garden is looking at bit drab at the moment, why not give it a quick spring tart up? The best place to look for inspiration is your local nursery. The really good plant shops around Australia plan their spring displays so that customers can see...
Update Native Pruning About eighteen months ago Don visited the Cumberland State Forest Nursery in Sydney and talked to Steve Sullivan, Operations Manager, State Forest Nurseries about renovation pruning of native plants. They looked at a fifteen-year-old Grevillea...
Viewers’ Letters Giant Crepe Myrtle A few weeks ago on the program we showed a photograph of an enormous crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) growing in Donnybrook, Western Australia. It was about 10m (35′) high! Since then we’ve received another...