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Lawns A lush, green lawn adds beauty and value to any home, but many backyard lawns are thin and patchy, and struggle to survive. The problem is that most of us are ordinary gardeners, not greenkeepers, and we don’t have time to give our lawns constant care and...
Low Maintenance Garden People often write to Don asking for his advice on setting up easy care gardens. They explain that they love gardens, but they lead busy lives and don’t have much time to spend on maintenance. Over the years many experts have claimed that...
Years ago, nurseries were fairly boring places. The plants were rarely sold in flower, and not much effort went into presenting them. However, times have changed dramatically. These days nothing cheers gardeners up more than a trip to the local nursery. Not only do...
As a builder, Scott Cam uses power tools such as chainsaws every day, and he thinks they are fantastic. Although he jokes about ‘toys for the boys’, he actually doesn’t regard power tools as toys. Scott thinks chainsaws are potentially very...
Clover in Lawn Now that the cold days of winter are behind us there’s no excuse for putting off all those outdoor jobs. Spring is the ‘make or break’ time for beautiful lawns, and your lawn is sure to need some urgent attention. Don looked at a...
Quang Tran is a Vietnamese Australian who is passionate about bonsai. He first became interested in the idea of creating miniature trees and landscapes when he went to a bonsai show, liked what he saw and thought “I could do that”. Ten years later Quang is...
Come and See My Garden – Newcastle Anne Johns of Kotara, New South Wales, wrote to Burke’s Backyard asking for help. She moved into her house nine years ago. Since then, she has noticed to her dismay that all of the pencil pines (Cupressus sempervirens)...
Crushed Sandstone The largest horticultural activity that has ever occurred in Australia’s history is taking place at Homebush Bay in Sydney. The development of the Olympic Park and Millennium Parklands areas has been an enormous undertaking, requiring millions...
Dangerous Roots One of the most fashionable plants in Australia at the moment is Ficus benjamina, the weeping fig. Pots of standardised weeping figs clipped and shaped into balls on sticks can often be seen dramatically framing entrances or doorways; left unclipped...
Dividing Plants During autumn and winter many plants, especially perennials, can be divided. They include agapanthus, orchids, bergenias and Japanese windflowers. Use the new plants around the garden, give them to friends, or pot them up and take them along to the...