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She-oak At certain times of the year and particularly in winter many she-oaks go reddish brown and look as if they are dying. Well, they aren’t necessarily dying indeed it is quite the opposite. The tree is actually flowering. She-oaks have separate...
Orange Trumpet Creeper The orange trumpet creeper is a South American native which puts on a spectacular display of brilliant orange flowers from winter through to spring. Plant details Common name: Orange trumpet creeper, flame vine Botanic name: Pyrostegia venusta...
In our segment Don talked about the value of animal manure in the garden. Manure conditions soils of all types, it provides nutrients, it is already more or less decomposed and it is teeming with bacteria and other beneficial organisms. Animal manures can either be...
Harvest Size, Colour Matters It’s often difficult to tell when fruit and vegetables are ready to harvest. With produce that does not actually ripen, such as root crops, you often have to go by colour and size. Citrus Citrus trees are fabulous to have in the...
Harvesting Growing your own fruit and vegetables is tremendously rewarding. However, knowing when the produce is ready for harvest can be a problem for many gardeners. Here are Don’s tips on harvesting tomatoes, pumpkins, figs, corn and olives. Tomatoes...
Harvesting Vegies Don returned to the Rowland Village vegetable patch at Galston in New South Wales, and checked to see if the carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips were ready to harvest. Carrot (Daucus carota) There are many varieties of carrots. Topweight, Western...
Palm trees evoke memories of relaxing holidays, secluded tropical beaches and cool, moist rainforests. The good news is that you can instantly create a restful oasis in your own garden: just buy a mature palm, dig a hole and drop it in. Even better news, palms are...
Macadamia Farm When in Hawaii last year, Don visited a macadamia farm. Although introduced to the world as the ‘Hawaiian Nut’, macadamias are actually Australian rainforest plants. They are members of the Proteaceae family, and are related to grevilleas...
This tree is native to southern China, where a substantial industry once revolved around the harvesting and processing of its waxy seeds. They were thrown into boiling water to remove the wax, which was skimmed off and used to make candles. The seeds were then pressed...
Water Chestnuts – The French Alternative Jackie French loves the crunchy texture and flavour of water chestnuts. However, they are high maintenance plants, which need at least eight months of frost-free growing. Duck potatoes are a great alternative for...