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[metaslider id=31327] Many people love growing plants in pots, but potted gardens can be a lot of work. Choosing the right plants is half the battle. Some plants (such as roses, most Australian natives, most fruit trees and most vegetables) hate growing in pots....
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...
Prunus x blireana is one of the best spring flowering blossom trees. It is a cross between the cherry plum of the Middle East and the winter flowering plum of China and Japan. It is a deciduous tree growing to around 5m (15′) tall, with slender, arching...
Ginkgos were widespread at the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, around 125-220 million years ago. Today Ginkgo biloba is known as ‘a living fossil’, because it is the only surviving representative of a group of plants which was once common all over...
Gordonia Peter Valder looked at one of the very best small trees for Australian conditions. Plant details Common name: Gordonia, fried egg plant Botanic name: Gordonia axillaris (renamed Franklinia axillaris, but still known and sold as Gordonia axillaris) The genus...