Many people keep a radiata pine in a pot, which lives out door for most of the year & then comes indoors at Xmas time to be decorated & transformed into the family Xmas tree. But many people would like a tree that is a bit smaller & that is Australian. Don...
In the same league as jacarandas and poincianas, once seen in bloom a trumpet tree, cloaked in pink or golden flowers, is never forgotten. The tabebuias (pronounced ‘tab-eh-boo-ya’) are all from tropical Central and South America and although there are...
Tree Peonies are ideal for Australia’s harsh dry conditions and current water restrictions. Their growth pattern is very similar to bulbs from early autumn through winter. The root system is activated by cold and feeding roots are active. This is the best time to...
If you have ever tried to guess the height of a tree, you’ll know that it is difficult. Well, there is a simple method to estimate the height of a tree, which doesn’t require any guess work or tree climbing. The method is based on the theory of proportions...
Flowering: Acanthus Ajuga Aquilegia (columbines) Azaleas Begonias Bromeliads Camellia japonica Clivia Daphne erigeron (seaside daisy) Eupatorium megalophyllum (blue Ageratum-like flowers) Hoyas Japanese anemone (Hupehensis – x hybridum) Kalmia (cold areas) Linum...
To minimise maintenance and hard work, it is very important to seek advice before you plant. Any plant (whether it be a tree, shrub, climber or ground cover) in the wrong place can ruin your garden, damage your house and even cause problems with the neighbours. Here...
Don showed how classy creeping figs can look when used in a formal garden design. The figs were trained to fill recesses in a masonry wall, so that they formed perfect green rectangular shapes. The fig rectangles provided a wonderful backdrop for clipped box hedges...
Wattles, also called acacias, are wonderful native plants. In fact, Australia’s official floral emblem is a wattle (Acacia pycnantha). More than 850 species of wattle grow in Australia, ranging from ground covers and charming shrubs to giant trees that provide...
The arrival on bare branches of the elegantly sculpted, waxy flowers of Magnolia x soulangeana always lets us know that spring is edging closer. Amazingly, magnolia flowers have been harbingers of spring from time immemorial. Magnolias are among the most ancient of...
There’s nothing worse than nosey neighbours! Nigel Ruck showed some of the best privacy plants to help protect your backyard oasis. Before you buy your privacy plants, you need to work out how big you want them to grow. If you don’t know how tall or wide you want it,...