Choosing the right plant for the right place and knowing how to care for them is very important – it helps minimise materials and care needed to make them flourish and minimise the need to weed.
A Personal Path to Seed Saving
I was a gardener for well over a decade before I started saving seeds from my garden. At first, I didn’t see the need. There always seemed to be so…
Pest Alert: Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer (PSHB)
The Polyphagous shot-hole borer (known as PSHB; Euwallacea fornicates) is a pest first detected in Australia 2021 in metropolitan Perth. Native to…
Wildflower gardens – What’s the buzz about?
In the quest for sustainable and environmentally conscious practices, gardening enthusiasts and nature lovers alike are turning to a time-tested…
Why Living Trees Suddenly Fall Down
It is quite common that in winter or after big storms we wonder why living trees suddenly fall down. In June 2021 in Victoria, savage storms swept…
Weed Control
Several different approaches are needed for weed control since eradication is difficult and can be expensive. Preventing weeds from establishing and…
All About Weeds
Let’s find out more about why we call some plants weeds and why they are not all really bad. So that we can think usefully about removing unwanted…
Indigenous plants for reducing insect decline
A steep drop in insect numbers since the 1970s has environmentalists very concerned. While we might not miss some species - mosquitoes and termites…
Top Productive Perennials
Productive perennials provide solutions to many of today's gardening challenges. Top of the list is that they save time! Perennials don't need to be…
Environmental Weeds: Native Invaders and Eager Exotics
We see them on the roadsides: vigorous, long-flowering, hardy and a splash of colour against the grey-green foliage of the native species. They are…
Myrtle Rust is a Spreading Problem
Myrtle rust is a spreading problem in Australia. It is a fungus, Puccinia psidii, which affects plants in the family Myrtaceae. While there are…
Pest Repellent Plants
Every garden is sometimes afflicted with pests - grasshoppers, cabbage white butterfly caterpillars, scale and aphids being very common. Is it…
Native Lawns
It may surprise you to learn that not all native grasses are tall feature plants. In fact in parts of Australia, pasture is composed almost entirely…
Edible and Useful – Walking Stick Palm
With showy spikes of cream flowers and edible red berries, perfect to nibble whilst gardening, the Walking Stick Palm Linospadix monostachyos is a…
Native Ginger
Native ginger Alpinia caerulea/coerulea is an attractive, easy to grow feature plant and also a bushfood with a mild, tangy ginger flavour. A…