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…
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…
Minimising Weed Growth
Weed control requires several different approaches since eradication is difficult and can be expensive. Preventing weeds from establishing and early…
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…
How to protect heritage biodiversity in your own garden
Heritage varieties taste so much better than supermarket-bought produce! Here’s a great combination in a very small package! And it doesn’t cost much…
Artificial Tree Hollows for Animal Habitat
There are many benefits in keeping dead trees. However, in the modern age, trees are usually viewed in terms of amenity and safety, with unsafe…
A School’s Sustainable Gardening Adventure
One way to teach children about sustainable gardening practices is by developing a community garden on school grounds. An example of this comes from…
Non-invasive Alternatives to Weedy Plant Species
Weeds (invasive plant species) reduce biodiversity as well as having other have significant impacts such as loss of habitat, increased fire risk and…
The Things People do . . . . . . . . . . to Trees!!!
Given the splendour and usefulness of trees in the urban environment, it is really amazing what otherwise sensible and apparently sane people do to…
Sea Celery – an Indigenous Edible Plant
When we think about native foods, or bushfood we often miss the nuances of what each one means. Many (if not all) are inextricably linked to…
Are Plants Intelligent?
In the 1980’s, mentioning that plants could communicate or that they might be intelligent used to draw the response “Are you crazy?” when this was…