Shaping shrubs is a way to manipulate the direction a plant will grow. We might want to shape the growth of a shrub so that it grows in a particular direction or so that it doesn’t grow in a particular direction. This article will briefly cover how to shape a Read more…
Pruning plants is like getting a haircut except that whilst you hair tends to grow back, a pruned plant will be altered forever. Here are some ways we can ruin plants by pruning: Pruning plants in a way that doesn’t take into account their direction of growth. This can lead Read more…
Growing celery is rewarding because she is always producing food for us. I grow heirloom celery and the stalks are smaller and less watery than the store bought celery. Celery can be quite peppery in taste. Growing celery lasts for years and I see people buying celery stalks in the Read more…
Borage is one of those plants many of us have heard of but few of us have grown or tasted. Given the optimum conditions, borage officinalis can grow to 90cm in height producing a proliferation of large, hairy green leaves that taste a bit like melons. Borage sends up a Read more…
Grevillea venusta is commonly known as the Byfield Spider Flower. It can grow up to 5 metres in height (depending upon the soil and conditions) and depending upon the pruning method, probably just as wide! Grevilleas’ are typically shallow rooting shrubs. They are also typically fast growing. This means they Read more…
In the context of environmental protection the term ‘vulnerable to extinction’ has a specific meaning. That meaning is a legal definition. It doesn’t mean what most people think it means and that legal definition changes as legislation changes. In Australia, the legal definition also changes between jurisdictions. That’s because we Read more…
Feeding plants using natural resources is the most effective way to grow plants in the natural habitat. The ingredients are natural and utilised by natures creatures to help grow healthy plants. It is a manner of organic gardening that utilises organic methods and millions of species all working together. Interspecies Read more…
Companion planting – what is it? Companion planting refers to a style of inter-planting that results in a beneficial outcome to the gardener usually in the form of higher crop yields and to the plants. Inter-planting is planting different types of plants together. So instead of having a monoculture – one type Read more…
Passionfruit (Passiflora) is a sweet fruit that grows on a vine. It’s native to the southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina and grows well in subtropical and some warmer temperate areas. There are many different types of passion fruit and most can be grown from seed. A friend gave me Read more…
If you want to grow Graptophyllum ilicifolium (aka Holly leaved fuchsia) you’ve come to the right place! Within months of propagating this plant, you’ll be rewarded with these lovely magenta coloured flowers. Graptophyllum ilicifolium has holly shaped leaves that are quite tough in texture. She flowers a bit throughout the Read more…
What are susceptible or resistant plants? We often hear about resistant plants or plants that are susceptible but what exactly does that mean? Resistant plants have properties that resist or repel an antagonist (usually a herbivore insect or microbe). Susceptible plants refer to the degree to which a plant is Read more…
Graptophyllum ilicifolium (aka Holly leaved fuchsia) is a magenta flowered shrub and now only found (in the wild) in the central coast of Queensland, Australia. To read about propagating and cultivating Graptophyllum ilicifolium click here. Therefore, whilst many of us enjoy this shrub in our gardens, in the wild she Read more…
The best way to grow organic broccoli Growing organic broccoli over the winter months is very rewarding. Some varieties are faster growing than others. Some varieties form small broccolini type flower heads whilst others form large heads. Whichever variety or varieties you choose to grow this winter. Make sure your Read more…
The best way to grow organic cauliflower Growing organic cauliflower over the winter months is very rewarding. Some varieties are faster growing than others. Some varieties form smaller flower heads whilst others form large heads. Some cauliflower heads are white and some are purple! If you haven’t grown Cauliflower Purple Read more…
The fantastic fennel Organic fennel is a fantastic edible perennial plant. Being a perennial, it lasts for more than 2 years. I first tasted fennel when a chef friend made us dinner and served thinly sliced coconut cream baked fennel. From that moment on, the love affair began! It has Read more…