Entries by Jen Severn

It’s a cover up!

Customers regularly ask me to suggest a groundcover for a particular situation in a garden and with so many different forms, both Australian and introduced, the decision usually comes down to what you actually what the plant to do.

Ground cover plants vary from conifers through Australian natives to perennials and introduced plants from outside Australia. Many are absolute ground huggers and others can reach 50-70cm high but can be as wide as 3-4m.

There are categories that will … Read more »

Spring has sprung!

Keith Mundy

Spring has arrived and with it the start of the gardening year. New growth appears on deciduous plants, perennials wake after their enforced winter hibernation and bulbs pop up everywhere as new life begins.
This month commences with many tasks in the garden including the preparation and planting of the spring vegetable garden, planting of flowering annuals and the completion of late winter and early spring chores before too much new growth … Read more »

A fruit for all seasons

Keith Mundy

Citrus in all its varieties is presently one of the most popular categories of fruit trees available in nurseries. This is mainly due to the work that has been done in recent times to provide dwarf growing forms that are more suitable to pot culture or for our ever-decreasing house block sizes.

In growing citrus a great deal of importance is placed on the location where you live as many are not suited, for instance, to heavy frosts or cold southerly winds.

Optimal temperatures for growing citrus are between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. When temperatures get above … Read more »

Success with pots

Keith Mundy

With the ever-increasing use of our outdoor space, the use of pots as a growing solution is becoming far greater than in previous times, so here are some hints on how to successfully manage this form of gardening.

It’s most important, initially, to decide what you want the pots and the plants to achieve. Are they to be used for growing vegetables, annual colour, a perennial or shrub? Or perhaps a screening … Read more »

Summer!

Keith Mundy

As we head into summer, these months are a critical time in our gardens to get them through the hot and drier months.

Summer brings the usual tasks we all associate with it. And although these tasks can seem tiresome, they are most essential in the overall upkeep of our gardens.

As I write this column we have had no worthwhile rain and I fully understand that a lot of us are struggling with the decision to water or not to water. Long lived plants like our shade trees and hedges etc should take priority with … Read more »

Garden recovery after the fires

Keith Mundy

With the recent bushfire heavily impacting our lives, our homes and our gardens, I have been asked by many of our friends and customers how to help their gardens recover.

Although some might think there are more important things to do, remember that our gardens are our retreat when we need some time out, and it is crucial that we put them back to somewhere as close as they were, prior to … Read more »