The Colours of Christmas

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by Mark Evans

Red, green and white are among the most popular colours associated with Christmas. This iconic combination is believed to originate from the English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) with its evergreen leaves and bright red berries. Amidst the European snow, holly symbolised hope during the depths of winter and was integral to ancient winter solstice celebrations, long before the advent of Christmas.
In Australia, however, holly berries ripen between May and August, making it … Read more »

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Grow your garden for less

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by Mark Evans

Propagating plants from cuttings is one of the easiest and most common methods of plant reproduction. It’s also the quickest way to produce an exact clone of the parent plant.
Cuttings rely on the fact that plant cells are totipotent, meaning each cell has the potential to develop into a complete plant. A single plant cell can become either a root or a shoot, which is … Read more »

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Zen and the art of hand-watering

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By Mark Evans

I’m no liquid luddite. Our thin boundary border beds and double arms-length wide vegetable rows all have a central snake of plastic dripper line to slowly soak the soil and if I was the lawn-watering kind I would naturally choose the efficiency of a sprinkler to cast a wide, even drink. But of all the forms of home irrigation, I find hand-watering the most satisfying.

Rain is the best way to water your … Read more »

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Time to spring into the vegie garden

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by Mark Evans

Whether you subscribe to the meteorological view that it begins on the first day of the month or to the astronomical view that it begins on the vernal equinox on the twenty-third day of the month, September brings us into the season that many consider the beginning of the gardening year – … Read more »

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The green spring clean

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by Mark Evans

As we move into August and pass the cross-quarter day, halfway between the winter solstice and the coming vernal equinox, the days are getting longer and brighter and the first signs of spring are beginning to appear in the garden – a reminder that it is time for some green spring cleaning.
Although we usually associate spring cleaning with housework, the same concept can be applied to the … Read more »

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Garden Tetris

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 by Mark Evans

Garden Tetris is a lot like the video game, but instead of trying to arrange falling coloured blocks, it’s plants you are trying to fit together efficiently within a limited space. Like the game it can take some practice. That supposedly short plant you stuck in on the edge turns out much taller than you expected, the one you put in the shade needs more sun (or vice versa), … Read more »

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