Bushfire gardening 

by Mark Evans

Plants are the primary source of fuel for a bushfire and, even though all plants burn, the location, arrangement and maintenance of vegetation within a garden has a bigger impact on how a bushfire will spread rather than the flammability of individual plants. The aim of bushfire gardening is to reduce radiant heat, prevent flame contact and minimise ember attack on the house. This can increase the likelihood of the house surviving a bushfire, even … Read more »

GYO – Grow your own

Growing your own vegetables is one of the most rewarding forms of gardening as it combines all the pleasures and benefits of gardening with the added satisfaction of producing fresh nutritious food, and October marks the beginning of that time of the year when the widest variety of produce becomes available for planting.

Anyone new to growing vegetables should start small. If you are already a gardener of ornamentals, then just leave aside a little space for … Read more »

Spring Fever

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 23rd day of the month, September brings us into the season that many consider the beginning of the gardening year, namely spring.

This is our favourite time of the year to get plants into the ground. Planting or re-potting this month means that plants will be ready to get … Read more »

Going Potty

Keith Mundy   

With the ever-increasing use of our outdoor spaces, the use of pots as a solution for growing plants is becoming far greater than in previous times, and the opportunity is right to offer some hints on how to successfully manage this form of gardening.

Probably the most important initial issue is to decide what do you want the pots and the plants to achieve? Are they to be used for growing … Read more »

Trees – a shady subject

Keith Mundy

A subject in the press and on the minds of many concerned people worldwide is global warming and how we can assist in attempting to solving this very serious problem.

The planting of trees will go a long way to addressing the problem. Trees are one of the most important components of any landscape as they provide protection from the elements, add structure to a garden and provide habitat for wildlife.

… Read more »

Stepping into spring

Keith Mundy

With spring now with us I thought it opportune to discuss some issues that are most relevant to this period in the gardening calendar. Plants expend an enormous amount of energy in spring doing their things, like flowering and developing their fruit, or extending their size through new growth. Now is the time to help them along with some additional nutrients.

There are … Read more »