Goodbye Callistemon, and hello Melaleuca
I will find it hard to get used to saying Melaleuca instead of Cllistemon as the new name for some of my favourite Australian plants such as ‘Captain Cook’, ‘Endeavour’ and ‘King’s Park Special’...
View ArticleBarangaroo Point Park: a gamble with nature
The landscape design at Barangaroo Point has taken a bold step in attempting a naturalistic recreation of the vegetation and plant communities that existed before European settlement. Does it work?...
View ArticleHow to create an Australian wildflower meadow
The annual displays at Kings Park Botanic Gardens in Perth, and The Australian Botanic Gardens, Mt Annan, NSW show that a colourful Australian wildflower meadow is definitely something you can achieve...
View ArticleGrannes: Australian garden design for dry climates
In the parched mallee country of Victoria's Grampians, the Lewins have made a native garden of form, colour and unusual sculpture that surrounds uniquely Australian-style buildings Continue reading →
View ArticleIn-ground worm farms for the time-poor gardener
Here's a simple DIY solution when you can't find the time to maintain a compost heap, or you haven't got space for compost bins: an in-ground worm farm using PVC drainage pipe that takes all your...
View ArticleCome to Yunnan, treasure trove of plants and ethnic cultures
Come with me on a tour 'In the Footsteps of the Plant Collectors' to one of the most botanically diverse areas on earth, Yunnan Province in China, home to many of our most treasured garden plants....
View ArticleTasmania’s Koonya Garlic Festival is a pungent delight
I recently had the pleasure of attending the third Koonya Garlic Festival, in Tasmania on a picturesque inlet of Norfolk Bay on the beautiful Tasman Peninsula. Continue reading →
View ArticleThe remarkable genus Camellia
For many gardeners the word camellia conjures up images of a reliable shrub that produces gorgeous autumn and winter displays of flowers. A recent visit to the Yunnan Province of China has taught me a...
View ArticleA small piece of Australia at California’s Taft-Ojai Gardens
On a trip to California earlier this year I had the good fortune to meet Australian expatriate plant lover Jo O'Connell. She has an excellent niche nursery growing a range of Australian plants,...
View ArticleCelebrating the kangaroo paw at Cranbourne Gardens
After 35 years breeding and growing kangaroo paws I was delighted to be invited by Rodger Elliot for the Friends of the Botanic Gardens Cranbourne to be part of a unique event - the Kangaroo Paw...
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