Our Blog

Roses for Perfume

03 October 2019 | Linda Ross

Spring brings a new bunch of roses to nurseries. These new introductions are the latest in a long history of rose evolution.

Roses at Red Cow

03 October 2019 | Robin Powell

Seduced by the colour, forms and perfumes of roses, Ali Mentesh has already collected some 200 to adorn the garden rooms at Red Cow Farm. Can he choose a favourite?

Sandra's favourite roses

03 October 2019 | Sandra Ross

Roses are at their swooning best this week. But are you growing the right ones? Here are some we think you should become acquainted with, for old fashioned elegance and knockout fragrance.

5 Things You Need To Know About Roses

03 October 2019 | Sandra Ross

It’s time to get those unruly roses under control. Spring is all about emerging rose buds. With some prior planning you can give your roses the best shot at a spectacular flowering season. Sandra Ross shares the 5 things you need to know to make them happy, healthy, fragrant and fabulous.

Flower Farm: Spring

25 September 2019 | Linda Ross

Here Linda gives us her advice and plans for the flower garden this Spring. Spring is a great time for choosing shubs, admiring ceanothus and Cherokee Rose, feeding orchids, and of course picking armfulls of Spring flowers.

Kitchen Garden Spring: Soft Herbs

25 September 2019 | Linda Ross

The key to a thriving herb garden is to give each plant the conditions it needs to prosper. The result is easy gardening, and delicious pickings. Here Linda Ross shows you her favourites and the conditions they need to thrive in spring.

How to: grow African violets

25 September 2019 | Linda Ross

African violets are treasured, long-lived indoor plants. Make them shine with these tips.

Meet Dave Gray: Head gardener, Everglades

25 September 2019 | Robin Powell

For the last two years Dave Gray has been head gardener at Everglades, a National Trust property in Leura, designed and built through the 1930s by Paul Sorensen.

Plants I Love: peony

25 September 2019 | Sandra Ross

Years ago, on one of our early Jacaranda Cruises, a woman presented me with a cardboard toilet roll. I was a bit surprised until I saw the round pink bud inside. It was a single long stem of the‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peony. Over the next two weeks I was captivated as the bud gradually opened to a multitude of pink petals and a boss of golden stamens. I’ve been mad for peonies ever since and have admired them in peak perfection in gardens in England, Canada, USA and France, as well as in cool climate gardens in Australia.

Five of the best: wisteria gardens

25 September 2019 | Linda Ross

Here’s our pick of the best places in the world to be thrilled by the fragrance, form and sheer delight of wisteria.

What’s new this spring

18 September 2019 | Linda Ross

Here's what's new in the garden this spring.

Recipe: Triple Ginger Loaf

17 September 2019 | Jo Wright

Jo Wright is a keen baker (she’s notched up several wins the Royal Easter Show for her cakes!) an avid gardener, a treasured member of Garden Clinic, and for the last three years, has been the trusted baker of goodies for our garden classes. She wowed attendees at our recent Bees and Butterflies workshop with this delicious ginger cake. As we said our goodbyes everyone begged for the recipe. So here it is. Thanks for sharing it Jo!

Know your: Ferns

17 September 2019 | Linda Ross

Many ferns have a soft feathery quality that makes a great contrast with other plants - in the garden or indoors.

Meet Tahnee Carroll, Stylist and plant-lover

17 September 2019 | Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan

Tahnee Carroll has never seen a room that can’t be made more appealing with a plant or two, as she explains in this extract from a new book on indoor plants, ‘Leaf Supply’.

How to: brew compost tea

10 September 2019 | Arno King

When I was a child all our neighbours and friends had a large tub - generally an old enamel washing machine tub - buried close to the vegetable garden. This was the ‘brew’ tub. Ingredients for the brew - compost, manures and seaweed - were widely discussed and benefits widely acclaimed. And it turns out these gardeners were onto something!

In the garden: Retford Park

10 September 2019 | Robin Powell and Rick Shepherd

Rick Shepherd, head gardener at Bowral’s grand Retford Park, dishes the dirt on what goes on in the garden in spring.

Star of the Season: Jasmine

10 September 2019 | Linda Ross and Mez Woodward

The jasmine moment is a brief celebration. Grab hold, cut armfuls of it and drape it all over the house, because in a flash it’s all over til next year.

Recipe: Curried Carrot and Coconut Soup

09 September 2019 | Robin Powell

Perfect for spring’s changeable weather, this soup is delicious eaten piping hot and comforting on cold days, or refreshingly chilled when the sun is shining and the garden is calling.

Grow Carrots

09 September 2019 | Justin Russell

The difference in flavour between supermarket and homegrown is most pronounced in the humblest of vegetables- potatoes, onions and carrots. Trust us, homegrown carrots are a revelation: sweet, spicy or earthy depending on the cultivar, but never bland.

Meet: Anita Rayner

09 September 2019 | ROBIN POWELL

The gardens at Vaucluse House are one of Sydney’s historic horticultural treasures. Anita Rayner fell in love with them at first sight; now she runs them.

Our Kitchen Garden

09 September 2019 | Linda Ross

There’s inspiration here to help expand your vegetable repertoire- in the garden and on the plate.

Recipe: Pasta with asparagus and peas

03 September 2019 | Robin Powell

Quite simply this is spring's freshest flavours on a plate!

Meet Peter Hey, clivia breeder and grower of rare plants

03 September 2019 | Linda Ross

Peter is presently President of the Clivia Society of New South Wales, helping to organise the upcoming Spring Show Sept 14-15. You can also find him and his amazing clivias at The Plant Lovers Fair and Collectors’ Plant Fair each year with his specialist nursery Cliveas and Rare Things.

How to: garden under trees

03 September 2019 | Shane Neill

Growing plants beneath established trees can be challenging. There’s no direct light, roots take up space and water, the soil becomes dry and compacted, and to compound the problem, the tree roots sucks up the available nutrition, leaving precious little behind.

In the Garden: Cruden Farm

03 September 2019 | Mitch Burns

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s much-loved garden is on the brink of its big show as spring begins.Head gardener Mitch Burns takes us behind the scenes.

Star of the season: Clivia

03 September 2019 | Linda Ross

The trumpet flowers of this indestructible plant put them top of the list for dry areas, dry pots and under trees. Let’s take a closer look.

Garden Road Trip: Southern Highlands

29 August 2019 | Carolyn Dwyer

Some of the best Australian gardens lie in the rolling hills of the Southern Highlands. Rolling green fields, white picket fences, smoking chimneys and trees bursting into new leave as spring colours the landscape; many of the gardens here open regularly through the spring and autumn seasons. We spoke to horticulturist and local Carolyn Dwyer to share her favourites.

How to: Grow summer annuals

29 August 2019 | Linda Ross

For decorating fun in the garden nothing beats a few punnets of annuals. These plants only last a season, but they generously colour gardens, courtyards and balconies during their brief life. Whether it’s a patchwork of blossom you want, or a ribbon of colour along a border, something to fill a gap, a dramatic hanging basket, a fringe of trim in front of shrubs, or simply a pot brimming with flowers, annuals offer the answer.

Meet Keith and Maureene Smith

28 August 2019 | Robin Powell

Cancer fundraisers and plant propagators

How to: Attract butterflies

28 August 2019 | Linda Ross

When I think about things that spark joy I think butterflies. The singular most joyous event in my garden is the appearance of a butterfly:fluttering wings of the prettiest colours; a quick flit across the garden, up and down, looping the loops, surfing the air like a wave of light. Each sighting makes me feel so good I often ponder how I can attract more butterflies into my garden at Frog Hollow. This is what I’ve learnt so far.

Delicious: Strawberry and rhubarb jam

28 August 2019 | Robin Powell

Rhubarb and strawberries are perfect partners – in pies, crumbles, and in this jam. Here Robin Powell shares her Strawberry and rhubarb jam recipe with us.

Star of the season: Agastache

28 August 2019 | Linda Ross

These easy-care, minty-fresh flowery fillers offer reliable and long-lasting summer colour.

Thinking Gardens

28 August 2019 | Robin Powell

Betty Maloney was a pioneer of bush gardening whose advice on finding serenity in the garden is as relevant now as it was half a century ago.

Eat Your Greens

22 August 2019 | Linda Ross

We are in love with this simple mixed greens dish. A quick and tasty weekday meal to up our green intake - best when picked fresh from the veggie patch. It’s a taste sensation.

Garden Road Trip: Rydal

22 August 2019 | Robin Powell

Hosts of golden daffodils dance in the wind when the tiny village of Rydal, just east of Lithgow, celebrates the Daffodils at Rydal festival. Robin Powell takes you there.

In our garden: Wildwood

22 August 2019 | Sue Tapping and Robin Powell

A cool-climate garden of five acres gives Sue and Wayne Tapping room to grow the beauties they love. Here they share what’s keeping them busy this spring

Know your: Spring Blossom

22 August 2019 | Linda and Sandra Ross

Get to know your spring blossoms now before they disappear for another year.

Garden Pea Risotto

14 August 2019 | Robin Powell, Recipe: Marian Somes Photos: Sue Stubbs

One of my favourite gardens in Victoria is Picardy, a romantic French provincial style garden in the picturesque hills of Neerim. Marian and Bryce Somes had always been Francophiles - mad for French food, in love with the language - but it was a trip to France to celebrate a significant birthday year in 1986 that confirmed a passion for French style.

Visit Boongala Native Gardens

14 August 2019 | Linda Ross

An inspiring native garden rings bells for Linda Ross and to the sound of birdsong she changes her tune about the best plants to create pretty gardens.

Know your: Wildflowers

09 August 2019 | Nola Parry

Get to know our small native flowering plants, says native plant expert Nola Parry, and you’ll have a pretty new palette with which to paint romantic native gardens that are full of flower. Australia is blessed with an amazing range of small flowering plants. Yet some gardeners never get beyond a familiarity with gum trees, bottlebrush, paper barks, grevilleas and a few other large plants.

Zap My Pests & Weeds OCP Pack

08 August 2019 | Kristi Bertollo

Join or renew your membership this week and you will receive ECO Oil, Hydrate & Fungicide and OCP Slasher. And to celebrate upcoming Springtime, included is a gorgeous potted Garvinea courtesy of Majestic Young Plants.

Make a broad bean custard

08 August 2019 | Lucio Galletto & Robin Powell

The broad bean’s short and sweet season is celebrated by Italian home cooks and chefs. In this recipe, Sydney restaurateur, Lucio Galletto turns the humble bean into something really special - a broad bean custard.

Best crops for small pots

08 August 2019 | Linda Ross

Even the smallest balcony plots can produce crops from an interesting range of small-fruited, ‘patio’-sized vegetables. Linda Ross shares tips on making it work.

Small space: big ideas

08 August 2019 | Robin Powell

Courtyard and balcony gardens are less forgiving than suburban gardens. A big garden can ramble a bit, drawing you past a bit of a dead patch with the lure of the something great glimpsed just around the corner. But in a small garden everything is on show, all the time.

How to: declutter your balcony

07 August 2019 | Linda Ross

As obsessive plant collectors we can’t help bringing home interesting plants from friends and fellow plant-lovers. Our enthusiasm had resulted in an unlovely clutter of pots. Something had to be done. Here are our tips for turning Plant Lovers’ Clutter into a pleasing display.

Know your:Balcony flowers

07 August 2019 | Linda Ross

Add some summer dazzle to a sunny balcony with these pot-loving beauties.

Brussels sprouts: 3 ways

01 August 2019 | Robin Powell

Need new delicious ways to serve Brussels sprouts? We’ve got 3 simple ways that will wow the crowd.

Handy guide: Magnolias

01 August 2019 | Linda Ross

Deciduous magnolias thrill us in winter with cup-shaped blooms on bare grey stems.

How to: arrange flowers

01 August 2019 | Annabelle Hickson

If I could print Constance Spry's 1953 book How to Do the Flowers here in full, I would. It is not a big book, but it is a thoughtful one, and full of very good information. It is this book that first got me thinking about ‘arranging’ flowers, as opposed to simply plonking them in a vase.

Meet Mark Jury, magnolia breeder

01 August 2019 | Robin Powell

If there’s a stunning deciduous magnolia in your garden with enormous cup-shaped blooms and rich colour, chances are it was bred by New Zealand plantsman, Mark Jury.

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