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Bug Watch: Bindii and other annoying lawn weeds
03 March 2015 | Linda RossRegretting not spraying against bindii in winter? Bindii (Soliva pterosperma) is a low-growing annual herb with leaves like a carrot top. It produces a single flower at its centre that matures into a prickly seedpod that sticks in bare feet.
Bug Watch: Helpful wasps
16 March 2015 | Linda RossEarly spring is the time to hang parasitic wasp (Encarsia formosa) cards up in new plantings of tomatoes and eggplant to protect these vegetables from white fly.
Read MoreBug Watch: Woolly aphids
16 March 2015 | Linda RossThese insects are 2-4 mm in length, pear-shaped and often covered with white waxy filaments that give a fluffy appearance, as though they are covered with wool.
Read MoreMail Order Vegetable Seed Supplies
25 April 2015 | Linda RossWe like to buy our vegetable seeds from trusted mail order seed companies, this way we get a considerable range of varieties for a lifetime of experimentation and flavour. Here are our favourites.
Read More10 things you didn’t know about fruit flies
13 December 2018 | Robin PowellRobin Powell reports from behind enemy lines on the fascinating, infuriating fruit fly.
Read MoreA lesson in clipped hedges
13 February 2015 | Graham RossA hedge is many things. It can define areas of the garden; shield you from the curiosity of passersby; block ugly intrusions into your view; protect your privacy; offer favourite plants a green backdrop against which to dazzle; or simply give your garden a nestling sense of enclosure and cosy comfort. Here Graham Ross answers the most-asked questions on hedge cultivation and care.
Read MoreBest-ever roast potatoes
20 May 2019 | Robin PowellWant the best-ever roast potatoes? Simple, delicious and deeply comforting the humble roast spud is a must-have in the cook’s bag of tricks. Here are a few of our favourite versions.
Read MoreBug Watch: Aphids
03 March 2015 | Ally JacksonCheck roses, citrus, cherry and peach carefully when you water, looking for clusters of small insects hiding under leaves or on new growth: aphids.
Read MoreBug Watch: Aphids and Other Li'l Suckers
21 August 2015 | Dan WheatleyGiven the chance those annoying little suckers bothering your flower buds now can become an infestation later. But if you get in early enough you can manage the problem without using any chamicals, just a few little backyard-buddies. Its time to get out there and evict your unwanted tennants!
Read MoreBug Watch: Blue banded bee
06 March 2015 | Ally JacksonThis native bee is found in every part of Australia except Tasmania. It gets its name from the iridescent blue or white bands around its abdomen.
Read MoreBug Watch: Botrytis
26 February 2015 | Linda RossHumid, still conditions are the perfect breeding ground for botrytis, a fungus that affects plant tissue.
Bug Watch: Bronze orange bugs
14 May 2015 | Libby CameronBronze orange bugs are nasty pests that suck sap from young shoots, fruit and flowers of citrus trees.
Read MoreBug Watch: Cabbage Moth
26 February 2015 | Linda RossFemale moths, which can be recognised by their mottled brown colour, lay their eggs under leaves. When the larvae hatch, the brown-striped caterpillars tunnel into stems.
Read MoreBug Watch: Citrus gall wasp
24 February 2015 | Linda RossBulging citrus stems indicate the presence of citrus gall moth, which lays its eggs in the bark at the ends of citrus branches.
Bug Watch: Citrus leaf miner
06 March 2015 | Ally JacksonA silvery trail on foliage is the telltale sign of this pest. Eggs were laid in the leaf by the moth last year and the trail is the hatched insect eating its way out. Further in their lifecycle leaf miners curl the leaves completely in on themselves, and pupate into small moths. These are active at night, so are rarely seen.
Read MoreBug Watch: Cup moth
06 March 2015 | Ally JacksonCup moths are so-called due to the cup-shaped cocoon they attach to the tree branches, or surrounding leaf litter, of eucalypts, brush box and pittosporum. They are also known to attack apples, apricots and cherries.
Read MoreBug Watch: Frangipani rust
03 March 2015 | Linda RossThis is a fairly new disease (Coleosporium domingense syn C. plumeriae) in Australia. It is believed to have arrived from Florida in an infected frangipani cutting 15 years ago.
Read MoreBug watch: Hawk moth caterpillar
18 March 2015 | Libby CameronThis is the king of the autumn caterpillars, a voracious eater that grows into a sizeable creature up to 7cm longwith large spots along its body and a white-tipped spine at the end. It feeds on tender foliage, and can decimate a patch of impatiens or sweet potato in a couple of days.
Read MoreBug Watch: Lacebugs
03 March 2015 | Ally JacksonDespite their name, Azalea lace bugs are also enemies of rhododendrons. Their attack is evidenced by widespread silvery mottling and sticky, brown patches on the underside of leaves. It’s best to spray now, at the beginning of the growing season.
Read MoreBug watch: Lily caterpillar
20 March 2015 | Libby CameronThese voracious caterpillars can destroy a clump of clivias or other lilies in record time.
Read MoreBug watch: Magnesium deficiency
18 March 2015 | Libby CameronWhen plants are low in magnesium, they move what they have from the old leaves to feed the new. Consequently older leaves begin to yellow from the sides to the centre.
Read MoreBug watch: Peach leaf curl
30 April 2015 | Libby CameronPeach leaf curl is a parasitic fungus that causes new leaves on peaches and nectarines to become disfigured.
Read MoreBug Watch: Powdery mildew
06 March 2015 | Ally JacksonPowdery mildew is a widespread fungus that is carried by the wind. It multiplies rapidly in high humidity so thrives in overcrowded garden beds where the air circulation is poor.
Read MoreBug Watch: Thrips
12 March 2015 | Linda RossThrips suck and rasp at flower petals causing discolouration.
Read MoreBug Watch: Two spotted mite and azalea lace bug
12 March 2015 | Linda RossThese two insects feed under the azalea leaves, causing a mottled discolouration on the topside of the leaves.
Read MoreBugwatch: Scale
08 July 2016 | Mez Woodward and Dan WheatleyScale insects are some of the most common garden pests around. They attract other pests and suck the vigour from your plants, but they are easy to control and even easier to prevent.
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Fettucine of Gete Okosomin Squash Brown Butter and Fennel Pollen
28 February 2019 | Peter GilmorePeter Gilmore’s delicious ‘fettuccini’ uses golden squash as both noodle and sauce in a
dish that’s much easier than it looks.
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Frost Watch
17 March 2015 | Linda RossFrost-sensitive plants such as hibiscus, frangipani, passionfruit, citrus, deciduous fruit trees, and some vegetables can be adversely affected by frost.
Read MoreHow to plant a bare-rooted rose
29 May 2018 | Mez WoodwardIt's easy to be seduced by the colour, forms and perfumes of roses, but not as easy to successfully grow them. Here Mez Woodward shows us how to plant your bare-rooted rose.
Read MoreHow to: arrange flowers
21 May 2019 | Annabelle HicksonIn this edited extract from A Tree in the House, self-taught florist Annabelle Hickson shares her key tip for arranging flowers beautifully.
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How to: brew compost tea
05 September 2018 | Arno KingWhen 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!
Read MoreHow to: clip balls
05 September 2018 | Linda RossPlants clipped into balls add form and structure to the garden, and beautifully balance wilder, looser planting. The repetition of shapes develops rhythm which holds the garden together, while the contrast with other shrub shapes adds variety and interest.
Read MoreHow to: cope with a deluge
28 February 2019 | Arno KingWhile subsoil drainage, such as drainage grates, gravel pits and sumps, are effective in light rain, heavy downpours overwhelm pipes and the water sheets across the landscape. Arno King has some tips top help cope when the heavens open up.
Read MoreHow to: fix the lawn
31 May 2018 | Narelle SmithMost warm-season grasses stop growing when the nights turn cold, allowing weeds to get a foothold while your attention has turned indoors. So now is the time to target terrors like bindii, wintergrass and dandelions and avoid seeding - and many years more weeding.
Read MoreHow to: fix the lawn
21 May 2018 | Narelle SmithMost warm-season grasses stop growing when the nights turn cold, allowing weeds to get a foothold while your attention has turned indoors. So now is the time to target terrors like bindii, wintergrass and dandelions and avoid seeding - and many years more weeding - before boosting growth for lush summer lawns.
Read MoreHow to: fix your roses
29 November 2016 | Linda RossMany questions from radio callers to Garden Clinic on 2GB on the weekends involve roses. We feel your pain! These are our go-to fixes for six common rose problems.
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How to: fix your tomatoes
27 May 2017 | Linda RossFresh, vine-ripened tomatoes are one of the great joys of summer. The best way to ensure that your tomato-growing experience delivers baskets of delicious fruit is to keep plants healthy.
Read MoreHow to: grow African violets
20 May 2019 | Linda RossAfrican violets are treasured, long-lived indoor plants. Make them shine with these tips.
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How to: grow amazing geraniums
01 October 2015 | Linda RossThe plants I'm talking about here are botanically speaking Pelargonium though commonly called geranium. True Geranium species are delicate-looking perennials, usually with blue flowers.
Read MoreHow to: grow an edible hedge
04 October 2017 | Linda RossTrade up from murraya and lillypilly to a hedge you can eat! These four flavoursome options tick the boxes for pretty, practical and productive.
Read MoreHow to: growing vegetables from seed
22 December 2018 | Arno KingPlanting punnets of vegetable seedlings is easy, but it is much more cost-effective and more fulfilling - not to mention offering wider choice and better results - to sow seed directly into the garden. The key is to sow plants suited to your climate, at the appropriate time of year.
Read MoreHow to: Make Potting Mix
01 October 2015 | Linda RossPlants in pots need the right nutrients, water, air and a quality potting mix to live happily ever after.
Read MoreHow to: prune a camellia
28 February 2019 | Robin PowellKen Lamb, Australia's master of Japanese pruning techniques, took to a historic, mature camellia at Retford Park as part of a three-day, hands-on workshop on creative pruning, held at the Southern Highlands National Trust property last winter. The camellia, an old japonica with a pendulous habit and flowers in both solid and variegated pink, had only ever been pruned to stop it intruding onto the driveway, and it now formed a solid wall of dark green, shutting off views to the house.
Read MoreHow to: prune climbing roses
23 August 2017 | Robin PowellThe first thing to know about pruning climbing roses is not to do it in winter when you do your other roses. Here Robin Powell shares some of her other climbing rose insites
Read MoreHow to: Strike a Queen of the Night cutting
03 May 2016 | Dan Wheatley
For stunning contrast of texture and form, huge repeat flowering and fragrance to die for there is nothing quite like the Queen of the Night orchid cactus, a plant that is as easy to propagate from cuttings as it is to grow.
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How to: style balcony pots
26 August 2019 | Robin PowellTo make a balcony feel like a garden it needs to surround you with plants. Somehow you have to get some plants up at eye level, and even above it.
A small tree would be just the thing, but on most balconies a pot big enough to support a large plant is just too heavy once it’s filled with moist
soil - and a tree! A more pragmatic approach is to arrange smaller pots at different levels. You need to get those pots up off the ground to really
appreciate your balcony garden. Here are a few ideas.
How to: use coconut peat
31 May 2018 | Arno KIngNeed a lightweight, easily stored, highly effective potting medium? Look no further than this byproduct of coconut production, which has advantages for plants as well as gardners.
Read MoreIn my kitchen garden: Camden, NSW
28 February 2019 | Mickey RobertsonMickey Robertson’s kitchen garden at Glenmore House is as beautiful as it is productive, experimental and instructive.
Read MoreIn the garden: August
20 May 2019 | Linda RossThe winter show is packing it's bags and making way for spring. It's time to plant some potted colour, prune the perennials and clear out the compost
In the Garden: Broughton Hall
20 May 2019 | David MuskerFind out what David Musker is up to at Broughton Hall in Victoria
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