How to...
How 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: garden under trees
24 February 2015 | Shane NeillGrowing 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.
Read MoreHow to: get to know your tools
14 May 2015 | Linda RossEver wondered which tools you should use to do different jobs around the garden?
Read MoreHow to: grow a 'coral reef'
10 February 2015 | Linda RossSuch a simple idea – a coral reef garden full of dazzling succulents – and so fun! Philip Withers’ imitation of a world seen through water thrilled visitors to the Australian Garden Show Sydney and won him the people’s choice award.
Read MoreHow to: grow a living screen
03 March 2015 | Linda RossJudiciously planted privacy screens can create excellent neighbourly relations. Green screens or hedges are a much better choice than a 4m fence. They offer essential privacy in this crazy overlooked world, and also contribute a tremendous feeling of sanctuary and enclosure.
Read MoreHow to: grow a salad bowl
17 March 2015 | Isla BarlowEden, Isla and Skye amazed their school friends when they took their own salad greens for lunch. Lettuce show you how easy it is!
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 aloes
06 March 2015 | Linda RossThe dazzle of fiery candles shown on this page comes courtesy of modern hybrid aloes. These plants are a great way to add colour to the winter garden.
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: Grow beautiful roses in subtropical climate
14 October 2015 | Sandra RossWant to beat black spot on your roses? Especially in high humidity? Sandra shares her secret recipe with Garden Clinic members.
Read MoreHow to: grow blueberries
28 May 2015 | Linda RossBlueberries are pretty shrubs, with delicate, pink, bell-shaped flowers that give way to delicious purple-blue berries full of goodness and high in antioxidants.
Read MoreHow to: grow borage
24 February 2015 | Robin PowellThe first question you may be asking is not how to grow borage but why!
Read MoreHow to: grow clematis
20 March 2015 | Melissa KingOne of the great rewards for enduring a cool climate winter is the flowers that bloom in spring, and clematis is one of our favourites. Attention-seeking flowers cover a romantically twining vine that sets off rose gardens and perennial borders beautifully.
Read MoreHow to: grow garlic
07 May 2015 | Linda RossApril is garlic-planting time and it’s easier than you think to grow a year’s supply for your family.
Read MoreHow to: grow gorgeous gardenias
20 April 2015 | Linda RossThe glossy green leaves and fragrant, creamy-white flowers make gardenias a standout feature, whether used in the garden, as a hedge, grown as a standard, or adorning a pot.
Read MoreHow to: Grow hoya
29 March 2016 | Robin Powell
This shining beauty is undemanding and rewards even the most off-hand gardener with gorgeous globes of scented flowers that last and last.
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How to: grow hydrangeas
28 May 2015 | Sandra RossHydrangeas are old favourites, yet myths about growing them persist. Sandra clears the air.
Read MoreHow to: grow kirengoshoma
18 March 2015 | Michael McCoyMichael McCoy spills the beans on one of the cool climate, autumn-flowering gems that turn temperate gardeners green with envy.
Read MoreHow to: grow lilies
24 February 2015 | Shane NeillFor wow factor in the summer garden it’s hard to go past lilies, and a new bunch of liliums is now opening bold big blooms across the country.
Read MoreHow to: grow mushrooms
25 April 2015 | Linda RossButton mushrooms are easy to grow at home.
Read MoreHow to: grow polyanthus
20 April 2015 | Linda RossOur flower of choice for winter colour this year is polyanthus (Primula x polyantha). Usually brushed aside for the showier primulas, poppies, pansies or cyclamen, we think they deserve attention for their vibrant, happy colours and sterling resilience.
Read MoreHow to: grow snowdrops
17 March 2015 | Michael McCoyThe true snowdrop is a delicate pearly bell only suited to cool climates. Michael McCoy is a fan.
Read MoreHow to: grow sprouts
20 March 2015 | Isla BarlowSkye, Eden and Isla are growing their own sprouts to add to sandwiches and salads.
Read MoreHow to: grow stepover apples
16 March 2015 | Robin PowellBob Magnus (owner of Woodbridge, Tasmania) sells four different varieties of apples grafted onto extra-dwarf rootstock. These trees are designed to grow as a one-metre-high hedge. They are pretty and productive in an edible or ornamental garden. Choose all four for many months of fresh apples. Here’s how Bob recommends growing apples as a stepover.
Read MoreHow to: grow strawberries from seed
25 April 2015 | Linda RossStrawberry seed packet holds well over 100 seeds and with a recommended retail price of $3.50 its the most economical way to grow your strawberries.
Read MoreHow to: grow tulips
20 March 2015 | Isla BarlowFind some time this summer holiday to create a wonderful picture of tulips.
Read MoreHow to: grow your own ratatouille
22 May 2015 | Linda RossRatatouille will convert the most meat-loving individual into a vegetarian – if only for one night! It was originally a common dish, prepared in the summer with fresh summer vegetables.
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: herb feast
16 March 2015 | Isla BarlowSkye, Eden and Isla love to collect fresh herbs from the garden to add to dinner. Herbs are easy to grow: a perfectly delicious project for the summer holidays.
Read MoreHow to: keep chickens
01 June 2015 | Linda RossChickens are endearing and easy pets to keep. And they provide free nutritious fertiliser for your garden, eat your kitchen scraps and deliver delicious free-range eggs for years to come!
Read MoreHow to: keep native bees
07 May 2015 | Matthew CarrollEvery weekend people call us on the Garden Clinic radio show on 2GB complaining of poor yields in their vegetable garden due to lack of pollination. One answer? Follow Matthew Carroll’s lead and keep native bees.
Read MoreHow to: lay a lawn
07 May 2015 | Linda RossDid you know? The average turf backyard captures carbon and produces enough oxygen for a family of four?
Read MoreHow to: lush the lawn
15 May 2015 | Matthew CarrollCome the warmer weather and the lawn needs a makeover! Follow these simple steps to grow the lush green carpet of grass you’ve always wanted.
Read MoreHow to: lush the lawn
29 March 2016 | Elizabeth Swane
Strong healthy lawns cope better in winter, stay greener longer and out-compete weeds. Here’s our autumn checklist for lush lawns.
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How to: make a flowering barrow
12 March 2015 | Isla BarlowEden, Isla and Skye have planted up a hot pink wheelbarrow to add dazzle to the back garden. It can easily be shifted to give the best view from indoors, or to catch the most sun. Let your imagination go wild!
Read MoreHow to: make a garden bridge
26 February 2015 | Linda RossWhile most of us don’t have a lake, our gardens may still benefit by a bridge used to link different sections across a ‘stream’ of garden bed, or dry creek of stones.
Read MoreHow to: make a garden in a glass
18 February 2015 | Isla BarlowBottle gardens or terrariums are mini plant worlds to enjoy indoors.
Read MoreHow to: make a garden-grown smoothie
10 February 2015 | Linda RossHow do we get through all the greens we grow in the garden? We drink armfuls of them – as a green smoothie for lunch a few times a week. Call it a Ross family secret for more energy and verve!
Read MoreHow to: make a labyrinth
20 March 2015 | Linda RossMichael Stevens, a paediatric oncologist at the Children’s Hospital, Westmead, in Sydney, hopes to have a labyrinth built in the grounds of the hospital for the use of patients and their families. He says a labyrinth is a perfect tool for meditation, and he has been so convincing enough a site for one is being negotiated.
Read MoreHow to: make a painted succulent bowl
03 March 2015 | Isla BarlowSucculents can survive long periods of dry weather so they are great plants for people who forget to water! Isla paints up a pot to match a succulent selection.
Read MoreHow to: make a spiral topiary
13 February 2015 | Sandra RossA spiral topiary makes just as good a focal point in a small domestic garden as it does in grand gardens like the one shown here.
Read MoreHow to: make a strawberry pot
24 February 2015 | Isla BarlowIsla is looking forward to picking sweet fresh strawberries to eat with ice cream this summer. Follow her tips for your own homegrown dessert!
Read MoreHow to: make a summer vegetable tepee
12 March 2015 | Linda RossFor space saving nothing beats a tepee! A single structure will provide 36kg of cherry tomatoes, cucumber and green beans over a 3 month stretch.
Read MoreHow to: make a sweet pea tepee
26 February 2015 | Isla BarlowIsla is planning ahead by planting up a tepee of sweet peas. Come spring it will be a towering cone of sweet-smelling pretty flowers.
Read MoreHow to: make a terrarium
06 March 2015 | Linda RossBring the fun indoors this winter with a miniature fern garden for the coffee table. Linda Ross tells how it’s done.
Read MoreHow to: make a wreath
03 March 2015 | Linda RossA Christmas wreath made with flowers and foliage from your own garden beats the dazzle of commercial baubles and tinsel
Read MoreHow to: make comfrey tea
15 May 2015 | Linda RossThis home-grown fertiliser contains more potash and more nitrogen than commercial feeds, and costs only the price of a bucket and its water. Your vegetables will love it, especially your strawberries at the end of winter and next season tomatoes.
Read MoreHow to: make fruit ice-blocks
10 February 2015 | Linda RossWhen it’s sweltering outside and the kids need some cool relief, homemade fruity ice-blocks are the answer. When they’ve been demolished, ask the children to help make a new batch, ready for the next hot afternoon.
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