Plants

How to: Grow beautiful roses in subtropical climate

Want to beat black spot on your roses? Especially in high humidity? Sandra shares her secret recipe with Garden Clinic members.  

How to: grow borage

The first question you may be asking is not how to grow borage but why! 

How to: grow chocolate

Wherever we take travellers in the tropics, from Mexico to Singapore, the Daintree to Cuba, there is one tree that grabs their attention - cacao, the source of our lingering love, chocolate.

How to: grow clematis

One 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.

How to: grow dahlias

How to: Grow hoya

This shining beauty is undemanding and rewards even the most off-hand gardener with gorgeous globes of scented flowers that last and last.

How to: grow hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are old favourites, yet myths about growing them persist. Sandra clears the air.

How to: grow kirengoshoma

Michael McCoy spills the beans on one of the cool climate, autumn-flowering gems that turn temperate gardeners green with envy.

How to: grow lilies

For 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. 

How to: grow snowdrops

The true snowdrop is a delicate pearly bell only suited to cool climates. Michael McCoy is a fan.

How to: growing vegetables from seed

Planting 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.

How to: plant a citrus tree

Not only do they look beautiful – with glossy green leaves, gorgeously fragrant spring blossom and winter fruit in warming colours that glow in winter light, but they also taste great.

How to: prune a camellia

Ken 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.

How to: prune climbing roses

The 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

How to: reflower a moth orchid

One of our most-asked questions to the Garden Clinic helpline and to radio is about caring for moth orchids so they flower again. Here are our top tips.

How to: sow wildflowers

Our bush wildflowers make a stunning display. Now is the time to sow wildflowers for a swathe of colour through your own garden.

How to: Strike a Queen of the Night cutting

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.

How to: style an ikebana

The key difference between an ikebana approach to flower arranging and a Western style is that in ikebana the focus is on line and space rather than mass. Instead of adding more flowers to make it look better, ikebana is about what can be taken away. The space between the elements is as important as the elements themselves.

How to: use plants to deter pests

Strongly scented herbs planted throughout the garden help put flying insects off their food – whether that’s your treasured plant, food crop, or body!

Hydrangea

The soft clouds of hydrangea flowers are a promise of summer. Let’s take a closer look at growing these plants year-round.

Illyarrie, Red Capped Gum

In autumn this small, mallee (multi-branched) tree is a sight, with spectacular golden flowers exploding out of bright red buds.

In my garden: Frog Hollow

Linda’s garden at Catherine Hill Bay had a few false starts as killer black frosts and maddening weeds wreaked their worst, but it now has a welcoming sense of place.

In my kitchen garden: Camden, NSW

Mickey Robertson’s kitchen garden at Glenmore House is as beautiful as it is productive, experimental and instructive.

In the garden with Ben and Ros Walcott

This large garden in Canberra’s Red Hill is a showcase of almost 1000 native plant species. Its owners, Ben and Ros Walcott are passionate plants people with a keen eye for design.

In The Subtropical Garden: February

Hot and steamy with the odd torrential downpour is the order of business for the subtropical garden. Our resident tropical garden expert Arno King has all the tips and tricks, and the best thinks to plant this February in the subtropical garden.

In The Subtropical Garden: Spring

Things are heating up in the subtropical garden, and the humidity is just around the corner. Our resident tropical garden expert Arno King has all the tips and tricks, and the best thinks to plant this Spetember in the subtropical garden.

Indoor Plants

Our mission? To make coming home a pleasure when we step inside the front door, and take a deep, calming breath. 

Iochroma grandiflorum

Around 30 species of Iochroma hail from Central and South America. All produce fantastic tubular flowers and have slightly sticky, hairy leaves. I. grandiflorum features deep, purple-blue flowers that birds love. Orange, yellow and white species are also available.

Iris

Its Time To: September

Grab the gloves and hat and get out into the garden.

Japanese Maple

Japanese maples seem to have a sense of humility. Their weeping stature contrasts with the proud, erect trees around them.

Japanese Windflower

This is one of the loveliest autumn perennials, with open single or double flowers standing tall on long stems, gently waving in the breeze and giving a woodland look to the garden.

Jim Fogarty's Melbourne garden

Jim Fogarty has won a swag of international gold medals for garden design and Linda Ross finds that his private garden is just as lovely as you would expect.

Jonquils

Jonquils reliably pop up every August with a blast of perfume. They are the easiest to grow of all the garden bulbs, as can be seen in neglected gardens where hardy survivors still bloom in late winter.

Kitchen Garden Spring: Soft Herbs

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.

Kitchen garden subtropical

Arno is a garden designer and writer whose garden in Brisbane is mostly edible. He is constantly testing the received garden wisdom for its relevance to subtropical gardeners, and trialing new products. Let's see what Arno's growing this spring

Kitchen garden: Spring jobs

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

Kitchen Garden: subtropical winter

Arno is a garden designer and writer whose garden in Brisbane is mostly edible. He is constantly testing the received garden wisdom for its relevance to subtropical gardeners, and trialling new products. Lets see what Arno's growing this winter

Kitchen Garden: Summer Herbs

Plenty of summer herbs need the heat of the sun to intensify their flavour. Here Linda Ross lists her pick of the bunch.

Know your Daisies

Choose wisely and sunny daisies can be cheering up your garden all year. There are
daisies for garden beds and for containers in warm colours and cool. Here are a
handful of favourites.

Know Your Hibiscus

The flamboyantly tropical members of the family are best known, but these chorus girls of summer are not the family’s only gems.

Know your hydrangeas

Blue and white hydrangeas decorate long lunches and fill Church vases in the floral countdown to Christmas. Here we unwrap more goodies from the hydrangea family. You’ll think all your Christmases have come at once!

Know your lavender

The lavender must-haves are sun and well-drained soil. Start there then choose the lavender that suits your conditions - and desires.

Know Your Orchids

The orchid family is so extensive, and so wonderful in the garden. Here we introduce just the essential exotics for your garden. The exciting native orchids we’ll save for another day.

Know your: balcony flowers

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

Know your: Euphorbia

The members of this plant family are loved for as much for their madly attention-seeking forms, textures and colours, as for their ability to thrive in tough spots. One warning – that milky sap is an irritant, so wear gloves when pruning.

Know Your: Frangipani

Frangipani are familiar as the scent of summer but the range of species, colours, perfumes and leaf shapes might surprise you. Here Linda Ross tiptoes through a forest of frangi's and introduces us to some of her favourite varieties

Know your: Gingers

Edible members of this family include ginger, cardamom, turmeric and galangal, but here we introduce the flowering ones, which offer so much more than a tropical splash of lush green foliage.

Know your: Hedging plants

Inspired to get hedging? Choosing the right plant for your hedging plan is critical. Look for a height range and maintenance regime that suits your needs, as well as plants that will do well given the soil and position you can offer. Here are a handful of the hedging plants we think should be on your shortlist.

Know your: indoor plants

Plants make indoor spaces beautiful and people happy. Here are a few easy-care options to start - or enlarge! - your indoor garden.