Plants
How to: create a dazzling basket
31 January 2018 | Linda RossNo one does a hanging basket of summer flowers quite like the English, and, inspired by a recent trip, we’re determined to give it a good shake this summer. We’ve included here some favourite basket-happy plants with the right cascading habit - and some options for really hot spots. The thing is to design an arrangement like a posy, with a mix of textures and colours. Have fun, be bold, try something new, and toss it all at the end of the season.
Read MoreHow to: create an orchid tree
19 February 2015 | Graham RossInspired by a trip to Singapore and the gorgeous Gardens of the Bay, Graham decided to create an orchid tree.
Read MoreHow to: create the perfect pergola
13 November 2019 | Arno KingShade, privacy and a place to show off fabulous plants - who doesn’t want a pergola!
Read MoreHow to: decorate with water lilies
12 March 2015 | Linda RossWaterlilies are shy until the mercury hits 30, and then they unfold into beautiful blooms. We grow them in large bowls and pots, and pick them to decorate the table through summer.
Read MoreHow to: enjoy peonies
03 March 2015 | Linda RossAre these spring’s most romantic flower? The small round buds open to a gorgeous, generous, glamorous semi-double or double flowers. Shades range from white through various pale pink blushes to a rich dark scarlet.
Read MoreHow to: fix geraniums
31 January 2018 | Linda RossWe recognise that these are properly pelargoniums, but as most gardeners know them and love them as geraniums, that’s fine by us. The most popular type are the zonals, identified by the ‘zones’ or patterns on their leaves. We also love ivy-leafed types for their indestructible nature and perfect hanging basket habit; and the scented geraniums whose foliage exhibits such a wealth of different fragrances. No matter which you choose to grow, keep them in tip-top shape with this handy guide to common problems and remember to refresh your collection every few years with fresh cuttings.
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 lemon
23 January 2017 | Mez WoodwardIf our hotlines here at the Garden Clinic, and on Garden Clinic Radio on 2GB and 2UE are anything to go by, lemons cause gardeners much heartache. We’re here to help! Here are solutions to six common lemon problems.
Read More
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.
Read More
How to: grow African violets
20 May 2019 | Linda RossAfrican violets are treasured, long-lived indoor plants. Make them shine with these tips.
Read More
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 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 borage
24 February 2015 | Robin PowellThe first question you may be asking is not how to grow borage but why!
Read MoreHow to: grow chocolate
21 December 2018 | Robin PowellWherever 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.
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 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.
Read More
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 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: 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: have garden fun with kids
13 November 2019 | Kate Neale‘Be back by dark’ tends not to be a phrase we associate with childhood these days, but given the chance, children still relish an opportunity to play outside. Kate Neale and her co-author, daughter Leelu, have plenty of ideas to help parents, grandparents and carers have summer fun in the garden with kids.
Read MoreHow to: plant a citrus tree
24 February 2015 | Linda RossNot 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
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: reflower a moth orchid
14 June 2017 | Mez WoodwardOne 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.
Read MoreHow to: sow wildflowers
26 February 2015 | Linda RossOur bush wildflowers make a stunning display. Now is the time to sow wildflowers for a swathe of colour through your own garden.
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.
Read More
How to: style an ikebana
05 September 2018 | Linda RossThe 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.
Read MoreHow to: use plants to deter pests
21 July 2016 | Linda RossStrongly scented herbs planted throughout the garden help put flying insects off their food – whether that’s your treasured plant, food crop, or body!
Read More
Illyarrie, Red Capped Gum
18 February 2015 | Linda RossIn 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
31 May 2018 | Linda RossLinda’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.
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 with Ben and Ros Walcott
26 May 2016 | Robin Powell
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.
Read More
In the Garden: Cruden Farm
26 August 2019 | Mitch BurnsDame 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.
Read MoreIn The Garden: December
13 November 2019 | Robin PowellSummer is upon us now and our gardens need special attension to survive the heat and prolonged dry weather. Here are some jobs to help get the garden through this challenging time.
Read MoreIn the garden: Highfields
13 November 2019 | David Kennedy and Robin PowellAs spring melts into the first days of summer Highfields is filled with the fragrance of roses, masses of floral colour and the murmur of the waterfall tumbling into the ponds.
Read MoreIn The Subtropical Garden: February
01 February 2017 | Arno KingHot 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.
Read MoreIn The Subtropical Garden: Spring
01 September 2017 | Arno KingThings 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.
Read MoreIndoor Plants
16 March 2015 | Linda RossOur mission? To make coming home a pleasure when we step inside the front door, and take a deep, calming breath.
Read MoreIochroma grandiflorum
03 March 2015 | Ally JacksonAround 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.
Read MoreIt's Time To: December
10 November 2020 | Tammy HuynhSummer is gardenia season! Pick their blooms to enjoy delicious scent indoors. Watch out for scale and spray with eco-oil. Best to spray early in the
evening to prevent leaves burning during the day.
Its Time To: September
18 September 2015 | Linda RossGrab the gloves and hat and get out into the garden.
Read MoreJapanese Maple
06 March 2015 | Ally JacksonJapanese maples seem to have a sense of humility. Their weeping stature contrasts with the proud, erect trees around them.
Read MoreJapanese Windflower
07 May 2015 | Libby CameronThis 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.
Read MoreJim Fogarty's Melbourne garden
16 March 2015 | Linda RossJim 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.
Read MoreGarden Helpline
Phone: 1300 133 100
Email: help@gardenclinic.com
Quote your membership number