News

Gazing out of the local library window, while working in the recently devastated town of Springwood, I noticed a beautiful Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimisofolia) tree in full bloom. The stunning purple flowers seemed to offer a sign of hope and even escapism to residents of this Blue Mountains town, west of Sydney where nearly 200 homes were destroyed by bushfire just a month ago. When I first moved to Sydney, I spent some time living and working (and getting married!) in the suburb of Chatswood. One of the many enduring memories I have of the township is walking along the back...

This week saw the start of the bushfire season in my area with a number of blazes threatening properties in the Blue Mountains and western Sydney. The quick work of the firies and residents appear to have saved the day however with the fire season appearing to start earlier every year, we thought an article about landscaping to help mitigate the risk of bushfire may be of interest. If you are starting your garden ” or thinking of a garden makeover ” and live in a bushfire prone area, it may be advisable to select bushfire proof plants (such as...

Perhaps you've just taken delivery of some tube stock plants from online nursery Evergreen Growers but you're wondering about the best way to handle them. You may ask yourself: How can I minimise shock to the plant and prevent damage to the delicate roots? Care does needs to be taken when you handle young plants and seek to transfer them into the ground. As discussed in our Grower's Guide on our main page, there are a number of steps that need to be followed in order to increase the chances of a healthy plant. Water well before taking out of...

A number of Australian plants and shrubs often associated with this time of year are the ones known as the Christmas Bush. Confusingly there are a number under this name though they are different species. One example is the (Prostanthera lasianthos), another is the (Ceratopetalum). However another, perhaps lesser-known, species from our part of the world is the glorious NZ Christmas Bush (Metrosideros Thomasii). Again it may have been named for its magnificent display of summer flowers (around the Christmas season) and in this it shares its characteristics with its Australian cousins. The NZ Christmas Bush is classed as a...

The wonderful and evocatively-named is the tubestock plant we'll be discussing this week readers. A native of tropical west Africa from Cameroon west to Senegal, this versatile and low maintenance flowering plant is suitable as a patio or pot plant in areas where the temperature is cooler and can be used to grow along fences in warmer climates. One of the advantages of the sprawling shrub is its adaptability. The Bleeding Heart Vine can be kept trimmed as a shrub, or allowed to grow over a trellis or fence where its stunning floral display will delight. If using the vine...