• Propagation: White Cedar Trees from cutting or Seed

    Updated: 2010-09-09 06:32:06
    Hi, My name is Jan, and I live in Australia on the South Coast of New South Wales. In a wind storm last Sunday we lost our beautiful Meliaceae -White Cedar Tree , China-berry or Melia azedarach var. australiasiac. (Over 60 years old). It had just begun to shoot for the new spring growing period but now it has been damaged beyond repair. I have taken some cutting from the tree and have removed...

  • Propagation: 3 year old Jade not grown at all

    Updated: 2010-09-09 03:06:08
    About 3 years ago, I took two clippings from a friend's beautiful Jade plant. I put them in water for a few weeks until roots grew and then transferred them both to the same pot. The soil mixture is about 50% coarse soil/50% sand mix. It was very slow going, er...growing the first year and a half, but eventually one of the sprouts started to take off. Its about 6-7 inches tall - still no lower...

  • Lime trees not flowering

    Updated: 2010-09-09 02:23:06
    I live in Chonburi, Thailand. On my property I have many fruit trees that produce in good quantity, including one lemon tree. On two occasions I have planted rooted nursery stock of Thai limes that refuse to flower. One I tried for three years and the other has now been planted about 6 months. It is producing new leaves and the overall growth is fine, but no flowers. There is also a Kafir...

  • Identification: lots of unidentified, thank you guys

    Updated: 2010-09-09 00:47:57
    thank you are you sure the second picture is edible sorrel?

  • Denver BG's Digging Into DBG: Review from a member: York Street Concerts

    Updated: 2010-09-08 23:40:15
    Our concert season is over for the year, however this blog*entry should bring back some great memories of the York Street Summer Concert*Series. Feel free to share some of your own memories with our audience after you read this.Last year I noticed a couple up and dancing in front of the stage at most of [...] More......

  • Organic school gardens

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:36
    As some readers know, I have been kept very busy this year writing the Organic School Gardens program for the Biological Farmers of Australia to teach children how to garden for a sustainable future. This program is unique, as it is provided free to all schools across Australia – it ...

  • Outdoor Patio Furniture: Care and Maintenance

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:34
    Outdoor patio furniture often suffers the most abuse from the elements, so it's important to maintain their upkeep to ensure their longevity. One of the most common materials used for these types of furniture is wicker not only because of its aesthetic value, but also because of its lightness, sturdiness, ...

  • What to grow in September 2010

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:34
    Weather is warming quickly in Temperate areas. If your area has been warmer than usual, you may find the Warm climate planting guide more accurate, while areas experiencing colder than usual weather would be wise to follow the Cool climate guide until the weather warms. However, keep a close watch ...

  • Frangipani in Victoria

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:32
    Now is the perfect time of year to take Frangipani cuttings Bill has e-mailed me about growing Frangipani in north-west Victoria – and his question may be of interest to other readers. Frangipani trees are tropical plants, and your area of Victoria is not an ideal climate for them, because minimum ...

  • Plant Ideas For Small Gardens

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:31
      Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }   Your house and its surroundings provide many ideal places for your small, private, beautiful garden. It's not necessary that gardens and landscaping plans require large vacant spaces of land. An economic use of space and adequate irrigation facilities along with the choice of ...

  • Soil for Magnolias

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:30
    Recently, Anthea wrote to me about the problem of growing her Chinese Magnolia where soil is alkaline. I was just reading your article on changing soil ph and was hoping you could give me an idea on how to fix a problem I have with my magnolia x soulangeana. I bought the ...

  • What to grow in August 2010

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:29
    In most Warm areas, temperatures are good for gardening, but inland areas are still experiencing chilly nights and gardeners in places like Alice Springs may be more successful if they follow the planting guide for Temperate areas this month. August weather can be deceptive in other parts of Australia. Perfect ...

  • A Victory For The City: Victory Gardens 08+

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:27
    Planted smack dab in the middle of San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza is a demonstration garden of edible and ornamental plants that has the potential to not only create a radical shift in our food production, but a re-imagining of the garden itself. "Utopian ideas with real world applications" is the way that ...

  • Posting Comments

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:27
    Due to some sad people (with nothing better to do) cluttering up my blog with very childish comments, we have had to make some changes to this blog. One of the changes, unfortunately, is requiring readers to now register before being able to post any comments. I welcome genuine comments on ...

  • What to grow in July 2010

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:25
    The following planting guide is an abbreviated list for vegetables, fruit trees and some culinary herbs that can be planted in June in Australia and New Zealand. A comprehensive monthly guide that includes planting times for the entire garden, as well as when to fertilise, prune, weed, take cuttings or ...

  • Children’s gloves

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:24
    As you may know, I am involved in producing the Organic School Garden program for the Biological Farmers of Australia. One of our problems has been finding a source for gardening gloves made from natural materials that are available in sizes to suit primary school children. However, a company called Esidirect ...

  • Derris dust

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:22
    Following my post on organophosphates and ADHD, one of my blog readers asked for more information about derris dust (rotenone) that has been popular with organic gardeners for pest control as rotenone is an organic pesticide made from the roots of a tropical plant. It also has a long history ...

  • What to grow in June 2010?

    Updated: 2010-09-08 22:39:20
    Plant varieties for sowing and planting are fairly similar for both June and July in most climate zones of Australia. Peas and broad beans should be sown at a time that will avoid frost damaging the flowers see: Broad beans and peas) Sowing times are more flexible when sowing peas or ...

  • Identification: Help me out here

    Updated: 2010-09-08 21:22:54
    I have this plant in my garden and would love to know its name.

  • Identification: What is this??!

    Updated: 2010-09-08 21:05:07
    My roommate was given this plant as a gift but none of us know what it is or how to care for it, and now it's dying- help! also should I pull off the dead/rotting "leaves (?)"

  • Grafting of Plum Tree.

    Updated: 2010-09-08 20:56:10
    Hi Guy's, I have read up and boned up on grafting, but the one thing I can't find out is what time of the year is the best time to perform this task,.....or is there no specific time? I would appreciate a reply on this. Bestest to all, KEN.

  • Washington: Tree Stumps

    Updated: 2010-09-08 19:51:23
    Looking to place a dead tree stump with intricate root system in our garden then to surround with plants, bark and rocks. I hope i am explaining this correctly. It's a tree stump that has been removed plus all its roots and dried out completely. Any recommendations on where to find these types of tree stumps?

  • Avocado suddenly ill - dropping leaves on top and brown spots

    Updated: 2010-09-08 19:30:24
    My poor avocado tree has fallen ill. We have had a very mild summer with lots of fog and moisture in the air with cool 50-65 degree weather. Then suddenly there was a two day heat wave, one day being 100F. Sometime after the heat, I noticed the top of my avocado tree defoliating and the remaining leaves yellowing. Then I noticed that most of the leaves had brown rusty looking spots. Pictures...

  • Tomato and potato blight

    Updated: 2010-09-08 17:54:17
    My garden has been so humid; if it wasn't raining then the air was positively dripping. So, I'm amazed at just how little blight I've seen on tomatoes or potatoes.

  • Identification: Help me ID this tree

    Updated: 2010-09-08 15:48:43
    Thailand - flowers on the trunk - foot shaped leaf - approx. 10m height.

  • Identification: Help Please identifiy this plant

    Updated: 2010-09-08 14:35:31
    Hello, If I did this right...my first time post and new member. Can any one please Identifiy this plant [climber ]. Is it invasive or Poisonous? The berries droop as a cluster and it reminds me of a Butterfly bush. I live in Michgan zoon 5b. Found the climber in poor soil last week. I did not see the bloom stage.

  • Ideas on dealing with 3 pencil pines please

    Updated: 2010-09-08 08:32:48
    Hi I think I have attached a picture of my problem, aside from the 3 chubby pines in the front yard I am more concerned about the 3 pencil pines, I really want them either removed or cut/shaped. However, being pencil pines I have a feeling that my ONLY option is to have them taken out - which I would prefer as they are too close to the house for my liking, - but the cost is huge, so I wondered...

  • Washington: New to the PNW -- jasmine help

    Updated: 2010-09-08 04:56:25
    I finally have a bit of space to begin outdoor planting again. Moved here in 2006 from the East coast and it took this long to get some houseplants to grow. The ones I grew up with did not fair so well out here. I am slowly learning and am most interested in starting some jasmine. I have always loved this plant. Small problem. Most of our little property is entrance way and driveway which is all...

  • type of Silene?

    Updated: 2010-09-07 23:33:11
    I'm wondering if this is a seabluff catchfly or a campion. Looks more like a catchfly - but this was no seabluff location. This was at approx 4300feet or so, Sauk Mtn in west Cascades of Washington - dry SW open slopes at the end of summer The flowers look more lush than the examples in my books, perhaps there are other types of Silene?

  • Are garden centres dull?

    Updated: 2010-09-06 11:10:56
    [...] I often leave garden centres disappointed that so little was on offer to inspire me to part with my money.

  • Front Yard Farming

    Updated: 2010-09-03 16:43:57
    I’ve seen articles recently about global food shortages and feeding our populations and whatnot, bunch of scare tactics mostly, but when you sit down and think about it, there is a lot of land that could be used to grow food, but isn’t. Highway medians, roadsides, parks, but mostly, front yards. Some backwards and oppressive cities have [...]

  • Fox droppings

    Updated: 2010-09-02 10:27:06
    The foxes of East Dulwich are particularly well fed. I can tell this for sure, because I have been able to examine, very closely, what comes out of the other end of the fox.

  • Gardening mistakes

    Updated: 2010-09-01 16:10:59
    It is a good moment to look back on the triumphs and disasters in our gardens and to make notes so that we do not make the same mistakes again.

  • Juvenile Cardinal Fearless & Frolicking

    Updated: 2010-09-01 00:47:16
    Cardinals mature very fast, just a week ago (maybe less) I saw this cardinal learning how to fly, it had just left the nest. Yesterday, while filming something else, he came to visit, and got really close to me. Since I had the camera ready I decided to film him, it is so rare to [...]

  • Planting spring bulbs

    Updated: 2010-08-27 18:38:26
    Spring bulbs don't just provide us with a burst of colour to remind us that summer is on its way. They provide insects with nectar, which is essential for feeding them up again...

  • Another Reason To Gardening: A Stress Reliever

    Updated: 2010-08-26 06:33:56
    Stress is something that you encounter every day. Gardening is one of the tools to deal with it if you want to be happy and healthy. Just about every illness is either directly caused, or made worse, by stress. That includes heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, along with: Back pain and headaches Stomach [...]

  • Growing tomatoes outdoors

    Updated: 2010-08-25 16:28:20
    I don't often grow tomatoes outdoors, but this year I planted out leftovers from the greenhouse, which became massive and hugely productive.

  • Growing zinnias

    Updated: 2010-08-23 08:01:15
    Why is it that you rarely see zinnias in summer bedding displays? Do they give the impression of being an old-fashioned flower?

  • Use Compost, Save Money

    Updated: 2010-08-22 15:35:28
    Behold! My new Pinus Contorta “Taylor’s Sunburst”! I know it doesn’t look anything special now, but this is one rare and amazing plant. In the spring the new growth lights up to a bright yellow (in contrast with the dark green older growth) in an amazing display. In Spring it will look like this: So, did I [...]

  • Growing aubergines

    Updated: 2010-08-20 14:55:46
    This year ... I decided to pit three grafted aubergine plants against three plants grown in the conventional manner (from seed, on their own roots) to see which would 'win'.

  • Selling my Favorite Daylily

    Updated: 2010-08-19 15:09:14
    “Purple Maze” is my favorite daylily bloom, I saw it, I had to buy it, I paid a lot of money for it. I bought it when it first came available directly from the hybridizer, I think I paid $200. Kind of embarassing really, but I really like it. Apparently others do too, I’ve seen [...]

  • Dirty Girl Gardening

    Updated: 2010-08-18 01:43:01
    A horticulture collective.

  • Thuja (standishii x plicata) “Green Giant”

    Updated: 2010-08-15 03:36:44
    Green Giant Thuja’s are fast becoming one of the most popular plants for the landscape, and for good reason. They are one of the fastest growing known evergreen trees. They can grow as much as 5 feet per year or more. The result from a supposed cross between a Japanese thuja and the US native western [...]

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