If you want to enjoy the outdoors in the beautiful spring weather then simply getting outside and into the garden or relaxing on the veranda sounds like a terrific idea. For those with Hay fever or Asthma this beautiful time of year is less appealing. Working for clients has led me to read books covering […]
The important thing is not so much the way you water but why you water. If you are growing plants in the ground then the roots need water and a little bit of air. Whether you rely on rainfall or add water depends on your plant selection, soil type and good maintenance. Whichever way you […]
Food gardens can be both beautiful and useful and are returning as fashionable statements in current landscapes. There is a certain connection with the world through growing edible plants which makes a productive garden quite different from gardens that are only looked at through the windows of a house or windscreen of a car. A […]
Making hedges work starts with well thought out design. I love hedges; they are the bones and the backdrop of many classic garden styles and I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say that hedges will never go out of fashion. What is a bit old fashioned is the word hedge. I think […]
After spending the last three hours researching the topic with an open mind I have found lots of articles, studies and reports that point to the fact that this is true. There is a fundamental reassuring feeling about being connected to the real world that any amount of concrete, swimming pools and shining man-made things […]
Choose well, prune properly and you are eighty percent of the way to scoring a goal. Can we make beautiful gardens with Australian natives in northern Victoria? Yes we can, but as with all other garden plants it is much better if we know which ones to choose and how to manage them. Times have […]
I reckon it is time to throw away the rule book and take a fresh look at dry tolerant landscapes. Opposites like ‘sweet and sour’ might work well together but can’t be both at once. When it comes to gardens that are lush and dry perhaps what seems like a contradiction doesn’t have to be […]
Welcome to a new world! Every big garden should be made of little landscapes. Get past the obvious and it is the small details that reveal the world as a beautiful and amazing place. In a world where whatever shouts loudest gets heard it is a pleasure to look past the obvious into the world […]
This day and age there is a real need to get good value out of all the hard, and not so hard, work in a garden! Time is precious and the issue of maintenance is usually fairly high up on the agenda. I am a realist and whether you employ gardening staff or do it […]
