(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-02-28, 14:25:01

If you cast your eye over the Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas logo you will notice a flower on the left which resides in my garden - Grevillea 'Austraflora Canterbury Gold'. It's a fabulous shrub that took off in no time and flowers on cue at the end of every winter.

If you look closely at its leaves you will notice that they are an elongated oval shape much like the foliage you would find on an olive tree. And predominantly this is is what you would expect to find throughout the shrub - until now, that is.

It seems, for reasons that are unclear to me, that the leaves have been mutating. Some, like the one pictured in this post, have taken on a three-tongued look while a few others sport double forks. And there appears to be no logical rationale behind where they are located on the plant.

My first investigative step was to understand the origin of this plant. Not surprisingly it's a hybrid, a blend of G. juniperina and G. victoriae var.leptoneura - Juniperina is the name given to plants due to their prickly, or needlelike, foliage . G. juniperina is a prostrate form with fine needles for foliage while G. victoriae var.leptoneura is a shrubby plant sporting similar leaves to my grevillea.

So, it makes sense that the hybrid could be throwing back some mutating leaves because its parent's foliage was vastly different. While the hybridization of this plant has produced an amazing cultivar it certainly hasn't been a perfect match.

Not that I'm at all worried about it though. I think it makes an interesting talking point when you can show off a plant with different leaves. Kind of like a circus with a bearded woman!

(Via Plant Care)

Posted by admin to Aglaonema, Bromeliads, Dracaena, Ficus, Gardening, House Plants Care, Indoor Color, Palms, Plant Pictures, Spathiphyllum, Troubleshooting, orchids on 2008-02-28, 06:14:53

It’s Time to Celebrate Spring!

Springtime is right at our doorsteps.

After the long winter it’s time for the growing season, pruning, giving those house plants a good thorough cleaning, repotting… if necessary and overall getting those plants in shape!

• But what about your houseplants?
• Where do you start?
• Who do you ask?

When house plants leave the nursery, their entire “how to” care information now sits in the hands of the local nursery or garden center. They know some basics on lots of plants but not the real inside scoop. Sort of like an office temp…

You’ve probably asked plant care questions, tried your hand at watering, fertilizing, repotting, moving plants around… But your efforts don’t deliver results!

You’re Frustrated!

That’s why I decided to do something about it.

I created a simple, extremely effective, easy to read, easy to apply, care guide on indoor house plants that anyone can understand and put to use.

If you’re serious about making your houseplants look their best! … Click the link for this
Special Guide!

Bring on the Spring!

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-02-24, 12:53:06

Most gardeners wouldn't buy liriopes for their flowers. Dainty and delightfully pasted to a totem resemblant spike, they are fairly insignificant and command an attentive eye to take notice of them. Yet, isn't this one of the joys of gardening - discovering hidden jewels amongst the plethora of flora in our gardens?

For me, it was a spontaneous moment of breathtaking awe. As I spent Saturday afternoon systemically pruning my way around our back yard, I began to tidy around some of our pots. I was disentangling some alyssum from amongst our kalanchoe, which both shared a container with the liriope, when I discovered these beautiful flowers.

I had forgotten that liriopes even flower.

Purchasing them predominantly for their fountainous foliage, I had never even considered that there might be more to these plants than their strappy leaves. Honestly, I was a little surprised to find that it was producing flowers - and not just one spike but multiple emanating from what appeared to be the centre of the plant.

While this discovery was somewhat humbling, I did consider whether this knowledge would have affected my initial purchase decision. Alas, I reasoned that the foliage virtues were far more appealing to me than its blooming prowess.

In essence, liriopes are destined to be noted for their foliage over and above any other feature. And this isn't such a bad thing. Their common names; Lilyturf or Border Grass advance similar notions - and why not? We need foliage plants in our gardens as much, if not more, than flowering extroverts. They create the backdrop for our art-form like supporting actors help focus the attention on our movie prima donnas.

How to grow and care for liriopes

If you're looking for a border plant that won't be exposed to full-sun all day then liriopes might be a wonderful option. They actually prefer part-shade and can even tolerate full-shade locations provided they're situated in well-draining soil.

Liriopes aren't even fussy about fertilisers and can often reside in soil that is far from rich in nutrient base. But, if you want to get the most from these plants then rewarding them with a twice per year foliar spray might just encourage some better growth - and even a peek into their floral producing acumen.

Their watering needs are fairly minimal and they have few disease and pest problems.

Propagating Liriopes

The propagation of liriopes isn't overly onerous either. This plant, like many clumping foliage plants, is propagated by division. Simply lift the plants in late autumn or early spring and tease apart sections ensuring that each separation contains some rootstock. Then situate them back into their growing location or pot out in a well-draining potting mix.

Each plant can be propagated this way each year but you may want to give them a season or two before separating them out.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-02-15, 14:45:50

It's that time of the month again when I end up missing Garden Blogger's Bloom Day by at least a day or two. In this case, it was due to my '75 Kombi taking a leave of absence from its duties and showing that it too can be as stubborn as a mule with attitude. Fortunately, we're back on the road again - which is a good thing.

But, we didn't come here to discuss Kombi's and mechanical breakdowns. It's the time to take stock of what's flowering in the garden. To smell the roses, so to speak.

And it's the roses that take the limelight this month. Their end of summer flourish is probably the last we'll see before dormancy - but I'm pleading with them to work overtime and produce another dazzling encore before the end of autumn.

So, without further adoo, here's the stars of February;

Our climbing rose is finally taking some leadership in the garden with both plants heading heavenward up our arbor. They have taken their time in moving upwards as they struggle with our soil. You can see the sickly yellowing leaves in the background. But they're on the improve.

This is 'Purple Moon' - one of our favourites. It almost died 2 years ago but with some TLC and location adjustment it has begun to flower again. This is one of only two blooms we've seen this year - the other is already spent.

This little seductive 'Seduction' is everything it claims to be. It's frilly lingerie petals are insatiably enticing and it always begs for attention. A standout extrovert in our garden.

Doing what bees do best, this one is enjoying our standard white roses.

Almost two months late, our crepe myrtle has finally decided to flower. After not seeing any buds on this tree around Christmas I began noticing that others growing in the region were in the same boat. Blame it on the hole in the ozone layer or the fact Australia didn't sign the Kyoto agreement but our crepe myrtles have not been in a hurry to bloom.

You can almost feel the heat emanating from this spicy little delicacy. All our red chilies are now starting to colour and we should be able to enjoy their bounty in the ensuing weeks. The kids can have spaghetti!

Finally, our eggplants are also flowering and I'm just hoping they will set fruit and mature before autumn gives way to our winter. Fingers-crossed!

Oops, almost missed one. Just to show you that autumn isn't that far away, our Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is heralding the dawn of a new season - and hopefully less heat!

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-02-12, 13:28:39

Most gardeners install bird feeders for the sheer pleasure of having wild birds enjoy their gardens. We plant bird-friendly plants, keep cats and other nuisance pets locked up and even make the effort to keep trees in our gardens for them to keep out of harms way.

Yet it appears that by installing wild bird feeders in our yards is having an even greater impact than we first assumed. It is, in fact, giving them a greater chance of survival.

Sure, this may seem an elementary observation. Of course feeding birds is going to help their chances of survival! Duh! However, for reasons that we may not initially contemplate, feeding wild birds is helping them breed better as well.

This article reporting on research from the University of Exeter clearly demonstrated that birds that are fed throughout the winter months are more likely to lay earlier - and lay more. It also showed that the parent birds were more robust and able to deal with their fledgling chicks.

However, calls from the other side of the equation remind us that this could be a problematic practice. Fears are held that migratory birds will face increasing competition from winter-fed wild birds. But this very argument seems more like the 'playing of God' than real concern for either bird camp. Which one should have the upper-hand? The migratory birds who've just enjoyed their sojourn in warmer climes feeding their faces on plentiful food supplies or those who stuck around scavenging for a morsel to remain alive?

Needless to say, while many have argued that bird feeders are ruining wild birds from their normal hunting, it now appears that we are helping them survive. And this is a good thing.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-02-04, 13:22:05

I'm certainly no Picasso, Da Vinci or Rembrandt but I do recognise their talent. And I'm no Richard Avedon when it comes to photography. But what I lack in ability I make up in appreciation.

So while many gardeners - actually, let's use the term 'home-owners' as a more applicable term - seem to be adorning their houses and gardens with 'Garden Art', I'm still besotted with the garden as art. Especially when I'm rolling across the lawn stretching to get some perspective through the lens of my camera.

As it focuses I begin to see shapes and colours, textures and shadows that I couldn't see before and a whole new level of appreciation dawns on my hobby.

This is not a criticism, merely an observation, but most times when we display photos of our garden we tend to accentuate the obvious. Flower petals, butterflies, the birds and the bees are by far the highest photographed items. Yet, when you take your focus off the overt, suddenly your garden becomes a living art gallery.

I'm no Nostradamus either but I predict that garden photographers, mainly due to the increase in garden bloggers posting high quality pics, will ply their trade in future by capturing the garden as we've never seen before. And this is a great thing, not only for garden photography but also for gardeners. I think it will actually remind us to view our gardens for more than just the flowers and instead focus on the many elements we take for granted.

How has your garden photography been growing you as a gardener? Are you exploring new ways to capture the art within your garden? Just curious...that's all.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-01-24, 15:56:32

The house across the road has just been completed and is almost ready for hand over to the owners. Which is exciting because we'll soon have new neighbours to meet and a new garden to gaze upon -and pick to bits if we don't like it!

It's actually quite interesting to ponder their garden and what design it will take on but if it's anything like the ones in the rest of the street - it won't be slow. A few weeks from now, depending on the current supply, roll-on turf will cover at least 3/4's of the front yard with some kerbing to define the border beds.

In the beds will go an assortment of flax, cordylines and other non-descript trendy perennial shrubs. Any tree left on the property will be removed - because we all know that trees are messy and nobody wants to spend time raking leaves. In their place, fashionable evergreens - primarily non-indigenous species - will be planted and there won't be a vegetable or fruit producing plant to be seen.

Whatever happened to slow gardens? You know the ones, they take 5 - 10 years to even come close to maturing. The garden is designed upon trial and error and many weekends, holidays and summer afternoons are spent tweaking and enjoying it. They're a little rough and ready and certainly not a tight package completed in 2-3 months.

I can see a call going out, much like the slow food movement, rallying gardeners together to breathe life back into our suburban backyards. It's happening already, in some ways, through Susan's encouragement of Garden Coaching. As this trend progresses I'm sure we will see people ditch the 1-minute garden in exchange for something a little more REAL and dynamic.

And, I guess, this is the answer to the McDonald's Mentality - to encourage and empower people to see gardening as a journey rather than the destination.

Hopefully our new neighbours are interested in gardening and will want some help to create it - SLOWLY.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-01-24, 15:56:32

The house across the road has just been completed and is almost ready for hand over to the owners. Which is exciting because we'll soon have new neighbours to meet and a new garden to gaze upon -and pick to bits if we don't like it!

It's actually quite interesting to ponder their garden and what design it will take on but if it's anything like the ones in the rest of the street - it won't be slow. A few weeks from now, depending on the current supply, roll-on turf will cover at least 3/4's of the front yard with some kerbing to define the border beds.

In the beds will go an assortment of flax, cordylines and other non-descript trendy perennial shrubs. Any tree left on the property will be removed - because we all know that trees are messy and nobody wants to spend time raking leaves. In their place, fashionable evergreens - primarily non-indigenous species - will be planted and there won't be a vegetable or fruit producing plant to be seen.

Whatever happened to slow gardens? You know the ones, they take 5 - 10 years to even come close to maturing. The garden is designed upon trial and error and many weekends, holidays and summer afternoons are spent tweaking and enjoying it. They're a little rough and ready and certainly not a tight package completed in 2-3 months.

I can see a call going out, much like the slow food movement, rallying gardeners together to breathe life back into our suburban backyards. It's happening already, in some ways, through Susan's encouragement of Garden Coaching. As this trend progresses I'm sure we will see people ditch the 1-minute garden in exchange for something a little more REAL and dynamic.

And, I guess, this is the answer to the McDonald's Mentality - to encourage and empower people to see gardening as a journey rather than the destination.

Hopefully our new neighbours are interested in gardening and will want some help to create it - SLOWLY.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-01-02, 17:45:30

Why is it that some people just detest gardening? I don't mean the ones who have never really given it a go and are ignorant of the joy of gardening but for those who have - and still hate it.

Is gardening an acquired taste - like beer and rollmops? Can a person actually GROW into this hobby?

After reading 55-year-old Laurie King's post I've had to reassess the paradigm that has comforted me all these years - everyone should garden. Maybe there are some that shouldn't? Maybe some people would lead much happier lives if they didn't have to garden? Oh, the shame!

Continue reading through King's comments and you realise that she's not a lone voice in the wilderness. Scores of her readers are coming out of the closet and discussing their distaste in our hobby. They all, at one stage or another, have tried their hand at gardening and for whatever reason have found that it has become a nightmare in their lives.

I'm sure we all have at least one friend person in our life who scoffs when we discuss our garden. For some it seems worse than stating that you've become a Mormon or enjoy listening to Milli Vanilli. To those people we measure our conversations and never try to let slip a comment about the joy we find in this glorious pastime.

But, do we secretly hope that one day they will get IT? I mean, REALLY get IT? Do we hope that they will pursue us with questions on how to care for their celosia - (Yep! Rip them out. They look stupid) or they'll badger us to exchange cuttings and go on gardening tours with us. They just can't wait for the weekend so that they can visit the local nursery and turn the compost. Is this really what we want them to get?

I do.

I know it's selfish and completely devoid of individual taste and personal preference but how good would it be if everybody found joy in gardening? Concrete would be as hated as oil slicks. Global warming wouldn't be a discussion point but a call to arms and Trey would be wealthier than Bill Gates - if he's not already!

Fortunately, King's commenters don't remain stroking the unjoy of gardening for too much longer. Riobonito, the lone voice in a sea of dissension, turns up and nails her colours to the wall. She is like the Joan of Arc of gardening.

To those who find gardening unJOYful - I feel sad for you.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Gardening on 2008-01-02, 17:45:30

Why is it that some people just detest gardening? I don't mean the ones who have never really given it a go and are ignorant of the joy of gardening but for those who have - and still hate it.

Is gardening an acquired taste - like beer and rollmops? Can a person actually GROW into this hobby?

After reading 55-year-old Laurie King's post I've had to reassess the paradigm that has comforted me all these years - everyone should garden. Maybe there are some that shouldn't? Maybe some people would lead much happier lives if they didn't have to garden? Oh, the shame!

Continue reading through King's comments and you realise that she's not a lone voice in the wilderness. Scores of her readers are coming out of the closet and discussing their distaste in our hobby. They all, at one stage or another, have tried their hand at gardening and for whatever reason have found that it has become a nightmare in their lives.

I'm sure we all have at least one friend person in our life who scoffs when we discuss our garden. For some it seems worse than stating that you've become a Mormon or enjoy listening to Milli Vanilli. To those people we measure our conversations and never try to let slip a comment about the joy we find in this glorious pastime.

But, do we secretly hope that one day they will get IT? I mean, REALLY get IT? Do we hope that they will pursue us with questions on how to care for their celosia - (Yep! Rip them out. They look stupid) or they'll badger us to exchange cuttings and go on gardening tours with us. They just can't wait for the weekend so that they can visit the local nursery and turn the compost. Is this really what we want them to get?

I do.

I know it's selfish and completely devoid of individual taste and personal preference but how good would it be if everybody found joy in gardening? Concrete would be as hated as oil slicks. Global warming wouldn't be a discussion point but a call to arms and Trey would be wealthier than Bill Gates - if he's not already!

Fortunately, King's commenters don't remain stroking the unjoy of gardening for too much longer. Riobonito, the lone voice in a sea of dissension, turns up and nails her colours to the wall. She is like the Joan of Arc of gardening.

To those who find gardening unJOYful - I feel sad for you.