I can't pinpoint the exact moment that I started my hobby but discounting the few radish seeds I tried when I was 12, I think the defining moment was when my wife and I moved into our first house together. Suddenly we were cast into the garden and realised that it wasn't going to look after itself. To be honest...half the problem with our first garden was that it had already been treated that way and seriously needed some TLC.

After a few more house moves over the next year and a half (5 homes in total) we finally settled into a house previously owned by an orchid grower. He had passed on several years ago so the gardens were anything but immaculate but it did hoard some interesting things from its past.

Two bores, a plethora of garden pots, bundles of fertilisers and a veggie patch that screamed for some hard labour and attention. Part of the reason we chose that place was for the potential the gardens held. I'd love to tell you that we left that place in schmiko condition yet while it never became the masterpiece it was a great start and helped us cut our gardening teeth.

We've now been gardening here in our current location for the past 5 years and my hobby took on another level because of it. A friend lent me a book on Australian natives prior to us starting here and if he hadn't I would have continued thinking they were boring, bland substitutes for the exotics that my parents generation cultivated.

I've tried, and am still trying, new methods and concepts that may seem a little out of the box for most gardeners but that's what our hobby is all about, isn't it? Learning and failing forward. For me, the journey's only just begun and the 14 years I've enjoyed thus far is really just my adolescence period. I'm certainly looking forward to the next 14 and beyond.

So, how long have you been plying your craft? Was there a defining moment that you could trace back and unequivocally state "This was the day I started gardening!"?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

Easily one of the most recognisable palms, and perhaps the most grown by home gardeners, is the sago palm (cycas revoluta. Its peacock-like fronds demand your attention in whatever setting their placed and their annual flowering display is not to be sniffed at either.

The sago palm isn't actually a palm but instead a cycad - more closely related to evergreen conifers than palm trees. Yet it somehow picked up the common tag of being a palm and is rarely referred to as a cycad other than by those who know. The difference: - palms are monocotyledons (seeds sprout only one leaf) while cycads are dicotyledons (you guessed it...they sprout two leaves from the seed). Hardly a big difference when you're trying to explain this plant's genetic background.

While this plant may not be a true palm, its shape and size make it one of the most utilised specimens in landscape tropical gardens. And why not? The foliage, as an architectural texture, is exquisite and as it grows the trunk adds the dimension of height.

Where can sago palms grow?

Almost anywhere the summers are warm and mild and where they will be sheltered out of frosts and snow. If kept in pots they can be grown in cold climates providing they are overwintered and your summers aren't too cold.

If your climate isn't characterised by frost-ridden winters then growing a sago palm in the ground is certainly an option. Obviously palms that grow in the ground have less maintenance requirements and can grow much taller than their pot-bound counterparts.

Problems with the sago palm

• Slow growing - while they look fantastic when they're a decent size waiting around for them to grow can be an exercise in patience. In most cases they will only add 1-2" (2-5cm) per year - and that's a good year.
• Great leaf catchers - because of their shape and growing habit, sago palms are great leaf catchers. This is a bonus if that's why you wanted to grow this plant but for most gardeners it can become they reason they rip them out. Therefore, plant them in a location that isn't beneath a deciduous or leaf-shedding tree.
• They need warm summers - while sago palms can put up with cold winters they really struggle if they can't enjoy some summer warmth. If your summers don't average at least 20°C (70°F) then the sago cycad may not be an option for your garden.
• They need sun - just like warm summers, cycas revoluta basks in full sun. While they will grow in shade and perform quite well in part-shade they can often become leggy and more disease-prone without at least half a day of full-sun.
• Deadly to dogs - for those gardening pet-lovers keeping a sago palm and a dog in the same confines is asking for trouble. The seeds from the sago palm are extremely poisonous and will kill a dog within a few hours of digestion. And, don't think your children are immune - this can seriously harm them as well.

Caring for a sago palm

Apart from the growing conditions mentioned above sago palms are quite easy to care for. A feed of a balanced fertiliser every six months and caution taken when watering (they don't need much) is really all these plants require.

If your sago palm has become a leaf catcher then removing the built up compost from with the plants centre is paramount. Leaving it to rot down within the plant can cause a myriad of disease and fungus problems which are better prevented rather than trying to cure.

Does Sago come the sago palm?

Most of us have enjoyed endured sago at one point or another in our lives so it's not a dumb question to think that this plant may be the source of our child-based memories. However, the true source is from another palm (a real palm) also commonly known as the Sago Palm Metroxylon sagu.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Honestly, I'm pathetic when it comes to making decisions about plants in the garden. I justify my hesitation - and it is hesitation, please don't confuse this with mercy - on a deep-seated desire to believe in miracles. That somehow my plants will receive a generous dose of divine intervention and be fine by the morning. Kind of like taking paracetamol and resting for a while - when all you needed was the rest.

Fortunately I have a wife who's a little more realistic than I am. She seems to know when a plant isn't going to make it - the brown receding leaves appear to offer her some valuable clues - while I just ignore it hoping that time will heal all wounds. The only clue I seem to get is when she's carting it by the root ball over to the compost heap - and even then I'm looking for ways to try and save it.

It's tragic, isn't it? A grown man frozen by indecision and emasculated by plants that don't want to grow.

So, I thought I would come up with a quick Ready Reckoner that might empower me to be more decisive in the garden.

If it's dead - rip it out

If it's dead - it's dead. Unless you have faith in your own resurrective powers this plant will never grow another leaf nor sport another bud. It's kaput! Fini! Dead! The only reason you might want to keep it is because it hides another vista far uglier. Apart from that, remove it and plant something that will grow.

If it's dying - fertilise and give it another chance

Okay, I will do this for only one season though. If it doesn't improve after I've applied some TLC then it's coming out - possibly! But it makes sense doesn't it? If a plant isn't growing well in a particular location then why persevere with it? There are possibly hundreds of other plants that would love to 'get a guernsey' in our gardens

If it takes too much time - rip it out

This is a hard one, isn't it? You know the type of plant that seems to snooker you every time you walk around your garden. It obviously suffers from A.D.D. whining that it needs something else done to it or it won't perform to your expectations. Oh, I hate these type of plants. My decision from now on will be to rip it out rather than avoid that section of the garden. There are much nicer plants out there...

If it hasn't flowered for 2 seasons or more - rip it out

Oh, yes. The non-flowering plant. Fine if it's a foliage plant and you bought it just for the texture and colour of its leaves. But if it refuses to bloom regardless of the love and attention I lavish upon it, then it's coming out.

If it didn't grow the first time - don't buy another one

My weakness, when visiting nurseries, is purchasing plants that fail time and time again in my garden. It's as if I think that these new ones will finally achieve what none of it predecessors could. No matter what the hurdles were that sealed the fate of the last ones, these new ones will finally succeed. Realistically, they probably won't!

If pests devour it - then find ways to protect it while it grows OR don't grow it

And finally, the one decision that makes profit for chemical companies is finding ways to make your plants grow no matter what. It seldom occurs to me that possibly these plants weren't supposed to grow in my climate or location. So rather than give up, I'd prefer to coax them to success with a little "whatever-it-takes".

I feel empowered already. Suddenly my garden looks richer and healthier - apart from those brown conifers which I might decorate with tinsel (they're a little off-colour at the moment, but they'll come good - you'll see!).

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

One of the questions that is raised ad nauseum on gardening forums and on garden talk-back radio is, "Can I plant an avocado seed and will it grow into an avocado tree?" Duh! Of course it will grow into an avocado tree - were you expecting to see pumpkins!

The question really isn't about whether it will grow, it's more about whether it will produce - and if that produce has any resemblance to a 'normal' avocado. Just like the question I answered on planting apple seeds you want to know that your effort is going to be rewarded.

Well, can I start off by saying that if you want to grow an avocado tree from its seed you will need the 'patience of Job' to see it through to completion. This is no overnight process and Voila! you're eating your own avocados next season. No, this process takes years and years so don't plant it in the ground if you're planning on moving within the next 5-10.

Germinating an Avocado Seed

The first step in the process is to get the seed to germinate. The best way to do this is to suspend the seed, using a few toothpicks dug into the sides, above a glass of water. The base of the seed needs to be resting in the water so this will require refilling during the process. Then, leave the suspended seed on a window sill or in a cold frame where it will be kept warm by the sunlight.

Eventually the seed will crack open and new sprouts will emerge and roots will begin to feed into the water. This can take anywhere between 3-6 months depending upon the amount of sunlight the seed receives and whether you've been disciplined in keeping the water level up to the base of the pip.

Once the sprouts and roots emerge, it's time to begin planting.

Planting an Avocado Seed

The next step is to get the seed into some growing medium. A mix of one-third compost, one-third vermiculite and one-third river sand would be ideal to start your propagated avocado. In the centre of the pot, make a small hole where you can plant just the roots and bottom base of the seed. Then back-fill and shake any air bubbles out the mix before lightly watering.

This new plant will then need to go into a location where it can receive at least 6-8 hours of sunlight every day. A small greenhouse (aff.) is ideal but if this isn't a possibility then the edge of a sheltered porch or patio may be a great option.

Once it has grown about a metre tall it will then be ready to start transplanting.

Transplanting Your Avocado Plant

As I mentioned earlier, if you're planning to move from your current residence in the next 5-10 years then planting this in the ground will be a waste of time. You're probably far better off to transplant it into a large mobile pot that you can take with you.

Prepare the pot with a good draining potting mix and place the avocado plant into the middle keeping the top of the avocado soil level with the height of the new pot. At this point, add a stake before backfilling and tie the plant securely to it. You may even want to tie some hessian cloth around the pot to protect the plant from the elements.

If you do decide to plant your avocado in the ground then dig a hole twice as wide as the current root-ball and twice as deep. Add some well-rotted compost into the hole and plant the avocado on top. Stake it as mentioned before and then backfill the hole. Water deeply to remove any air-pockets and to help the plant deal with the transplant shock.

Finally, in both cases - pot or ground - I would add some bonemeal fertiliser and then mulch with lucerne hay.

Enjoying the fruits of your labour

Now, while your avocado tree may grow quite quickly once you've transplanted it out it won't produce any fruit for possibly the first 7 years of its life - hence the 'patience of Job' required. Most growers usually become disenchanted with their trees long before this and either remove them or just ignore them. But, if you're willing to wait the time they will eventually produce the most amazing avocado fruits and will continue to do so for years to come.

If you've decided that this process is too long and you want to buy an already established tree then make sure you ask the nursery owner how long the trees have been growing for. If not, you may end up only missing the first two steps in the process and still have years before you get to enjoy any fruit.

All the best.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

Think of the word "therapy" and immediately images of laying prostrate on a psychiatrist's couch recalling your childhood ills spring to mind. Or, maybe thoughts of group work sharing your most intimate emotions with people you've never met - nor want to meet again - take centre stage in your cognitive processes. Yet, combine "therapy" with the word "garden" and rapidly your thoughts warm you and perhaps slightly excite you.

It seems that garden therapy is fast becoming one of the growth triggers for gardening as a hobby. And not surprisingly either. Maybe people are getting tired of 'feeling the dragon' as they push their limbs through the air justifying their actions like the Emperor with his new clothes. These senseless ancient rituals disguised as holistic therapy for the mind, body and soul are, honestly, quite boring.

But there is nothing boring about gardening and as a form of therapy it's almost perfect. It engages your mind as you assimilate dimensions, plant types, soil conditions etcetera, etcetera. Plus, your body gets a workout heaving soil, mulch, compost and the exercise you get from pruning and lopping. And finally the soul is invigorated as your hopes are exceeded by the beauty and productivity of your plants.

Try achieving all that with a session of yoga!

The Canadians seem to have already grasped hold of these truths as illustrated in this article. And while I'm excited about what they're doing for the mentally and physically handicapped I'm concerned that we often discount these practices for those who are more disadvantaged than us.

Even if we are unaware of the therapeutic benefits we enjoy through gardening, one can't dismiss the fact that they still exist. I find it amusing when visitors to my garden laugh at my compost bins noting that they obviously require some manual labour to turn. Often their comments resemble "Why don't you buy one of those ones that do it for you?" as they hypocritically try to shed some kilos at the local gym.

Our bodies weren't designed to continually pace on plastic treadmills. That's why rats were invented. Instead, our bodies, minds and souls were knit together to do more than focus on any one of these components of "US". Which makes gardening the perfect form of therapy - and not just for those who are disabled and handicapped.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm a great admirer of guerilla gardeners and the steps they take to beautify our concrete jungles - well at least I was until a couple moved into MY neighbourhood.

If you can picture a rural setting with tall Peppermint trees and supporting undergrowth merging into suburbia, then you can imagine our little part of the world. It was one of the reasons we bought our house where we did. There are very few estates developed these days that leave tall trees as a feature and strips of open vegetation that have never been tampered with by mankind. And here in bustling Busselton this little oasis survived.

However, some over zealous gardeners have taken it upon themselves to clear up this scraggly habitat and make it - apparently - more visually pleasing. They removed some of the trees on council land and have begun planting "Grandma Plants" in some of the roundabouts. Not that I'm against Grandma plants - just probably not in this setting.

And while these gardeners are obviously quite chuffed with their efforts I have to refrain myself from poking my fingers down my throat. It's such an abomination. The landscape, while admittedly scraggly and untamed, was as it had been for the past millenia. Completely natural.

Now thanks to these two we are seemingly obligated to be thankful for the effort they are making in beautifying our area. I mean...what can one do? For whatever reason they didn't like what I enjoyed and I certainly don't like what they enjoy. It's like art. The difference being that art can be kept indoors where doors can be shut. Here, it's all on display whether you like it or not.

And it's not like I can avoid these areas or close my eyes as I drive from home to work and back. It confronts me everyday and stirs my ire against these so-called guerillas.

How will I resolve this in my own mind? RoundUp™.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

I know! I know! I'm late again - the story of my life at the moment. However, Carol from May Dreams Gardens has assured me in the past that she would much rather me post late than never. So, in th true spirit of Gardening Tips 'N' Ideas tardiness - it's only 2 days late - here are the current blooms in the garden (remembering, of course, that we're in the throes of our winter here in Oz).

This is one of my beloved Jacobinias, one of my original propagating successes that I have kept for nearly 10 years now. Each year it flowers on cue warming the garden with its yellow and orange blooms and offers some nice soft foliage during the summer months. I did try to grow this in a sunnier spot last year and almost lost them so they're back in the shade garden in revival mode.

This phallic bloom bursts onto the scene from within a bromeliad my mother gave me a few years ago. I had planned to put it in our tropical garden - yet to be started - so it's ended up near the Jacobinia and provides a safe haven for colonies of brown snails. It always amuses me when I envisage the snails trying to escape the protruding flower with pictures of Indiana Jones fleeing from the rolling stone - in slow motion, of course.

Oh when will this flower open up???? It has been like this for months now and seeing as it has never flowered while in my garden - 2 years now - I'm anxious to see it produce some blooms. It's a Rhododendron that I picked up at a local nursery while most nurseries no longer offer them. Hopefully it will open soon.

While not a bloom, per se, the leaves surrounding the trunks of our birches paint the state of our garden at the moment. Very drab, colourless and seemingly lifeless. Yet, beneath these leaves spring flowering daffodils are starting to push their way through the surface already.

I've been busy pruning and chipping many of our dormant plants ready for the season that really counts. It's a great time of the year in my garden as I can stand back and plan what I want this garden to do next season. The more I garden here and endure enjoy the different seasons, the more I come respect what each time period has to offer and how I can make each one count without just hoping that spring would hurry up.

Creating interest within the garden year round is still my goal and I love tinkering to find how that works - or in most cases, doesn't work. It's the joy of gardening.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

If there is one thing that every gardener should realise when they set out on their horticultural adventure, it's that every gardener has an opinion on the best way for growing tomatoes - and which is the best tomato to grow. With so much dogmatic contention floating about the newbie gardener could be excused for thinking that these were the hardest plants to grow. Well, here's a newsflash....they're not!

Quite the opposite really, growing tomatoes is possibly the easiest and most successful producing plants a gardener could have in their veggie patch. And providing you haven't opted for the F1 hybrids you should see them self-seed after their first year in the ground.

So, what are the 3 easy steps to successful tomato growing? Are you sitting down? Right, here we go...

1. Plant a tomato seedling
2. Stake it, and
3. Water it

Did you miss them? Shall I go over them again?

I can hear you asking, "Surely it's not that easy?" Darned tootin' it is, but I will give you some helpful gardening tips for making them even more successful.

Plant a tomato seedling

The obvious starting point is "Which tomato?" and it all depends on your preferences. For me, I like Romas and I will always grow these as the staple crop. I like to play as well so I will usually plant a novelty crop or one that I haven't tried before. Obviously your choices are going to be different to mine but it doesn't really matter which tomato seedlings you end up growing. You could even start them out from seeds that you kept from last season.

Once you've established which variety(ies) you are going to grow then comes the next most important decision - where to grow them? The most likely option is in some well-draining, rich, loamy soil in your veggie patch but don't let tradition cloud your planting choices. These days many gardeners are opting for upside-down tomato planters (aff.), growing them in plastic shopping bags or as container plants on their patios or balconies.

It really doesn't matter where you plant them provided they have access to 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and can be kept moist. Keeping them out of heavy winds is also a must.

Stake it

Unless you're using an upside-down tomato planter (which relies on gravity to keep the plant growing) or have trellised your tomato plants you will do well to stake it the moment you plant it. The reason for this, while it may seem ridiculous tying a seedling to a 6" stake if you were to wait until the plant needed it the chances of damaging the plant's root systems is inherently greater. Therefore, stake it up from day one.

As the plant grows continue tying the tomato bush to the stake so that gravity won't end up breaking the branches. In the wild, tomato bushes will naturally flop over because their stems are inadequate to hold the weight of the fruit. However, while this may be the natural way it doesn't normally produce copious amounts of tomato fruit and their chances of disease are far greater.

While your tomato bush is growing remove the bottom leaves to reduce fungus problems caused by the high amount of moisture these plants need and the diminishing rate of sunlight the bottom of the plants will enjoy. Also, pick out the side shoots that will try to grow between the stem and the main laterals. These are non-producing branches and will only suck the tomato plants energy from it.

The best way to tie a tomato plant to a stake is by using strips of nylon pantyhose looped in a figure-eight setting. This protects the bush from rubbing against the stake and still gives the plant a small amount of movement so that it doesn't snap in gusty winds.

Water it

The final "easy" step is watering your tomato plants. While this may seem the most logical it is often the cause for most backyard gardeners angst. Watering, for growing tomatoes effectively, needs to be done on a regular basis and in the hotter months may need to be performed at least every day and possibly twice per day.

Mulch can be applied around your tomato plants - keeping away from the stems - once they have been established and have grown at least a foot. Applying this too early can diminish the soil heating up directly from the sun and can cause a raft of fungus problems. So while mulch will aid in keeping the moisture in, timing is an important aspect when applying it.

When is the best time to water tomato plants? My view is that is doesn't matter whether you water in the morning or the evening but there are some gardeners who will fiercely contest that mornings are better. However, watering tomato plants in the middle of the day is definitely a NO-NO. Your plants will most likely struggle under the extra weight of the water and they don't need any more disadvantages during the heat of the day.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Growing tomatoes couldn't be easier. I know I haven't discussed Fertilisers or Pest Control but if you grow tomato plants as prescribed above the mulch should be an effective fertiliser and hopefully the soil is already full of humus. As for Pest Control, they shouldn't be an issue but if they become a real problem then plant marigolds alongside them or use an organic foliar spray to keep them away.

Your only issue will be what to do with all those tomatoes?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

As rain barrels become an important part of the garden landscape it can only be expected that they will become magnets for water-loving mosquitoes. In fact, with the phenomenal growth of rain barrels it should signal a disturbing trend that the mosquito population is set to explode.

Mosquitoes love any body of water that remains still long enough for them to release their larvae. Therefore it can only be expected that rain barrels will become a soft target for these pests to multiply. The water collects from your roof via downpipes and is then stored in these water drums to be used at a time that is most probably not regular. This source of water then becomes the best possible breeding ground a mosquito could wish for.

While I've discussed some mosquito control methods before here on GTNI, when it comes to rain barrels there needs to be different solutions - tipping the water out regularly kind of defeats the purpose. So, how can rain barrels and water storage exist without creating a habitat for man's most deadly insect? Easy...here's some gardening tips that should keep them out of your water storage drums forever.

1. Add a goldfish - small goldfish love mosquito larvae almost as much as we love chocolate. So why not add one, perhaps two, to each rain barrel. Provided they still have enough air - in other words don't lock off the top of the barrel - keeping a goldfish in your drums should be quite a simple task.

   The benefit is twofold; 1). the fish will devour the larvae as soon as they are laid reducing your fish feeding bill, and 2). the ammonia excreted from the fish will produce beneficial nitrogen for your soil.

2. Produce an oil slick - we all saw how effective the Exxon Valdez spill was at killing wildlife, well the same principle applies here. Providing the water level in your rain barrels can be kept above the output spouts you can pour a layer of oil (preferably food-grade) on top of the water. This acts as a shield for insects getting into your barrels and laying their eggs plus if any eggs do survive they will soon die once they begin to develop into the larvae stage.

   One important note, don't combine this method of mosquito control with the one above. The oil slick will stop the water being aerated and the fish will eventually die.

3. Cover the intake with a filter - if the other two methods seem a little too bizarre for your liking then covering the intake is possibly the next best thing. A pair of nylon pantyhose should do the trick as they are fine enough to stop mosquito infestations but will still allow the water to seep through and collect in the barrels.

   The downside of this method is that the filter will need to be checked often to ensure that they aren't breaking down or that holes aren't being produced. Even the smallest hole in these can become an access point for mosquitoes and their larvae.

4. Chemical larvicides - microbial larvicides are a chemical solution to the problem. If the three options listed above don't seem to deal with your problem, or if you're looking for an easy fix, then larvicides may be your next best option. Granular forms are most likely to be available at your local hardware or garden store and should be added as per the directions at times when mosquito activity is at its peak.

   As with most chemical solutions it is only a matter of time until mosquitoes build up an immunity to these and they become ineffective or stronger. My advice would be to only use these if you can't find any resolution with the other ideas.

5. Mosquito Dunks - these are just a glorified form of larvicide making insertion easier for the user. They perform the same result as the method listed above but are more convenient in their packaging.

Hopefully one of these methods will work for your situation and help control mosquitoes breeding in your yard.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (7)

There's nothing quite like an economic downturn for people to once again consider gardening - especially growing their own money-saving fruit and vegetables. Reports are rife of nurseries selling out of much of their productive plants and seedlings and seed sales have doubled on past years as gardening newbs look for ways to cut costs.

It's an interesting dilemma because most people haven't the foggiest idea of what they're doing in the garden. Interesting because it provides opportunities for those of us who love to help other gardeners, especially those whose green thumbs are most likely to be a shade of brown rather than green.

In the above article, Ellen Simon wrote;

While some vegetables, like salad greens, are nearly effortless, others, like celery, present a challenge. New gardeners often don't what it takes for a plant to survive, said Ryan Schmitt, greenhouse manager at The Flower Bin in Longmont, Colo. "Most people get the water thing, but sun and food, they often forget."

New vegetable gardeners are packing classes from Skillins Greenhouses in Falmouth, Maine to Love Apple Farm in Ben Lomond, Calif.

"If I think of a name of a class, I'll give it and people will come," said Cynthia Sandberg, owner of Love Apple Farm. "People will drive three hours for these classes. It's not because of me, it's because they want to learn."

Burpee's eight-person horticulturist hotline at the company's Warminster, Penn. headquarters has been overwhelmed with calls from gardeners trying to learn the basics of soil acidity and seed starting. Absolute beginners visiting nurseries occasionally ask questions like, "Oh, tomatoes are a plant?" said Schmitt at the Flower Bin. "That's usually followed by, 'Oh, I can grow that?' "

"It's a teaching moment," Schmitt said. "I can fill them with the right information."

The circle of life for many of these gardeners would go something like this;

While the growth of gardening as a hobby may give some gardeners warm-fuzzies and fill nursery checkouts for a time, it seems that many who start will inevitably add it to the many things they've tried and given up on. It will be no surprise to find the garden hoe in the same closet as the Tupperware sales kit and the aerobic AirWalker.

The challenge is how do we help people become successful gardeners? And should we even be responsible for their success?

My take on this is that we ought to somehow find ways to invest in these gardening newbies. Their success is inevitably ours. The more gardeners on the scene, the more interesting plant options we're likely to see in the future. Plant growers are likely to take more risks if the financial benefits are plausible plus they might become more accountable to producing higher quality plants.

Plus, the knowledge pool increases as more and more gardeners attempt new methods and processes and invent better ways of doing things. This can only be a good thing for our gardening hobby.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

It wasn't that long ago that I read posts condemning our hobby to the compost heap. I even wrote a few of my own, highlighting how people were turning away from gardens and becoming less dependent on the soil.

Well, if these articles (here and here) are anything to go by we should have no fear that gardening will be around for some time yet.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

The way I see it, there are three main types of gardener - the Starter, the Finisher or the Maintainer. And while many of us well-rounded gardeners - ahem!! excuse my while I barf - think we are truly the embodiment of all three, each of us tend primarily to one of them. We may display characteristics of all three but when 'push comes to shove' we find that one of them truly characterizes our gardening behaviour.

So let's explore all three and see whether we can associate with any one in particular.

1. The Garden Starter

The Starter is a gardener who becomes empassioned for new projects. They love to pioneer new areas within their garden or take on a task that requires an inordinate amount of inspiration and creativity. In fact, if a Starter is unable to find something new to create within their garden they can easily become distracted or even bored with their garden.

Now, we all know that every gardener starts new things in their garden. A new flowering border, some landscaping that needs to be solved or a project to enhance different elements of the garden. Yet the difference between someone who is a Starter and other gardeners is that they truly find limited joy in the other two types of gardening behaviour.

A Starter is usually a bad Maintainer. When confronted with a sick plant they view it as an opportunity to replace it rather than revive it. Fertilising is only performed when a plant is dug into the soil and weeding is seen as the antithesis of gardening as a hobby.

And they are also bad Finishers. Most of their projects get half-completed and another is started because "it was becoming a little boring".

You can always tell whether a gardener is a Starter by taking a tour through their garden with them. Rather than spend copious amounts of time enjoying the plant specimens, the Starter will be quick to show you their plans for the future. A new garden bed here; a water feature there; and that area in the back is going to be an amazing [Starter's add your own project here].

2. The Garden Maintainer

Where would we be without the Maintainers? This behavioural tendency is best displayed by those who love to topiary. If you get any satisfaction from clipping and shaping a hedge, and doing it more than once, then you're most likely a garden Maintainer.

Maintainers love to keep the garden looking at its prime. Lawns are manicured, hedges are uniformly trimmed and flowering perennials are dead-headed daily. Now this may be the extreme Maintainer but if you can associate with keeping your garden at a level of some perfection then you probably fit into the Maintainer category - although most Maintainers don't think there are categories to fit into!

The Maintainer usually struggles to be creative by themselves and will often draw on other gardener's inspiration for new projects. And while they may actually do a better job than the Starter their projects will usually lack the flair and charisma that Starters can produce.

Maintainers usually aren't good Finishers either. They can often balk at projects or plant specimens that require some extra oomph! to get them completed and would rather cover them up with something that can easily be maintained than work at finishing them.

3. The Garden Finisher

The final persona to discuss is the Finisher - the clean-up guy! A Finisher is usually a gardener that loves to come into a garden or landscaping project towards the end rather than the start. They will most often buy an established home with gardens that need renovating rather than a house that is just sand and builder's rubble.

The Finisher takes great delight in bringing completion to the garden. No new projects are started without every other task completed and put to rest. When you take a tour with this type of gardener they will most likely discuss what has been done in the garden than what is likely to happen in the future.

Finishers are pretty good at maintenance though not to the same level as a Maintainer. They see maintenance as a finishing task rather than just the upkeep of a beautiful garden. Their lawns are mowed regularly because that's how lawns are supposed to be finished. Hedges might be trimmed if that is part of the garden style but you will never find Finishers shaping a topiary.

Yet, with all their skills as Finishers and their ability maintain gardens they struggle to start gardens. They will often look at a blank canvas with a similar blank view not knowing where to start or what to do.

Conclusion

Me, I'm a bona-fide Starter. I suck at maintaining the garden and there are more than one project that could do with a little finishing. But, I'm starting to acknowledge my gardening strengths and weaknesses - honing the strengths and working on the weaknesses.

It's the part of me that truly enjoys reading gardening blogs. There are some gardeners who are awesome Maintainers who make me feel guilty inspire me to continue with my struggling plants or achieve a higher level of excellence within my own garden. Likewise there are some great Finishers who can enthuse me about finally completing some of my projects - so that I can go and start new ones, of course.

So which type of gardener are you - a Starter, Finisher or Maintainer?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (11)

Let's be honest, most people these days garden (verb) because they have to not because they want to. Perhaps it starts out as a hobby (like jogging or stamp collecting - who does these things?) or they inherit some semblance of garden and get romantic notions upkeeping or developing it.

But in the main, gardening is pure hard work.

I was intrigued when I read the title of this post, Gardening is a wonderful way to relax but two paragraphs in I was already building up a sweat. Growing veggies to supplement my food bills; undertaking a passionate homemade spaghetti sauce - what's so relaxing about that?

I actually think this is the biggest lie that Gardening media purports. All we see are the backyards renovated in a weekend or ladies in sunhats smelling the scent from freshly picked roses. Where are the backbreaking images of people removing rocks from their soon-to-be veggie patches? Or the sunburnt faces of people who've spent all day weeding their annual borders?

No people, gardening is no picnic. It's blood, sweat and tears. Years of passion dried up by failures and plants that didn't want to cooperate. Soil that looked so good on the surface but then revealed its ugly secrets the moment you drove a spade into it.

The title of the post should have been "A Garden CAN BE a great place to relax" for once all the work's been done it's the perfect location to sit and enjoy yourself. You can then appreciate all the effort that went into creating those garden beds, or the fruit ripening on the trees that took you years to grow. The veggies don't look so magazine-perfect but the sense of pride the envelops you as your scan your patch makes you fall in love with them as though they were your own children.

Anyone who tells you that gardening is a great way to relax - isn't a gardener! They might have a garden but they probably didn't create it. Gardeners understand relaxation comes after the gardening has happened.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (15)

1. The more it gets working, the more it begins to smell
2. Long periods of sitting around doing nothing are parenthesized by short bursts of activity
3. It devours seemingly non-edible foodstuffs with inanimate ease
4. Just when you think it looks HOT it lets off gas
5. It needs to be turned and prodded to get it working
6. It's preferred habitat is outdoors and within close proximity to the shed
7. Worms and bugs crawling all over it doesn't seem to bother it - in fact, it seems to attract them
8. No matter how much you water it, it still stinks!
9. If you spread it too thin it has very little benefit
10. However, it does keep getting better with age

For those who were looking for something a little more related to compost (ie. serious stuff!) then you could check out some of my past posts on how to compost, a review of the humble compost tumbler or how to make compost bins.

This was just a little fun. Hope you got a giggle from it...

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

Potpourri has always been synonymous with moth balls, smelling salts and basically anything 'grandmotherly'. You could open any drawer in the guest bedroom and guarantee a small spray of the stuff. And if that wasn't enough it was common to find a small glass jar on the bedside table with freshly scented petals wafting through the room.

But potpourri has seemingly come of age and enjoying a renewed zest (pun fully intended!) of life. The resurgence, it appears, is motivated by consumers who desire natural fragrances in their homes rather than those crafted in little bottles or contained in spray cans.

Potpourri literally means 'rot pot' and explains their composition but also their purpose. In the days when 'air fresheners' weren't readily available and odours were much closer to us than they are today - think bed chamber pots - it was essential to mask these vile smells hence the invention of potpourri.

Today, however, they're not needed nearly as much as they were then but interest in these powerful deodorisers is growing. Rarely could one frequent the local markets without at one stall peddling a range of potpourris and fragrant petal mixtures retail giants are getting on the band wagon as well. Plus, the aesthetics of these combos are sheer delight with hues and tones contrasting brilliantly.

So, as exciting as it may be to go and buy some potpourri from your local market or retail big box...I'm sure you will find it even more enticing creating your own. And if the products all come from your own garden how much better would that be?

Here's what you need;

• Dried Petals


• Dried Herbs & Spices


• Dried Fruit & Citrus Peels


• Fixatives


• Fillers


• Essential Oils

Dried Petals

Rose petals are the most oft used petals in potpourri but they don't have to be. In fact any petal that can withstand the drying process and still has some colour and shape about it can be used in making your own potpourris.

Marigolds, calendulas, delphiniums, English stocks, snapdragons, asters, magnolias, lavatera, tibouchina, scented geraniums...ya-da, ya-da ... the list could go on endlessly. The key is finding petals that will add some colour and texture to the mix without looking like it's trying too hard.

Roses are obviously the best choice for colour and petal strength and these can be dried whole hanging upside down in a cool, dry area of the house. If you're only making small mixes then individually drying each petal on blotting paper will also do the trick.

Dried Herbs & Spices

While most of your petals, with the exception of roses, won't hold any fragrance of their own once dried, herbs and spices become very aromatic once their moisture has been removed. Cinnamon quills, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, juniper berries and unground mace can all add some extra texture to the mix as well as marrying some very romantic flavours.

In the herb department lavender, sage, rosemary and fennel and dill umbellifers will add some much needed grace and charm to your potpourri.

If you have these growing in your garden then pick a bundle when they are at their peak and allow to hang dry in an airy spot away from the elements. When they're crinkly dry they can be kept in airtight containers until required.

Dried Fruit & Citrus Peels

Fruit can also be a great addition to your potpourri mix. Citrus can have many uses either as dried peel, dried lemon or orange slices or even whole lim