But garden photos are just another image unless you take the time, and effort, to craft them into something wonderful. Here are a few resources and tips to help make yours the standout success that you desire.

Freep.com have a great article titled "How to blossom into a pro when shooting photos in your garden". Rob Cardillo, introduced to us by GardenRant, offers us a few tips to enhance our garden photos.

• Take care with lighting: "It will enable you to make an extraordinary picture out of an ordinary subject"


• Think three, five and other odd numbers: Three or five flowers are easier on the eye, which likes triangles inside square frames.


• Use a tripod: It will keep things steady and create background and depth.


• "Wander without purpose" around your subjects: If you shoot in a public garden or at a flower show, lose the crowd and look for an unexpected view.


• Consider your garden a sculpture: In other words, something to be admired from every angle.


• Be patient and flexible: you still have to shoot 10,000 pictures before you understand what makes a great photograph.

If you're interested in taking landscape photos then this post I wrote earlier may hold some keys for you as well.

Dean Fosdick, from WTOP.com, gives us some practical uses for the garden photos we take.

• Record-keeping. A picture really is worth a thousand words, especially if you're keeping a journal or diary tracking the gardening changes you've made season by season.


• Landscape ideas. Visit public gardens or tour well-tended neighborhoods to record designs, colors, patterns or plant combinations you like.


• Identification. Document changes in plant maturity as you would a child's growth spurts


• Memory prompt. Collect images of your garden through the seasons to identify empty spaces and perennial sites.


• Photograph the plants that worked well and those that didn't. Build on your successes and avoid repeating the failures.


• Succession planting. It can help you design your garden a different way each year.


• Inventories. A photographic record of your tools, implements, garden furniture, yard art and outbuildings


• Wildlife pictures. Photographers often pursue images of plants and critters at the same time.


• Fine art. Look at published garden pictures. Study (the) paintings of classic artists. Then try to make something similar.

Once you have these awesome garden photos, what do you do with them? Apart from the obvious print them out and then scrapbook them for posterity there are some online tools that may help you organize them an even give you a place to show them off. Some sites worth looking at are;

• Flickr - almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world


• SmugMug - A company that backs up your photos to three data centers across the U.S.


• DropShots - Next Generation Photo and Video Sharing

For those with cameras built into their mobile phones there are new technologies that are clamouring to make it possible to upload your photos. One such app is the Eye-Fi created for Apple's iPhone.

My normal gardening activity sees me move around the garden deadheading, pruning and weeding leaving little piles of refuse everywhere. Sometimes I cart around my wheelbarrow but more often than not it's full of compost or soil or some other project resource. So the little piles grow and remain until I can be bothered returning to pick them up - or my wife gently nudges me with "When are those rubbish piles going to move, Stuart?"

So, I took my new collapsible container for a test run in the garden yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it easy to maneouvre and carry it was also incredibly sturdy and strong enough to carry my edgings and summer prunings. At the end of my gardening tasks it was just as easy to carry the container over to the compost bins and empty - a vast improvement on trying to lift it out of the wheelbarrow with a garden fork.

As I was testing it out, I contemplated the features that impressed me most about this new garden tool. Obviously the "collapsible" thing was a standout winner. Being able to collapse the container when storing it makes it ideal for my limited garden shed. Plus, another neat bonus was that as I was kneeling on the ground picking out weeds, reaching into the bag was effortless - it just collapsed and folded down and then instantly sprang back.

What would I look for if I were going to buy one of these?

1. A handle at the bottom - this is such a helpful addition when you're trying to discard the waste into your compost bins.
2. Solid woven spring - it's the quality of the springed wire woven into the side of the bag that makes it the useful container that it is.
3. Buy one without a lid - I honestly can't see the purpose of this tool having a lid. It would make it too easy to zip up and leave laying around without emptying it, which kind of defeats the purpose - right?
4. Colour - very, very important! Presently, they only seem to come in khaki or black but I'm hoping that some manufacturers may produce these in fashionable prints or at least some more individual colours. Is that too much to expect?
5. Solid base - mine only has a canvas base which should be more than adequate for how I plan to use it. However, if you wanted to get more from your container then I would suggest that a solid base might be a good idea.
6. Canvas/Woven sides - if you're hoping to get a few years out of this garden tool then I would steer clear of the cheap plastic options. Woven sides should last the distance and if looked after may even give you 5 - 10 years at a minimum.

If you don't have a collapsible container for your garden yet then I would seriously suggest you consider it. It is probably the best tool to emerge in the garden over the past few years and will come in very handy for years to come.

But, don't make the mistake of writing them off either. The Hebe, sometimes bundled in with the Veronica family, is a plant that deserves far more attention than it receives.

The reason for its omission on the front cover of gardening magazines is due primarily to its ovate foliage. Can you recall the last stunner that possessed ovate leaves? They're the shape that kids draw when they first start depicting plants with leaves and, quite honestly, hold very little appeal to the masses.

Hebe flowers aren't anything to write home about either. While they're certainly pretty enough and hold some attraction for bees and butterflies they don't last long and look hideous when they've finished performing against many of the other stunning blooms. And dead-heading them to encourage a second flourish just doesn't seem worth the time, or the effort.

No, hebes were destined to be the "poor cousin" to your standard, floribunda roses, fragrant gardenias and impressive magnolias.

Yet with new hybrids starting to enter the market, the plain-Jane hebe may see a rejuvenated acceptance, possibly - dare I say it - desire, amongst gardeners. Their foliage is improving with more elongated ovate leaves and some, like my H. "Mary Antoinette", offering burgundy undersides which look amazing contrasted against the deep green leaf. Even the flower colour is deepening from vivid whites through magenta pinks and dark purples.

Hebe Plant Care & Management Tips

If you've gone ahead and put a couple of these in the garden or ordered a few varieties through your local nursery, you will need to know how to keep them looking their best.

• They will grow great either in containers or directly in garden beds
• Apart from frost-prone areas, you can grow hebes in almost any climactic region - even tropical
• They aren't susceptible to many pests or disease and are virtually maintenance free
• The hebe plant's one major drawback is its inate desire to become 'leggy'. After each flourish of blooms it's recommended that you cut it back by about a third for it to retain its compact shape.
• Hebes prefer well-drained, slightly acidic soil but still do well in those coastal alkaline sands - go figure!
• Propagating hebes can easily be achieved through semi-hardwood cuttings taken at the end of summer

Culinary Uses

1. Infused oils - garlic oil is so easy to make yet it is such an amazing resource to have in the kitchen. Peel 2-3 cloves, pressing them gently against the back of your knife on a chopping board to release their flavour, and drop them into a small glass jar with about 500ml of extra virgin olive oil.


2. Garlic bread - it's incredible how popular this item is in restaurants and kitchens all over the world. All it takes is some pre-softened butter with a few crushed cloves of garlic, lemon juice and finely chopped parsley and you're onto a winner. Spread it onto some bread and throw it in the oven or on a char griller and in moments you will have a delicious entree.


3. Flavouring for sauces and dishes - there aren't too many dishes that can't accept garlic as a flavour enhancer. Pasta, roasts, casseroles and their accompanying sauces can all lift with the addition of this herb.

Garlic for Health
4. Acne problems - supposedly, rubbing your skin with cloves off garlic can reduce pimples and acne problems.


5. Regulate blood - it has also been shown that regular intakes of garlic can regulate the blood helping to improve coronary issues


6. Ward off and fight the common cold - while it's never actually been proven, there are certainly enough 'old-wives -tales' to consider at least trying it.

Garlic as a Decoration
7. Braiding - braided garlic hanging in your kitchen is such a great ornament - and useful too. Here's a post on how to braid garlic.

Planting Garlic
8. Companion planting - obviously garlic is best when it's in the garden and it excels when used as a companion plant for roses and other vegetables.


9. Growing garlic as a vegetable/herb - here's a post on planting garlic

Garlic Sprays
10. Organic pesticides - garlic's natural repelling tendencies leans itself to being a great pesticide that you make at home. Here's a recipe that you can use in your own garden.


11. Insect repellants - the above link also offers some ideas for how to use garlic as an insect repellant to spray on yourself and your family and pets.

De-Ice Roads
12. Melting snow and ice - mixed with salt, garlic can be used as powerful de-icer

Aphrodisiac?
13. Improve your love life - while halitosis and odorous sweat glands are worth considering when conusing too much garlic, tests in rats have proven to increase testosterone levels so maybe there is some correlation with garlic and your love life.

Could you do it?

At this point you're probably thinking that it's a relatively easy assignment. You've got last year's bulbs in storage, you managed to keep a few of your favourite seeds and the garden tool rack, while modest, allows you to achieve most gardening tasks.

But I want you to think deeper than that. Skimming the surface may help you for the first month or two but it won't sustain your garden over a whole year.

So, to start off with this challenge you need to think back over the past 12 months and assess your purchases. Let's make a list;

• Fertiliser
• Pesticides (organic or chemical)
• Fuel and oil for your lawn mower
• Cord for your line trimmer
• Stakes for your vegetables and plants - and the string as well
• Potted annuals, vegetable seeds and new spring bulbs
• Mulch
• Manures
• Replacement tools
• Soluble minerals
• Gardening books and/or magazines
• Garden club membership fees
• Entry fees to open gardens or botanical gardens
• Garden whimsy
• Potting soil and containers

How did you fare? Is it still an achievable task? For me, the glaringly obvious one was fuel for my mower. While I've reduced my lawn size by about 50% over the past year I still have some that I manicure and enjoy. Without fuel, my lawn would become unwieldy.

I find this an interesting hypothetical because if we were to embrace it it would force us to problem solve outside of ourselves. We would begin to depend on other gardeners for tools, seed-exchanges, and bartering of other resources. Our own natural resources (composts etc) would become much more important and perhaps we could visit the big-box outlets a little less this year.

So, would you be able to do it? Could 2009 be a year where not a single cent could be spent to sustain your garden?

• 18 Awesome Garden Water Fountains
• Decorative Pebbles: Finite resource raping developing nations
• Blossom-end Rot: Why does it happen to my tomatoes?
• 21 Skills Every Gardener Should Have
• Frangipani cuttings: How to grow
• Coastal plants show their secrets

• Useful facts on ladybugs
• How to care for your Bougainvillea
• Hydrangea flowers are our soil's litmus paper
• Growing Garlic One Season at a Time

• How's going green, going?
• Jesus: The Ultimate Gardener (Easter Special)
• How to make hanging flower baskets
• What could be the worst thing to find in your garden?
• The many benefits of sheep manure

• 21 of the World's Best Topiaries
• Where to find FREE rocks for your garden
• 51 things to do in the garden in 20 minutes or less
• A list of vegetables to grow in your garden veggie patch
• Start a beautiful flower garden for less than $5
• Baby Calf grows inside Award-Winning Giant Pumpkin (April Fool's Day Post)

• Make Potpourri from your garden
• 21 Tools Every Gardener Should Have
• Would you have a NUDE statue in your garden?
• Why solar garden lights won't keep you up at night
• Growing herbs for cooking

• Planting avocado seeds: A step-by-step guide
• 3 easy steps to growing perfect tomatoes
• Keeping Mosquitoes out of your Rain Barrels
• Are you a Garden Starter, Finisher or Maintainer?

• Vegetables that MUST be organic
• Pruning rose bushes: Is there a correct way?
• 13 natural plants for headache relief
• Organically ridding fruit flies from your precious fruit
• Starting a DIY Vertical Garden
• The secret of human hair in the garden

• Create a Keyhole Garden
• Why most garden statues suck...and how to fix them
• 10 Benefits of growing a Palm Tree
• Butterfly Facts: What do Butterflies eat?
• Thyme management: An herb for every occasion

• How to use magazine gardens for inspiration
• Tips on how to buy trees
• Front Yard Makeover
• Is it okay to re-gift plants?

• Recession-Proof Gardening
• How to care for a bromeliad plant
• 10 Reasons New Plants Die
• How to: Soak well installation
• The Life-Cycle of a Gardener
• 11 Garden Paths and Pathway Ideas

• Is Free Mulch Worth It?
• The reuse of potting soil debate rages
• Repotting plants the easy way
• Flower bulbs: planting for spring
• How to grow potatoes

• How to prepare the garden for a rental inspection
• Growing herbs indoors
• Is garden insurance worth it?
• How to care for a Rhododendron plant
• DIY Garden Brick Edging

On this day three years ago I set about to dominate join the online gardening world. My plans were to take over the world, make some quick bucks and flog my blog off to the highest bidder. As you can see, Plan B became far more enticing.

Not long into my blogging experience I began to meet ... people. Apparently there are other human beings connected to computers all over the world. These are REAL, living persons rather than the androids I expected. They took an interest in what I wrote - or they were just being friendly - and it wasn't long before friendships were being forged across the oceans.

They commented on my blog, I would sometimes reciprocate. They would send me emails, I would often lose them in the myriad of junk mail my inbox collected. Yet, these people persisted and this blog has grown.

Now, I'm not going to bore you with stats because I've come to the realisation that quantity is a poor cousin to quality. But, I can assure you that my pageviews are still increasing, comments are growing and new subscribers are joining all the time.

Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you...yes, YOU! Don't look around or behind you, I'm pointing to YOU. Without you, my faithful subscriber/reader/commenter/twitter-follower, this blog wouldn't have passed its first year, let alone three of them. My blog's success is purely because of YOU.

As I have done for my past birthday celebrations, I've honoured those readers who have taken the time to comment by compiling a list of the Top 10. This year, however, I'm going to increase that number to twenty. Thanks for your words of encouragement, challenges, debates and inspiration.

1. 80 - Nancy Bond Soliloquy
2. 62 - jodi Bloomingwriter
3. 41 - Frances Fairegarden
4. 32 - Helen The Patient Gardener's Weblog
5. 31 - Racquel Perennial Garden Lover
6. 30 - Barbee' Barbee's Blog
7. 30 - Crafty Gardener Crafty Gardener
8. 30 - Linda Garden Girl
9. 27 - LetsPlant A Yard in Fort Pierce
10. 27 - VP Veg Plotting
11. 27 - Robin Robin's Nesting Place
12. 26 - Esther Montgomery Esther in the Garden
13. 26 - Cinj Cinj's Chat Room
14. 25 - Pam Digging
15. 25 - Anna FlowerGardenGirl
16. 24 - Mr. McGregor's Daughter Mr. McGregor's Daughter
17. 21 - Lin (Southern CA, U.S.)
18. 20 - Sylvia (England)
19. 17 - Joy GardenJoy4Me
20. 17 - Our Friend Ben Poor Richard's Alamanac

We spent 5 days lolling around Mandurah; crabbing, eating (bordering on 'over-consuming'), playing with the kids, water skiing and trying to do as little as possible. It is always a precious time when you get away with the loves of your life and take respite from our very busy schedule.

The photo above is of a Rose-breasted Cockatoo (we call them Pink & Grey Galahs). They are foragers and are happy to strut around on the ground looking for a free feed. We obliged by giving him, and his mates, some bird seed and enjoyed watching the spectacle with our fascinated children.

I'm looking forward to getting into the garden again, now we're home, and shall post more soon.

We're off to Mandurah (160km north of Busselton) for the next six days so I won't be posting again until I get back. Until then I hope you have a lovely break and look forward to seeing you all back here in 2009.

Merry Christmas!

I would get the outdoors assignment, which suited me fine, but looking after a rental garden is hardly a dream come true - if you know what I mean. I didn't want to spend a fortune keeping someone else's asset ship-shape but then again I did want to leave our rental having improved it somehow.

So I devised a mental checklist that assisted me in the garden before our rental inspection became due. Here are some things that I put in place;

1. Mow the lawns 2 days prior - if you mow it on the day, or even a day before, brown spots will show because where you cut it probably hasn't seen the light of day for a few weeks. Mow it two days before will give you a chance to water it twice (each day) before the inspection and allow some green to come back.

   If you mow it out of its growing season, raise the height of the blades so that you are only cutting the very tips of the lawn.

2. Effortlessly rid the garden beds of weeds - RoundUp™ will become your new best friend, especially if couch grass has invaded the beds. Spray the weeds one week out from your inspection and they should have started to die back in time.
3. Then mulch your garden beds - mulch is the perfect weed suppressant for most weeds. It won't halt couch but most of your other insidious plants will be stopped dead in their tracks. Plus, landscape mulch can often be sourced for free, or very cheaply.
4. Plant some cheap annuals - landlords always like to see renters who take a little initiative when looking after the gardens. For $20 you could easily add some colour into the garden without too much effort. Snapdragons, pansies, petunias are great colour additions that will brighten the most drab garden beds.
5. Invest in some containers and hanging baskets - mobile gardening is the mantra of gardeners who rent. You can instantly increase your garden without having to spend money on someone else's property. Start gardening in containers and hanging baskets and you will be able to enhance the owner's property while you rent but take it all with you when you leave.
6. Buy yourself a garden vacuum - keeping paths and driveways neat and tidy is one expectation that a landlord will have upon inspection. You could manually sweep it with a broom, show your eco ignorance by hosing it down with precious water, or vacuum them with one of the many power blower vacs available. On vacuum setting, you could even keep the plant materials - leaves and twigs - for composting.
7. Prune some of your bigger plants - for the renter who does gardening out of necessity rather than has a passion for it, this task may seem really daunting. The rule of thumb is this;

   If it's flowering, leave it alone. If it's dead, rip it out. Otherwise, prune it back by a third.

   If you stick to this you shouldn't have too many problems and your plants will love you for it.

This checklist should keep you in good stead with the landlord and make your rental inspection a breeze. Here's to passing it with flying colours...

Anyway, that week has finished and I'm now sitting here relaxing and about to hit the garden this arvo. But first things first. I had promised both Ewa and Carol, the instigator of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, that I would post pics from my garden for this month's meme.

The pics had to be delayed by a few hours due to rain but as you will see this has had a wonderful effect on the blooms. So without any further adoo, here they are (click on the image to see it enlarged);

Lady Bug on Dusty Miller

Penstemon "Husker's Red"

Arctotis "Red Magic"

Juncis kraussii "Sea Rush"

Anigozanthos sp. "Kangaroo Paws"

Lavandula sp.

The rest of the blooms have been uploaded to my Flickr account so you can see them there.

Twitter is micro-blogging (basically blogging for the non-blogger). You get 140 characters to share tips, link to your posts, promote others, talk about your cat heaving furballs and ask for parenting advice. It's a fun way to keep in touch and see how others are spending their time - though it's not always necessary to do so.

For me, it's a whole new experience as I've only started to understand it in the past few weeks - not that I'm claiming that I totally understand it. In fact, 8 months ago I berated the service as being of little or no value. Why the change of heart? I guess it's because it's grown on me.

Twitter has finally found a nook in my online space because I see it as a great way to keep up with other online gardeners. If you were ever a fan of IM then you're going to love this tool.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bussogardener.

They lean towards the greater outdoors like a cat waiting to be let out but if you give in and take them outside they'll cry to be let back in. Aaargh! Can there be any level of success in growing these plants inside your home?

Sure there can be. Yet, I guess the most important consideration for growing herbs indoors successfully is that they require more of you when grown inside. The set-and-forget mentality with outdoor herbs just won't work and if it does then the results are more spasmodic than reliable.

Here are the some considerations for growing herbs indoors, in order of relevance;

1. They need a light source - sunlight is by far the cheapest form of light for your herbs but they can grow just as well under grow lights. If you opt for sunlight then finding a location within your house where they can access between 4-6 hours of sunlight per day is recommended. For those living north of the equator, a south facing window is ideal while the obverse is a northern aspect in the southern hemisphere.
2. Water less - when growing herbs inside they don't suffer from the effects of evaporation quite as much as their outdoor counterparts. Overwatering is the main culprit for the demise of indoor herbs as plants struggle to deal with the excess moisture and problems associated with it.
3. Keep them away from draughts - most herbs are fragile in their structure so extreme weather changes will affect them adversely. Therefore, keep them away from doors that are open and shut constantly or windows where draughts are unstoppable.
4. Feeding - your indoor herbs will require more nutrient than when growing outside because they have much more to contend with. Feed them with a foliar spray fertiliser every 4-6 weeks at least and if you're using them regularly then increase this to 2-3 weeks
5. Use with restraint - indoor herbs don't have the same growth rate or ability to bounce back like they did when they were growing in your garden beds so don't over use them. Always cut from the edges and leave a good deal of growing material so that the plant is able to continue growing. If you require more herbs then grow more.

So, now that you have all this sorted and feel ready to embark on growing herbs indoors again, the next question becomes which herbs grow well inside? Here a few to get you started;

• Chives - Allium schoenoprasum
• Marjoram - Origanum majorana
• Oregano - Origanum vulgarie
• Coriander - Coriandrum sativum
• Thyme - Thymus sp.
• Tarragon - Artemisia dracunculus
• Chervil - Anthriscus cerefolium
• Parsley - Petroselinum sp.
• Valerian - Valeriana officinalis
• Mint - Mentha sp.
• Roman Chamomile - Chamaemelum nobile
• Borage - Borago officinalis

Most gardeners grow herbs indoors for their culinary value but growing herbs for their aesthetics and medicinal purposes are equally as worthwhile.

$300. $3000. Or perhaps $30,000. Sure, it's priceless because you can't add your blood, sweat and tears to the mix nor are 30-year-old trees readily available from your local nursery. And garden insurance can't insure you for any of that.

Yet consider what would happen to your garden should a bushfire, hurricane or other natural disaster reduce your gardening efforts to a glorified junk pile. The sheer devastation and angst would be unbearable knowing that you would have to rebuild it and you possibly wouldn't have the money on hand for a timely fix.

Now, let me ask the question again, "Is garden insurance worth it?"

Possibly these thoughts have been entertained in your mind before and you've reconciled yourself that in such an event you will just have to rebuild...regardless of the time frame and cost. But, it's conceivable that you've never considered such an outcome and this post has now got put this item on your Top Ten Fears list just above Global Terrorism.

Before you panic and start ringing every insurer looking for the cheapest plan you may want to check your current home policy. Some companies already include your yard and garden items (including tools, sheds, plants, trees and even garden ornaments) in your home insurance with minimal excess rates. They may even cover vandalism and theft by those well-meaning party guests who decided your prized garden gnome (now there's an oxymoron) was indeed a prize.

If it doesn't then you might want to resume your first response and panic and start ringing every insurer looking for the cheapest plan.

Before you do though, there are a couple of items you need to consider before signing up;

1. Does the insurance plan cover natural disasters? If it doesn't then you're probably wasting your time and money as this is the biggest cause of garden damage.
2. Is the excess greater than the risk of losing a few plants? For instance, if a storm came through your property and felled your large 30+-year-old tree would a replacement be cheaper than the policy excess? If so, keep your money.
3. Does the policy include debris removal costs? No? Find one that does because this is going to be a huge cost by the time you employ tree loppers, earth-movers etc.
4. Will your garden insurance cover theft and vandalism? As sad as it may sound this is 'up there' with the top reasons people claim on insurance policies. Grass trees have become the fashion accessory here in Oz and at $500 per tree are also becoming the folly of garden thieves.

I guess the point of this post is not to scare-monger but to at least get you thinking about possible disasters and how you may handle them. Taking out garden insurance is one option but it's not the only path to take.

But this time I had a plan. I wasn't about to let this insidious activity spoil any more of my plants. I had to make a stand.

So, through the advice of a horticulturalist friend I decided to give some soil wetting agents a try. Admittedly, I've been a cynic when anyone has discussed these in a glowing light because they're marketed in the same vein as Demtel products: a cure-all that instantly fixes your gardening problems.

The problem wasn't that my plants were drinking too much, it was that they weren't drinking enough. The soil in some parts of the garden had become repellent to water and my plants were suffering overtly.

Normally I would use, and espouse the use of, compost to organically rectify the soil's problems but with my compost heap still about 2-3 weeks away and the days getting ever hotter, I wasn't prepared to wait it out. These plants needed an immediate fix.

I wanted to test this product out before I applied it to a half dozen plants and make sure that it was going to work. So, I mounded up a well around the base of one of my worst affected plants and filled the mound completely with water. And I watched, and waited... and watched, and waited...but nothing. The water just pooled there and even when I tried to stir the water in with the soil they repelled each other like mixing water and oil.

Then I scooped the water back out of the mound and applied some of the soil wetting agent and filled the well up again. Within a minute, I kid you not, all the water had soaked into the soil - all of it. I filled the well up again, and even faster this time, it saturated the ground. I was completely amazed. This product DID work!

I repeated the process on the rest of my struggling plants and sure enough they all worked the same. This was a God-send. I could now relax knowing that my plants were going to receive the moisture they needed through this harsh summer.

And, I'm happy to tell you - they no longer have a drinking problem.