How conversations with my daughter help me learn about nature My children are the greatest conduit to Mother Nature that I have ever known. They constantly ask questions that I don’t know the answer to. My response? I don’t know. Let’s see if we can find out… Today’s question happened after my daughter announced that she… Continue reading The Moth Who Flapped her Wings

Why it’s okay to feed birds in your Australian garden and how to make it a guiltfree practice. It’s a thing that seems uniquely Australian. An extremely negative reaction to feeding the birds. Overseas it’s accepted practice. It’s even encouraged during long, cold winters. Not so in our sunburnt country. The reasoning? They’ll become reliant… Continue reading Why I can’t stop feeding the birds…

The Doctrine of Signatures is a fascinating concept. It is a theory with ancient roots which proposes that plants show their medicinal properties through their structure, mimicking the body part that consumption treats. The carrot is an excellent example. Carrots are good for eye health and look like the iris and pupil when cut as… Continue reading How to use a plant – look for the signature!

A Sonnet For The Violent Storms Of Our Australian Home Mother Nature roars and shakes supple treesLightning flares bright and lights the dull, grey skyHeavy drops fall with hail doth the flash freezeIt pounds the soil and breaks the leaves on high Thunder rings its heavy gong and warns allThe birds do fly and find… Continue reading Here Comes Storm Season

Heroes of Mother Nature — A Series of Interviews An interview with one of the Heroes of Mother Nature exploring the fascinating world of Australian native bees Disclaimer: I receive no financial or other material benefit from writing about this business. The views expressed are my own and contain no conflict of interest. Clicking on the links in… Continue reading Discovering Little Bee’s Secret Garden

A recipe for deep sleep with vivid dreams plus an anti-inflammatory lemon boost! I love Australian native bush medicine, and since I am not a good sleeper, I knew I had to try it when I saw this tea! Jilungin Bush Tea is made from the leaves of Terminalia canescens and the stems and bark. It… Continue reading Dreaming Tea Wild Harvested in the Australian Outback

Nothing lives forever and that includes your plants. Each death can be a learning experience to make you a better gardener. A while ago I came across a quote that said something like, “If your plants aren’t dying, you aren’t planting enough.” I have tried for days to find that quote but I can’t track… Continue reading It’s okay if your plants are dying

Visitors are always welcome in the garden rooms and in most cases we hope they’re here to stay! Growing up I used to get these birds mixed up with Australian Magpies. We called them Peewees apparently because of their distinctive call. They’re more commonly known as Magpie Larks (Grallina cyanoleuca) and they are found almost everywhere… Continue reading New Visitor in the Garden Rooms: Magpie Lark or PeeWee