Want bees? Grow some Brachyscomes! Also known as: Brachyscome multifida Cut-leafed Daisy Break O’ Day Swan River Daisy Good Old Native Daisy Rock Daisy Native Daisy Growing conditions: Part shade/Full sun (prefers full sun) Tolerates almost any soil/prefers well-drained loam Needs light watering in dry seasons Suitable for garden beds/rockeries/pots/borders Groundcover/living mulch Propagation: Seed –… Continue reading Plant Profile – Cut Leaf Daisy
Category: Australia
Plant Profile – Native Elderberry
Also known as: Sambucus australasica Native Elderberry Yellow Elderberry Native Elder Growing conditions: Part shade/Shade Grows in most soils Prefers a moist location Propagation: Fresh seed in autumn subtropics/tropics Will need a cold frame in cooler climates Despite its preference for moist soil, this plant has been one of my drought survivors. It recovers quickly… Continue reading Plant Profile – Native Elderberry
Backyard Biodiversity Tip Two – Habitat
Hello and welcome to my garden. This beauty isn’t a dead tree, it’s a sustainable, slow-built, high-rise apartment building for wildlife. In this tree we have observed countless birds, including endangered species, mammals including possums and gliders, reptiles like tree snakes and bearded dragons and various insects and arachnids. Many people have suggested that we… Continue reading Backyard Biodiversity Tip Two – Habitat
Plant Profile: Slender Mint – Mentha diemenica
Also known as: Mentha diemenica Wild Mint Very similar to Mentha satureoides and sometimes confused with it. Growing conditions: Full sun/Shade/part shade Groundcover Prefers slightly damp soil Suitable for pots, rockeries and as a filler between paving stones or driving strips Propagation: Cuttings Removing a rooted section of the plant as it spreads Keep moist… Continue reading Plant Profile: Slender Mint – Mentha diemenica
Garden Friends and Foes – what’s that?
I’ve always had “what the…?” moments in my garden and struggled to get information to explain what is it that I am seeing. Here I plan to document some of my findings progressively. Check back if you’re interested in knowing what those random nests and larvae are in your garden. This is another Lacewing. It… Continue reading Garden Friends and Foes – what’s that?
International Day of Forests – Thoughts amongst trees
What is a forest? A haven for thought, a home for peace, quiet, noisy, alive, awake, silent sentinels breathing life into the atmosphere and earth. What is a forest? A responsibility, hours of work, pleasure in regeneration, search for understanding, networks above and below and around, solitude in a crowd. What is a forest? Imagination, … Continue reading International Day of Forests – Thoughts amongst trees
Plant Profile: Commelina diffusa – Climbing Dayflower
Also known as: Commelina cyanea (in New South Wales, possibly a different species, scientific analysis ongoing) Scurvy Plant Native Wandering Jew Creeping Christian Climbing Dayflower Spreading Dayflower Growing conditions: Part shade/Shade Tolerant of most soils Groundcover (can become invasive in good conditions) Suitable for rockeries and hanging pots Perennial in tropics and subtropics, annual in… Continue reading Plant Profile: Commelina diffusa – Climbing Dayflower
Garden Friends and Foes: identifying Commelina species
(This blog post is a transcript of a YouTube clip on the janegrowsgardenrooms channel. To watch Click here) Hello, and welcome to my garden. Today I’m down in the gully. I am sitting beside a big patch of what’s commonly known as dayflowers, because their flowers rarely last more than a day, if that. Now… Continue reading Garden Friends and Foes: identifying Commelina species
Garden Friends: Buzz Pollinators
The following is a transcript of my vlog posted on YouTube. If you would like to watch the video Click here Hello, and welcome to my garden. Today I’m sitting here with the Blue Tongue plant. It’s called the Blue Tongue Plant because these berries which are developing here, if you eat too many of… Continue reading Garden Friends: Buzz Pollinators
The Pioneer who Stole my Heart
When we started to remove the invasive weed species from our block and made efforts to improve the soil we noticed a number of plants popping up that I thought might be weeds. As I researched and identified them I frequently came across the term “pioneer species” in relation to the vigourous growers. It turns… Continue reading The Pioneer who Stole my Heart
Jane Grows Garden Rooms 