It takes me two and a half hours to get this recipe on the table. The smell around the house during cooking is magical. The bread lasts for up to a week in an airtight container if it doesn’t get eaten! This recipe is also available on YouTube. Ingredients: Equipment: Method: 1. Fill a jug… Continue reading Italian Flatbread with Thyme, Parmesan and Garlic
Category: permaculture
Plant Profile – Aloe Vera
Also known as Aloe barbadensis miller Aloe Barbados Aloe Growing conditions: Full Sun/Part shade/Bright shade Succulent Well-drained soil/sandy loam Suitable for pots/indoor pots/garden beds/rockeries Propagation: Propagation is easiest by separating pups from a “mother” plant. Demonstration available on my YouTube channel Click here to watch When I think of Aloe Vera, I think of sunburn. I… Continue reading Plant Profile – Aloe Vera
Plant Profile – Warrigal Greens
Also known as: Growing conditions: Propagation: This plant has been used as a Spinach substitute on the coasts of Australia, New Zealand and East Asia for centuries. There aren’t many records of it being consumed by Australian Aborigines, but it’s prevalent in Maori cooking in New Zealand. The Australian colonists used it and that use… Continue reading Plant Profile – Warrigal Greens
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 – Lebanese Cucumber
My first cucumber harvest! Also known as: Cucumis sativus Growing conditions: Sun/Part shade Fertile, well drained soil Sow 40cm apart Propagation: Seeds Tropics/subtropics plant year round Temperate and cold climates plant after the last frost My daughter is a fussy eater. It’s probably karma. I know my own mother had many frustrating evenings trying to… Continue reading Plant Profile – Lebanese Cucumber
Plant Profile: Slender Mint – Mentha diemenica
Also known as: Growing conditions: Propagation: Named after Tasmania when it was Van Diemens Land, this herb is found on that cool temperate island, as well as in Victoria and New South Wales. Some sites list Queensland as well, but this could be as a result of the confusion with its cousin, Mentha satureoides. With… 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?
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
Plant Profile: Coleus graveolens
Bush Basil, Native Basil, Australia Also known as: Growing conditions: Propagation: I have been trying to get a native Coleus for years so I was very excited when I saw this plant available. As soon as I got it home, I took a cutting. In only a few days the roots appeared on the stalk… Continue reading Plant Profile: Coleus graveolens
Plant Profile: Mother of Herbs
Also known as: Why so many names? This plant has been cultivated and used for so long that its origins are unclear. It’s believed to originate in Africa, but is now naturalized in many countries around the world. This, combined with the complications of classification for plants in the Lamiaceae family, means that even its… Continue reading Plant Profile: Mother of Herbs
Jane Grows Garden Rooms 