This recipe is a companion piece to my plant profile for Mint species coming soon! A vlog version is also available Garden to Kitchen – Choc-Mint Ice-cream on the Jane Grows Garden Rooms YouTube channel. NEW – short version of the vlog. Ingredients: 1 cup cream 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint (I like a chocolate… Continue reading Garden to Kitchen – Choc-Mint Ice-cream
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?
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
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
Plant Profile: Lemon Sherbet Coleus
Coleus bellus, Plectranthus bellus, Australia Also known as This plant profile is now also available as a on my YouTube channel. Growing conditions Brush past the leaves, a faint lemon spritz slips through the air and teases the senses. Pick a leaf, lemon scent drifts lazily around the stalk and lingers on the leaf. Crush… Continue reading Plant Profile: Lemon Sherbet Coleus
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