Jane Grows Garden Rooms

Another way to grow plants in small spaces or simply clone the plants you love to keep or to share with other gardeners! Propagation Stations are delightful additions to the home for the keen gardener, the urban gardener or the plant nerd in any location! They look great, can be kept inside or outside, require… Continue reading Propagation Station, All Aboard!

Hay fever! As my joy and delight build with opening flowers and pollen fills the air, the pressure builds in my sinuses and so does my despair. “Antihistamines!” The crowd cries, but I shake my head and sigh. Antihistamines make me crazy is my only reply. Seriously, it’s worse than not taking them. Garlic and… Continue reading It seems a cruel irony that I have an affliction that threatens my love of nature and gardening.

Eleven things that you may not know about the Laughing Kookaburra Photo — Two Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguinaceae) by Author This morning I heard one of the sounds of Summer. Laughing Kookaburra fledglings learning to laugh. You can hear it too! I recorded it and put it on YouTube. https://janegrowsgardenrooms.wordpress.com/media/9de4953e255e36419b63bcaab1bda8b1 Here’s some things you may not know… Continue reading Learning to Laugh in the Australian Bush

A review of Megan Halcroft’s Bees and other Beneficial Insects: a pocket-book guide. · Book Title — Bees and other Beneficial Insects: a pocket-book guide · Author’s name(s) — Megan Halcroft · Publisher — Bees Business, Hampton, NSW, Australia · Year of publication — 2021 This book is the perfect guide to stuff in your pocket as you head out to the garden,… Continue reading Buzz Around your Backyard with this Handy Pocket-book

The controversy of classifying Commelina species in Australia. My first recollection of this species is dominated by a catch of breath as I spied a delightful deep blue flower on my dam wall. This was followed by a resigned sigh, with a flower like that and the fleshy green stems it was probably an exotic… Continue reading When Botanists Take Up Arms

The First Lesson is Covering the Soil A reflection on what my garden has taught me and how those lessons will inform my new project. My garden rooms aren’t finished. I suspect they never will be, no matter where I am. The pulsing, living nature of gardening makes it a constant project that can only be abandoned.… Continue reading Lessons from my Garden Rooms

Many bee species lack pigment when they first hatch. They are called callows. Over the next few days, they become darker and indistinguishable from their hive mates. This callow stingless bee is in my new hive. It’s very exciting! The hive was rescued from a wall during a house renovation and unfortunately, the transfer did… Continue reading This morning I saw my first callow bee!

HEROES OF MOTHER NATURE — A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS Connect with The Nature Exchange and Enjoy Reciprocity at its Best An interview with a Hero of Mother Nature and how to get your hands on truly comfortable t-shirts with impeccable ethics! Disclaimer: I receive no financial or other material benefit from writing about this business. The views expressed… Continue reading Connect with The Nature Exchange and Enjoy Reciprocity at its Best

Nature’s beauty held in time by a chrysalis that will never release the butterfly within Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms) Originally published in Tea with Mother Nature 3 min read Oct 28, 2022 A caterpillar was munching my vine. I watched. It started to devour the whole stem from the leafy new growth down.… Continue reading Butterfly Beauty Before Metamorphosis

An account of a herping night for FrogID week Ever been herping? No, it’s nothing to do with twerking or any other type of dance. It’s a term used to describe going out and searching for reptiles or amphibians, derived from herpetology. Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians. Last night, I went herping for… Continue reading Where’s Wilcoxii? A Citizen Science Adventure