Water-wise and cheap to set up, propagating by cutting has become easier than it ever was before! As we prepared to move house, I found myself dismayed by the number of rare or difficult-to-get plants that were in the ground. I wanted to take them with me! The answer? Propagation by cuttings! This sounds like a… Continue reading The Propagating Hack that Changed my Life
Tag: Organic
Native Ginger or Alpinia caerulea
Plant Profile Also known as: Growing Conditions: Propagation Uses This plant is a wonderful way to find buzz-pollinating bees in your garden. It delivered my first Teddy Bear Bee sighting and numerous Blue-banded Bee sightings. It is a classic understorey plant from subtropical and tropical rainforests and can therefore be used in shady places in… Continue reading Native Ginger or Alpinia caerulea
Sago Bush or Ozothamnus Diosmifolius
Plant Profile This plant is not hard to find in Tamborine Village. Ozothamnus diosmifolius is flowering beautifully this year. From my back patio It looks like the bushes are snow-topped as they cluster around our dam. The name comes from the Greek Ozo “to smell” and Thamnus “shrub” referring to the pungent smell of crushed… Continue reading Sago Bush or Ozothamnus Diosmifolius
Invite Some Garden Friends: Backyard Biodiversity Tip Four
Using nature to control weeds and pests is a great way to garden organically and improve the biodiversity in your garden. It’s been a long time coming, but here it is and it’s all about using nature to control weeds and pests. This is the fourth in a series. You can find the first three by… Continue reading Invite Some Garden Friends: Backyard Biodiversity Tip Four
It Starts with a Trickle
Living Upstream and Downstream in a Global Community When you think about it, every revolution in human history started with a trickle, a small group of humans pushing for change. As the trickle moved downstream it gathered volume and momentum, followers, and the push for change intensified until it became a flood that the most… Continue reading It Starts with a Trickle
Plant Profile – Native Mulberry – Pipturus argenteus
This plant is a biodiversity hub in my garden. A few moments of close observation on any given day reveals species galore. From the Eastern Sedge Frog family to Rainbow Lorikeets to countless insects, I am never disappointed. My children are also regularly drawn to the tree to gather and gobble the tiny sweet fruits… Continue reading Plant Profile – Native Mulberry – Pipturus argenteus
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
Garden to Kitchen – Choc-Mint Ice-cream
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: 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
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
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