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 inContinue 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 crushedContinue 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 byContinue 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 mostContinue 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 fruitsContinue reading “Plant Profile  – Native Mulberry – Pipturus argenteus”

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 chocolateContinue reading “Garden to Kitchen – Choc-Mint Ice-cream”

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 moistContinue 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”

Garden to Kitchen: Liquid Lemon Gold

I love to use produce from my garden and Lemon Myrtle is one of my favourite trees. I don’t need any more reasons to justify its existence in a food forest but recently I read about a new use and I just have to try it! Here’s some of the ways that I already useContinue reading “Garden to Kitchen: Liquid Lemon Gold”

“Build it and they will come”

This morning as I sat on my back patio looking around at the back garden drinking a coffee, a butterfly almost landed on my head. How delightful that sensation was once I had got over the initial shock response! I watched it fly away and cross the path of two other butterflies in the process.Continue reading ““Build it and they will come””