As far as fruiting plants go, it’s hard to beat a grapevine for benefits. It will give you delicious fruit in summer for eating fresh or dried, juicing and making wine or vinegar. The young leaves can be used for making dolmades, and if you grow your vine over a pergola you can use it to create leafy shade in summer.

Indoor plants add green to the urban grey, breathe oxygen into your world and absorb unhealthy chemicals from the atmosphere. But bugs appear, diseases strike and so do mysterious ailments that turn glossy green plants from hero to zero, often in a matter of days or weeks. Here’s some expert advice for helping a sick … Continue reading House plant helper →

Our lillypillies are not thriving due to a bug infestation, and we’ve tried everything. The garden faces west, but there is a high fence and building in front of it that shades it almost completely in winter. It gets some sun when its directly overhead. Also, the soil is often damp without watering. Can you … Continue reading Q&A: What’s wrong with our lillypilly hedge? →

Wandering into your backyard and picking fruit off a tree is the stuff of gardeners’ dreams. But why stop at one tree? Growing your own fruit is truly addictive. Even where space is at a premium, it’s quite possible to create your own mini orchard. Josh Byrne explains how to get started with the right … Continue reading Create a potted orchard →

Yes, you can grow great roses in humid conditions. You just need to choose the right cultivars and apply some simple gardening practices. Here are three great rose choices to get you started. ‘Monsieur Tillier’ This Tea Rose has distinctive, medium-sized, old-fashioned blooms in carmine-red washed with brick and passing to a shaded violet. The … Continue reading 3 great roses for humid climates →

You can’t beat fresh peas out of the pod. The trick, says Jackie French, is combatting all the other creatures (and kids) that will beat you to it. She’s been trying to grow peas for years… The best way not to grow peas is to have wallaby companions in the garden. Wallabies will crawl through … Continue reading Tips for a top pea crop →

You put in some seeds… but nothing came up. Poor seed germination can be mystifying and frustrating for the home gardener, but there are a number of common causes, from temperature to soil depth and lots in between. Was it too hot or too cold when you sowed them? Before you sow, always check the … Continue reading Seed no-show? →