Here is an honest critique of my garden design in Moreton Bay north of Brisbane. Critiques like this, where we share our design triumphs and tragedies, are helpful for us all to learn! Site conditions and analysis Location and aspect are fundamental for planning and design approach to any garden. What I am trying to … Continued
Showcasing the natural environment was the creation of a successful habitat garden. This is the Keith Moore Habitat Garden in Huskisson. Volunteers from the Australian Plants Society NSW supported the project. Where it is located The Keith Moore Habitat Garden is located at the Lady Denman Heritage Complex, Huskisson, New South Wales on the shores … Continued
Given the way the climate is headed, we should consider how to design our native gardens for climate change. I live and garden on a north facing hillside south-east of Melbourne on clay soils. The reality of climate change Apparently there was still debate in the community about the reality of climate change and its … Continued
We are very fortunate to have woodland plains near Narromine that feature a rare ecological treat – mound spring ecosystems associated with the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). You would usually have to travel into the semi-arid zone of western NSW to see these ecosystems. However, if you are near Dubbo, you can see some striking … Continued
I have a practical approach to pruning of native plants. Historically there was no pruning Historically, pruning has not been a feature of Australian plant gardening. In the 1960’s when I began a native plant garden, there was a lack of knowledge. Also there were misconceptions surrounding low care bush or naturalistic gardens. There was … Continued
Pruning Australian native plants for design is one way to enhance form, size and flowering. For many of us, we aspire to have our gardens be predominantly natural in character. This means we encourage the plants to grow ‘naturally’ with minimal human assistance or training. Others take those extra steps to ‘interpret’ nature a little … Continued
Pruning native plants for design is valuable for both practical and aesthetic reasons. It’s an opportunity to be creative! Pruning for practicality vs aesthetics Pruning is an area of gardening where practical concerns butt up against design considerations. For instance, cutting ground-covering plants back from a path requires deciding between the practical and the aesthetic. … Continued
Many of us have established native gardens. But there comes a time when renewing a section of the garden becomes essential. Here is my critique of how my renewal process has progressed. Background to the renewal project Around twelve months ago, I decided to remove an old, woody, very large (1.5m high x 4m wide) … Continued
Using mounds and channels in your garden generally results in successful plant growth and with Australian native plants very spectacular growth. This is helped by water channelling into depresssions during high rainfall periods. One of the prime elements of a great garden is good drainage. In many natural soil profiles, over a period of time … Continued
Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)