Many years ago, when I first wrote about planting out irises, I barely knew anything about them. I touched on the topic but didn’t have much experience to share. Now that I’ve had bearded irises growing in my garden for years, I’ve learnt what actually works, and discovered how wonderfully tough and rewarding they are. So, I thought it was time to revisit the topic properly and share the basics I wish I’d known back then. Bearded irises look fancy, but they’re surprisingly easy to grow once … [Read more...]
Growing Zinnias: Easy Tips for Colourful Summer Blooms
If you’re looking for a hardy, cheerful flower that thrives through the heat, you can’t go past zinnias. Growing zinnias is one of the easiest and most rewarding things you can do in the summer garden. Zinnias add such joyful colour to the garden. We get everything from rich reds and pretty pinks to burnt orange and all sorts of purples — and this year we’ve even had a pale yellow one appear out of nowhere! They’re wonderfully beginner‑friendly and will bloom their hearts out even when the … [Read more...]
Growing Salvia Plants for Easy Summer Colour!
Salvia plants add wonderful colour to a summer garden. They require only moderate watering, they can handle extreme heat, and they flower for months. Summer in Australia tends to be very hot and dry. Where we live temperatures close to (and sometimes over) 40 °C (104 °F) are not uncommon during the summer months. This extreme heat can be hard on our garden so we try to choose plants that can tolerate these conditions. Plants that require lots of water don’t tend to last too long in our … [Read more...]
In My Garden: Hoverflies Galore!
We had a very wet winter and early spring this year and the garden is looking wonderful! Apart from all the beautiful blooms, one thing that really stands out in my garden this year is that there are lots of hoverflies around! Normally you can see quite a few hoverflies in spring but this year there are masses of them. Not that I’m complaining because hoverflies are the natural predator of the aphid. I have seen a few aphids on the roses but this year they don’t stand a chance! Hoverflies … [Read more...]
Thryptomene Shrub: An Asset to Any Garden
I am a big fan of plants that attract bees and butterflies to the garden but don’t require a lot of work! Therefore I have a few of these types of plants in my garden. I have talked about the diosma and California lilac before, so today I want to discuss our thryptomene shrub! The thryptomene plant is native to Australia and it grows well in most climates apart from the very cold or very hot regions. It flowers in winter and spring and is great for attracting butterflies, bees, and other … [Read more...]
Low Care Plants that Attract Bees
If you like to grow your own vegetables it is a given that you will want to attract bees! Yes, there are some food crops that don’t need bees, such as carrots, beetroot, and leafy greens like chard. But with most crops you need the help of bees to pollinate the flowers. In our garden the bees do the majority of the work pollinating our peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, watermelons, strawberries, and capsicums. Sometimes we hand pollinate some of the pumpkins and … [Read more...]
Growing Bulbs in Containers
You don’t need a large garden to grow lots of beautiful bulbs. Try growing bulbs in containers to bring some spring and summer colour to your home! We have most of our bulbs in containers dotted around the garden close to the house. Personally I find growing bulbs in containers very easy and quite convenient. You can place the bulb containers around the house in positions that suit their needs. Also you can position them for maximum impact. During spring, over the last couple of years we … [Read more...]
Tulips: Tips for Getting More Flowers
Tulips can provide wonderful spring colour. However, a small amount of care and the right preparation is vital if you want to have brilliant tulip flowers! We have been growing tulips in our garden in spring time for the last three or four of years. Initially we bought some beautiful red tulips that were already flowering in a pot. We have been lifting and replanting the tulip bulbs every year and have had mixed success with the quality of the flowers. Now that the tulips have died down … [Read more...]
Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!