Planting vegetables like cabbages and broccoli usually attracts the cabbage white butterfly. Protect your patch without using sprays with these great ideas. We have really been getting into the vegetable gardening this summer. It has been great to be able to go and get some fresh carrots or a cucumber from the garden whenever we need them. We have also been enjoying home grown beetroot, garlic and peas. A few weeks ago I planted some broccoli seeds and was successful in getting two nice … [Read more...]
January Gardening 2014: What’s Going on in My Garden
Now that Christmas has been and gone for another year and the New Year is upon us it’s time to turn our attention to January gardening tasks! January and February tend to be the hottest months of summer here in Victoria. So this month we will be focusing on keeping our garden as cool and well watered as we can. We have had a couple of days here and there where the temperature has been over 35 °C and some plants have struggled a bit. But it will only get hotter over the next couple of months … [Read more...]
December Gardening 2013: What’s Going on in My Garden!
This last month has just flown by – I can’t believe that December is almost upon us! As the end of November fast approaches we now have to start thinking about the December gardening jobs that need to be carried out. For us December usually means that the garden hoses are dusted off and the watering systems are checked. Nothing has changed this year because the amount of rain that we have had lately is slowly starting to ease up. While we have had a few showers, they are becoming less … [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...]
Aphids on Roses: Natural & Easy Control Methods
When spring arrives and the garden starts bursting with new growth, aphids on the roses always seem determined to spoil the show. The good news is that getting rid of them naturally is much easier than you might think, and you don’t need to reach for harsh chemicals to protect your beautiful blooms. Why Aphids Love Roses in Spring As soon as our rose bushes wake up after winter, they take off quickly. Within weeks they’re covered in soft new shoots, flower buds, and the promise of a … [Read more...]
October Gardening 2013: What’s Going On in My Garden!
We are almost at the end of October and the weather is really starting to warm up now - I can’t believe how fast this month has gone! There is so much happening in the garden in springtime that it is a struggle to keep up! Despite the frantic pace October gardening is so much fun! We can pretty much walk around the garden every day and find something new that is blooming or a shrub that needs some attention. As the weather is warming up everything is coming to life and it is a full time … [Read more...]
Blue Flowers Enrich a Garden
It’s almost a month into spring time now and as the weather slowly warms it is wonderful to see an array of flowers bloom. One flower that looks absolutely stunning in my garden at the moment is the Ceanothus plant – or California Lilac! We have several of these plants in our garden and they are all covered in the most amazing blue flowers. While most flowering plants look stunning when they are in full bloom, there is just something special about a plant with blue flowers! When we first … [Read more...]
Growing Garlic: It’s Easy
I have never used as much garlic in my recipes as I have this year. I am finding that I use it in so many of my dishes. There is normally a small patch of garlic growing in one corner of my garden but I must admit that in the past it has been largely underused. Some years we have dug it up and used some of the garlic cloves but other years it has died back and stayed in the ground. That is all changing though, because this year I have really started to get serious about growing garlic for … [Read more...]
Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!