Growing plants made simple! Discover practical tips and essential techniques for planting, caring for, and enjoying a thriving garden.
Pick the job first, then the species. Viburnum is a genus of more than 150 species, not one plant, and the species differ in size, leaf type, flower season, and cold tolerance. Growing viburnum in Australia starts with matching one…
A succulent stores water in its leaves, stems, or roots, then spends that store slowly. That single fact sets every rule here: water only when the soil has dried right through, give sharp drainage, and give 2 to 6 hours…
Pick the hakea that already grows near you, give it full sun and sharp drainage, and feed it low phosphorus or nothing at all. That is growing hakea in Australia in one sentence. Hakea is a genus of some 150…
Plant a tea tree in full sun, give it free-draining soil, and trim it lightly straight after flowering. That is growing tea tree in Australia for the garden genus Leptospermum. Give the plant 6 or more hours of direct sun…
Pick a bottlebrush local to your region, plant it in full sun for at least 6 hours a day, and prune directly behind each spent flowerhead. That is growing bottlebrush in Australia. One feed of low-phosphorus native fertilizer in spring…
Pick a tropical species and give it 4 to 6 hours of strong light a day. That is how to grow bonsai indoors so the tree lives for decades. The species decides survival; everything after that is routine. I have…
Growing a dracaena means matching the right species to your room. Give Dracaena marginata (dragon tree) bright indirect light and fluoride-free water and it reaches up to 1.8 meters indoors. Give Dracaena fragrans (corn plant) the same treatment plus a…
3 plant groups wear the grass costume, but only 1 of them is a grass. True grasses belong to the Poaceae family. Strappy lilies belong to the asparagus and flax-lily families. Lamb’s ear belongs to the mint family. Anyone who…
Snip three babies from a spider plant runner and stand them in a jar of water for 10 days. That is how to grow spider plant: Chlorophytum comosum makes its own offspring on long runners, so one healthy mother plant…
Soak the soil until water runs out of the drain holes, then wait 2 weeks and check the soil with your finger. That is how to grow succulents indoors: a soak-and-dry cycle that replaces the watering calendar, plus the brightest…
Bend 1 leaf before you lift the watering can. That single test is the whole skill behind how to grow jade plant: a soft, flexible leaf means water now, and a firm leaf means the plant is still drinking from…
Water it 1 to 2 times a month. Give it bright indirect light. That is how to grow ZZ plant the honest way: the plant grows steadily for years on that alone. A ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) stores water in…
Push the pot 1 to 2 metres back from your brightest window, tie the main stem to a damp moss pole, and give the plant two full growing seasons. That combination is what earns a monstera its fenestrations. Learning how…
Pick the banksia that fits the space before you fall for the flower. The 15 picks below run from a 45 cm dwarf to a 25 m tree, and each one carries its mature height, its spread, its flower color,…
Pick a banksia that fits the space, the soil, and the summer humidity you actually have. The genus holds 173 species, from groundcovers under half a meter to trees that reach 25 m, according to the Australian National Botanic Gardens…
Buy a snake plant, give it bright indirect light, and water it only when the soil has dried through. Water it 2 times a month in summer and once a month in winter. In my experience, the snake plants that…
Pick by garden role first, then by flower color. 15 grevillea varieties cover every Australian garden job, from banks that need cover to pots that need a small shrub. The best grevillea varieties earn their place with size, flower color,…
Plant a grevillea in full sun on free-draining soil in autumn. Water it weekly through its first 2 summers. Feed it low-phosphorus native fertilizer once in spring. I have learned that drainage decides a grevillea faster than fertilizer. Grevillea is…
Are you tired of bland, store-bought greens that lack that fresh, vibrant taste? You crave the satisfaction of growing your own food, but maybe you’re unsure where to start when spring arrives. You’ve tried gardening before, only to be met…
Are you tired of bare patches in your garden as spring arrives? Do you long for a lush, vibrant landscape but struggle with weeds and erosion? I understand the frustration of seeing your garden fall short of its potential. The…
