As is normal in September here, some days and nights are cold while others are warm. It’s noticeable that the season is changing, with blossoming trees in all the streets and gardens. The crab apple in my back yard is in all its blossoming glory (look at those colours!) yet the one in the front […]

It’s a beautiful winter’s day here – sunny but with a cold breeze. Perfect for inspecting the garden and noting how much work needs to be done! Tackling one section at a time seems to be the only way to not be totally overwhelmed. Focus Erica, focus. 😀 This is one of my rhododendrons with […]

We’ve had such horrible, cold winds this month and that’s limited the time I’ve spent outdoors in my garden. I’m gazing out the window now and see blue sky and sunshine yet, at midday, the temperature outside ‘feels like’ 0.9 degrees. I find these ‘feels like’ measurements handy. As I scurry inside, they allow me […]

I read an article recently that outlined how trees communicate with each other to warn of danger. It focused on the work of Suzanne Simard. To quote from the article:“Chemical alarm signals generated by one tree prepare nearby trees for danger. Seedlings severed from the forest’s underground lifelines are much more likely to die than […]

Aah, June – that month when winter finally arrives. We’ve had a blast of cold air this past week and some long-term locals even started talking up the possibility of snow. That didn’t happen, thankfully, but I wouldn’t rule it out as the season progresses. There’s lots for me to do in my garden this […]

Hello to everyone who loves camellias. May is the month when they feature in our gardens here – fat buds are on all my shrubs and many are starting to open their blooms. A lovely time to choose new ones to plant! My May column for our local newspaper, Southern Highlands Express. features these gorgeous […]

This month is all about autumn leaves in my garden. The deciduous trees in our area are showing all their glorious autumn colours this month. It’s hard not to gaze at all the shades of red, orange, yellow and brown. But what to do with all those fallen leaves? Please enjoy my column from our […]

I’m starting to write my April gardening column for our local newspaper. I checked to see what I’d written in my March column and realised I hadn’t shared it here. Can’t let that happen, so here it is, complete with newspaper creases. This time, I’m looking through seed catalogues. What seeds are you planting for […]

In February, my thoughts turn to bulb catalogues – for blooms in spring! It’s so absorbing, looking through the photos of perfect blooms that we see in plant catalogues. It’s even better, though, if the flowers we grow from purchased bulbs look just as good. Last week, my February column was published in our local […]

Ooh! My latest garden column has been published in my local newspaper – such a thrill. We’ve had plenty of rain here over the past month – 291 ml since the beginning of December, according to our rain gauge. That’s helped many plants look lush (including the weeds) but hasn’t been good for my roses. […]