Species 399 at 'Bellis': Crane fly, Nephrotoma australasiae

Every Gardener A Scientist

Like plants and animals? Like to leave your mark on the map?  In a country as biodiverse and as poorly understood as Australia, you could find yourself at the cutting edge of science.

How Do I Prepare A Seedbed?

Well prepared soil is the secret to raising good crops and flowers from seed.

Kew Guild Grand Reunion Garden Party

Thirty four years ago, I graduated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Where Do I Get Seed For That Plant?

Most of the seed sold in Australia is imported, harvested from plants farmed overseas.

Predator Attracting Plants

Organic gardening isn’t conventional gardening, so why not enjoy some unconventional pest control?

Australian Scrub Turkey, (Alectura lathami)

Scrub Turkey Trouble?

Question Hi Jerry, I have just moved to Byron Bay and have a Scrub Turkey (aka Australian Bush Turkey) problem. Do you have any clues as to what I should do to get… Continue reading →

9 Comments

Recycled Car Tyres Have No Place In The Garden

Recycling is good, except when it is car tyres being up-cycled in food gardens. Permaculturists often misguidedly include tyres in ‘earth ship’ designs.
 What could possibly be wrong?

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Women In Agriculture, North West Plains Sustainability Group To Form New Garden Club During Extreme Drought

In a region greatly affected by the worst drought in living memory, we were united in seeing gardening as a great way to alleviate anxiety and bring the community together. We had planned for 50 – 80 to attend, but 140 registered. An indication of how valuable our gardens are and how practical regional gatherings like this can be for our mental and spiritual health and our sense of community.

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Phaleria clerodendron, scented daphne.

Breathe Magic Into Your Rainforest Garden

“There is one rainforest plant from northern Australia every coastal garden should grow: Phaleria clerodendron, the scented daphne. This compact tree can be grown as far south as Sydney and it will fill a garden with fragrant flowers up to three times as year…unless Australians discover and grow this magical plant, who else will?”

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Coolamon (Syzygium moorei) jelly

Lilly Pilly Jelly: Use Syzygium Fruit For A Taste Of Autumn

“Let’s keep planting the right lilly pillies for trouble-free hedges and a diversity of Syzygium species to enhance our environment and keep our culinary traditions alive.”

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Rice sowing begins in Huế, Central Việt Nam.

Gardeners And Gourmets Tour Of Vietnam With Jerry Coleby-Williams, 26 July 2019 to 14 August 2019.

Join Kew-trained horticulturalist, conservationist and media personality Jerry Coleby-Williams and his hubby Lieutenant Thuan Tran, Vietnamese market gardener, on a small group tour of Vietnam to discover its horticultural and culinary delights, from 26 July 2019 to 14 August 2019.

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These green cleaners are low in sodium, phosphorous, contain no chlorine and genuinely and fully biodegrade in the environment.

Use Grey Water For Gardening? Then Use Green Cleaners For Cleaning.

If you’re watering plants with grey water, the type of detergent you use really makes a difference to both their health and the health of the soil.

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Persian Silk tree, Albizia julibrissin, Bingara.

Which Trees To Plant At Inverell, NSW, To Cope With Predicted Climate Change?

How do you approach tree planting? “All life on Earth is now experimental. Thanks to a lack of Australian climate leadership, we grow crops and plant gardens in uncharted climate territory. If this is the future of gardening, then we must embrace experimental tree planting for shade, food, fodder and biodiversity”. Jerry Coleby-Williams, Founder of Bellis, Brisbane’s award-winning, affordable sustainable house and garden; Director, Seed Saver’s Network; Patron, National Toxics Network; Patron, Householder’s Options for Protecting the Environment, 2nd February 2019.

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King's salad aka vua rau xà lách. Clockwise from top left: lá lốt aka chaplu; Cosmos caudatus; hành lá aka spring onion; sả chanh aka lemongrass; nghệ aka turmeric; chanh Thái aka kaffir lime. Turmeric flowers (left of onions)

King’s Salad Recipe

When cooking in a hot kitchen doesn’t appeal, there’s a flavour-filled alternative: king’s salad – Vietnamese style. Popular in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Whatever you decide, the complex, zesty flavour of king’s salad is delightful on its own. Use it for breakfast, lunch or dinner…

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Tomatillo fruit, Physalis philadelphica

Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe

“Salsa verde, chilled and freshly made from home grown tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica), is great on a hot day. An excuse for not cooking on (another) one of those sticky subtropical summer days”.

4 Comments
Aloe vera border at Bellis

Make Dessert with Aloe vera

“I planted Aloe vera so I can use its juice to soothe sunburn. It grows effortlessly in my nature strip. People also use it to relieve the itching caused by eczema. I also enjoy cooked Aloe vera as a dessert.”

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Beetroot is a good indicator of zinc deficiency or toxicity in soils with extreme pH problems. This illustrates zinc deficiency.

Do Landscape Suppliers Ever Sell Genuine Soil?

Question: A Brisbane landscape supplier sold me soil for my raised vegetable beds. All my vegetables keep failing. I did a soil pH Test and the result was pH 9. Is there any hope I’ll be able to grow spring crops successfully?

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Rock Wallaby and cropped turf

How did they keep lawns trim in the days before lawnmowers?

“How did they keep lawns trim in the days before lawnmowers? asks The Guardian newspaper. Animals and scythes were originally used to maintain closely cut turf…and Australia has an indigenous answer”.

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