Collections – Jerry Coleby-Williams

Book review: Starting With Bromeliads by the Bromeliad Society of Queensland Inc.

“The most important reason why a home gardener should own a copy of ‘Starting with Bromeliads’ is because within its pages is the wisdom of lived experience of dedicated enthusiasts and collectors.

This second, revised edition updates essential information for bromeliad culture in the climatically varied Australian state of Queensland, where no season exactly repeats.

This easy to read guide is aimed at novice bromeliad growers, and it is a great investment in their successful cultivation and display. Including both general advice for whole collections and specific advice for some of the most popular varieties, this is a handy, practical and affordable guide”.

Jerry Coleby-Williams, 26th September 2021

Introducing the Australian native famous for producing Chinese Green Tea

Yes, the title of this blog sounds like Spam. The first sentence in a blog is supposed to entice the reader to read on, so I’m risking all by saying this remarkable plant looks so unremarkable, I have never given it a second thought. It makes such an inoffensive green tea, few would drink it…

First Flowering Of The Mount Delaikoro Hibiscus, Hibiscus bennettii, In My Garden.

It’s always a special moment when something new flowers for the first time and it’s something every gardener should enjoy. I’m quite chuffed to produce a flowering specimen of the Mount Delaikoro hibiscus, Hibiscus bennettii, from a cutting in under ten months and to have it first flower in a Brisbane winter.

Rarity Is Commoner Than You Think

I own a critically endangered plant. It comes from Madagascar, an island degraded by human activity and peppered with endangered species. When I discovered the news that my Gerold’s Thornless Crown of Thorns was on the brink of extinction, I had a flashback to planning the Rare & Endangered Plants Garden for the Royal Botanic…

In Production Today, September 2014

Spring is over in my garden. Winter crops are flowering – my garden is transitioning into its seed saving phase.

In Production Today: August 2014

Here’s my subtropical food garden’s winter menu: Edible roots Arrowroot, Canna edulis Carrot, Daucus carota ‘Paris Market’ Cassava, Manihot esculenta Cassava, Manihot esculenta ‘Variegata’ Cocoyam, Xanthosoma saggitifolia Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus ‘Dwarf Sunray’ Radish, Raphanus sativus ‘Sparkler’ Edible leaves Basil, Greek, Ocimum minimum Basil, sacred, Ocimum tenuiflorum Cassava, Manihot esculenta Cabbage, Chinese, Brassica rapa var. pekinensis…

Succulents: Chlorophyll With Character

My first flower memory is of a cactus. I was about three years old and peering up into a huge, red Epiphyllum flower. It sprouted from an old, much-loved plant belonging to my Grandmother. My sister still grows a cutting from the plant Nan acquired during the Great Depression (around 1929). It’s been in my…

Open Day At Bellis, August 2014

FULL DETAILS SEE: http://www.opengarden.org.au Leave Brisbane’s suburbs behind as you visit 813 square metres of rural Wynnum. Check out my award-winning, thrifty sustainable garden: blue bananas, stingless bees, home grown bath sponges, and turf mostly mowed by guinea pigs. See how a decade of organic gardening has converted uncompromising acid sulphate soil into a wonderful,…

Stingless Bees: Factory Farming With A Future

Sugarbag bees are fun. Young kids are always surprised to discover some Australian bees are both tiny and without a sting. Once they understand these bees are safe company, they can’t resist taking a closer look and become absorbed by the antics of these industrious mini-bees.

Hibiscus Leaves Helped Save Australian Lives

I’ve just found a letter written years ago in response to an article I wrote about edible members of the Hibiscus family (the Malvaceae). This refers to rosella leaves (Hibiscus sabdariffa), an icon of Australian backyards, and also peasant food or famine food in Bangladesh, Thailand and Burma. Rosella leaves helped Australian prisoners survive the…

Pretty And Productive Plants For Brisbane

I was asked by a client to prepare a list of ornamental productive plants that can be grown outdoors in subtropical Brisbane.

In Production Today, March 2014

The most widespread recorded drought in Queensland’s history has meant most of my gardening effort continues to be spent on watering and soil improvement. At least I’m able to keep fruit trees productive and perennials alive. Beds which would normally be filled with seasonal annuals can remain dug, mulched and bare until useful rain arrives. But…