If subtropical gardeners sow seed of ‘Johnny Jump Up’ this week, they will be flowering just in time for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15th June 2014.
Category: Current Events
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.
In Production Today: April 2014
A couple of brief April showers kept the grass green, but below the surface the soil remains dry. It’s ideal weather for propagating Cranberry Hibiscus and Four Seasons Herb, cuttings are rooting within ten days. Although the value of each watering is lasting longer now the days are shorter and the nights cooler, I won’t…
Do Sydney’s Botanic Gardens Need Redeveloping?
Instead of asking the staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, The Guardian asks assorted architects for their take on the controversial plan to redesign one of Sydney’s most cherished and tranquil landmarks…
Freedom 2014
To me, freedom is access to water – clean rainwater, harvested from my roof, and recycled water generated by my sewage system which I use to grow organic food.
Thrifty, Fertile and Illicit: 4BC Horticultural Intervention
So there I was with Noel Burdette, in the pre-dawn darkness of Brisbane’s Cannon Hill. Groggy but organised, and with only a smartly dressed security guard as a witness, we got stuck in. Long ago we’d decided that the front garden at 4BC Radio, home to the voice of Brisbane’s gardeners, needed a little buffing up….
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…
Love Cycads
Q: “What’s a cycad?” A: “Just over 300 species of cycad survive, many are only known as fossils. Think Tolkein, think Middle Earth, think dinosaur food. Wonderful plants, the kind you want to have with you always.”
Morwell Fire: “My Garden Is Covered In Ash”
By mid-February 2014, a garden near Morwell, Victoria, was covered by ash from a coal mine fire which started on 9th February, setting the Hazelwood open cut coal mine alight. The coal mine fire ended up burning for weeks, causing serious health effects for local residents and a ‘high probability’ that eleven deaths resulted from the…
In Production Today, February 2014
February used to be Brisbane’s wettest month of the year, but, so far, not a drop of the wet stuff. Like last month, I’ve maintained the garden more or less as it is and I’ve focussed my efforts on preparing vegetable beds for sowing and planting once rain has arrived.
Concerning Australia’s Batty Forests And Convict Lettuce
I’d like to start my Australia Day speech by acknowledging the Bundjalung people, Beaudesert’s original landscape gardeners. I’d also like to thank Woolworth’s who have been supporting Australia Day for thirteen years. I am lucky. I seem to have made a career out of doing what I love. I am a freelance curator, broadcaster and gardener. I…
In Production Today – January
It’s hot and humid and, despite a few promising showers, my garden is parched. Until the soil gets a decent soaking, I won’t be sowing anything new. I’m wondering if there will be a repeat of last summer, when five rain-free months ended with Cyclone Oswald on Australia Day.
Jerry Coleby-Williams 