Jerry Coleby-Williams

Wetting Agents – Are You Buying Trouble?

Water repellant soils can be improved a number of ways so that they absorb and retain water more effectively, prolonging the benefits of watering and rainfall. Well-composted, well dug soils that are appropriately mulched may completely dry out, but they’re rarely water-repellant. Healthy soil biology is an important and overlooked aspect. It’s important for soil…

Dead Pretty

Visiting Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, was well worthwhile. The Victorian landscape influence is strong: tall evergreen trees line the older roads, beautiful floral stonework – ivy leaves, fruiting grapes and Madonna lilies are easy to find.

Celebrating Three Years Of Drought

Planted in September 2004 the plants in our front garden were watered for six weeks to establish them. Apart from the hedge and two potted plants, the garden hasn’t been watered since.

A Blot On The Landscape

In many ways SE Qld is Australia’s garden centre, propagating and supplying landscapers and nurseries throughout SE Australia. Despite this, many good nursery businesses in this region are suffering during the drought. Lost custom and level 5 watering restrictions are putting reputable people out of work, and businesses are closing down. Imagine you’re a professional…

Environmental Heroes Honoured

From the Federal government’s Australian honours website: Name: CUNDALL, Peter Award: Member of the Order of Australia Date granted: 26 January 2007 State: Tas Suburb: Rosevears Citation: For service to the environment, particularly the protection of wilderness areas in Tasmania, and to horticulture as a presenter of gardening programs on television and radio.

In Production Today

A Short Reprieve

It’s been showering with rain for the last two days, our garden receiving 34.5mm, 25mm on Tuesday and 9.5mm yesterday. That’s 4,950 litres of water in our 21,000 litre tank – about a week to a week and a half’s worth of water for household use.

On The Brink

Another hot, windy, intensely sunny day in Brisbane. I’m getting used to watering whilst holding an umbrella because with low humidity and few clouds the UV is really extreme. The rainwater tank has about two days worth of water for household use left. We’re producing about 350 litres of recycled water a day, well short…

Reducing Water Use… Again

We need to make further water economies at home. On the bright side the rainwater tank is just over half full, so that’s enough water for three people for four weeks sparing household use, but if we do this none can be used for gardening. The sewage system provides about 330 – 350l of recycled…

Hail Delivers, Wind Claws Back

The bureau of meteorology’s radar view showed the large black mass of an intense storm sweeping our way. We switched off the computer and disconnected all powerpoints…While I was shutting windows, putting batteries in the radio and getting ready for what might follow, Damo took snaps of the storm front. At his call I went…

Speech To Aussies Sustaining Australia

Good evening I acknowledge that this is aboriginal land and I hope that the gathering here can help to forward reconciliation by caring for this land as well as the aboriginal people did. I’m Jerry and my partner, Jeff, and I retrofitted an elderly queenslander so that it harvests solar energy and rainwater and recycles…

Here Comes The Summer

I always loved that song by the Undertones, a track that just has to be played when summer comes… The Koels are back in town after a long break in Papua New Guinea, busily laying eggs in other birds nests – such tropical cuckoos. Wonder how long it will be before my friend Alan, of…