Jennifer Stackhouse

Horticulturist, garden writer, blogger & editor.

  1. Top 5 reasons to install irrigation in your garden

    Top 5 reasons to install irrigation in your garden
    When we moved into our new garden, the first thing we did was repair the irrigation system. It had missing sprayers, some bits were slashed and it didn’t cover all the garden. Despite it being the middle of winter, we knew we’d need the irrigation system in tip-top condition when the hot weather returned and the rain dried up. Whether...
  2. How to help your garden survive a heatwave

    How to help your garden survive a heatwave
    Don’t let a bout of hot weather ruin your garden. There are easy ways to keep your garden thriving even through a heatwave. The key messages are to make sure the garden (especially new and potted plants) is well watered ahead of and during a heatwave, shade vulnerable plants, and use mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. Here...
  3. Colourful hedging plants for Sydney gardens

    Colourful hedging plants for Sydney gardens
    Hedges don’t have to be just green. There are many dense, evergreen shrubs you can rely on on to add year-round colour to gardens from their foliage. Here are our favourite colourful hedging plants that thrive in temperate gardens such as the Sydney area. Most do best in sunny situations with extra water in dry times. To maintain colourful hedges...
  4. How to create a pollinator-friendly garden

    How to create a pollinator-friendly garden
    While honeybees are the most obvious pollinators in most gardens, there are many insects - along with larger animals such as birds and even bats - which also act as pollinators. To check out a bat-pollinated plant, see the sausage tree (Kigelia africana). There’s a specimen in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, but you’re not likely to find one in your...
  5. Christmas cheer: Plants that flower in December

    Christmas cheer: Plants that flower in December
    What better way to enjoy entertaining at home than in a garden full of flowers? Summer has plenty of colourful and easy-to-grow options. Here are some of our summer favourites to plant in your garden to bring it to life during the festive season. Gardenia (Gardenia augusta) With its creamy white blooms and dark green foliage, gardenia is a shrub...
  6. Top white flowering plants for Sydney gardens

    Top white flowering plants for Sydney gardens
    White flowers work with any colour scheme and have wide appeal in a garden. Concentrating on a favourite colour is a great way to personalise a garden while creating a theme to unify plantings. One of the most famous white gardens is at Sissinghurst, an estate in the UK. It was created by Vita Sackville West when she designed and...
  7. The best red plants for your home and garden

    The best red plants for your home and garden
    Concentrating on a favourite colour is a great way of not only personalising a garden, but also creating a theme to unify your plantings. Red is a colour that many people love and a bold choice for a planting scheme. Make it even hotter by combining red plants with other hot tones such as orange and yellow. For a calmer...
  8. Bud balling: What is it and how can I stop it from happening?

    Bud balling: What is it and how can I stop it from happening?
    It is disappointing when a plant promises lots of blooms, but then its buds turn brown and fail to open. This problem is commonly called 'bud ball', 'bud balling' or 'flower balling'. If the buds disappear rather than turn brown, then chances are it’s a possum that’s the cause of the vanishing flowers! If the flowers open but then turn...
  9. Purple patch: purple plants for your home and garden

    Purple patch: purple plants for your home and garden
    Including a favourite colour in the garden can be a great way of not only personalising a garden, but creating a theme to unify your plantings. One of the top themes to include in gardens (both indoors and out) is purple plants! Purple adds boldness and flair, while contrasting well with other colours such as lush green. Purple includes a...
  10. How to deal with weeds in your lawn and garden

    How to deal with weeds in your lawn and garden
    Weeds! They are everywhere, and only get worse if we ignore them. So, what are the smart techniques we can use to get rid of weeds – or at least reduce their impact on our gardens and lawns? If you're looking for tips on exactly how to deal with weeds in your lawn and garden, read on! There are many...

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