outdoor plants

  1. The best native hedging plants for Sydney gardens

    The best native hedging plants for Sydney gardens
    Hedges are important elements of many gardens as they provide screening and shelter and can be grown to divide up internal garden spaces. As well, they provide a vertical element in gardens and can offer a safe habitat for wildlife. They can also provide seasonal colour - for example, from flowers or fruit. Hedges are also a great way to...
  2. Hedge in a hurry: Top fast-growing hedge plants for Sydney gardens

    Hedge in a hurry: Top fast-growing hedge plants for Sydney gardens
    Growing a hedge for privacy is a project that pays back many times over. As well as forming a green screen in several years, hedges add to the greenery in gardens to keep areas cool and add to the garden’s biodiversity. Evergreen hedges provide habitat for birds to nest, insects to feed and their flowers attract pollinating insects such as...
  3. Our favourite evergreen plants for a lush garden year-round

    Our favourite evergreen plants for a lush garden year-round
    Evergreen plants are the backbone of any garden. Whatever the season, they can be guaranteed to provide lush, leafy colour. As a bonus, many of them also offer flowers at different times of the year. There are evergreen trees, shrubs and perennials to enjoy for shelter, hedging or simply to fill garden beds with year-round interest. Keep evergreen plants in...
  4. Fast-growing Australian native trees

    Fast-growing Australian native trees
    As conditions get hotter and drier, not just over summer but year round, gardeners are seeking shade for both the house and the garden. Trees not only give shade, they also make areas cooler, create habitat and provide food for creatures of all sorts, give much-needed privacy and filter out unwanted views. Every garden needs at least one tree, and...
  5. Frangipani care: How to grow a frangipani

    Frangipani care: How to grow a frangipani
    Frangipanis grow well in warm coastal gardens and even inland with frost protection. Although the frangipani is widely associated with tropical islands such as Hawaii, they actually originated in Central America, Mexico and Venezuela, but have since spread around the tropics and subtropics.   The most common frangipani is Plumeria rubra var. acutifolia. It has single white propeller-shaped flowers with...
  6. Top drought-resistant plants

    Top drought-resistant plants
    Long dry conditions, water restrictions and the high cost of water are all here to stay. It's not all bad news, though. Low-level water restrictions shouldn’t restrict gardening, as they actually reflect best practice when it comes to watering. The cool of the early morning, or overnight when evaporation is low as mandated by water restrictions, are the best times...
  7. The best potted outdoor plants for your coastal garden

    The best potted outdoor plants for your coastal garden
    Coastal gardens in picturesque places such as around the Mediterranean are frequently bold and flamboyant as they are filled with colourful outdoor plants that flower almost year round. Think bougainvillea, geranium and hibiscus. Luckily, all these plants grow as happily in containers as they do in the ground, and still manage to provide that dazzling display - even in your...
  8. Small space gardening: transforming your side garden

    Small space gardening: transforming your side garden
    As our population grows and house blocks shrink in size, gardens are getting smaller and smaller. If we want greenery, we need to make the most of every outdoor space, even those that seem garden unfriendly. One forlorn space that many of us have is the narrow side space between the house and the neighbour’s fence. It's often completely paved...
  9. 4 essential elements of a Japanese garden design

    4 essential elements of a Japanese garden design
    Japan is high on the must-see list for holidaymakers. Many travellers return with new visions for their gardens, inspired by Japanese temples or the natural landscape. Of course, Japanese gardens represent centuries of development and deep aesthetic concepts, and their gardeners are highly skilled. However, anyone bowled over by the simple beauty of a Japanese garden can interpret the idea in...
  10. Creating winter colour

    Creating winter colour
    Everyone expects gardens to be at their spendiferous, colourful best in spring and summer, with autumn bringing warmth and texture. When we think of winter in the garden, we often think drab, dormant and boring... But it doesn't have to be that way. By choosing your plants cleverly, you can have a garden that is filled with colour all year...

Items 1 to 10 of 56 total

Page