Jennifer Stackhouse

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...

There’s always more space for beautiful indoor plants in your home when you select trailing plants that can be suspended from the ceiling in baskets, or allowed to spill from pots placed on shelves. Here are 10 favourite trailing plants for a brightly-lit indoor space, balcony or porch.   Boston fern. Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) Boston ferns form large and...

Dracaena is a lush, tall, leafy plant that creates a tropical look indoors, on a balcony or in the garden. There are many species and cultivars that give a range of leaf colours and patterns. Some also have fragrant flowers. Dracaena varieties The most impressive dracaena variety is the dragon tree (Dracaena draco) (pictured above). This large, spreading, multi-branched tree...

A Port Wine Magnolia in bud. When in bloom, the port wine magnolia adds a sweet scent to the air. It has small, insignificant creamy-purple flowers throughout the year, so catching a waft of scent is often the first sign that the shrub is back in bloom. The perfume of this flower is often described as having the scent...

Living in an apartment or small home without space for a garden doesn’t mean growing your own food isn’t possible. Most plants, including edibles, can grow happily in a pot on a balcony or in a courtyard. Pots can be placed on hard surfaces or suspended from railings or walls. If there’s a little more space, grow a few vegetables...

Gardeners need to be patient as they wait for trees and shrubs to bloom and hedges to grow. But do we really have to wait ages for a beautiful garden? The good news is there are fast-growing outdoor plants out there that can quickly fill up empty spaces. Block out the neighbours One of the first plantings most new gardeners...

Groundcover plants are a very effective way of covering bare areas of the garden. They act as living mulch to keep soil and gardens cool, reduce moisture loss and even keep down weeds. Planting a native species can do even more for your garden. Like native shrubs and trees, native groundcover plants improve the environment, attract native species of birds...

Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) is one of the most bulletproof shrubs around. Need a plant in a pot? Indian hawthorn. Need a low, compact hedge? Indian hawthorn. Want pretty spring flowers? Indian hawthorn. Need a shrub with small, glossy, dark green leaves? You guessed it, Indian hawthorn. Evergreen? Indian hawthorn. Suits an exposed balcony or garden with heat, wind, coastal...

Gardens in elevated and inland regions, such as west and north-west Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands, enjoy cold winters with lots of frosty mornings. These chilly gardens don't suit the lush, subtropical plants that are favoured in coastal gardens. However, they are perfect for a wide range of cold climate plants, many of which are bare and dormant over...

To keep potted plants healthy and thriving, they need to be repotted regularly. This means taking them out of their container and either putting them into a new, larger container, or simply replanting them into the same container with fresh potting mix. Repotting is done to provide extra growing space and nutrients.   How often to repot The frequency of...