sandy soil

Have you ever looked at your garden and felt that it wasn’t growing to its true potential? Perhaps your flowers are dying and you think you’ve either invested in dud plants or inherited the dreaded black thumb. Chances are it’s not that at all. Everyone has the ability to create a beautiful garden and take great care of their plants...

Not all soils are made equal. Your soil type depends on the parent rock from which it’s formed, on the influence of climate over hundreds of years and on what your house builder or previous owners have done to it. Knowing your soil type means you’re better placed to pick plants that will feel right at home or improve the...

Sandy soil is literally soil that’s made up of mainly sand particles. On the positive side, sandy soils are free draining and easy to dig. On the other hand, they can also be hard to wet, hard to keep moist (as sand dries out quickly) and a challenge to enrich with organic matter such as compost and manure. Sandy soils...

The secret to thriving plants in spring is healthy soil - and autumn is the perfect time to give it some TLC.  Like a chef blends ingredients to create a delicious balance of flavours, soil prep is all about getting the right mix of nutrients to create great growing conditions for plants. Based on a one square metre area, the below is a...

A little bit about New South Wales Christmas bush One plant that’s always perfectly dressed to celebrate an Aussie Christmas is the New South Wales Christmas bush. In early summer, this shapely native shrub’s small creamy-white flowers give way to showy red or pink bracts. Together with pretty, shiny, soft foliage, it’s no wonder this plant is a florist favourite...

Geraldton wax (Chamelaucium uncinatum) is a beautiful flowering Australian native shrub that brings colour to gardens from late winter to spring. As the common name suggests, Geraldton wax comes from Western Australia. Its mainly pink or white flowers have small, stiff petals, which give them the description of ‘wax’ flowers. The flowers ooze nectar and are highly attractive to bees...

A little bit about the African daisy No prizes for guessing where this exotic beauty is from. But in Sydney, African daisies have proven to be just as tough and easy to grow as they are in their homeland. Come winter, they reveal a showy, generous mass of flowers that close in low light. Petals come in a range of...