Gardening Australia

welcome

Last Christmas, I was given a potted gardenia – a beautiful, large-flowered ‘Magnifica’. Problem is, while it was in flower when I received it, and had a gazillion buds raring to go, the summer was hot and humid, and the buds never opened. The flowers basically cooked on the plant, despite it being in the prime gardenia-growing position in my garden. On the other hand, the smaller-flowered ‘Florida’ did perfectly well in the pot it has sat in for a number of years. So, I was very interested to read our expert’s tips for growing potted gardenias (page 18). Number one tip: grow ‘Florida’. If you want the big, flashy ones, put them in the ground. And how true is it that they’re “greedy pigs”? Feed them like you’re a Greek…

plants

Add some romance to your small courtyard or balcony garden with the classic scent of gardenia. Suitable for containers, the recently released Gardenia augusta ‘Buttons’ is a compact variety that produces semi-double white flowers over glossy, dark green foliage in spring and summer. The shrub is self-shaping and low-growing (up to 1.5m high by 1m wide), making it great as a low hedge or fragrant border, too. paradiseplants.com.au New for home gardeners, the a-okay plum is PlantNet’s first release in its Backyard Boosters range. It contains even higher levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin than the commercially grown Queen Garnet plum. The health benefits of this pigment, which gives purple fruit and vegies their colour, are currently being tested. The a-okay plum is available as a potted plant, either as a grafted tree…

gardening australia

EDITOR Jenny Baldwin HORTICULTURAL EDITOR Phil Dudman ART DIRECTOR Rachel Henderson CHIEF SUBEDITOR Liani Solari SUBEDITOR Gina Hetherington EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Carole Gridley HORTICULTURAL CONSULTANT Marianne Cannon ABC TV HOST Costa Georgiadis PRESENTERS Josh Byrne, Tino Carnevale, Jerry Coleby-Williams, Jane Edmanson, Millie Ross, Clarence Slockee, Sophie Thomson CONTRIBUTORS Steve Ball, AB Bishop, Wendy Blume, Linda Brennan, Leonard Cronin, Steve Falcioni, Jackie French, Judy Horton, Arno King, Michael McCoy, Martyn Robinson, Jane Rowley, Jennifer Stackhouse, Deryn Thorpe, Brent Wilson, Kim Woods Rabbidge ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Anabel Tweedale, atweedale@nextmedia.com.au Phone (02) 9901 6371 DIRECTORIES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Alora Edwards, aedwards@nextmedia.com.au Phone (02) 9901 6101 ACCOUNT MANAGER Annya Azzopardi, aazzopardi@nextmedia.com.au Phone (02) 9901 6320 PRODUCTION MANAGER Peter Ryman PRODUCTION AND DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER Jonathan Bishop EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ABC TV Gill Lomas MANAGER PUBLISHING AND LICENSING, ABC COMMERCIAL Lisa Hunter BRAND MANAGER ABC MAGAZINES Jenni Powell EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN David Gardiner MANAGING DIRECTOR Hamish Bayliss COMPANY SECRETARY Bruce…

on the shelf books

A HOLLOW IS A HOME Abbie Mitchell, with illustrations by Astred Hicks CSIRO Publishing This is a visually appealing and informative children’s book about the world of tree hollows and the 340-plus species of Australian animals that live inside them. Graphics and close-up photographs accompany facts about the birds, frogs, mammals and reptiles that rest, nest or hide in hollows. Included is information about how hollows are created, and why they are threatened, plus guidance on encouraging habitats for hollow-dependent animals. There is also a section about how scientists locate hollows and collect data on the creatures that use these spaces. The book is aimed at children of primary school age, to teach them about the flora and fauna in their environments while inspiring them to help reduce biodiversity loss. MISTLETOES OF SOUTHERN…

what’s on it december

VICTORIA Daily Plants for Your Place 11am or on demand (except Christmas Day, when the gardens are closed). Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Cranbourne Gardens, cnr Ballarto Rd & Botanic Dr, Cranbourne. (03) 5990 2200. $8. Guided walk with plenty of expert tips to help you find Australian native plants that are suitable to grow in your garden. rbg.vic.gov.au 1 ST Melrose Open Garden 10am–4.30pm. 33 Clowes St, Malmsbury. 0472 997 880. $8. Mediterranean-style garden (pictured) created by Deborah Hambleton around an 1860s bluestone cottage in central Victoria. The overall design is a harmonious blend of formal, symmetrical, romantic and wild elements, incorporating ornamental and productive plants, local recycled materials and artefacts from overseas. opengardensvictoria.org.au 10 TH The Botanist and the Distiller 5pm–6.30pm. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne Gardens, Birdwood Ave, South Yarra. (03) 9252 2429. $30.…

not simply red

Every December, pots of poinsettias appear for sale in florist shops, garden centres and chain stores, and are featured among the tinsel and glittering decorations in retail outlets. With its vibrant red blooms, the poinsettia has become the universal flower of Christmas, and therefore big business for the nursery industry. But there’s more to the poinsettia’s hold on Christmas than the traditional red colour of its flowers. Native to Mexico, poinsettias bloom in winter, which is when Christmas falls in the Northern Hemisphere. But they also check another box, which makes them such a darling for nurseries: poinsettias flower in response to short day length. While the shortening of daylight hours (and lengthening of nights) happens naturally in the lead-up to winter, it can also be brought about artificially to control…