Gardening Australia

Australia’s number one monthly gardening resource, ABC Gardening Australia magazine is packed with step-by-step advice and stunning design ideas from its popular team of experts. Whether you are a novice gardener or have a green thumb and years of experience, you’ll find the advice you need.

welcome

PLANTS • This month’s pick of the bunch for garden lovers nationwide

BOOKS

Gardening Australia

having a BALL • Neat or shaggy, massed or solo, topiary balls and mounds provide striking contrast and structure to all types of gardens, from cottage to formal. STEVE FALCIONI explains how to get started

TOP plants for BALLING

darling DAFFS • Hoop-petticoat daffodils are sure to set your heart aflutter, writes JENNIFER STACKHOUSE

THE seasonal pot • Each of these lush indoor plants is a beauty on its own, but put them together in a big shallow bowl and you’ve got something special

What’s in the pot?

working with nature • With one eye on the Mediterranean and the other on native species, two dedicated gardeners have overcome poor soil and minimal water to create this gorgeous naturalistic garden in Western Australia

WHAT ABOUT THE Wollemis? • On an unseasonally hot October day last year, as a lightning storm passed over Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains, one strike hit ground. That single spark on Gospers Mountain grew into Australia’s largest forest fire in history, decimating more than 500,000 hectares, killing an untold number of animals, and threatening to destroy the last grove of Wollemi pines left in the wild. AB Bishop reports on what was done to save these precious trees, and how gardeners around the world are helping to conserve this ancient species

Quinces fit for princes • These luscious winter fruits have been prized since ancient times, and remain a delicious addition to the modern backyard, writes JACKIE FRENCH

cooking with quinces

the gardener's bucket list PLAS BRONDANW in North Wales, UK • It’s tricky to pronounce the name of this highland garden, but easy to wax lyrical about its rooms, vistas and mountain setting, writes JUDY HORTON

WHILE YOU ARE THERE

make your bed… & thrive in it • Raised vegie beds add structure and good looks to your edible garden, and many can be bought ready to go, or as flat packs in sheets that you assemble with few or no tools. KIRSTEN COLVIN provides a round-up of some of the options available

before you buy • First, consider the position and number of beds, and their size and shape.

something extra • Look out for trellises and supports for climbing crops, cloth protection against pests or frost, wheels for portability, and beds set up as wicking systems.

fill her up! • When you set up a new raised bed, you want to fill it with a good, healthy growing medium. PHIL DUDMAN describes a few of your options

composting 101 • It’s the stuff that makes a garden sing. No matter what type of soil you have, it gets better every time you add compost. PHIL DUDMAN shares his tips for making ‘nature’s gold’

PHIL’S recipe for success

JOIN THE CLUB

10 ways to grow more food • Once you’ve got your vegie patch up and running, the next step is to coax as much food out of your space as you can. PHIL DUDMAN shares some great ways to maximise production

VEGIES off limits NO SELF-SERVE TODAY! • As much as we love sharing our gardens with birds and other wildlife, we don’t want them eating all our crops. Fences, cages, netting and exclusion bags can help to boost your harvest, writes JENNIFER STACKHOUSE

MORE INFORMATION

insect protection

fast food! • Keen to be eating from the patch in only a few weeks’ time? JOSH BYRNE shares his top picks for a...