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Silver Birch - Invasive Roots?? Are Silver Birch trees able to be planted near drain pipes without fear of blocking them up?
Silver birch dying branches I have planted two silver birches in my front garden in sandy soil and in sunny positions. These were planted in the last six months. They have been well watered almost every day. The tree I planted first has branches dying from the bottom up. The second tree is starting to do the same. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening? I live in a bayside area in Melbourne, Victoria.
Silver Birch in Pots What's the best way to grow silver birch tree's to advanced (6'+)stage in pot's to plant out later.?? Any advice would be appreciated. Len. P.S. Is this the best way to grow big/quickly.?
Slugs and Beer Its an old trick but it works very well. Place a saucer of beer in the garden and see all the slugs crawl in and then be too inebriated to get out!! Yay, gottem.
Smooth vs Mophead Hydrangea Hello gardeners! We are keen to plant hydrangeas in our front yard and I like both the smooth hydrangea and the mophead hydrangea. We live in Melbourne, Australia. We have two garden beds. One is under a very large gumtree and gets morning sun and afternoon shade. The other garden bed gets only dappled sun. Which species of hydrangea (mophead or smooth) would be suited to the garden bed under the gumtree (given that the tree will suck nutrient and moisture from the ground)? Which species of hydrangea (mophead or smooth) would be better suited to the garden bed with only dappled sun (mostly shade)? Thank you in advance!
Soft yard We live on very slight sloping 3/4 acre block. It has established lawn of approx 9 years. We have a septic system in front lawn. This appears to be working correctly and is serviced yearly. The front half has quite thick grass but the ground has become very soft to walk on to the point of leaving indents from feet and the rideon mower. The back yard which is the highest point has always been hard with much less thicker grass. It is also soft now to the point it indents also and is covered in small mud mounds from worms. We have used a rideon without a catcher and recently started using a new mower with mulcher. The front has gotten much softer over the years. Any suggestions on why our yard is getting softer.
Soil Suppliers Hi there, I have a soil supply concern that I'd like to share with this forum as I'm unable to source a good landscaping provider in the Northern Sydney area and wondered if others are affected by it. I have attempted to source a premium grade gardening soil from the Hornsby area, including Belrose \ Terrey Hills. ISSUE: Nothing seems to grow in the soil purchased. As it turns out the soil being sold at the moment has an extremely high PH. The first two batch's I bought a year ago from different suppliers had a PH of 8.5 to 9.5. My last hope of purchasing through a large reputable company had a PH of 8-9. Selling soil in these ranges isn't acceptable, as these supplier would know that most plants grow in the PH range of 5 to 7.5. It cost me valuable time and money correcting this problem. This hasn't been a once off issue for me it's been occurring for over a year. Is anyone else experiencing this issue?
Soil Water Retention Is there a way to build up the water-retention properties of a no-dig garden? The water runs through the layers very quickly and the plants wilt each day.
Something eating my Dwarf Canna I've grown my first garden this year of Dwarf Canna & Alstromeria, have already been invaded by whiteflies and other insects but cannot figure out what is eating large holes and even severing half of one leaf? Can anybody suggest what kinds of creatures would do this? I live in Melbourne.
Sooty mould I have a large established tree in my garden which I think is a bottlebrush of some kind (perhaps you can tell me what it is). Some of the upper branches are covered with a black, charcoal-like substance. Within the charcoal are shiny red bumps that look like sap. Is this a plant disease of some kind? See photo. As far as I know, the tree has not been set on fire or anything. Most of the other branches are fine and the tree seems otherwise healthy. It is currently flowering with fuzzy purple flowers.
South facing garden Suggestions for plants under 1m in a south facing garden 2m x 6m at front of house. Full sun 3 months, summer. Full shade rest of year. Planting suggestions? Have considered Agave foxtail but not sure if enough full sun.
Spanish Shawl I was wondering where in South Australia I would be able to buy a ground cover called Spanish Shawl from. My local nursery had never heard of it
Spindly hedge revival? I’ve moved into a house in Canberra where the hedge has had little attention and looks very spindly. Is there a way to revive it and encourage more foliage?
Spreading brown tips: Vriesea Hieroglyphica Hi all, Looking for advice regarding spreading brown tips on my bromeliad - a beautiful variagated Vriesea Hieroglyphica. The plant has been happy and healthy indoors for 3-4 months since purchasing from a garden centre in Sydney, Australia. It receives good indirect/shaded sunlight across the day from a north-facing window. We keep the central well topped up with clean water, which we drain and replace about once a month. The plant sits in a regular draining plastic pot, which then sits on top of 3-4 cms of large pebbles inside a ceramic "outer" pot. We have not fertilised or repotted the plant at all. Recently (we think after some hot and dry weather here in Syd) several of the leaf tips began to turn brown and "die off". The brown has been slowly spreading down the leaf toward the centre of the plant, with these leaves looking like they're basically dying off. In some of the photos you can see we have marked the location of the "rot" to monitor its progress down the leaf. The plant otherwise looks very healthy, with the rest of the leaves bright, shiny and colourful, with new bract growth in the central well, and with no pup growth yet. We assumed underwatering (because the brown started at the tips, not at the centre, and because the leaf tips are dry and crispy rather than mushy). We have given the pot a good soaking, allowing it to dry thoroughly first. If the leaves can't be saved and it keeps spreading, what should we do? Should we cut off the dying leaves at the centre with a sterilised blade to stop it from spreading to the centre of the plant? Any advice very much appreciated!
Staghorn I have a staghorn fern that has a disease. Seems to attack around where the new leaves come out, seems to cut the leaves off before they have a chance to grow. There seems to be a furry type substance around it as well. Can you tell me if there is anything that I can buy to help me with this one. Thank you for your help.
Star Jasmine I have a star jasmine in trouble. The leaves start out deep green but slowly turn yellow and, in time, red. It still flowers but doesn't look well. It's about 7 years old and this only happened in the last year. From all the literature, I can't figure out exactly what it might be. I've fed it and mulched but nothing works. Please HELP!
Star Jasmine - Sunlight Requirements I wanted to put create a Star Jasmine wall on my balcony, but the only place it could fit would have the pot hidden under a gutter out of sunlight. Does the entire plant need sunlight, or if the vine of the plant reaches past the gutter and into the sun, is that enough sun for the entire plant?
Steel Edging I'm interested in purchasing everedge. Can you tell me what colour is galvanised? Thank you
Steel Edging cut-end Regarding Flexible Steel Garden Edging (COR-TEN for my purpose), does cutting to a length less than the 1m standard size present any issues? Does the cut edge require a coating?
Stinging Nettles I have infestation of stinging nettles. I pulled original large plants out by hand and have continued to pull out tiny and small plants as soon as I can. They continue to pop up before my eyes! Will digging tiny plants back into soil help cull them or will that just stimulate faster growth? Any other suggestions please. I do not use chemicals of any type in my garden. Thanks. Janet
Stink Bug Beetle Any suggestions on killing stink bug beatles in my orange tree.
Strawberry Plants I am a new gardener and would like to know about strawberries. I have plants in an old toilet bowl and they are setting runners after a very fruitful season. When can I shift them from this container? when can I plant out the runners? will they fruit as well as the parent plant? what is the best soil for them? I hope someone can help me with these questions. Colleen
Streptocarpus I would like to grow some Streptocarpus plants, but can-not find any source of seed, plants, or leaves for propagation.
Struggling/ dying olive tree Hello all, I'm a very novice gardener so looking for some basic, easy to understand advice here. One of my 3 olive trees, not potted, has for the past several weeks been showing signs of distress. There was initially some yellowing and leaf curl, along with some black spots on the underside which I have treated with copper (appears to have largely worked), but now the symptoms have spread more broadley, with leaves going brown and curling across the plant. There has been no new growth for the past few months whilst our other trees have gone great-guns. Thinking it's a problem with the roots. Have treated with Yates anti-rot several times directly to the leaves, and also turned over the top soil (adding further premium mix). No obvious results yet. Any advice on what else to try or how long to expect results? Some yellowing leaves now noticeable on the adjoining plant.
Succulent on balconies Succulents are often a good choice for balconies, although many are prone to damage by frost.
Suggestions for Shady Area Hi, I'm looking for a plant for my front patio. Any suggestions on what would meet these criteria would be appreciated! - outdoors (East facing) but always in FULL SHADE - perrenial - low maintenance - fit comfortably in a 45 cm square pot (not too big root structure that would outgrow pot) - preferably flowering - attractive year round (inc when not flowering) I'm thinking of Camelia Japonica, Fiddle Leaf (but not flowering)... or maybe while Lobelia. Any other ideas? Thanks!
sunflowers hello all trying to grow some sunflower seedlings for the first time ever i planted some in the garden....the sprouted but before a second set of leaves appeared something plucked them or at them.......but they are gone i have tried now planting some seeds in a seed raising container (clear lid plastic tray) and i have soaked the seeds for a few hours and planted them pointy end down and put them in the cupboard (water inthe bottom) some of them have sprouted after a few days but they a growing sideways rather than up ( a spindly looking white shoot) just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on why this would be
Syzygium Leaf Curl Hi there, I have some otherwise very healthy Resilience lilly pillies that are recently having a problem that started with one plant, but now all 7 seem to have it. The new growth is small and completely curling in on itself. No discolouration anywhere. I can see no mealy bugs, and I can't find a solution anywhere online because every website wants to tell me that the problem is psyllids, which is not what this looks like (it is also a psyllid resistant cultivar). I really need these trees to keep growing strong as they are a privacy screen, any advice would be very much appreciated!
Tennis Court Weeds What can I use to kill weeds on a tennis court and also on a long driveway. I've tried roundup but it just doesn't do the job. The weeds are back in a short time. I'd really appreciate some help. Thanks.
Termite resistant wood chip Hi I would like to lay some turf , make some paths to chicken run, two raised garden beds and two fruit tress. Is wood chips good for paths? and good at keeping weeds at bay?. Would the wood chips harm the fruit trees one peach and one orange. I do not want to encourage termites.What is a good wood chip to use? I don't want to use pebbles or stones. Thankyou.
Testing Soil Quality Hi, we have an above-ground vegetable garden built by the previous owners. When we bought the house 1 year ago, the vegetables were growing well. We tried running greywater but my wife forgot and stain remover ended up in the soil, which killed some of the plants. Since then, plants haven't grown very well at all - although I tested the pH a while back, and it seemed fine. We now want to dismantle the garden bed and relocate the soil, but we're not sure if it is any good. As I've been digging down through it (the bed is almost 1 metre deep) its clear that there have ben many generations of gardens there, with different soils added. Also many roots coming up, we suspect from a nearby Celtis tree. The borders of the garden bed are lined with weed mat which lets some water through, but around the edges the soil has a white substance caking it - which I think maybe greywater contamination. Long story short - what tests can we do to see if this soil is good for using elsewhere (for shrubs etc). Is there a danger that the soil will 'poison' whereever we put it? I am new to gardening and know very little about soil contamination.
The Name Of This Plant G'day, My wife was given this plant. I would like to find the name of the plant please
Tilia europea HI, I have been searching to buy a Tilia Europea (linden lime or common linden tree) but so far no luck. Do you know who in Australia might have it for sale. Thanks Boryana
Tipuana Growth Shape Hi there, would appreciate some advice on a young Tipuana (Tipu) tree. It is spreading very wide horizontally but hardly growing taller vertically. (some branches/leaves are already touching the ground.) Am new to tree growing and have no idea what to do, assuming that it needs to be pruned, etc. Any help in the right direction would be very much appreciated.
Tomato Fruit Fly Arrhhh.... fruit fly in my tomato plants can you help me stop it this year!!... is there any natural ways to stop this?.. what are the best and safest chemical way??...thank you
Transplanting Staghorn I recently found that a stag horn fern (Platycerium bifurcated) had germinated and begun to grow, on a water feature alongside my fishpond. At what stage can it be transplanted for growing-on? How does one separate it from the surface on which it has grown with out fatally damaging root structure? NOTE: The plant is now at least twice as big as pictured.
Treated Pine Why do they say that you cannot saw treated pine without voiding the warranty - surely it defeats the purpose of buying timber, doesn't it?
Treated Pine for Raised Veggie Beds I have read that you can't use treated pine for raised veggie beds. But that makes it very difficult or expensive to build one as that only leaves hard wood, that would last.
Tree Fern Shortening I have a very tall tree fern that I wish to shorten as it is at gutter height and suffering from the heat. I wish to know if it will regrow when cut off 75cm from the ground, or must i dig it out and replant the top section only. Can someone also suggest the ideal PH for the above. thanks
Tree Roots A garden bed, close to a casuarina and nearby to poplars, is filled with a mat of fine roots. Nothing has grown well in the bed, although getting plenty of sun, as the plants always seems short of water. Are the trees the culprits?
Trimming Hedge of Mock Orange Have just planted a hedge of Mock Orange. I was wondering how soon I can start pruning them?
Tropical Feel for my Garden I would appreciate any advice on starting from scratch a palm and fern garden suitable to this area. Names of suitable plants and how quickly they grow would be a great help. We have just had a large area filled in where a pool had been removed and would like to make it tropical looking as we do have a partial view of the ocean and we like the look of tropical plants. Thank you
Tropical Rainforest I have just moved my dance school into a huge factory area ... the factory has many skylights etc. and I was wanting to turn a corner of it into a garden area with a small water feature etc. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice about what plants would be most suitable and what else I need to consider... I am obviously starting from scratch and am not even sure if it is possible. I am trying to create a nice indoor garden to break the "factory" look.
Trumpet Tree? I have seen a small tree that has very large trumpet shaped flowers on it that face vertically downward. The color of the flowers that I have seen are peach. Do you know what the name of this plant is?
Tuckeroo fertiliser Does anyone know the best fertiliser for Cupaniopsis anacardioides - otherwise known as the Tuckeroo. I have 3 and want to give them a bit of up and go.
Ulmus parvifolia Is Ulmus parvifolia allelopathic - ie. does it exude chemicals toxic to other plants? I am having great difficulty getting azaleas to grow under the canopy of a mature specimen.
Umbrella Tree - roots Hi all, we have a tree close to our house wall, which I believe is an umbrella tree. I have read that these have very invasive roots so I think I should move / remove it. But having dug down a little, the roots do not appear to be very invasive at all. Can anyone confirm what tree this is and whether we should remove it, or is replanting an option given it's size?
Unhealthy Blue Watermelon Peperomia I recently bought this Blue Watermelon Peperomia and it seems very unhealthy (especially compared to those online). The leaves are curling, rigid on the edges and some have even fallen off completely. Could anyone please give me any advice to keep this beautiful plant thriving
Using Cottonseed Meal on Roses I had heard that using cottonseed meal on my roses was a good bet, so I gave it a try. SUCCESS!! They have never looked healthier and are extremely productive. Now I am wondering if I should feed them again. I fed them in late March last and it is now mid-May. What do you reckon? P.S. I live in the USA so my seasons are opposite to yours downunder.
Viburnum Hello everyone. Hoping to get a little advice regarding spacing for Sweet Viburnum please. We have a long fence line approx 90m and have previously planted Sweet Viburnum to approx a quarter of this with spacing of 1m. The plants are approx 400mm-500mm in height and planted about a year and a half ago. We are looking at planting the remaining area and now have a better understanding of spacing and that 1.5-2m may have been a more suited distance for the growth and health of the plant. •Would please love some guidance on what distance you would recommend between future plantings? (We are hoping to have them at full height which is advised at 3-5m and 2-4m wide. Also, • In your opinion will our previously planted Viburnum be ok with the smaller spacing of 1M or when they develop will this hinder their health and growth? We are wondering if we go to the effort of transplanting them to a greater distance between now to achieve a better future outcome or if we just leave them & I’m worrying over nothing? We are also aware of the potential risks associated with moving plants and what would be the better option for our existing plants. Thank you all so very much. We are rather new to gardening and everything we looked up on the internet gave mixed advice. REPLY
Wall Mounted Pelargoniums i was visiting Spain recently and marvelled at how they love their Pelargoniums there, making fabulous displays everywhere. I especially liked this idea for hanging them on the wall that I saw in Cordoba - very neat.
Wandering Jew I have a rash of what I think is called wandering jew all over my garden - its awful. But when I pull it out it just breaks off and I find than it has put down roots from bits laying on the ground. Its so rampant that I don't know where to start - I cant spray roundup cos it'll kill all the other plants its woven itself into. HELP !!
Water Run-Off in Dry Weather When there is prolonged dry weather any water you might add to your garden often either runs off at surface level or just does not soak into the soil. This is due to the surface tension of the water and a lack of organic ingredients in the soil (called hydrophobic soil). The quickest way to help your plants AND SAVE WATER is to use a soil wetter or Wetting Agent. This breaks down the surface tension of the water and allows it to soak into the soil and get to the roots - which of course is your main objective. Most importantly, the water you do add to your garden is more effective - and as a result you'll definitely use less. There are a few different types of soil wetters on the market - some are a thick liquid - a bit like washingup liquid - and you can also get it in hose on bottles and as granules to sprinkle over the soil and water in.
Weed Identification Hi there - Linked is a picture of a weed we're getting on our lawn, wondering if we could get it identified as we're unsure if it's safe for the rabbits to dine on. Location is south Tasmania. Thanks!
Weed in Buffalo Lawn My lawn is mostly buffalo and I have Bindi (I think) and broad leaf weeds. The Broad Leaf weeds are easy to remove by hand but how do I remove the Bindi? Sprays I've looked at tell you not to use on Buffalo. Can you recommend anything?
Weed in Lawn - What is it? Hi Webmaster, I have quite a bit of these weed in my lawn. It is not the broad leaf ones, so the weed killer doesn't work. I tried pulling them off, but that's too much work. Hope you can help with some solution. Thanks Eric
Weedkiller for Santa Anna Lawn Cannot find any details regarding my large Santa Anna lawn which this year is full of different weeds. How can i eradicate weeds without destroying my lawn like I used to be able to do?
What flower is this? Does anyone know what flower this is? Amazing colour in mid winter, I want one.
What insect is this What is this insect on my lemon tree's new growth? An Aphid?
What is causing the black on the leaves? Hi, Can anyone please help.... the cause and treatment of the black on the leaves? Thanks for any advice!! Andrew
What is it and how do I get rid of it? I have a Mandevilla Aloha which has little white bugs that hang around the stem and leaves. The plant seems to be doing ok but how do I get rid of it so the plant can thrive...
What is this plant? Can anyone help me identify this plant? It a compact shrub with silvery down covered leaves and small mauve flowers. It has pods which means it’s a bean, pea or Kulin family member from what I can tell. It’s a stunning plant in my elderly neighbours garden and he doesn’t recall what it is. I’d like to try and grow it from the pod seeds. I’m not sure if it native or not. The plant is in the southern area of W.A.
What is this white rock please? Hi, Can anyone please help me identify this stuff? I'm finding chunks of it in the ground in the garden and under the deck in the house we just moved into. It's like a block of crumbly rock mixed in with the dirt. Then when you crush it with your hands it turns to powder very easily. Is it even a rock? Or is it a big blob of decomposing mould or something? Any ideas please? Here's a link of the rock not crumbled as I find it. And below is a link to the rock after I've squished it. It's easy as hell to crush, 2 fingers will do it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/9606jpqo5vumo70/WhiteRock1%20%281%29.JPG?dl=0 Crumbled rock https://www.dropbox.com/s/sp4siz4dndwk5la/WhiteRock1%20%282%29.JPG?dl=0 Cheers, Chris
What is wrong with these crotons please Hi. I’m new here so please forgive me if I’ve selected the wrong categories. I have planted about 6 crotons 6 months ago. Now they are looking faded in colour and have brown papery leaves On the lower part of the plant which drop off. I’ve never grown them before- can anyone help with suggestions as to whAt the problem is please. Many thanks in advance Ps I’m trying to upload a photo from my phone but seems it won’t work?
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