Author: Tom Fagan

Botanical name: Vigna Caracalla Common name:  Snail Vine Origin:  South America Height: Determined by supporting structure, approx. 4 meters Form: Vigorous Vine Flowers: The flowers are white-coloured as they unfurl, turning lilac as they blossom out into little snail-shaped blooms. As they age and fall, they turn cream-coloured. The flowers are quite fragrant and are […]

This beauty was adopted as the floral emblem of South Australia on 23 November 1961. Botanical name: Swainsona Formosa Common name: Sturt’s Desert Pea Origin:  Australia Height: Runs along the ground Form: A creeping vine Leaves: Silky grey-green pinnate foliage arising from prostrate stems. The leaves and stems are covered with downy hairs. Flowers:  The […]

* Grey water is a term used to describe the water that has gone through the household plumbing system to assist with the disposal of everything except human waste (it’s not actually always grey in colour!) * Between 200 to 400 litres of grey water is produced each day and it can take 1400 Litres […]

* Pulse your watering cycle (use the permitted watering times to spread the delivery of the water over the available time rather than just drown the lawns and gardens) * Some soils have become hydro-phobic (meaning they repel water), so you may need to work on them. You can do this by either a wetting […]

Here’s another proven beauty for our region: Botanical name: Vitis vinifera Common name:  Ornamental Grape (The Genus name Vitis is the Latin name for grapevine) Origin: Native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and South Western Asia from Morocco and Portugal North to Southern Germany and East to Northern Iran Height: Limited only by the […]

Here’s some tips for reducing damage to plants during a Sunraysia heatwave: * Mulching the garden is a very important step in reducing the amount of moisture loss in the garden (Lucerne, Pea Straw and Dry Grass will even do the job). There are many commercially available mulches also. * Drip irrigation can be run during […]

The Crepe myrtle has been proven to be a great plant for our region: Botanical name: Lagerstoemia indica Common name:  Crepe Myrtle Where can I see them? Inland Botanic Gardens Where can I get them? Mildura Native Nurseries (Tony Langdon) Origin:  China, Korea, Japan and Indian Subcontinent (Indica is classical Greek and Latin for “of India”) Until next time “Get Out […]

Here’s a few tips for your garden this weekend: * Summer prune your Roses and then fertilise with rose food * Now is the optimum growth time, so fertilise all garden beds with Dynamic lifter and water well following application. * Move hanging baskets into the shade away from afternoon sun. * Spray weeds early […]

As we hit the silly season, it’s time to set the scene for your get-togethers. I would suggest not to do any heavy pruning or shaping at this stage, as it’s too late and won’t regenerate in time.  However, you can add lots of simple colour by planting annuals and perennials such as Petunias and […]