When treating fungal problems like powdery mildew, try a home-made mixture of 1 part milk, 9 parts water in a sprayer. Or Eco-fungicide, which inhibits fungal spores from generating and as it doesn’t contain copper or sulphur it’s safe for micro-organisms and beneficial bugs. Eco-Rose is also available for controlling black spot on roses. Avoiding overhead watering, removal of affected foliage and spacing plants out to ensure good air circulation is another good method of prevention.

 

Often mistaken for ’witchetty’ grubs, these juicy white grubs feed off the roots of lawns and plants, especially seedlings. It’s best to simply turn the soil over and remove these as you see them, and feed them to chooks or local birds.

These pests can be quite prevalent in the warmer areas, laying eggs in fruit that can look fine on the outside but turns out all brown and mushy once cut open. Eco-naturlure fruit fly trap and Yates Nature’s Way fruit fly killer both contain Spinosad, a bacteria that affects the flies. You could also use bags to protect the fruit. Check out  www.greenharvest.com.au for more info.

 

 

I really love art in outdoor spaces, and in the garden you can create quite a feature with the right piece. I'm not talking about hundreds of reconstituted concrete Australiana figurines, more the odd one or two striking pieces to create focal points or at the end of a path or vista. Too much everywhere will just create clutter and confusion. Repetition in a group - like a collection of spheres on a lawn or grove of upright slabs of hardwood - can look good. In an urban environment like Sydney it’s rare to see art in a back alley like this great installation by Michael Thomas Hill. There a cages of all sizes suspended in Angel Place with an audio track of birds playing. It’s just magical.Forgotten Songs commemorates the songs of 50 birds once heard in central Sydney before they were gradually forced out of the city by European settlement. The calls, which filter down from the canopy of birdcages suspended above Angel Place, change as day shifts to night; the daytime birds' songs disappear with the setting sun as nocturnal birds sing in the evening. 

 

One of the easiest herbs to grow if you’re starting out is common mint Mentha spicata. Actually the perfect spot for a mint plant is in a pot under a dripping tap, as they like reliable moisture and you can grow them in part shade to full sun.

 

One thing you need to know about this and other mints is they spread under the grow via underground stems or stolens, which makes them very adventitious - spreading meters at a time in the right conditions. So it’s best to have them in their own bed or a large pot.

 

One of my clients has a mixed herb and vegie plot and I am constantly pulling up these travelling stems to keep a leash on the mint. But they come up readily and it’s not too hard to follow these stems (and you can give these rooted stems to your friends to share some love). Mint has commonly been used to flavour sweets over the years (except I must have been one of the only kids in the world to hate minties) and is also used in sauces to accompany meat or freshen up the odd cocktail. A very handy herb to have in the garden.