One item you're almost guaranteed to see out on hard rubbish day is a sad ironing board. I inherited one with a crumbling top and a burnt cover, so I turned it into a height-adjustable plant bench for my balcony using reclaimed pallet wood.

Pineapple Sage is one of those plants that really earns its place in the garden. Its soft, lime green leaves smell just like fresh pineapple and are edible. And in autumn, it bursts into bloom with brilliant scarlet-red flowers that insects and birds love.

The African Geranium is a wonderful low-maintenance plant that offers year-round foliage interest with a pop of jewel-toned colour.

#LeaveTheLeaves is a campaign bringing awareness to the benefits of leaving fallen leaves in situ. Just because autumn leaves, flower heads and fallen branches are no longer alive, doesn't mean they aren't providing life to other creatures. This article expores some ways you can deal with leaves this autumn.

May is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) Awareness Month. For those of us with hypermobile joints, gardening can be a double-edged sword: it's great for sensory regulation and mental health, but the physical demands can lead to joint subluxations, chronic pain, and fatigue.

A seed snail is a rolled up piece of plastic or paper filled with soil and seeds. Learn how to propagate using this easy and space-saving method.

We’ve all seen these ubiquitous blue and white clumps lining driveways and nature strips, seemingly immortal and, in certain parts of country, a little too keen to settle where they aren't wanted. But sterile cultivars are a great way to include this hardy plant in your garden without risk of it becoming weedy.

Corymbia ficifolia hails from a tiny corner of the south-west of Western Australia but has earned its place in gardens across the country. Unlike most other gums, it has a dense, rounded canopy and shorter stature (grafted cultivars) making it ideal as a street tree or feature for small gardens.

In the world of Australian native plants, few things command attention quite like the Swamp Lily (Crinum pedunculatum). While its common name might suggest it is strictly for the boggy corners of the garden, this architectural plant is one of the most versatile and resilient lilies you can grow.

One of the highlights of my week is my co-gardening sessions. Co-gardening is simply the act of gardening alongside another person. Many of the people I work with are neurodivergent, manage mental health struggles, or face physical challenges that make gardening alone feel overwhelming.

If you’ve spent any time admiring contemporary landscape design, chances are you’ve already encountered the upright silhouette of Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’. I recently saw it at two open gardens and was reminded of its usefulness as a vertical structural element in naturalistic plantings.

Located in Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula, Annie and Paul's garden is a great example of how a designer and gardener can work together to create something special. After many years building up the back garden with a mix of perennials and natives, they sought the expertise of Timothy Mitchell to convert their unused tennis court

Woolly bush is a wonderfully textural shrub that is a favourite of mine for sensory and children’s gardens. It’s soft needles and greyish-green foliage make it equally useful as a feature plant or to fade into the background planted en masse as an informal screen.

The days of reaching for a chemical spray every time a weed pops up are thankfully fading. We now know the damage those products can cause to fauna, our soil and our waterways. Glyphosate, one of the most common herbicides, has been linked to cancer and shown to harm pollinators. And when toxins leach into the water system, it affects all of us. 

So, what’s the alternative?

Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are, in my opinion, the quintessential ornamental edible plant. They quickly cover a trellis or fence, put on a show of bright red flowers, and reward you with nutritious beans.

Alyogyne hueglii are wonderfully versatile, resilient native shrubs. Their evergreen foliage and long flowering season mean you’ll get year-round interest, whether you pop them into a mixed border or let them shine as standalone feature plants.

Along with wattles, this is one of our native plants that is always a welcome signal that spring is not far away.

As we wait for spring to arrive, citrus comes into its own, and that includes the bitter zing of grapefruit. This grapefruit and thyme shortbread takes just an hour to make and features olive oil for an earthy richness that keeps it from being too sweet.