Last week we popped up the road to the Taroona Neighbourhood Garden to meet TNG president Michael Lynch. Sam and I arrived early to wander around and take some snaps of this beautiful space. While we waited for Michael to arrive we chatted to some of the friendly community gardeners that each had a plot, and have had them for many years. It was so nice to hear their stories, some popping down on a lunch break and others ducking in while walking the dog to grab some herbs for dinner. Michael arrived and knew all the fellow gardeners personally, a lovely kind man who you felt like you had known ..read more

Bells of Ireland - Moluccella laevis, what a wonderfully unique flower. Also known as Shrek and shell flower, it has a scent a bit like sour apples. These tall green spikes make a wonderful feature piece in a flower bouquet or a standout statement as one big bunch! Germination Tips The seeds can be sown in early Spring, once all risks of frosts have past. Direct sow or raise seedlings in a greenhouse, press the seeds on top of the soil and do not cover seed as light is required for germination. For the best germination, chill seeds for 1-2 weeks at (1.7-4.4°C) before sowing.  Ge ..read more

Billy Buttons Pycnosorus globosus are such an iconic Australian native wildflower, also known as sun balls and drumsticks! Once established these perennial native flowers do not require huge amounts of water. Billy Buttons are very hardy, heat + frost tolerant. They have beautiful silvery green grassy foliage and look amazing en masses. They can grow 60cm tall, florists love their straight very long stems and can be dried, a perfect cut flower. Germination Tips The seeds can be sown in Spring, Summer + Autumn and sown in warmer climates all year round. Raise seedlings in a greenhouse, p ..read more

This sweet biennial can be sown late summer, autumn and winter in warmer climates. Grown in containers and as a border plant they flower over a long time. This hardy flower will tolerate light frosts. Sowing + Germination Tips:  Raise as seedlings, sow 6mm deep, darkness is required for germination.  Bottom watering or misting will avoid dislodging the seeds. Germination should take 4-28 days @ 17-21°C. Once the seedling is about 5cm tall they are then ready to be transplanted outside into the garden. Planting Tips: When planting out the seedlings, leave about 20c ..read more

This is my go-to cake when friends visit, it’s super quick to rustle up and delicious served as it is like an Italian breakfast cake with coffee or for something fancier, with poached rhubarb (or any fruit really) and extra yoghurt. Ingredients 250g plain flour 250g caster sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 150ml olive oil 150g Greek yoghurt Grated zest of two lemons 3 eggs, beaten Icing sugar for dusting Method Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with a strip of baking paper placed widthways. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powde ..read more

Recently, we caught up with Madeleine and Emily from the Avant Gardeners podcast, a podcast by two self-confessed gardening beginners interviewing gardening guns - all done with a drink in hand.  These two are gardening tragics based down in the Huon Valley, Southern Tasmania. Their number #1 podcast is a must listen for any gardener. How did you guys meet? Our friendship really flourished when we were both on maternity leave, with young kids and time on our hands. We’d frequently meet up at a mutual friend’s house (Pip, from The Garden at Moorfield) because she had a ..read more

Can you introduce yourself? My name's Michelle Crawford. I live in the riverside village of Franklin in the Huon Valley, in an old bank known as the Bowmont (accomodation, studio & event space). I work as a stylist, a writer, cook, whatever. I guess a freelance creative.  What are you cooking for Christmas? I like to keep it simple. A really beautiful ham, raised by some friends who are free-range organic pig farmers. Probably will do it with a whisky marmalade glaze. Plenty of pink eyes, plenty of cherries, and maybe a tomato and burrata salad if there's any ready to go. But it's ..read more

California Poppies (Eschscholzia Californica) are wonderful silky flowers that bloom over a really long period with whimpsical ferny green foliage. These California wildflowers are extremely low maintenance, can tolerate light frost, are drought-tolerant, and can cope with poor soil. They can be sown from spring to early summer.  California Poppies are well known for their medicinal purposes. Its leaves and petals are used to help conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, and nervous tension. We have some new additions to our California poppy collection, including the absolutely st ..read more

Calendula, also known as pot marigold is well known to have many benefits in the garden and medicinal treatments like healing ointments and edible flowers. Calendula is an easy and fast growing annual flower to grow. Bringing in the beneficial pollinations and keeping away the nasty pests such as aphids. Calendula is a great companion plant for tomato, cucumber, beans, eggplants and squash. Calendula is an edible flower and can be used as an anti-inflammatory in ointments and teas. It can be sown in Spring and Autumn and can be sown Winter in warmer climate. You can see when to ..read more

This is a question I get asked at least once a week! So I thought I would make life easy and pop together a list of what you can grow in shady areas. These areas are not full shade, you will need some sunlight coming through for growth. Aquilegia- also known as Columbine thrive in a dappled light.  Borage Nasturtium Viola Hydrangea  Hellebore Forget Me Not Alyssum - a great ground cover that flowers in clusters of tiny purple, white and pink. Ageratum  Evening Primrose Bells of Ireland Purple Bell Vine  Native Ginger Kangaroo Paw- an Australian Native, that prefers full su ..read more