Why do you love plants and gardening?
Because it is such an incredibly deep pond filled with learning that it is going to keep inspiring me and keeping me busy for about my next 25 lifetimes. (And I reckon I’m being conservative with that time frame!!!)
What’s your best gardening tip?
I’ve got two!!!
1) Try growing something, or the odd crop, in a few different locations and see which zone served you best. I have planted some of my garlic in a protected raised garden pod, some more on my street verge, some in a series of pots and some in a garden bed in my front yard facing west against a wall to see which spot grows best. I always love a bit of a backyard science experimentation to see how things respond!
2) Keep an eye out around local building sites and their skip bins for steel reinforcement mesh off-cuts. Often an entire length of mesh will be cut and thrown out and these make a perfect strip for either arching over a raised garden bed or using as a climbing frame up a wall. There are valuable resources in those skip bins, so let’s keep them out of landfill and into the garden growing for us. (But don’t forget to check first before you take something!)
What’s your proudest gardening moment?
Whenever my grandparents’ orchids flower. It fills me with a sense of connection to them and it’s at the top of my scale!
What are the best parts about gardening in winter?
I like the idea that the garden has its quiet time. Sure it’s still growing, but it’s the whole ying/yang reality of a time and a season for everything. The warmth of summer is what it is, because of the cool of winter on the other side of the coin. Winter flowering plants bring much love to my world. Cool, crisp mornings in the garden are the best. I love it when you warm up because of garden activity and have to shed a layer. Then I know I’m really into it!
What are your winter gardening plans?
Geez. I have plans, but there is also so much going on in the north over winter that my time gets spent away a lot in Qld , the NT and of course in the centre too. That’s when so much of the tropics grow gangbusters and have their events. Think QLD Garden Expo and plenty of other events in Brisbane, Cairns , Darwin and everywhere in between! My plans at home when I get some time there are to add three or four more compost bins to my street composting system. I also want to (hopefully!) see my garlic come through the winter unscathed and not played with by cockatoos, so I can finally claim a crop later in the year. And I will be planting a whole lot of plants that are in my pond side waiting room and triage the ones that need some attention!
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