Welcome to iGarden

Hello and welcome to iGarden. Anyone who knows me will know that I am 'The Compulsive Gardener' - I love everything about gardening.

Allow me to share some of my enthusiasm and interests in gardening with a focus on the plants I know best and those that do especially well in my own Sydney garden.

This is more than just about plants: it's also about the people involved in gardening; their books and gardens; planting schemes; choosing appropriate plant types; colour selection... There is plenty to think and read about in iGarden.

So, while you are here, enjoy all my blogs, have a browse through my extensive Plant descriptions and don't forget to check out the Discussion Forums, Marketplace, Garden Ramble and your local Gardening Events.

See my latest blog

"November climbers"

Explore some of the vines in flower now.

November sees the blooming of several climbing plants, which add interest to our gardens and are useful for clothing some of the vertical structures in the garden, such as walls, fences, pergolas, pillars and arches. The air at the moment everywhere seems full of the scent of star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides  ... Read On »

November in my garden

What's in bloom

See the full list of what's flowering in my garden this month. Here »


Jobs to do

November is one of the prettiest months of the year in our Sydney gardens. Read More »


My Gardening Tip of the month

Pests are out in force and you need to be vigilant to keep them in their place. Try to use the least toxic alternative when spraying them. One very bad pest is the bronze orange beetle that attacks citrus trees and can really cause a lot of damage to the new shoots and the baby fruit. The best strategy overall seems to be to spray the leaves monthly through autumn, winter and spring with Eco Pest Oil to suffocate the early stages of the pest, But by now they are too big for that! It is apparently possible to vacuum them up with an old vacuum cleaner! I knock them with a stick into a bucket of water with some detergent or metho added. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and goggles when doing this, as the beetles squirt a nasty liquid when disturbed that can be dangerous, especially to eyes. Note that when they are large (at this time of year), they can fly in from neighbouring properties, so it is still necessary to check for them on a daily basis and deal with them. If you plan to pick them off by hand, wear a few pairs of thick rubber gloves, as the liquid they secrete when handled can go through gloves and stain your hands for days!

My Plant Reference

My current garden is located in one of Sydney's northern suburbs so my focus is naturally on what does well here. I have grown over 320 different plant varieties that are all described in this reference.
See all my Plant Descriptions »

Discussion Forums Recent Item

"Bulbs" forum topic: "Haemanthus albiflos"

Rebecca asks:
 Hi, I live in Northern N.S.W just a hop from Queensland border, just wondering about these plants. I have two large pots of these and had them for many years, have grown heaps of leaves but no flowers, not sure what to do, maybe more sun but how much sun or should I plant some of them in our garden and repot the others with fresh potting mix? Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated, cheers Rebecca.

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