Author Archives: James Beattie

James Beattie

About James Beattie

James is a horticulturist based in Melbourne, Victoria. He has worked in garden design, bushland management and garden coaching. He is currently a horticultural researcher for ABC TV’s Gardening Australia.

Smashing Making muck

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I recently finished an excellent book entitled, Resurrection in a Bucket: the Rich and Fertile Story of Compost, by Margaret Simons. It’s a light-hearted journey through the biological processes and social history of compost. I highly recommend it! Its arrival on my study desk was timely because I’ve been busy building large compost piles in preparation for reclaiming large areas of driveway for growing plants. By winter’s end I should have half a dozen large piles of compost ready for building up my existing soil. Continue reading →

Australian Garden Stage 2 Weird & Wonderful Garden Australian Garden – Stage 2. Hmmm….

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Late last year the Royal Botanic Gardens here in Victoria opened the second stage of their much-lauded Australian Garden in Cranbourne. Until now I have been busy finishing up jobs before beginning anew, but I finally made time to go and see the second stage of the garden last weekend. Continue reading →

Whisky Gardening with dogs

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I have been both a gardener and a dog owner for the best part of a decade and up until recently these two aspects of my life coexisted peacefully, bar the odd indiscretion by India, my eldest Rhodesian ridgeback. Continue reading →

Wilpena Pound Callitris forest Wilpena Pound

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Over three hundred kilometres north of Adelaide in South Australia looms a mountain range with breathtaking natural beauty on a grand scale. As I sit here penning this blog to the sounds of the bird life around me, with glimpses of red rocky outcrops through the trees, I am ashamed to say that like most Australians I had no idea this place existed up until a couple of months ago. Continue reading →

Garden_theatre Everglades

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As the days of winter gradually grow longer and the narcissus begins to flower, gardeners know that spring is not far away. Daffodils seem to have an extraordinary meteorological ability to influence the temperature, casting off winter’s stony greys with warm yellows that leave their admirers feeling decidedly peppy. Continue reading →

Epacris_collage Epacris impressa – a history

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The year 1958 is remembered for many significant events and milestones. Elvis joined the army. De Gaulle, bearing a more than passing resemblance to Peter Sellers, became presidential founder of the Fifth Republic of France. A child prodigy, Bobby Fischer, became the US world chess champion. In the antipodes the state of Victoria, by way of official parliamentary decree and with the blessing of one Henry Bolte, Premier, the pink form of the common heath (Epacris impressa), was adopted as the official emblem of the state. Continue reading →

New_Estates Lamenting the dwindling garden

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Sometimes I lament the small size of my inner suburban block but I am usually quick to scold myself. I scold myself because in reality I should consider myself very lucky. Lucky because I have the space that I do and luckier still that I am able to live so close to the city. Continue reading →