Category: Gardens

Looking at other gardens, whether they’re ‘real’ gardens, show gardens, or public parks and Botanical Gardens gives us ideas and inspiration. We can see exciting and interesting combinations of plants, and new types of decoration but, best of all, ways that other gardeners have found to deal with their site’s special characteristics, including steep or flat sites, heritage precincts, and difficult soils and climate.

Burnley volunteers and the Burnley Table Great value in garden volunteers

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You know, I think the world would collapse without volunteers, especially gardening ones. Volunteers save organisations thousands and possibly millions of dollars in labour, do jobs that otherwise would not get done and without them we wouldn’t have many of the special places we like to visit. Continue reading →

Roberto Burle Max Sitio Roberto Burle Marx’s private Sitio

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Roberto Burle Marx single-handedly changed the face of tropical garden design while introducing to the world a host of amazing indigenous Brazilian plants hitherto ignored by Brazilians. In the process became an international figure. It’s intriguing to delve into his soul as an artist and plantsman to find out why his impact was so gargantuan. Continue reading →

Jud's agave and succulent garden California Jud’s amazing agave & succulent garden

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I have the Long Beach Marathon to thank for finding this garden. No, I didn’t run the marathon, more like actively avoided it. The marathon barricades cut off much of my end of Long Beach, so trying to get a few errands done was a circuitous challenge. I ended up in neighborhoods I don’t often see, such as the one where this front garden fills a corner lot. I vowed to return. Last night, I found it again, even though I had misremembered the street name. Who needs street names with a garden like this? I bet locals use it for reference: “Hang a right at Little Lotusland…” Continue reading →

Rosa ‘Jean Geldenhuys’ is a tough rose, with petals that do not fall, which means the blooms stay on the plants until the rich cream bleaches to white with pink tinges around the edges of the petals. The plant is disease-resistant and extremely vigorous There’s a garden in my backyard!

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It is not the first time I am telling the story of my garden to an audience – I did that for five years when I had the most wonderful audience of garden lovers across sunny South Africa, all readers of the popular South African monthly magazine, SA Garden. Now – through GardenDrum – I hope to find a new audience of gardeners who would like to share my garden with me and share their gardens with me! For those of you who have not read any of my garden articles I published the past 10 years, let me introduce myself: I have gardening in my blood. Continue reading →

The spice market today in Old Delhi cropped Of spice and tea

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As someone who came to the study of landscape history from a love of flowers and gardening, I write surprisingly little about horticulture. So, to make amends, this whole post is about some of the plants we saw on our recent trip to the southern Indian state of Kerala. Continue reading →

Lambley Nursery2 Lambley Nursery

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Just outside of Ballarat is a hidden gem. A beautiful garden appears much like an oasis of delight in the middle of the Victorian goldfields. A picture perfect farmhouse sits nestled amongst some simply stunning displays. Lambley Nursery is David Glenn’s labour of love.
David and his artist wife Criss Canning have molded the property into what it is today. Open to the public, you can wander amongst a variety of gardens and easily find something that will ignite some inspiration. Continue reading →

Oxalis cultivar Oxalis – wonder plant, or weed?

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I have had it up to “pussies bow” with the lack of science being shown by supposed scientists that work with weeds and weediness! Several years ago as a horticultural media operative I was invited to a seminar in Melbourne to be told what we in the media were to be able to say about declared weedy plants (nothing positive!). Continue reading →

With my construction team at MIFGS 2013 Becoming a landscape designer

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Hi everyone, my name is Phil and this is my first entry for GardenDrum. I am a landscape designer and I love what I now do! That must reflect on people, as they already ask me “Why do you have so much energy?” The answer is “I love it!” It’s funny because if you ask me “How did you become a landscape designer?” the answer’s the same… Continue reading →