As the weather warms up and we spend more time outside in the garden, entertaining, pottering in the garden or just watching the kids play, the need for shade becomes very evident. Options for shade include natural shade created by plants and artificial shade created by shade cloth, umbrellas or sails. Natural Shade Trees As […]
I love to have flowers in my garden all year round. I also love to be able to pick flowers from my garden and enjoy them in my home all year round. While there are many plants that look great in your garden with growth and flowers that allow you to pick their blooms while
Cut Flowers for all Seasons Read More »
Peruvian Lilies or Alstroemerias are very popular as long-lasting cut flowers which will survive for up to three weeks when picked. I will admit that they do drop a few petals after 10 days or more and while that bothers some people, I tend to just blow them onto the floor!? 😊 They are also
Alstroemeria – Peruvian Lilies Read More »
Tomatillo Trial at Sophie’s Patch For the last four years one of my favourite summer crops has been the tomatillo, pronounced ‘tomateyo’. Over this time I have become better at growing them and understanding the diversity of ways they can be used in the kitchen. So much so that in the last few years, my
Tomatillo Varieties Read More »
Spring is the time of year in Southern Australia when gardeners are desperate to plant their tomatoes, but it really depends on the soil temperature in your garden and whether you are in an area which can be affected by frost. Tomatoes should not be planted until the soil temperature reaches a minimum of 16 degrees, and
Are we there yet? When to plant tomatoes… Read More »
I love Buddlejas or butterfly bushes and I should warn you that once you start to grow these, you will probably want to grow more, and more. These wonderful flowering shrubs produce colourful, mostly cone shaped heads of flowers with a sweet honey-like perfume, which attracts butterflies and honey-eating birds. Most are sun-loving, evergreen shrubs
The Beauty of Buddlejas Read More »
In spring, my favourite climbing plant is without question wisteria. The sight of the massed purple flower is breath taking and the scent of the blooms almost intoxicating. Yet this climber can be feared for its potential vigour, with many examples of old specimens that have not been maintained running rampant in gardens across Adelaide.
Wonderous Wisteria Read More »
When I take people on a tour of my vegie patch, people are fascinated that I deliberately leave a patch of stinging nettles growing. I think stinging nettles are a much misunderstood weed and I love to explain to visitors their many benefits. No one likes their sting of course, which comes from the fine
Stinging Nettles – friend, not foe Read More »
50 Shades of Grey at Sophie’s Patch I love shades of grey at Sophie’s Patch, not the movies, but the plants. Grey (or silver) foliage not only looks great and makes a great contrast with all flower colours and other plants, it indicates a hardy plant, able to withstand the onslaught of our tough summers.
Fifty Shades of Grey Read More »
“Plant pears for your heirs” What a great saying about a tree being long lived. Just in front of our house is a massive ancient pear tree which we presume it was planted at about the time our house was built in the late 1840s. Each spring when it is smothered in its stunning single