Australia’s number one monthly gardening resource, ABC Gardening Australia magazine is packed with step-by-step advice and stunning design ideas from its popular team of experts. Whether you are a novice gardener or have a green thumb and years of experience, you’ll find the advice you need.
welcome
Gardening Australia
February • News and happenings for gardeners and nature lovers
PLANTS • Spectacular blooms make these beauties the stars of the show
BOOKS
pretty in PASTEL • This easy-to-grow flowering annual could be the star of your summer garden – thorny stems, sticky foliage and all, says JENNIFER STACKHOUSE
PURPLE reign • This eye-catching semi-scrambling shrub can be left to its own devices to become an informal screen, or trained as a flowering standard, writes STEVE FALCIONI
say cheese! • Multi-tasking is a walk in the park for this gorgeous medium-sized rainforest tree, which provides shade, quirky bright fruit and huge habitat benefits, writes ANGUS STEWART
wildest DREAMS • This cosy tropical garden overflowing with greenery is a source of inspiration and pride for its creative owner
chasing RAINBOWS • Not one to do things by halves, ‘dahlia addict’ Jen Foster has turned her love of gardening into a flourishing full-time concern in the NSW Southern Highlands
ROCK of ages • Using local rock-based products in the garden benefits the environment in numerous ways, and feels and looks delightful, writes AB BISHOP
smart thinking • Meet some of the residents who’ve reaped the rewards of an award-winning gardening program designed to connect, support and sustain them – and the environment, writes SALLY FELDMAN
high & dry • After decades of living on the land, JACKIE FRENCH has developed a finely tuned list of drastic drought strategies
testing the WATER • In dry seasons, it can be tricky to keep even the toughest plants alive, but soil wetters can make all the difference between touch and go, writes JUDY HORTON
HOME GROWN • Whether you have 15 minutes or an hour to spare, you can always put your time to good use in the productive garden
how to TRAIN your DRAGON • The flamboyant fruit of this clambering cactus tastes as good as it looks, and it’s also easy to grow, says PHIL DUDMAN
mango anthracnose • While this common disease can’t be eradicated, it can be managed to reduce its effect
did you know...? • While it’s true that most edible plants grow best in full sun, there are plenty that crop almost as well in shadier conditions, says PHIL DUDMAN
what I,ve learnt about... MANAGING WEEDS • While weeds will always be a part of a gardener’s life, PHIL DUDMAN has learnt that a multi-pronged management approach works best
FEBRUARY a month in the GARDEN • More than 50 seasonal jobs to do
MAILBOX
take a break! • Put the kettle on – it’s time to relax! Solve our puzzle to be in the running to win a pack of gardening books
YOURS FOR GARDENING
rules, what rules? • Successful gardeners aren’t afraid to stretch and even shun convention… but there can be consequences, writes MICHAEL McCOY