Gardening Articles, News, Updates and Events - Page 5 of 8

Nathalie Brouard August 5, 2013

Leyat Pruners Offer High Quality at an Affordable Price

Serious gardeners have a large variety of choices when it comes to high quality pruning shears. Your pruning shears will represent one of your most important tools and will be with you day in and day out. Therefore it is vitally important that you make the best possible choice, especially when you are planning on laying down a bit of money for your new shears. Leyat pruners are top of the line and are quickly becoming the go-to choice for serious horticulturalists and novice gardeners alike. But why are these Swiss-made pruners gaining such popularity and why should you consider these secateurs over the many other brands that are available today? The reasons are actually quite simple.

Leyat pruning shears have been designed with Swiss-style determination and precision since 1917. Over the last few decades the company has come up with a number of innovations that allow their pruners to stand out from the crowd. Customer satisfaction is one of the company’s highest priorities. Their range of pruning shears and loppers use the latest technologies and are designed to last. Leyat brand pruners are well known all over the world as an excellent value for their price. These high quality pruners are available for almost half the price of other Swiss made shears, including well-known brands like Felco. Gardeners who choose Leyat will get great quality without the hefty price tag. Leyat also offers a range of design options to fit the needs of every gardener.

Each of the shears made by Leyat comes with a number of top quality features and functions. All of the pruners from this company offer ergonomic handles with easy to find bright yellow grips. These handles are made from forged aluminium, which makes them super strong yet very lightweight. The plastic grip coating will not slip either. The pruners’ cutting heads have a PTFE coating to protect against rusting and plant sap and are made of high quality hardened steel. Additional features include a sap grove and wire cutters. All of Leyat’s components are very easy to replace. This allows you to choose a model type and handle size that fits you perfectly and keep that same set of shears in operation for years and years.

Also, Leyat pruners are easy to use and work with all day long. They feature integrated shock absorbers to protect your hands and wrists and are easily adjusted. Model choices include all around models such as the Classic, precision-specific models such as the RP and high performance professional-grade models such as the Super Pro.

For hardcore function, long term durability and supreme cutting power, you will certainly get your money’s worth if you choose to go with a pair of Leyat pruning shears.

Nathalie Brouard July 15, 2013

Comfrey | The Versatile Herb

We have loads of Comfrey growing in our garden.

Why did we do this?

Well, comfrey has deep roots and can access nutrients deep down in the soil. It is known as a dynamic accumulator. We wanted to give our citrus this additional nutrition and did so by chopping off the comfrey leaves and leaving them around the drip line and to allow them to break down. (which they do quickly).

Since then I have discovered all sorts of interesting things about comfrey.

A friend of mine informed me that comfrey is also known as ‘poor mans fish’ . It gets this name because the leaves can be battered and fried and does taste like fish. I have not tried this myself – so I couldn’t tell you if it is true or not! However, comfrey can apparently be poisonous if eaten so if you considering trying this, do a bit of research beforehand so you can be informed.

Comfrey is a great compost activator. Adding some to your compost heap will speed up the composting process. I am a slack composter – my efforts consist of throwing all my scraps and green waste into a pile. However I do have a roll-mix composter and I did throw in some comfrey leaves into the compost, I noticed it broke down a bit quicker.

Comfrey is also known as ‘knitbone’ helping to heal broken bones, sprains and bruises. For healing purposes, it can be made into an ointment, check out this awesome blog post for the recipe. It can also be made into a poultice by smashing up a few leaves with some hot water until mushy and putting it directly on the skin and wrap a bandage around it.

After I had given birth, my midwife gave me a dried herbal preparation, which included dried comfrey, to be used in the bath to aid with healing. After experiencing the benefits myself, I was most happy for her to raid my comfrey to make more of her herbal preparation for new mums!

Are you interested in growing comfrey?

If so,it is super easy to grow. I can’t remember where we got our original plants from but once you have a plant established in your garden, you will never have to buy one again. All you need to do, is break off a bit of the comfrey root and stick it in the ground (or a small pot of potting mix) to get it going. They are pretty tough plants to kill!

I gave some of the comfrey roots to a friend to grow. All she did was stick them in the ground. A couple of years later, she has a healthy comfrey plant.

Comfrey leaves have these small hairs that can be irritating when you pick them. I used to have to wear gloves when handling comfrey. I found the older the leaves the more ‘spikier’ they seemed to be. But now, the hairs don’t seem to affect me at all. Maybe my hands have toughened up!

Who else has comfrey in their garden? Please share your experiences with comfrey in the comments below section.

Nathalie Brouard May 25, 2013

Down to Earth: Interview with a Gardener – Muriel Sellars

Muriel Sellars is a family day care educator, who happened to win Family Day Care Educator of the year for Queensland 2012 and I’m proud to say she has looked after my three young ones.

I love the fact that she instills a love of nature and gardening in the children she looks after.

Here is her garden story.

First of all how would you describe your garden? (What do you grow? What is your climate like? )

I grow fruit and vegetables in a permaculture garden. I live in a sub-tropical climate.

I live in the country and have a small acreage where I grow grassy hay to mulch my garden. I keep chooks to do the hard work of spreading the mulch, scratching and weeding to prepare for planting.

In an ideal world where I had as much time as I wanted to garden, I could easily have enough and more veggies for my family and friends. The area I use is about 10metres square. I have divided it into 8 separate gardens.

The chooks are let out into 1 area at a time so that they kill all the weeds and finish off any leftover garden plants. While they are doing this they are also fertilizing the area with their droppings. I leave them there for 4-6 weeks and each day they get new mulch to process [get all seeds and break up the hay]. This keeps them busy and happy and as a side benefit they lay eggs.

How did you get started in gardening?

I am the daughter of a farmer and as a child we learned that we ate if we grew food so we took great delight in producing food for our own table. As an adult I have always enjoyed the satisfaction of growing my own fruit and vegetables. Sometimes I go for some time not getting a chance to garden but I always go back to it .

What motivates you to get up and garden?

I am a Family day care educator and I enjoy teaching the children in my care the delights of gardening.

What were some of the unexpected hurdles in your garden? How did you deal with them?

I made the fences 4 ft high and some of the chooks can fly that high. It is most distressing when the chooks think they are doing you a favour when they dig out the precious seedlings that have not long been planted. I have decided that large chooks i.e. Rhode Island Reds are the best type of chook to keep as they are too heavy for their wings to support them.

What has your garden taught you?

That I need time to myself and there is no better way to reconnect and ground myself than gardening

What do you feel your garden can teach the children you look after?

They can learn so much it’s hard to know where to start’ The lesson I try to teach them is to learn which insects and animals are our friends. As most children are fascinated by [even when they don’t want to touch] insects and small animals this is a lesson that is fun to teach and there is so much to learn.

I also think it is important that the children learn where our food comes from. Lots of children don’t understand that food is grown and doesn’t magically arrive on the shelves in shops. In a permaculture garden the chooks lay eggs so they also have the joy of collecting them and we often come back and make them into lunch. Food straight from the garden tastes so much better and especially when there has been some involvement in the growing process.

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be?

A Shaddock [Sweet and round ]

What advice would you offer first time gardeners?

Grow in your veggie garden what you put into your grocery trolley in the fruit and vegetable aisle.

Would you like to share your garden story with us? We would love to hear it! Please contact us for more information.

Nathalie Brouard May 6, 2013

Celebrating our National Tree: The Wattle

What a busy little tree—it comes in a multitude of sizes, shapes and colours to tickle our fancy. Article compliments of IOTA Po ts and Planters

Raise your hand: How many of us know that the Australian national colours come from the national tree? That tree is, of course, is known as the Wattle. From our horticulturist friend, we learned that these trees were called Wattles as “they were believed to have been used by the early Australian settlers to make wattle and daub houses.” A fine distinction, indeed: Shelter for the ancestors.

Naturally Feminine

The Wattle is like a mysterious woman… you never know how she will appear the next time you see her. This species expresses itself in over 500 ways all over Australia and springs up from small shrubs to tall trees.

With one fascinating exception: They are, at base, evergreens with yellow flowers whose shades move from a pale grapefruit yellow to a colour that easily competes with a Mustang.

Their foliage can be daintily feathery, uncompromisingly flat or mimicing piney needles. What a dresser! Between the range of flower colours and foliage varieties, the Wattle must be the envy of all the other trees that live in the AU. So Australians are lucky that way—a tree with a wardrobe!

Then there’s the fragrance – a mimosa, delicate candy-like scent. When it blooms, one tastes the breeze. For sensitive noses, they may arouse a reaction similar to allergic symptoms, but fear not. The Wattle doesn’t have the right ingredients to claim that right. In fact, some Wattle species are grown to make perfume… No surprise there.

As difficult as it is to accept, they are extremely fast growing and their life span is short. And what a glorious life they do have, spreading sunshine all over the place.

Landscaping the Wattle

Despite its short life span, it has its uses as a showpiece. And since it’s a fast grower, it is quickly replenished. Being a hardy individual, and the national tree, it deserves a prominent display in places where people gather.

By Design

In a park or garden setting (Take Centennial Park in Sydney, for example), it would be great to show a number of different Wattle species growing in different plots (think “crop rotation”) to keep a certain amount of representation of this tree going at all times. People would show up every once in a while to discover a new species. Mobile phones would be buzzing with the news… That might be stretching it a bit but it’s worth the thought!

The Column Garden could use some color and some patriotism in the form of the national tree and shrub. The Wattles settle in nicely amongst the other trees and would look wonderful near the pond. With all the benches around the water, it would be so lovely for people to sit and enjoy the beauty and fragrance of our national tree.

Nathalie Brouard April 20, 2013

Down To Earth: An Interview With A Gardener – Noel Burdette

Noel Burdette loves plants. He is a horticulturist, garden writer and regular speaker at garden events.

Here he shares his garden story with us.

First of all, how would you describe your garden? (What do you grow? What is your climate like?)

I have a naturalistic style garden. I call it “Wildside.” It is made up of various perennials, shrubs and ornamental grasses. I believe that a garden is not just for humans, but that it also has benefits for insects and the greater ecology around us.

How did you get started in gardening?

(Growing up in Victoria) I was taught to gather and sow Calendula seeds from the age of five from my Grandmother and was encouraged to grow herbs in pots. I was always fascinated by the brightly coloured blooms of hibiscus and the sweet perfume of Jonquils.

To this day Jonquils are still my favourite perfumed flower, and Calendulas carry a special nostalgic charm for me.

What motivates you to get up and garden?

I don’t see myself as “the owner” of my garden. I feel that I am the caretaker of the natural environment within the boundaries of my property. As such, I owe it to the birds, the insects, the lizards and frogs (wildlife) to ensure that they have a clean, safe and healthy environment to live. That, plus each day I get so much pleasure from seeing young plants develop into maturity.

What were some of the unexpected hurdles in your garden? How did you deal with them?

Gardeners face so many hurdles in their quest for creating their gardens, but for us the biggest hurdle was the flooding of the garden. In 2011, we saw our garden completely go under nearly 4 metres of water. Prior to that, several smaller floods in the lower parts of the garden saw hundreds of plants being washed away. The vegetable garden was lost and many fruiting trees had to be removed.

How did I deal with them? Each time we had the minor flooding in the garden, I was taught some lessons about where species of plants should be and where they shouldn’t and how the soil reacted. The major flooding of 2011 was a different sort of experience… I waited to see which species would survive and which ones wouldn’t.

This time may have taken longer to get through but it was worth it as the garden itself began to show me which areas to change. Interestingly enough, the devastation of the floods has opened up new opportunities to garden in different ways.

What were some of the unexpected benefits from gardening?

I have always felt that gardening comes with its own rewards, so I suppose some of the “unexpected” benefits could be a greater appreciation of good, healthy soil and the connection between beneficial microbes, fungi and plants and how they all relate to us.

What has your garden taught you?

I often view my garden as sanctuary for the mind, and as such it has taught me that if one is feeling stressed, or negative in some way, being in the surroundings of your garden is a wonderful way of releasing the tensions of the day. Even sitting somewhere with a hot cuppa and being surrounded by nature is enough to ease the mind.

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be and why?

Mmmmm……let’s see. I’ve often seen myself as a cool woodland flowering perennial such as Bluebell, as I’m not fond of the heat. But veg or fruit? Maybe I would say a Jerusalem artichoke! They grow tall and flower so beautifully that they attract pollinating and predatory insects alike. Their flowers also smell like milk chocolate! Also, during winter you can dig up the tubers and have a delicious treat to bake in the oven.

What advice would you have for first time gardeners?

Advice? Every garden should have a healthy balance. 25% fruit and veg, 25% native plants, 25% exotic flowering shrubs and perennials and 25% space for children (and adults) to be in and actually enjoy the garden.

Avoid following what everyone else is doing in the street. Try and visit as many private open gardens as possible to get great ideas… and most importantly, get to know your local horticulturist who will guide you .

Thanks Noel for your interesting insight about your garden.

Would you like to share your garden story with us? We would love to hear it! Please contact us for more information.

Nathalie Brouard April 13, 2013

Figs | How To Grow And Care For Fig Trees

Now is the season for fresh figs. For someone who discovered fresh figs late in life, I love making up for lost time and devour them whenever I get the chance.

So this year, as I was driving along with my fresh figs in the seat next to me (they are delicate so they travel in the passenger seat instead of the back of the car) I thought, “I want to have a fig tree!”

Since I have never grown a fig tree before, I knew I needed to do some research.

Tips For How To Grow A Fig Tree

– Figs like sun and need to be protected from wind – especially for the first few years while they are getting established.

– Young trees cannot handle frost, so they must be protected from frost at this stage.

– Fig trees love limey soil. If your soil’s pH is below 6.5, add some lime.

– Drainage needs to be excellent – Like myself, they don’t like wet feet!

– Add big rocks to the planting hole as figs do well when their roots grow at a shallow level. If they grow too deeply, the tree will put it’s energy into the foliage and not fruit production.

– Fig trees can also be grown in large containers.

How To Give Your Fig Tree Some TLC

Now I read that fig trees are pretty tough. However, by giving your tree some tender loving care, they will reward you with delicious fruit…what could be better?

– Give them a prune during the winter and summer and remove any dead branches.

– Fig trees love a deep thorough watering when they have fruit.

Below is a recipe from an expert fig grower to keep your tree super healthy by keeping away scale. It should be applied August and September to the base of the tree after pruning.

George’s Recipe for White Wash:

– The ratio is 3 cups of lime to 1 cup of Copper Sulphate.
– Mix the three cups of lime with two litres of water and stir to
make a paste

– Mix the one cup of Copper Sulphate with a litre of water and
stir to make a paste.

– This mixture should resemble quite a thick paste. Finally, mix these together and paint on the tree.

How To Manage Pests

– Fruit flies can cause fruit spoilage. There are many products on the market to help protect your trees.

– Birds love figs. Invest in some netting – otherwise there will not be any figs left for you!

Interesting Fig Facts

– Figs produce two crops. The first is called the breba crop and emerges from branches in late autumn or early winter. The breba crop is carried through winter as tiny, immature figlets, maturing around late January. The second crop is the heavier crop and is what is about now.

– Figs flower on the inside!

– Names of the fig varieties are incredibly cool and interesting: Black Genoa, Preston Prolific, White Adriatic…there is also the Brown Turkey, which I guess is cool as well!

Fig Yumminess

Figs are a fantastic snack on their own. However, if you want to try them a different way, drizzle them with maple syrup and bake at 160 degrees for 30 minutes… soooo good.

Or stuff the fig with brie cheese, wrap some prosciutto around it, stick a toothpick through the fig to hold everything together and sit them in a pan and fry gently in some butter. Just enough to let the heat melt the brie!

Tonight I will be trying something I heard today at the fruit shop. I will be putting a small amount of dark chocolate inside a fig and baking it for 15 minutes… Stay tuned on its yumminess factor!

Looking Forward To Planting My Own Fig Tree!

I will be purchasing my fig tree from Daley’s Fruit Nursery. Winter is a good time to plant a fig tree. Daley’s plants will be available from June onwards.

Do you have a fig tree in your garden? Would love to hear your stories or tips!

Nathalie Brouard March 27, 2013

Bulldog Garden Forks – A Tool Guide

Bulldog garden forks are the best on the market. These handmade garden forks are created using a single piece forging method rather than a welding process, which means they are super strong and super tough.

Bulldog forks are created in the same forge that has been building them for years by dedicated craftsmen who take pride in their work. The Wigan Forge is Britain’s oldest operational forge and has been producing the strongest and best quality gardening forks for decades.

Today’s Bulldog forks are truly top of the line. All of Bulldog’s garden forks are FSC certified and guaranteed to exceed British standards for quality.

Gardening forks are a necessity in today’s world. Gardeners and farmers need to rely on their gardening forks to help aerate the soil, turn over the earth, lift manure and stir the compost.

These forks need to be strong and durable to be able to withstand long hours of hard work in the garden or on the farm. Available Bulldog garden forks include the Stainless Steel garden fork, the Border Garden Fork, the Junior Garden Fork, the 4 Prong Compost fork, the Cultivator Fork with a long handle, the Digging fork, the Strapped Manure fork, the 4 Prong Fork and the 48 inch long Manure Fork.

The Stainless Steel Gardening fork is created to be super strong. It is also easy to clean because it is made from stainless steel.

The Border fork is a traditional style border fork that is solid forged from one piece to ensure maximum strength and durability. It is typically used around the garden’s borders.

The Junior Garden fork is designed for both strength and durability just like its adult counterparts, but it is smaller in size and more compact in design for the kids.

The 4 Pronged Compost fork is lightweight and easy to use. It features sharp tines that make it ideal for moving large amounts of compost.

The Cultivator fork has a long handle for extra leverage and is designed to break up compacted soil.

The classic Digging fork makes it easy to get into compacted or deep soil for planting.

The Strapped Manure fork is a traditional version of the garden fork model but is strapped for extra strength. The handle is made of a metal and ash composite which allows the stress placed on it to be evenly distributed along the length of the handle. This fork has a four pronged blade.

The 48 inch long Manure fork makes it easy to carry large amounts of manure day in and day out.

Bulldog tools truly are the best gardening tools money can buy!

Nathalie Brouard March 23, 2013

Western Boots – A Love Story

Every morning I sit at my desk and check the GardenWare email account. As I go through each email, the ones that I enjoy reading the most are ones that you send in. We appreciate getting feedback from you. An email, phone call or review on our products or services gives us reassurance that we are on the right track and helps us identify ways we can improve.

A couple of Wednesdays ago, I sat down with my cup of peppermint tea and turned on the computer screen. Waiting there for me in my inbox was a thank you email from Caroline – a customer that had just purchased some of our Western Boots.

“Hello Gardenware, how excited was I to come home to my excellent wellies on the doorstep… couldn’t even wait until I got in to try them on, had to put them on, in work clothes and all! Thank you for your excellent product, amazing free postage (great selling point) and extra fast delivery.. I am one very happy vegemite!!”

In a follow up email, Caroline also let us know that she had taken her boots to work and this was the response:

“The biggest message to share with you is this: our company is going through some challenging times, people are losing their jobs, so morale is obviously low due to uncertainty. Yesterday, I have never seen so many smiling faces and people running down 3 flights of stairs just to see my funky boots! So ‘thank you’ for helping to put a smile on their dial for a day.”

It was awesome to receive such positive notes from Caroline about our Western Boots. All of us in the GardenWare office had a smile on our dials as well! 🙂

Do you have a GardenWare love story to share? As previously mentioned, we love getting feedback – so please share your experiences with our products/services in the Comments section below!

Nathalie Brouard March 14, 2013

Bulldog Tools – Forged Metal Garden Forks and Spades Offer Unmatched Quality

Bulldog Tools has been making high quality gardening tools since 1780.

Their gardening spades and gardening forks are made in the UK by a set of dedicated and loyal employees, many of which have been with the company for a quarter of a century. In fact, Bulldog is the only tool manufacturer that still makes garden tools in the UK.

Their Wigan forge is where they hand-make their high quality forged metal tools for gardeners and farmers.

In addition to forged metal spades and gardening forks, the company also makes high quality cutting tools, rakes and hoes. There are few places in the world that can create such exceptional gardening tools and the entire world knows that Bulldog tools are the most durable. They currently produce more than 1500 gardening tools each and every day.

Bulldog spades come in several ranges and styles to fit the needs of any gardener. They come with a variety of handle styles and lengths too. Available Bulldog spades include the 28-inch Digging spade, the full-metal Digging spade, the 48-inch Spade, the Evergreen Open Socket Spade, the Rabbiting spade, the Border spade and the Evergreen Digging spade.

There is even a super tough Junior Digging spade for the kids. These various spades are designed to handle any type of digging project you can come up with, including planting, digging, tilling and flipping soil. Their tough handles and forged metal designs ensure that the spade will handle years of abuse.

Bulldog forks are also some of the best in the business. Forks are a necessity in gardening, whether you need to aerate the soil, rotate the compost pile or remove a weed bed by its roots.

Examples of Bulldog forks include the Stainless Steel Garden fork, the Border Garden fork, the 4-Prong Compost Fork, the Cultivator fork, the Digging fork, the Strapped Manure fork, the 4-Prong Manure fork and the 48-inch Manure fork.

The strapped design of the Strapped Manure fork’s handle allows it to be extremely strong, no matter how much manure you have to move each day.

The Cultivator fork also comes in a long handle for extra leverage.

There is also a Junior Garden fork for when the kids want to help out in the garden.

Bulldog tools truly are top of the line. Generations of farmers and gardeners have come to rely on these super strong gardening tools!

Nathalie Brouard March 9, 2013

Finding Your Perfect Gardening Footwear – A Beginners Guide

With the wet weather upon us in some parts of the country, I have noticed a lot more boots and clogs making their way to new homes.

So, let’s talk about footwear.

Sizing

The most common questions I get asked are around sizing.

It makes it easy if you have owned a pair of our footwear before and know your size… but what if you haven’t? To help with this, we do have a sizing chart (This link can also be found at the bottom of each page of our website).

What if you are in between sizes? Well, what we suggest is to go up a size…unless you want to chop some toes off, which we are guessing you don’t want to do! 🙂

With most of our footwear you are able to insert an extra insole under the existing one, which knocks them down half a size. You can pick up insoles from any supermarket or request a pair from us…we usually have some floating around the office.

But what if I have a wide foot?!

The Slogger clogs, splash shoes, and scrub boots are generous width-wise. If you want to double check the width of a shoe, let us know and we can measure the width for you!

Then there are the questions about suitability. Ask yourself, what will I be using my footwear for?

Finding Footwear To Fit Your Needs

Clogs are great for slipping on and off with ease: No bending over… just pop your foot straight in! The lower backs in them allows you to do this. However, if you like a bit more support in the back, then clogs might not be for you. Also, because of the lower back in clogs, if you are using them in the garden and there is a bit of dirt around, then your feet are more inclined to get grubby.

Splash shoes have a higher back in them and are easy to slip on and off as well. I have a pair by the back door and they get used everyday! Below are a previous splash shoe pattern that we no longer stock, however we do have some gorgeous new patterns – check them out.

Both the clogs and splash shoes are great not only for wearing in the garden but everyday activities as well – especially when the weather is wet. We have also been told that they are great to wear in a mosaic studio!

And because of the cushioned insole in the Slogger Premium Clog and splash shoe they are also comfy to wear.

But what if I want something that I can do heavy duty tasks in?

The scrub and slush boots might be more your thing. Being a mid calf boot you get the height…so no dirt is getting into these babies! However, if you did want an ankle-type boot you can fold the top over because it’s made out of neoprene (wetsuit material). A lot of you also have commented on the comfort factor as well… we call the scrub boots the Rolls Royce of waterproof footwear!

Slogger Splash Boots have been popular lately. New Chicken Print and Flower Power styles have been walking out the door!

These are just some suggestions that may help you in making a decision about what footwear you need. If you have any additional questions, we are more than happy to help. You can either email or give us a call at 1800 726 687.

Why not check our customer reviews as well?! You can find these by clicking into the product you want to look at and then clicking on the “Reviews” tab.

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