Heard about the benefits of using seaweed on your home garden, but not sure where to start? Why not buy a local Tasmanian product or, if adventurous, harvest your own! Here’s how …
Seaweed is one of my favourite foods to snack on, and your plants like ‘eating’ it too! There is plenty of this marine macroalgae floating around Tasmania (or used to be, but I will get to that in a moment), so it should come as no surprise that this state has several businesses built on this product.
I had the pleasure to meet Chris Russell from Kelpomix Tasmania at a marketing workshop held by the Northern Midlands Business Association this week. Chris and I got along like a house on fire; I like anyone who appreciates a good pun. If you have seen a bag of his product Kelpomix featuring not only kelp (seaweed) but also a kelpie (dog), well, you will understand what I mean! We got talking about the usefulness of seaweed on the garden, something Chris knows a thing or two about!
Me (left) speaking with Chris Russell from Kelpomix Australia about the virtues of seaweed.
Chris harvests bull kelp (Durvillaea potatorum) from Granville Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast. Chris says his business must abide by multiple regulations to ensure that bull kelp is harvested sustainably. He only harvests cast kelp as harvesting, cutting or pruning of living kelp is not permitted. Cast kelp is that seaweed which has detached from the ocean floor and washed up onto a shore. Chris estimates that less than 10 per cent of detached ‘plants’ wash ashore. This seaweed has accumulated nutrients washed out to sea, including minerals, amino acid builders and growth-promoting hormones that can benefit all plants.
At Kelpomix, Chris uses this kelp to produce a range of solid and liquid garden and farm inputs for dairy, beef, sheep, viticulture, cropping/hobby farmers and gardeners. I won’t go into all these products now; however, I will flag those that may be of interest to the home gardener – you! Kelpomix has a Garden Mulch product that is suitable for gardens and lawns and can be used as both a compost and mulch. Kelpomix’s Liquid Kelp product can be used as a soil drench and/or foliage spray. It also produces a Premium Potting Mix with added kelp.
Other Tasmanian businesses with seaweed products on the market include Seasol and Marrawah Gold. You probably have heard of Seasol. This business is now owned by DuluxGroup (Australia), the parent company of Yates, another well-known gardening brand. As far as I can find, Seasol still operates a manufacturing facility just outside Launceston. The iconic Seasol product is made from a blend of brown kelp, including bull kelp (Durvillaea potatorum) collected from King Island and Marrawah on Tasmania’s west coast, Chile bull kelp (Durvillaea antarctica), and knotted kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) sourced from the North Atlantic. This seaweed concentrate can be applied to the foliage and soil around a range of plants at the time of transplanting and planting including ferns, indoor plants, vegies, herbs, and annuals, as well as lawns and large/stressed trees.
Marrawah Gold is a local Tasmanian seaweed product made from bull kelp harvested on this island’s north-west coast. Its ‘Lawn and Garden’ liquid product contains seaweed extract made from the stem (stipe) of this seaweed and can be sprayed on the foliage of a plant or used as a soil drench.
If you are an experienced gardener, you may like to collect your own seaweed to use on your garden. You are allowed to collect beach-cast seaweed for personal use on your garden if you meet the conditions laid out by Fishing Tasmania as follows. As a recreational harvester of beach-cast seaweed, you do not require a licence if you meet the following conditions:
Only take for private use and not for profit or commercial use.
Only take from public access beaches or where the landholder have given permission for beach access.
A daily limit of 100 kilograms per person per day.
No take from Marine Nature Reserves.
No take any seaweed that is in the water or attached to the seabed.
A tip from me … Bull kelp is quite thick, so unless shredded, it may take some time to break down in a home compost if that system is not ‘hot’. If you want seaweed that will decompose more quickly, then take the finer ‘leaved’ species that you find on the beach.
How to use beach-cast seaweed on your garden
Angus Stewart, former Gardening Australia presenter on ABC TV, is a more recently arrived Tasmanian who has written about using seaweed in the garden. Angus is a very experienced plant breeder so he knows his plant science! He says that seaweed extracts condition the soil with humus and supply small but useful quantities of nutrient as well. That is, seaweed extracts are not complete fertilisers but still very useful in your garden as they contain useful plant hormones and can increase root development. The latter reason is why liquid seaweed extracts are applied to seedlings when transplanting them from their pots into a garden. If you want to know more about the science behind seaweed’s utility in the garden, check out Angus’ article ‘Using seaweed products in the garden‘ on his Gardening with Angus website.
Angus recommends washing seaweed clean of salt before adding it to your soil or compost heap, and to chop it up with a spade to hasten its decomposition. Whilst I must point out that the 20kg bag limit Angus mentions in this article is not applicable here in Tasmania (see above), I would still encourage you not to take more than you need. When speaking with Chris from Kelpomix, we both lamented the reduction in the bull kelp population along the east coast of Tasmania due to warming waters which are resulting in lower levels of nutrients and increased salinity, not to mention the arrival of the ravenous long-spined sea urchin which feasts on this algae. Whilst that is a story for another day, it is also a very important reminder to only take what we need.
Why not eat some yourself?
Why not feed yourself at the same time as feeding your garden? If you are at the beach planning to harvest some beach-cast seaweed for your garden, then consider collecting some for your kitchen too.
In 2023, Rees Campbell, aka the Feisty Tasmanian, wrote and published The Seaweed Supplementto complement her book, Eat More Wild Tasmanian. This publication is a very handy and informative guide to the who, what and how of edible seaweeds cast on Tasmanian beaches. Rees provides some very helpful advice on how to collect seaweed safely, along with some tips on how to use it in the kitchen. For example, bull kelp (palawa kani: rikawa) can be barbecued, its laminae (flat, leaf-like parts) cut up and cooked into stews as a vegetable, or cooked to a pulp and added to dishes. Rees says this seaweed is great in a kelp chutney.
Ludovic and I have collected seaweed from Tassie’s north coast in the recent past to incorporate into our compost. We love doing this as it also means a trip to the beach; although trying to save fuel, we only ever really do this when we have another reason to visit the coast. That is not as often as we would like! So this weekend, I am going to do something a little different and pay a visit to my local hardware store (the one that does not start with ‘B’). I will buy myself some Kelpomix to trial on our garden, thereby supporting a local business. Why not consider doing the same? Or if you are lucky enough to live near the coast, why not harvest your own beach-cast seaweed. The seaweed you gather will improve your garden, and the time spent in nature will benefit your mental and physical health and well-being. Enjoy!
À bientôt!
Disclaimer: I mention a few businesses and products in this blog, but just so you know—I am not affiliated with any of them, and I am not being paid or sponsored to promote anything. I am simply sharing what I have found useful or interesting in my own experience.
Which question did you really want to ask us at EcoFest about how our building and landscape design business might help you? Or did you just want to know more about our model? No question (or project) is too small!
Ludovic and I would like to thank all the many people who stopped by our model house and garden display at last weekend’s EcoFest at Camp Clayton near Ulverstone. We received plenty of interest and fielded many questions. Although, I have a feeling that there were plenty more that people wanted to ask us. So, I am sharing some links related to the key topics of discussion over that weekend to fill in the gaps, from hempcrete to edible and ornamental gardens, we have you covered. Plus, I share some extra information about some of the features in the display. And if there is anything else you would like to know, send us through your questions!
Ludovic received quite a few questions from people visiting our display about using hempcrete to build their homes. If you were one of those people, and would like to know about this building material, read Ludovic’s blogs, ‘Hands-on with hempcrete‘ or ‘Hemp: Houses that breathe so that you can too‘. Likewise, our model home was constructed to showcase the benefits of design based on effective use of passive solar, e.g. orientation to the north (here in the southern hemisphere of course!), and windows protected from the ‘high’ sun during summer time. You can read more about that aspect in another one of Ludovic’s blogs: ‘Harnessing the Sun: The art of solar passive design‘.
Our model home is based on passive solar principles, as well as incorporating renewable energy for powering it.
Every home should have a vegie patch, preferably one that is integrated into the whole garden rather than segregated fro the ‘ornamental’ or ‘biodiversity’ sections. If you missed out on my presentation on Sunday morning, ‘Good looking gardens to tickle your tastebuds’, you can read my blog, ‘Hey good looking! What you got cooking?‘ summarising this content about edible gardens.
We love to help people grow their own food!
What’s not to like about a fire pit? This one seen here could easily be constructed with reclaimed bricks. The way many of our clients have asked us to help them is to create a landscape concept that they can construct and/or plant over time using materials that have sourced themselves. You have heard of ‘Slow Food’, well why not ‘Slow Gardens‘? Let’s work together!
Having a space to socialise through all seasons of the year is a very important part of a garden to us.
The spirit-like creatures that could be found in our display are based on the Kodama, tree spirits appeared in ‘Princess Mononoke’, the famous anime by Studio Ghibli. In that film, the Kodama are children of old trees, and their presence is a sign that a forest is healthy.
The Barcelona chair is a chair Ludovic’s scaled down version of the Barcelona chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich for the 1929 International Exposition. Good design last throughout the years!
The Modulor (figure in black) … Devised by Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier, the Modulor is an anthropometric scale of proportions. It was developed as a visual bridge between two incompatible scales, the Imperial and the metric systems. It is based on the height of a man with his arm raised, hence the “Man in Black’ here!
The Modulator, a ‘living’ element in design.
Finally, if you wanted to ask us a question but were either too shy or too busy to do so at EcoFest, never fear! You can find us on Facebook or Instagram. You can also email Ludovic at ludovic@inwardoustudio.com (building design) or me, Gabrielle, via gabrielle@inwardoutstudio.com (the plant stuff!). And if you have a question/topic that you would like to see discussed in a blog, please send us your ideas.
Do you love your plants but weren’t able to make it to this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show? Don’t worry, we have put together some plantlife highlights just for you! Join me on a personal photographic tour through the gardens, plants, and moments that made the Show bloom.
Show Gardens
These gardens are one of the Show’s headline acts, attracting Australia’s top landscape designers. Today, I will show you some of my highlights from two of those gardens.
ǝ’skāp
A garden designed to inspire connection and reflection. Designed by Rob Cooper from Distinctive Gardens in Adelaide, this garden took out the City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best In Show, as well as a Gold medal. I was most interested in it because it also won the Horticultural Media Association Award for Best Use of Plant Life.
When I spoke with Rob, he told me that his team had chosen to do a predominantly native garden: “We’ve tried to make a lush green textured garden to sort of challenge the perception of what native gardens look like. My design style is not this style all the times, but the shape and the form is, so I was really, really wanted to focus on trying to have a place of calm where you can go in and enjoy, but also you could apply it in a residential application where you could do it in a modern style house. So it was just trying to push the boundaries of what I can do, but also show other people what can be done with native plants.”
Coastal banksia (Banksia integrifolia) and the Queensland bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris) provide height in this garden. Tussock grasses and other tussock-like plants soften this garden, adding gentle movement and a naturalistic texture to anchor the planting scheme. These plants include Dianella ‘Breeze’, knobby club-rush (Ficinia nodosa), sea rush (Juncus kraussii), common tussock grass (Poa labillardierei), and kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra). Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ provide colour at the ground level, whilst topiaried white correa (Correa alba) spheres add a certain “je ne sais quoi”. That is French for “I don’t know what”, but implying a positive reaction. Should have left it in the French with the over-explanation!
The sharp-eyed among you may notice a few exotic species in the midst of this garden such as the grape vine (Vitis vinifera) on the pergola, the aptly named ‘no mow grass’ (Zoysia tenuifolia) covering the ground, or the Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) or reed grass (Calamagrostis spp.) varieties blowing in the wind. Who said natives and exotics can’t be together in a garden?
NB. The full plant list for this garden is available here.
Between Moments
Ben Hutchinson Landscapes received a Silver medal for this delightful garden featuring many plants, and a sauna and recreational pond – the latter probably one of those names given to a hardscape feature to make it easier to get through planning approvals! Ben is a natural pond specialist, and inspired by Australian landscape, as you can see in his planting selection. HIs connection the wildlife is seen here in the sympathetic sculptures of platypus and spoonbills inhabiting the pond.
Ben’s design philosophy is very close to our hearts. His goal is to maximise the use of rainwater throughout his gardens, and to use regionally and sustainably sourced materials wherever possible and promote the use of indigenous and Australian native plants. Some of the plant highlights here include Bracteantha Whites (Xerochrysum bracteatum), mountain correa (Correa lawrenceana ‘Croajingolong’), spindly grevillea (Grevillea endlicheriana), Grevillea ‘Flame’, Grevillea ‘Murray Valley’, lemon-scented teatree (Leptospermum petersonii), candle heath (Richea continentis), dragon heath or pineapple candleheath (Richea dracophylla), and Xerochrysum ‘Swamp’. Kuranga Native Nursery supplied these plants – link supplied here just in case there are any Melburnians reading this who want to know where they can get some great native plants. I don’t get any commissions!
Note that Richea dracophylla is endemic to Tasmania. You can find this endemic shrub at Plants of Tasmania Nursery. This striking foliage plant can grow up to 3m and is suited to a cool, moist garden or pot. Its creamy white flowers on terminal spikes in summer are pretty stunning too.
Boutique Gardens
Managed by Landscaping Victoria, this garden display category allows established and emerging landscape designers and architects to participate in the Show. One display here really caught our eye.
Room to Breathe
Designed by Riley Field and Marie-Claire Geach from Lone Pine Landscapes, Room to Breathe received a Silver medal in the Boutique Gardens category. For me though, it was a definite show garden winner. Whilst I am all for displays sharing designs that the average punter can achieve in their backyard (or frontyard), I do like designers to push the boundaries and provide a little inspiration above and beyond what we usually see.
Room to Breathe is a beautiful garden. I describe it as a lovely (post-modern?) take on a Japanese Zen garden that would fit neatly into many a city courtyard. Plants for this garden were supplied by Fytogreen, the green infrastructure specialists with whom I completed an internship just before I finished my Master of Urban Horticulture at the University of Melbourne in 2017. Mistletoe cacti (Rhipsalis spp.) drape from the roof, whilst a flurry of ferns and other lush foliage plants reach up from the rocks. If you look closely, you will see that the plants are regularly misted to keep up the humidity. Just love this!
Challenger Achievable Gardens
This competition offers students and educational institutions the opportunity to showcase their design skills and horticultural knowledge, promote achievable gardening and encourage the use of high-quality plants in the landscape. Each year the displays designed and constructed by these students just gets better and better, and their use of plantlife more nuanced. Here are some of my favourites from this year.
Mediterranean Musings
The first stop on this part of my tour is with Adam Clements from Holmesglen TAFE, whose garden ‘Mediterranean musings’ received the Best Use of Plantlife award in this category, as well as a Silver medal. The pollarded olive tree (Olea europa) is a real showstopper ias a feature tree in this setting. An espaliered lemon (Citrus x limon ‘Eureka’) is pretty good too!
The plantlife includes a mix of textures, leaf shapes, sizes, and forms, adding depths and interest. Topiaried tree germander (Teucrium fruticans) and white correa (Correa alba) mirror the concrete spheres, showing that softscape and hardscape can complement and enhance each other in a well-designed landscape. The plants used here are all suited to a dry climate as one would expect of a Mediterranean-inspired garden, note the soft-grey foliage seen on many of these varieties.
The selection of agapanthus in this garden is interesting. I have always thought of agapanthus as weedy. The African lily (Agapanthus praecox) is tolerant of a wide range of conditions and can invade forest edges and open forests across the country. The cultivar used here, (Agapanthus praecox ‘Perpetual Peace’) is said to be sterile. However, if you are thinking of using it, I would suggest that you remain cautious and avoid planting it in environmentally sensitive areas.
Adam has started his own landscape design business, Tall Poppy Landscapes. If you are in Melbourne and like what you see below, you can get in touch with him via Instagram.
States of Green
Next garden on ‘my tour’ is that designed by Emily Rubia and Zoe-Beth Rush from the London College of Garden Design. ‘States of Green’ was the overall winner in this category, taking out the Exellence award and a Gold medal.
Emily and Zoe-Beth brought together a wonderful mix of plants from their respective home states, Victoria and Queensland. Tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) take pride of place Perhaps living where we do in Liffey, I take having these ferns in our ‘garden’ for granted, forgetting the wonder they provide to those people who don’t live in such a setting. On another note, I loved the little purple pops of colour that the native fan flower (Scaevola aemula) brought through the mostly green foliage; purple and green being the colours of the suffragettes. I have a dream one day to create what I call a garden honouring those women who fought for our rights, featuring plants with purple and green flowers and foliage. One day!
Whilst I had to admit that the bath that Katie Fraser from Melbourne Polytechnic featured in her garden initially attracted me (along with the wineglass!), once I looked closer, I was impressed by her sympathetic planting scheme. Katie also received a Silver medal for her garden, which she told me is an Australian take on the the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing’.
All the plants featured in this garden are locally native, and most of them are edible. Those of you who may have been following me for a while know how much I love plants that are native AND edible AND ornamental too. Apologies for the use of capital letters, but I am a bit excited! Kate really nailed the brief if you ask me. Edible plants in this planting scheme include seaberry saltbush (Rhagodia candolleana) – berries and leaves, berry saltbush (Einadia hastata) – berries, bower spinach (Tetragonia implexicoma) – leaves once cooked, Austral stork’s-bill (Pelargonium australe) – tubers, and coastal saltbush (Atriplex cinerea) – seed, leaves . For more ideas on how to cook these ingredients, do yourself a favour and get a copy of Rees Campbell’s (aka The Feisty Tasmanian) book, Eat More Wild Tasmanian. When you do, make sure to try her recipe for ‘tempura battered coastal leaves’ using Atriplex cinerea. Scrumptious!
The next garden on my tour provided me an opportunity to look past my own personal bias towards what I perceive to be purely ornamental plants. If I said I didn’t like dahlias, would you hold that against me? Mia Zielinski changed my mind about these tuberous perennials when I spoke to her about her Silver medal winning display. The Melbourne Polytechnic student told me that this flower is the national emblem of Mexico, and that it is both ornamental and edible. What’s not to like about that?! Yep, the tuber of this plant was a food source for both the Aztecs and Mayans, and the flower was used in their ceremonies.
Mia says that every plant within this garden is native to Mexico and is available in Australia too as we have many similarities in climates. Sone if these plants are already old favourites in our country. In no particular order, think sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), Mexican asters (Cosmos bipinnatus), century plants (Agave spp.), stonecrops (here = Sedum mexicanum ‘Gold Mound’), ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata) or the magnificent old lady cactus (Mamillaria hahnaria). I could go on!
If you like Mia’s quirky, creative and colourful style (her own words!), you can find her on Instagram.
BONUS STOPS! Therapeutic horticulture
In addition to visiting the display gardens, Ludovic and I also went on a tour, led by Therapeutic Horticulture Australia (THA), during which we learnt about gardening’s restorative power. This tour introduced some of the contemporary applications and science supporting the growing field of therapeutic horticulture. So, now I am going to extend ‘my tour’ so that we may explore how some of the Show gardens were designed to enhance health and wellbeing. Note that this secion is lighter on plantlife detail.
As you view each photo, I will instead ask you to imagine how you can engage each of the five senses in each of the gardens ‘visited’ here:
Sight (vision) – the ability to see, detected by the eyes
Hearing (audition) – the ability to hear, detected by the ears
Smell (olfaction) – the ability to detect odours, detected by the nose
Taste (gustation) – the ability to perceive flavours, detected by the tongue
Touch (tactile sense) – the ability to feel pressure, temperature, pain, and texture, detected by the skin
Wurundjeri Biik Baan
Designed by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation Elders, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and SKL Gardens, ‘Wurundjeri biik baan’ is a celebration of water country, and an opportunity to experience a sliver of the interconnected swamps, rivers and marshes that defined Naarm/Melbourne prior to colonial settlement. Its designers invite us to imagine the land as Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung ancestors lived it, and a call to heal and care for Country and its waterways.
For me the most important message I can share here is to ask you to remember that as humans we are part of Country, not separate to it. We can only really care for Country as Country, because everything we do to the land, sea and water eventually impacts us. Do you know that I am even reluctant to use the word landscape as this concept can be seen to imply the absence of humans. Anyway, perhaps a philosophical discussion for another time …
For more information about this garden and the plants featured in Wurundjeri biik baan, please click here.
Nostalgia
Designed by Paul Pritchard from Paul Pritchard Landscape Design, this garden received a Gold medal and the Mark Bence Construction Award. Paul says this garden was inspired by his father, who passed away last year, after suffering dementia.
For more information about this garden and the plants featured in Nostalgia, please click here.
Yutori
Designed by Christian Jenkins and Bailyn Jenkins, this garden received a Silver medal. Christian is big on mental health and wellbeing. Here he embraces the Japanese philosophy of slowing down to simply be. Yutori features a sauna, ice bath, and tiny home, redefining wellness within a serene Japanese landscape.
For more information about this garden and the plants featured in Yutori, please click here.
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Well, I hope that ‘my tour’ has satisfied your curiosity for now. Although not as footsore as when I actually visited the Show in person, my fingers are feeling weary. If you want more inspiration, check out the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show online (website, Facebook, Instagram). Or go one better and follow the designers listed here and give them a like too!
If you like what you saw and would like to do similar in Tasmania, then why not reach out to us?
What other tree can give you as much value in a public landscape, rural property or private garden as a blackwood? Acacia melanoxylon provides edible, ornamental, environmental and agricultural benefits to those people who choose to grow it. Could that be you?
Seen below is, not an eye, rather the seed of a blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) around which is wrapped a reddish-coloured aril, a type of elaisome. Bet you didn’t think you were getting a botany lesson today! Elaiosomes are nutrient-rich structures attached to the seeds of certain plants, including acacias, composed of lipids, proteins, and sugars and serves as an attractant. The aril on a blackwood seed entices birds to eat the seed, thus facilitating its dispersal to new locations through their droppings.
The red aril wrapped around this Acacia melanoxylon seed provides a tasty treat for birds, thus aiding in its distribution (Image: Ludovic Vilbert, Inwardout Studio).
Whilst humans don’t eat the aril, we can eat the seed after roasting. Blackwood seed can be harvested and roasted, and used in a variety of dishes after crushing and roasting. Rees Campbell outlines how to collect and cook this seed in her book, Eat More Wild Tasmanian. If you are interested in exploring this further, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this book or at least follow Rees on her Feisty Tasmanian page on Facebook. That is her area of expertise, not mine. I usually leave the cooking in our home to Ludovic, so that is all I will see on the edible aspects of acacia for the moment. However, I do have a couple of things to share about the use of this tree in the garden more generally. Firstly though, let’s explore its distribution and growing requirements.
Acacia melanoxylon belongs to the Fabaceae (Legume/Pea/Bean family). The name melanoxylon means black wood, thus its common name – backwood. This species is sometimes referred to as Hickory, Sally Wattle and Mudgerabah on the Australian mainland. In Tasmania, the palawa kani word for this plant is rriyalimana (Campbell, 2022). Koories called it by various names, including Mootchung, and Burn-na-look.
Blackwood has a widespread distribution, from northern Queensland to southern Tasmania, and at altitudes from sea level to 1250-1500m. It is common from as far north as Atherton Tableland in Queensland, along the highlands of New South Wales and Victoria into Tasmania. It occurs again in Mt Lofty Ranges region of South Australia. In Victoria, it is found particularly in the Otway Ranges and Gippsland districts. However, the trees providing this timber grow best in Tasmania, where it occurs throughout native forests from sea level to 1000m in elevation but it really thrives in swamp and riverine areas.
If you are looking to grow blackwood, here is a summary of its usual growing conditions and environmental tolerances:
Rainfall – Grows in areas with a mean annual rainfall of between 705 – 1500mm. Very common on a variety of sites where annual rainfall exceeds 600mm (including basalt plains of Western Victoria).
Climate – Preferred conditions are sheltered sites in cool and warm humid climatic zones, with a high annual rainfall (900mm). It will grow in climates with a mean hottest month between 23-36°C, and the coldest month between 1-10°C, other conditions permitting of course. It will tolerate 1- 40 frosts a year.
Soil – On clayey and basalt soils. Grows well on fertile soils (krasnozems, acid brown earths, alluvial and brown loams), intermediate sites (red or yellow podzols and gley soils) and dry sites (red brown earths). For good results, a pH of 6-6.5 should be maintained.
In Tasmania, blackwood is a large erect tree growing up to 30 metres tall (Launceston Field Naturalists Club, 2019). However, it can grow up to 50 metres in height in the blackwood swamps of the north west, but is usally shorter in the understorey of wet eucaltypt forests and a shrub in drier habitats (Wiltshire & Jordan, 2018).
In large enough spaces, and in the right climate and soils, I like to include blackwoods in our landscape and garden designs. Once mature, and with a little uplifting of the lower branches, this species can make a very attractive evergreen shade tree. It has such a beautiful form.
Acacia melanoxylon seen by Baxters Road, at the Pipers River Boardwalk carpark in Tasmania’s north-east (Image: cowirrie via iNaturalist, CC0).
Blackwoods are also reputed to be fire retardant plants, i.e. plants that will not burn in the first wave of a bushfire, but may burn once dried out (Marriott, n.d.). In our designs, I do not place blackwood in the Building Protection Zone (BPZ) immediately adjacent to the house, i.e. the defendable space in the event of a bushfire; rather in the Fuel Modified Zone (FMZ). This outer zone sits between the BPZ and unmanaged vegetation beyond the defendable space. Vegetation in this zone is managed to a more moderate level to substantially decrease the fround fuel and restrict the fuels available to an approaching bushfire.
In addition to slowing down bushfires, blackwood provides excellent value as a windbreak and shelter for animals. Unlike eucalypts, blackwood allows pasture growth up to its trunk and so is a preferred livestock shade tree by landowners. Blackwood is also used extensively in agroforestry. Its timber is highly prized as one of the best cabinet and furniture woods in the world. It lives in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobium and this, particularly in arid areas, substantially augments the soil nitrogen available for other plants of the community. And I have only just touched upon its habitat values and now aesthetic appeal! Consider its beautiful flowers which generally appear in late winter to the middle of spring (August to October) here in Tasmania and dark, leathery phyllodes, which are modified leaf stems fulfilling a similar function to leaves in regards to plant photosynthesis.
Blackwood flowers are yellow, fluffy spherical heads; and its ‘leaves’ are technically phyllodes, modified leaf stalks that function like leaves (Image: cowirrie via iNaturalist, CC0)
What’s not to like about blackwood? If you have a rural property or a very large suburban block, I really would encourage you to grow one (or several), if your site conditions allow of course.
If you would like to know more about how you might include this magnificent plant in your garden or rural property, please reach out to me at gabrielle@inwardoutstudio.com. But for now, I will bid you goodnight …
A bientot!
References
Campbell, R. (2022). Eat More Wild Tasmanian. Fullers Publishing.
Launceston Field Naturalists Club. (2019). A guide to flowers and plants of Tasmania. Reed New Holland Publishers.
When is a daisy not a daisy? You may be surprised by the answer!
Usually we associate the term ‘daisy’ with summer-flowering plants used in an ornamental garden. However, there are many edible ‘daisies’. Well, to be correct, there are many edible members of the Asteraceae (Daisy family) such as lettuce (Lactuca sp.), yes lettuce! Two other edible ‘daisies in disguise’ include the globe and the Jerusalem artichokes.
Globe artichoke
The spectacular globe artichoke (Cyanara cardunculus var. scolymus) show below is a perennial thistle-like plant grown for its edible flower buds, specifically the fleshy base (heart) and leaves (bracts). We love to steam the heart and bracts gently, then serve with a lemon and garlic sauce and salt for dipping. The simple pleasures in life!
We didn’t get around to harvesting this particular individual in time to eat it (summer holidays and all that), receiving a fantastic floral display instead. When an artichoke matures and is left to flower, its tightly packed bracts (the edible part) open up to reveal the vibrant purple florets. These florets are attractive to pollinators such as bees and butterflies. However, unfortunately for us, this flowering means that the artichoke is no longer suitable for eating, as the bracts and heart become tough and fibrous once the plant has flowered.
This globe artichoke was left to flower in our garden.
There are many varieties of globe artichokes available, varying in plant and bud size and bud colour. These large, architectural perennials can grow up to 1.5m tall and 1m wide, and they possess large, silvery grey-green leaves. A very ornamental addition to an edible garden!
Jerusalem artichoke
The terms globe artichoke and artichoke often refer to the same plant. The ‘globe artichoke’ specifically refers to the Cynara species with edible flower buds, while ‘artichoke’ can either be shorthand for globe artichoke or refer to other unrelated plants , including one that can be planted in your edible garden, although with caution!
The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is a completely different plant to the globe artichoke. Whilst both ‘artichokes’ belong to the Daisy family and are perennial plants, the Jerusalem artichoke is more closely related to sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and puts on a very floriferous display in the garden. This ‘artichoke’ is grown for its edible tubers which have a nutty and sweet taste. However, when harvesting those tasty tubers, many small tubers can be remain in the soil. Tubers left in the ground, whether intentionally or unintentionally, are likely to sprout again in spring, making it challenging to remove artichokes permanently from a particular location if they are no longer desired.
The flower of the Jerusalem artichoke brightens up this garden (Image: Wilder Kaiser via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0).
To cultivate Jerusalem artichoke without them becoming a pest in your garden beds, then I highly recommend the advice of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) here: How to grow Jerusalem artichokes. Do note however, that the planting and harvesting months provided by the RHS are for gardeners in the northern hemisphere, only understandable given it is a UK institution!
If you need more advice about selecting which variety of globe or Jerusalem artichoke to grow, or how to cultivate it in your garden, speak to your local nursery or garden centre. Or ask a friend who has grown them before, especially if their garden has similar climatic conditions. Avoid the big box stores … this is not generally their area of expertise!
During the whirlwind that was March, one particular plant caught my eye. Which one and why?
Technically, I remember first glancing ‘my plant’ in February, although I have probably seen it before at the ‘wrong’ time of year and not given it any notice. Ludovic and I had made our way up onto the Central Plateau for a site visit in Miena where we have been working on a residential building and landscape design. On the drive up the Highland Lakes Rd, we stopped for a genteel stroll around Pine Lake where I observed many members of the Proteaceae (protea family) (Hint: ‘My plant’ also belongs to this family, and is the only member of its genus).
Me at Pine Lake examining some Golden Orites (Orites acicularis), a close relative of ‘my plant’
Feeling a little optimistic (cocky) we decided to make another stop before our site visit, the ‘walk’ up Projection Bluff. Promoted as a 1.5 to 2 hour walk of medium difficulty, I do believe this should be called a ‘scramble’, as that is how I felt (i.e. scrambled) after only gaining around 100 metres elevation. I called it quits early, concerned about the ability of my knees to make the distance and to remain intact so that we could proceed with the afore-mentioned site visit. However, I did see ‘my plant’, although the specimens on show here were a little shabby and past their seasonal peak (Hint: ‘My plant’ likes heights, unlike me).
Out and about at (but not up) Projection Bluff.
Ludovic talking passive solar homes with a visitor to our display at the Sustainable Living Festival. The bonsai Chinese Elm can be see at the right.
Sustainable Living Festival
Not long after our failed ascent up Projection Bluff, we had our feet firmly planted on solid ground for a week or two. Our energy was diverted into putting together a display to promote Inwardout Studio at Tamar NRM’s Sustainable Living Festival in Launceston. Our display featured a scale model passive solar home built by Ludovic and a bonsai Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) loaned to us by the Bonsai and Penjing School of Tasmania. This bonsai elm was rather impressive and attracted a lot of attention, including from me. However, it wasn’t long before I returned to the mountains hoping for a glimpse of ‘my plant’.
On the weekend following the Sustainable Living Festival, we decided to take a break and made two walks in one weekend.
Ben Lomond
The spectacular dolerite cliffs on display at Ben Lomond National Park.
The first of our two walks on the second weekend in March was at Ben Lomond National Park, starting at Carr Villa and making our way up to Legges Tor, which at 1,500 m high Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service says is the second highest peak in this state. There was no snow at the time we visited this alpine plateau. As the midday sun gained in strength, the fog dissipated and we had a beautiful view of the spectacular dolerite cliffs and columns in this area. And of ‘my plant’!
Given the lovely weather, I urged Ludovic to make the drive up Ben Lomond’s infamous Jacob’s Ladder, fearing that I would chicken out at any other time of the year. We returned safely to Launceston to rest overnight or I would not be writing this blog! The next day we decided to go coastal and took a short walk in the Narawntapu National Park near Green’s Beach on the north coast. However, ‘my plant’ was not to be seen there! (Hint: Maybe just a tad too salty and dry?).
Gleichenia alpina seen here in Wellington Range, Tasmania (Image: Miguel de Salas via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 DEED
Sandbank Tier
The week following our trip to Ben Lomond, I had the pleasure of having another walk on the Central Plateau.In my ‘side gig’ (Associate Lecturer in Geography) at the University of Tasmania, I led a group of second-year students from the Newnham campus to join their Sandy Bay counterparts on an ‘Earth, Climate, Life’ field trip to explore Sandbank Tier. There were some really ‘cool’ plants there including Gleichenia alpina (Alpine Coral-fern). According to the University of Tasmania’s Key to Tasmanian Vascular Plants, G. alpina is a relatively common native groundfern that grows in boggy alpine and subalpine vegetation. Its dichotomously divided foliage is a hallmark of its genus and a very striking feature. Yet alas, this fern is not the plant I am talking about, although ‘my plant’ was present at this location (Hint: I do recall a colleague incorrectly referring to ‘my plant’s’ red ‘flowers’ here, which are not red at all, rather white).
Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
We then made a trip interstate to the 2024 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. Each year, I visit the show to find out what is happening in the world of landscape design and interview designers of the Show Gardens for my monthly Landscape feature in Hort Journal Australia. This year, indigenous and native plants took pride of place in the ‘Wurundjeri biik – Indigenous Garden’, ‘Through the Looking Glass, and ‘Saltbush’ displays. My eyes though were captured by one Show Garden in particular.
Nadia Cole and her team at Platylobium Landscape Design worked closely with Atlas Concrete and Landscapes to realise ‘Australian Idyll’. This garden featured a modern take on a classic bush hut installed by Spaces in Places set lightly in an alpine-like environment through which a boardwalk built by Sanctum Homes meanders. Nadia’s design recreates the experience felt by trekkers on the Overland Track in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. I felt at home looking at the beautiful Mountain Pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) featured in this garden. Speaking with Nadia whilst she led me on a tour, I cheekily asked her why ‘my plant’ was not part of her plant palette (Hint: My plant is a feature of Tasmania’s High Country).
Australian Idyll by Platylobium Landscape Design at the 2024 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show [MIFGS] (Image: MIFGS)
Dry’s Bluff
Not one for rest this month, the week after we returned from the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, we were out and about on yet another walk much, much closer to home. Actually on the same mountain we live on, Dry’s Bluff here in Liffey. Our friends Karen and Stuart were visiting from the mainland and wanted to squeeze in a short walk before completing a multi-day hike at Cradle Mountain. Yes, they are fit! They have even completed the 40-day Australian Alps trek.
Dean’s Track up Dry’s Bluff is rated as Tasmania’s toughest day walk with an ascent of 1000m over 3km. I am not as fit as Karen and Stuart and this walk almost broke me … twice! However, somehow I pulled the physical and mental strength together and made it to the top. Those inclined to mention ‘The Abels’ given the topic of this conversation might pedantically point out that I did not reach the real summit of Dry’s Bluff. Pooh pooh them. I had to make molehills to get up this mountain, i.e. take one step at a time. I savoured my time on my own personal summit as this walk has been on my bucket list for some time.
Seen here with my brother JP on top of Dry’s Bluff – I made it! We live just below and to the right of where this photo was taken.
I also enjoyed observing the plants along the way, a convenient excuse to pause for a breather some might say. Yes, that too!
This native bittercress was found sheltering under some rocks near the top of Dry’s Bluff.
One of my little plant finds near the top of Dry’s Bluff was a member of the Brassica family, yes, the same family as broccoli. This native bittercress belongs to the Cardamine genus, I thought perhaps Cardamine franklensis? However, the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) records show C. paucijuga, C. lilacina, C. gunnii and C. tenuifolia have all been observed within 2km radius of Dry’s Bluff. So I will just call it a native bittercress for now! And not too far from this location, we found some specimens of ‘my plant’. Although let me just say, I won’t be walking back up there to view them any time real soon!
If you want to view ‘my plant’ up close and personal, I recommend visiting Pine Lake instead, the boardwalk around that waterbody makes for a rather sedate stroll although you may need to rug up against the cold.
So which plant is it?
The Plants of Tasmania Nursery calls this endemic plant a Tasmanian alpine gem and says it is rarely available. Sob, sob …
I have spoken to Herbert Staubmann from Habitat Plants who says he has grown it occasionally. Fingers crossed I can get some!
I would like to include this plant in the residential garden we are designing in Miena, as its white flowers followed by red seed pods are highly ornamental. Imagine the contrast when grown together with the Golden Orites!
“Well, I probably be able to imagine this colourful combination if I only knew which plant you were talking about?”, you are probably saying right now.
The wait is finally over … I introduce you to Bellendena montana (Mountain Rocket).
According to the University of Tasmania’s Key to Tasmanian Vascular Plants, Bellendena montana is the only species of this ancient genus. This small erect shrub grows to about 60cm in alpine and subalpine heaths and woodlands. It is best grown in a cool, moist, well composted spot or pot, and requires winter cold in order to obtain a good red on the seed pods.
And now for some images of ‘my plant’ taken over the last month or so as we traversed the top of Tassie.
Bellendena montana (Mountain Rocket) in the middle with Orites acicularis (Golden Orites) in the foreground (Location = Pine Lake)
The leaves of the Mountain Rocket have a very distinctive shape (Location = Projection Bluff)
A slightly different view of the Mountain Rocket’s flowers (Location = Dry’s Bluff)
Mountain Rocket set against a stunning backdrop (Location = Ben Lomond)
The observant of you may have noticed the Mountain Rocket visible in the foreground of another shot at Ben Lomond included earlier in this blog.
Well after the effort of this blog, I am almost as beat as I was on my way up Dry’s Bluff. That’s a wrap for this evening. I hope you enjoyed this trip around northern Tasmania.
What do bonsai and scale models have to do with sustainable living? Find out at next weekend’s Sustainable Living Festival!
Ludovic and I have been working hard behind the scenes to put together an integrated building and landscape display for our stall at this year’s Tamar NRM Sustainable Living Festival. This FREE festival will be held from 10am – 4pm next Saturday 2 March 2024 at the Inveresk Precinct in Launceston. Understandably, we are quite busy at the moment. However, I thought I would ‘scratch out a few words’ to let you know what you can expect from our display.
Ludovic is creating a scale model of a home that we would like to call home ourselves one day. This house has a relatively small footprint, and is designed to maximise the power of the sun. This is a topic close to Ludovic’s heart and one he has written on recently. I won’t repeat his words here. However, if you are interested in knowing more about the benefits of solar passive design, read Ludovic’s blog, Harnessing the Sun: The art of solar passive design. Alternatively, you may like to visit us at our stall at the Sustainable Living Festival where you can speak with Ludovic one on one, and get to see the finished result of the model seen below.
‘Ludovic’ checking out construction progress on his latest design … our model display for the 2024 Tamar NRM Sustainable Living Festival
Ludovic has inspired me to think about vegetation at scale to complement our display. My idea? Bonsai! However, I do not have any of these ‘miniature’ plants at home and they take some time to reach their potential. So, I put the feelers out to see who does. Long story short: Shane Boyce from the Bonsai School of Tasmania and Launceston Bonsai Society said he could help me.
It turns out that selecting bonsai to accompany a scale model home is not as easy as it sounds! Sure both the house and tree are smaller than usual. However, you need to ensure that the ratio between the house and tree is similar to what you would expect to see in real life. For us that ratio is 1:25, given the size that Ludovic has constructed his model at. You also need to consider the size of the leaves on the bonsai, which can still be quite large in proportion to the bonsai-ed tree.
I also wanted a tree that is deciduous in real-life given our display’s objective is to demonstrate an integrated building and landscape design that harnesses the sun’s power during winter, whilst staying cool in summer. Shane’s solution? The Chinese Elm, otherwise known scientifically as Ulmus parvifolia, which whilst not fully deciduous can lose its leaves in autumn in some climates. Did you know that parvifolia means ‘small leaves’? Bonus! Shane selected the smallest-leaved version of this tree from his collection for us to loan.
Shane Boyce measuring up this beautiful bonsai Chinese Elm for use in our display at the Sustainable Living Festival
At the festival, I will be giving a presentation on an area of gardening that is quite different to bonsai. Shane is the local expert in that area, no competition there! Instead, I will be presenting on a topic very close to my heart, plants that can be both ‘productive’ and ‘ornamental’, and could also potentially encourage biodiversity in your garden. Why can’t your garden look and taste good?!
I will be presenting my talk, ‘Good looking gardens to tickle your taste buds!‘, from12:40pm – 1:10pm in the Breakout Room at the Sustainable Living Festival next Saturday. Why should you attend my talk? Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to plug a garden gap, I aim to provide you with inspiration and tips so that you can grow more of your own food at home. I won’t give away any more details now about what I will be talking about next weekend. You will just have to come and see me present!
The Sustainable Living Festival program is jam-packed with activities and workshops – from electrifying your home to knitting, test-driving electric vehicles, managing your rubbish bins, remade fashions, managing your bins, garden inspiration, becoming waste-free, making preserves and ferments, and taking steps towards ‘going circular’ – there’s something for everyone at this year’s festival. So don’t just come and see me!
We are very pleased to see that our good friends from Seed Freaks, purveyors of authentic Australian grown heritage seeds, will also be in attendance! Florian Bonenfant will be presenting on regenerative agriculture and seed saving. So check out their stall and find yourself some seeds to get your garden jumping.
Please do let your family and friends know about the Sustainable Living Festival. For some, it might just be a life-changing experience.
School playgrounds, highland homes … just what do we have up our sleeves this year? Continue reading to find out …
We are easing ourselves back into work slowly, having taken time to catch up with family and friends. We have also found time to take some day trips around beautiful northern Tasmania, including Cataract Gorge in Launceston, where Ludovic took this photo of a Golden Everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum). We hope your year will be just as sunny as this native daisy makes you feel when you look at it!
Happy New Year to you all!
Over the holidays, I have finally got around to submitting regular observations of flora and fauna found during our outings on iNaturalist, including this image of the Golden Everlasting. iNaturalist is a citizen science platform through which naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists can map and share observations of biodiversity across the globe. Getting into this habit is both useful in my work as an Associate Lecturer of Geography at the University of Tasmania’s School of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, and also here at Inwardout Studio designing landscapes in a more environmentally sensitive way.
We have several new building and landscape design projects to share with you where this type of knowledge is providing extremely useful. Read on for a quick update on those projects. We will share more detailed information in due course.
Highland home
We are currently working on an integrated building and landscape design for an existing dwelling in Miena up on the Central Plateau. We are having to think very carefully about the planting we specify on this block given the sensitive nature of this landscape; firstly the home is located in a bushfire-prone area, and secondly, it is also located in an area of conservation significance that is home to endemic flora and fauna including the Miena cider gum (Eucalyptus gunnii subsp. divaricata) and the Miena jewel beetle (Castiarina insculpta).
The rare, endemic Castiarina insculpta (Miena jewel beetle) found feeding on Ozothamnus hookeri along ther Lake Augusta Road, Central Plateau Conservation Area, Tasmania. (Image: Nuytsia@Tas via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED)
According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE), the Miena jewel beetle occurs in the Great Lake/Lake Augusta area of the Central Plateau and has been recorded in open subalpine woodland and heath above 900 m elevation (Threatened Species Section, 2024). This beetle feeds almost exclusively on Ozothamnus hookerii, one of several species known as Kerosene Bush because of its aromatic, inflammable foliage (University of Tasmania, 2019). No prizes for guessing which plant I am already hoping to incorporate in the planting plan for this site! However, it is early days yet on this job, and before I make any such plant lists, I still have a little more research to do, and a site visit as well. Ludovic and I will probably work in a quick camping trip at the nearby yingina / Great Lake. The perks of the job!
School playground
This month, we are starting Stage 3 of the concept plan for a playground redesign at Perth Primary School, south of Launceston. The school would like to increase the overall area where edible produce can be grown, and to grow more native plants in general to attract fauna. They also want spaces for small group activities where the activities taking place are visible by the teachers and Teaching Assistants supervising them. And on top of the wish list is a teepee and other play equipment made from natural materials! Check out what we have proposed so far in the concept plan illustrated below, including a Lizard Lounge, a warm spot for the children to hang out, and hopefully also the blotched blue-tongue lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) might make a visit during the warmer months of the year.
Our concept design for the quadrangle at the front entrance of Perth Primary School in northern Tasmania.
As you can see from the image above, we have already prepared the concept plan. What is left for us to do is to draft the construction details, planting plan and plant schedule. The construction details provide additional information enabling any contractors to build or install hardscape features, e.g. dimensions, material types, fixing/joinings, etc. The planting plan is a two-dimensional representation of the number, type and location of plants in the final design. When accompanied by the plant schedule, this information will provide the contractor responsible for implementing the design with enough detail to complete the planting satisfactorily. The plant schedule is a list of the plants specified in the planting plan, including their general location, botanical name, common name, height and width at maturity, quantity required and recommended purchase size. I am currently working to finalise the planting plan and plant schedule for this concept, whilst Ludovic is finalising the construction details, as is our norm here in our office.
I just love this part of the job, i.e. researching and specifying plants. As I do this for the primary school concept, I am paying special attention to locally native species, in response to student and teacher requests. However, the unique microclimates now found within this quadrangle (it is covered by large shade clothes and walkways) mean that I have to search a little more widely for plants that can tolerate site conditions. It is not always possible to plant indigenous plants on locations that have been highly modified since European settlement and colonisation. Sometimes native cultivars can be useful, so long as they do not become weedy themselves, displacing threatened indigenous species – so think carefully before you buy such plant varieties if your garden is located close to an environmentally sensitive landscape.
2024 Tamar NRM Sustainable Living Festival
Curious about what we do and how we might help you with your building and/or landscape project? Feel free to call or drop us a line. If you prefer to speak face to face, why not come along and have a chat with us at our display at the 2024 Tamar NRM Sustainable Living Festival in Launceston. Book Saturday 2 March 2024 at the Tramshed in Inveresk into your diary now. We are really looking forward to this festival, although we know from experience that putting a display together can require a lot of effort. And festival days are so busy themselves with bump in, showtime and then bump out. Hopefully, we will have enough energy after the festival concludes to take advantage of MONA FOMA’s free concert at Cataract Gorge the same day featuring TISM, yes I am not kidding you. This is serious mum!
Until the next time …
A bientot!
References
Threatened Species Section. (2024, January 19). Miena Jewel Beetle (Castiarina insculpta): Species Management Profile for Tasmania’s Threatened Species Link. Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov.au/Pages/Miena-Jewel-Beetle.aspx
Would you like to create a garden that looks and tastes good? Read on for some tips to inspire your productive patch, whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to plug a garden gap.
Before I launch into this topic, you may be asking why we have been so quiet on this forum recently. Over the past year, my attention was somewhat but not totally diverted from landscape design, as I took up a temporary gig writing for the horticultural industry whilst continuing to teach geography at the University of Tasmania. In the last few months, I have been focussing back in on our ‘core business’ so to speak. We have a few new projects to share with you, so be prepared as both myself and Ludovic get the writing juices flowing again.
Recently, I had the pleasure of being asked to present to the Launceston School for Seniors ‘Garden Inspirations’ class. I decided to speak to this group of horticultural enthusiasts on a topic very close to my heart as I search for meaning in what I do as a designer: Edible gardens that look good too.
A woman’s home is her castle?!
I was inspired in part to think differently about how to incorporate edible plants into our landscape designs after my first trip to France in 2017 when we visited the Château de Villandry. Located 15 kilometres to the west of Tours, Villandry is a Renaissance estate and castle best known for its beautiful formal gardens made up of endless geometric parterres edged in carefully manicured and clipped boxwood.
When we visited in 2017, there was a stunning display of edible plants in this parterre garden that took my breath away! The summer crop (French: Culture d’été) was both beautiful and edible. This is when I first really starting thinking about how to design gardens that look and taste good. My interest in this space had been piqued a couple of years earlier after discovering ornamental brassicas. However, I realised that those plants are not exactly cultivated for their palatibility, so how could I do better? Well, differently is the word I prefer to use.
Culture d’été: The summer crop at Château de Villandry in 2017
This is an area that I am becoming more and more passionate about and is influencing our more recent garden and landscape designs. I would like to share with you some suggestions of what plants you could use in this way in your garden, right here in Tasmania. This is not a definitive list, but one to get you thinking about what you could add to your garden to make it look good and to give you food. The plants suggested below are all generally available in this state, although not necessarily at all times of the years. For example, if you want to purchase a deciduous fruiting tree, it is usually more economical to buy them as bare-rooted stock to plant at the start of spring.
Tree-t yourself!
Malus floribunda (Image: Kenraiz Krzysztof Ziarnek via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
We are currently putting together a planting plan for the first stage of a residential garden we designed in Deloraine for a textile artist. Sylvia loves pink and crab apples, but wasn’t necessarily thinking about a productive garden originally. However, we have found a great little spot to plant the highly ornamental, yet totally edible, Pink Crab Apple (Malus ionensis ‘Rubra’) and a White Crab Apple (Malus floribunda) in her rear garden, which she can view from her kitchen window.
Other trees that look good and provide food include almonds, cherries, lemons, olives and plums. Of course, they each have very different environmental tolerances, so do your research to make sure they suit your garden.
You may think that your garden is not sunny or large enough for a tree. However, there are so many different plants available these days, including dwarf and grafted fruiting varieties, that you are bound to find something that suits your personal circumstances. Talk with your local nursery to find something that can suit the space and microclimate/s in your garden. These experts will provide advice to ensure that you get the most out of these plants. For example, they will let you know whether the tree you want to plant is dioecious (has separate male and female plants) so that you make sure you have one of each for pollination to occur. And therefore fruit to come!
Hedge your bets
‘Neighbours be-gone’ is a famous catch cry associated with a nursery promoting hedging plants on the mainland some years ago now. Hedges can act as both a screen and a windbreak, providing your garden with privacy and shelter. Did you know they can provide you with food too?
Feijoa (Acca sellowiana), Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), and Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) can all be planted for their hedging properties. How formal or dense you want your hedge is really up to you and comes down to spacing. Generally speaking, plant feijoas as far apart as you want your hedge to grow wide. Hazelnuts need a little more room, so 2-3 metre spacing ideal for hedging. Be mindful though that hazelnuts are decidious, so if you want privacy screening or wind protection all year round, choose something else, i.e. an evergreen hedging species.
Feijoa hedge at Heronswood House and gardens (Image: Gavin Anderson via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
Growing up!
Pergolas are great for framing a space and providing shade for outdoor entertaining during the summer months. Grapes make the perfect edible plant to grace these structures. There are many table grapes available in Tasmania to retail customers, including ‘Perlette Seedless’ and ‘Vanessa Seedless’. We all know the fruit is edible fresh or dried, but did you know you can also use vine leaves in your cooking? I love dolmades, a traditional Greek dish in which vine leaves are stuffed with rice, meat, herbs and/or various other fillings (although I forgo the carnivorous variety).
Pergola and grapes (Image: jbolles via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) are another great choice for pergolas. These plants can get quite heavy so choose and construct a supporting structure very carefully so that it can bear this plant’s load. Think also about the location of these plants in your garden, as kiwifruit require shelter from the elements, especially strong winds. Being dioecious plants, you will need to ensure that you get at least one male plant to help pollinate your female plants. Once again, I highly recommend you to speak with the experts at your local nursery before purchasing any plants.
If you want to try your hand at something a little different, have a go at growing Billardiera longiflora (Purple Appleberry or Climbing Blueberry) or Rubus parvifolius (Native Raspberry). Note though that these are native species and have not necessarily been cultivated for form, so they are probably more aptly described as scramblers rather than climbers. I wouldn’t recommend them if you want to cover a pergola. However, you may want to grow them in the right spot along your fence or similar. Yes, they have edible fruit!
Go native
There are many other Tasmanian native plants that taste great and look good too. This is evident in at ‘Murnong’ in Wynyard, on Tasmania’s north coast. Rees Campbell and her partner Col’s garden is designed to show how easy it is to grow native plants in a suburban setting, and to get a feed from them too.
After visiting Murnong, I was inspired to put pen to paper (sounds more poetic than fingers to keyboard, but I think you know what I mean!) So, if this topic interests you, check out my blog: Tasmanian plants to tickle your tastebuds. Alternatively, go direct to the expert and source yourself a copy of Rees’ book Eat MORE Wild Tasmanian for some native gardening inspiration.
Murnong: A suburban garden in Wynyard filled with native plant inspiration
On an aside, if you are after something a little more in tune with ‘Neptune’s garden’, Rees recently released a new book The Seaweed Supplement to Eat MORE Wild Tasmanian. Do yourself a favour and check out this guide on the who, what and how of edible seaweeds cast on Tasmanian beaches. Find out more on Rees’ Feisty Tasmanian Facebook page.
Last but not least
Edible flowers are right on trend, and there is good reason why. What’s not to love about a little flourish on the plate when it comes to serving food up to your family and friends? Life’s here to be enjoyed! There are so many plants with edible flowers that I won’t pretend to know them all – who could? The world is a big place. Some popular varieties here in Tasmania include Sunflower, Borage, Calendula, Chives, Pineapple Sage, Rose, Viola and Nasturtium.
As much as I love Nasturtiums for their edible flowers (and leaves!), I am mindful that this plant is naturalised in some places across mainland south-eastern Australia. As our climate changes, I would heed caution if intending to plant it in or nearby environmentally sensitive landscapes here on the Apple Isle.
If you are going to choose a plant for its edible flowers, I would highly recommend that it also brings other properties to the kitchen table too. For example, the dried flowers of English Lavender (Lavender angustifolia) are edible, and according to The Gardener’s Companion to Medicinal Plants can be used “to make a refreshing tea to ease digestive disturbances and headaches of nervous origin” (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, 2016, p.112). I have recently recommended this plant’s inclusion in a client’s front garden for its medicinal properties, and also because it is edible and highly ornamental, the latter making it perfect for a Mediterranean-style cottage garden feel. You can see this garden indicated in the concept plan below in an area I somewhat cheekily called ‘Herbaceous Heaven’ (Number 19).
In this concept plan, note also the dense Bay Laurel hedge, next to a Feijoa Hedge interspersed with Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium). You may also see a Hazelnut Hedge placed on the inside of those two hedges, so that it is protected from strong westerly winds at this site. This hedge will hopefully provide some shade from the harsh westerly sun to the adjacent garden beds during summer’s hottest months. Anyway, more on this garden in due course …
Concept plan: For a productive garden featuring edible hedges and much more!
Wrapping up
Well that is about it for me now! I could say a lot more about this topic, but have learnt recently to pace myself so that I stay the proverbial distance. You may just get another blog out of me soon 🙂
Humans are heterotrophs and unable to produce their energy. So we have to eat (and most of us love to eat!), and much of what we eat is plant-based. Well, if you think about it, everything we eat is plant-based either directly or indirectly. If you choose to eat meat, you are essentially consuming the sun’s energy as it has been converted by plants which those animals have then eaten in turn.
We have to eat and plants form an essential part of our diet. So why not have a garden that feeds you but also pleases the eye too?
If you have any questions about this topic, please do contact us. We would love to hear what you have been doing in your garden. Which plants would you add to this list?
A bientôt! (Hopefully a lot sooner than the last time)
With over 103,000 people in attendance at this year’s show, the first in three years due to the pandemic, it was perhaps no surprise that both Ludovic and myself came down with COVID-19 upon our return to Tasmania. We are both feeling much better now. However, we spent the best part of April catching up with work that we could not get done when we were sick.
So better late than never, I am now sharing some of our show highlights with you, starting with two very important display gardens that I hope resonate as deeply with you as they did with us. Those of you looking for ‘pretty’ pictures of plants and flowers haven’t been forgotten either. Keep scrolling!
Meeting Dylan Alcott, 2022 Australian of the Year
My personal show highlight came on its very first morning, when I was lucky enough to be granted a brief interview with Dylan Alcott, 2022 Australian of the Year, champion wheelchair tennis player and disability advocate. We spoke about inclusivity in landscape design for an article I was writing for Hort Journal Australia. Dylan’s words: “Do it from the start, don’t tack it on. Inclusivity benefits everyone.” With more than one in six Australians having a disability1, either present from birth or acquired through illness, injury, accident or the ageing process, I could not agree more with Dylan on this point.
Interviewing Dylan Alcott, 2022 Australian of the Year
Tramlines’ design highlights included sensory plants to stimulate the senses with touch and smell, a fire pit propped up so that people of all abilities can enjoy sitting around the fire, and a garden brimming with native plants that feature red foliage and red and yellow flowers. Dylan told me that yellow is apparently the last colour that people with fading eyesight can register.
Perhaps most importantly, Tramlines is not signposted, and therefore differentiated and separated out from the ‘mainstream’ (whatever that is), as an ‘inclusive’ garden. The beauty of this garden is that it appeals to all-comers. All of us, regardless of our abilities, appreciate a garden that is easy to navigate.
The fully accessible Tramlines display by Dylan Alcott and Vivid Design shows that an inclusive garden can and should be the norm (Image: Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show)
Coming (all too) soon: Climate change
AKAS Landscape Architecture and Nth Design collaborated on a show garden exploring the effects of climate change on Melbourne’s suburbs. ‘Coming Soon’ was a poignant reminder of the crossroads human civilisation is at. We must stop deforestation and curb carbon emissions if we are to continue living on this planet. The figure 2.6 billion m2 seen in the image below refers to the estimated area of deforestation that would occur across the globe during the five days of the show.
‘Coming Soon’ by AKAS Landscape Architecture and Nth Design
Come May 21, I will be giving my vote to those candidates who will fulfil Australia’s commitments as a party to the Paris Agreement, and I urge you to do the same. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties, including Australia, at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and and entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.
Climate change is the most pressing issue facing human civilisation. I was heartened to see these designers use the show to highlight what is going to happen to us if we do not face the climate emergency. And it is a credit to show organisers for encouraging the appearance of this thought-provoking display garden.
How’s the serenity?
Whilst at the show, I also had the opportunity to interview Christian Jenkins who took out three awards including the City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best in Show and the Gold Show Garden Award for ‘Inner Calm’, a Balinese-inspired Show Garden. Christian told me that ‘Inner Calm’ is designed to transport the viewer from their daily routine to a place full of serenity, calmness, and rest with bench seating allowing for contemplative viewing of the garden’s water feature. “I am trying to specialize more and more in wellness gardens. I personally believe that the tropical planting palette really connects with the wellness garden. I am addicted to Bali, and I am amazed with the quality of plants and the tropical climate (there),” says Christian.
Interviewing Christian Jenkins in his Bali-inspired show garden ‘Inner Calm’
Christian acknowledges that it is hard to recreate Bali’s humidity in Melbourne, so he has used plants that provide an alternative tropical effect. Four metre high Chinese Fan Palms (Livistona chinensis) announce the entry to ‘Inner Calm’, whilst Dragon Trees (Dracaena draco), Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia robusta) and Kentia Palms (Howea forsteriana) provide the architectural wow factor. Two Small-leaved Figs (Ficus obliqua) in 500 litre bags ‘bring up the rear’, whilst Port Wine Magnolias (Michelia figo) fill out the garden’s perimeter, along with murraya, gardenia, loriopetalum, nandina, ligularia and liriope.
The Balinese-inspired show garden ‘Inner Calm’ by Christian Jenkins Landscape Design
Christian also has a keen eye for detail, which I believe gave him the winning edge at this year’s show. Check out the beautiful tropical wallpaper lining the ceiling of his pergola, and the elephant statue announcing the formal entrance to the garden, or the outdoor kitchen tucked away discretely from view (image below).
‘Lettuce’ tell you that a garden must not only look good but feed you!
Designed by Warners Nurseries in collaboration with Robert Boyle, ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ tied for first position for Gold Show Garden Award with ‘Inner Calm’, and received the Horticultural Media Association (HMA) Award for the Best Use of Plant Life. A fusion of six outdoor aesthetics, including a parkland, shaded urban woodland and edible garden, many patrons were attracted to this garden by its central corridor of white birches underplanted with white hydrangeas.
This garden also won the People’s Choice Award, and I like to think that this is because it included a potager packed with edible plants. A purely ornamental garden is to me a lost opportunity to feed yourself. I believe that no home is complete without a lemon tree, although I understand that may be difficult for some gardeners to achieve in certain climates in this country! Warners Nurseries and Boyle even elevated the status of the humble lettuce in this corner of their display.
Lettuce shined in ‘More Than Meets The Eye’
Warners Nurseries and Boyle also show how to repeat elements through a design, although not necessarily symmetrically. You can see here how these two large terracotta pots have been positioned carefully to provide balance in the landscape.
‘More Than Meets The Eye’ by Warners Nurseries and Robert Boyle
Are you a member of the Black and White army?
One thing we have learnt is that a garden must look just as good in black and white as it does in colour, and not because I am a Collingwood Football Club fan! ‘Through the Lens’, designed by Matt York at Budling Design, was one of the most colourful and thought-provoking display gardens at this year’s show. But look how great it looks below in good old black and white!
‘Through the Lens’ by Matt York from Budling Design
Balance by nature
‘Balance by Nature’ by Gina Robertson from Melbourne Polytechnic was one of our favourite displays in the Achievable Gardens competition at the show. We love how Gina manages to create depth and perspective in such a small space (4 x 5m) using this winding path. And the gorgeous red ochre tones of the garden wall are simply stunning
‘Balance by Nature’ by Gina Robertson
East meets West
The next garden I am showing you reminded both Ludovic and myself of an artist’s retreat we once stayed in. This retreat featured a Japanese hot tub in which we soaked our bodies after hiking in the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in Victoria.
Joshua Greenwood-Malin is the student designer from Holmesglen responsible for this display ‘By Fire’ seen here in the Achievable Gardens competition at the show. Joshua describes ‘By Fire’ as challenging the concept of the Australian ‘bush-look’ native garden, through the contemporary lens of the Japanese aesthetic. He has incorporated Yakisugi or Shou Sugi Ban into his design, i.e. the traditional Japanese technique of charring the surface of timber to carbonise and waterproof the surface of this cedar tub. And you can see the iconic Banksia spinulosa ‘Birthday Candles’ framing this water feature effortlessly.
A very beautiful outcome in my opinion. I want that tub!
‘By Fire’ by Joshua Greenwood-Malin
Framing a view to provide a focal point
This restful scene below is from ‘Granum Florere’ designed by Inge Jabara Landscapes. Inge shows us here how to provide a focal point, frame a view and create a space by using these simple steel structures
‘Granum Florere’ by Inge Jabara Landscapes
Borrowed landscapes
‘Resilience’: Designed by Steve Day with plants provided by members of Tree and Shrub Growers Victoria. We love how this particular show garden is integrated so beautifully into the landscape here at Carlton Gardens. Beautiful plant selection complementing a magnificent Moreton Bay Fig in the background (out of sight here).
‘Resilience’ by Steve Day
Okay, I have not forgotten my promise that I would share ‘pretty’ pictures of plants and flowers with you. So here we go!
Plenty of Tractor Seats but no tractors to be found
Ligularia reniformis or ‘Tractor Seat Plant’, is a shade-loving perennial that I found in many of the display gardens at the show this year. No doubt because its lush foliage provides gardens with a tropical feel even in cooler climates. Plant nerd alert: ‘reniformis’ means ‘kidney-shaped’ – Take another look at its leaves! And would you have guessed that this plant belongs to the Daisy family (Asteraceae)?
The Tractor Seat Plant (Ligularia reniformis) was found in many show gardens this year
Bromeliads
The level of detail in Melbourne Polytechnic student William O’Neil’s Achievable Garden ‘What Just Happened?’ was astounding! Just check out this moss growing in the cup of this Neoregelia sp. Enchanting!
‘What Just Happened Here?” by William O’Neil
Osteospermum ‘Sunshine Beauty’
Osteospermum ‘Sunshine Beauty’ on display at Ball Australia’s stand. These beautiful blooms are bright orange at the tips and fade into yellow as they reach the dark centre of the flower.
Osteospermum ‘Sunshine Beauty’
Glory be!
Simply stunning flowers on this Gloriosa sp. otherwise known as a Fire Lily.
Gloriosa sp. (Fire Lily)
Gourds galore
With so many species of pumpkins and other gourds in existence, why do we only find one or two in our supermarkets? Start growing your own heirloom varieties and you won’t go back. Just look at the variety available from The Diggers Club in this image below!
Although, I will give a little plug to local suppliers, Seed Freaks, who grow open-pollinated heirloom vegetable seed organically in the Huon Valley, Tasmania. They can help you find the right gourd variety for your particular micro-climate here on the Apple Isle.
A beautiful display of colourful gourds at The Diggers Club stand
Looking forward to 2023
Well that is it from me and the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show for now. After four days walking around the Carlton Gardens and in the Royal Exhibition Building, you can see that I was more than a little tired in the shot below. I hope you found something of interest in this report.
And if you love plants and design in any way, shape or form, I encourage you to consider attending the show next year. There really is something for everyone. Don’t believe me? Then drop me a line at gabrielle@inwardoutstudio.com and I will be only too happy to answer your questions.
A bientôt!
PS. Credit for most of these photos unless otherwise mentioned goes to the wonderful Ludovic Vilbert
The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show is done and dusted for 2022. Can’t wait for 2023!
If you are looking to create a lush, indoor jungle to call home, consider including native Tasmanian ferns in your plant palette. However, make sure you only buy them from reputable retailers to ensure our unique Gondwanan rainforests remain protected.
Tasmania has more than 50 species of fern, ranging from mighty tree ferns to small, floating Azolla, including the following which are suitable for indoor use, although with some limitations:
Adiantum aethiopicum (Common Maidenhair)
Asplenium bulbiferum (Hen and Chicken Fern)
Blechnum nudum (Fishbone Water Fern)
Cyathea australis (Rough Tree Fern)
Dicksonia antarctica (Man Fern or Soft Tree Fern)*
Adiantum aethiopicum (Common Maidenhair)
Adiantum aethiopicum has a very delicate habit, but it is actually a quite vigorous suckering fern that can quickly form a large clump. It is very easily grown in a moist position in filtered sunlight. A. aethiopicum is the only member of this genus in Tasmania. It is a moderately common and very distinctive native fern that grows in dry places. It is a small fern with small, wedge- or diamond-shaped leaflets widely spaced on branched, wiry rachises.
Consider for use indoors in hanging baskets, plant stands, or table top planters.
Asplenium bulbiliferum (Hen and Chicken Fern or Mother Spleen Wort)
Asplenium bulbiliferum is a common native fern that grows in the understorey of wet forest throughout Tasmania. It grows on rocks (lithophytic), on the ground, or often as an epiphyte on Dicksonia antarctica. It is a moderate sized-fern with leaves up to 60cm long. These leaves are divided many times and darken with age. One of the most distinctive features of A. bulbiliferum is that it often produces bulbils, small plants growing from upper parts of the fronds. The only other Tasmanian fern to do this is Polystichum proliferum, which we have growing along the creek on our bush block. These are such easy plants to ‘propagate’, so you can have fun growing them.
Consider for use indoors dish garden, green wall, terraria (closed) or potentially as a kokedama.
Blechnum nudum is a very common native ground fern in wet forests wherever they occur in Tasmania. It is a relatively large and hardy ground fern, sometimes developing a short trunk, and grows to ~1m. The fronds are erect and pale green, and can grow up to 1m long, although usually reach 60-70cm in length. B. nudum prefers a damp semi-shaded position, although it can handle some sun.
Consider for use indoors as a floor plant or green wall.
Cyathea australis is a slender stemmed tree fern with fronds up to 2.5 m. It has a moderate to large trunk (often a few metres tall and 20-30cm in diameter) that is not fibrous.
The common name (Rough Tree Fern) refers to the trunk with its hard persistent stalks of old leaves, not the foliage itself, which is much softer than that of Dicksonia antarctica.
Consider for use indoors only when young, e.g. as a floor or feature plant. Unless you have a huge atrium or greenhouse in which you can control the humidity and has enough room for this fern to grow up. Remember though that this fern still needs shade, so how are you going to provide this?
Dicksonia antarctica is the only species of this genus in Tasmania and by far the most common tree fern on the island. It can be found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest throughout Tasmania (except in at high altitudes and on very nutrient poor sites). It has a thick fibrous trunk (often ~20-30cm wide at mid height), that may be as much as 15m tall, with long arching fronds to 2m. Its common name (Soft Tree Fern) refers to the fibrous trunk, not the foliage itself, which is much harder than that of the other tree ferns, e.g. Cyathea australis. D. antarctica prefers a sheltered, moist, cool, shaded position.
Like C. australis, consider D. antarctica for use indoors only when young. Remember though that this fern also prefers a shaded position, so how are you going to provide this in this environment? And where will you relocate it when it outgrows your indoor space?
Ludovic amongst Dicksonia antarctica on the bush block where we live (Image: Gabrielle Stannus)
Where to buy these plants?
Tasmanian rainforests are under threat from logging, mining and climate change. The harvesting of tree ferns from these native forests is highly contentious. Many large D. antarctica come from old growth forests being logged. Please buy your Tasmanian ferns only from reputable retailers, including the following:
These simple cultivation and maintenance tips apply to both native and exotic ferns grown indoors. This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it answers your basic questions and gives you enough information so that you know what questions you need to ask next.
LOCATION
You might think of this as ‘aspect’ in an outdoor landscape. Look at the environment in which these plants can be found naturally. How can you recreate this in your home? Ferns generally like a good deal of light, but not direct sun. Which room in your house has this filtered light? Do not place these ferns close to windows that receive the hot afternoon sun, i.e. on the western side of your home. The ferns listed above also like shelter from the wind and a humid environment, i.e. one which has similar conditions to those where it is found in ‘the wild’.
Whilst your bathroom may seem like the ideal environment for your ferns, be mindful that they can also be places of quite severe temperature drops. Water droplets from your shower can cool and condense on surfaces in your bathroom if not extracted well. How can you keep the temperature relatively even? Also, avoid hot water splashing onto and burning the fronds.
Tip: Rotate your plant a quarter-turn each week to allow even light and therefore foliage development across the plant.
GROWING MEDIA
We do not really use ‘soil’ in indoor plantings. What we use instead is a fully constructed growing media, e.g. a potting mix. A growing medium provides physical support/anchorage, water, (dissolved) oxygen and (dissolved) nutrients to plants in the place of soil. Pay attention to your potting mix! A good quality substrate (without fungus gnats) is critical to ensuring that your fern’s roots thrive and do not rot. Specialty fern potting mixes are available on the market or you may consider making your own mix. A good quality fern potting mix should contain both organic and inorganic materials. The organic material could include contain coir, peat moss, compost or a combination of those. The inorganic components provide for drainage, e.g. perlite, vermiculite, pumice. If you want to read more about this topic, check out this blog from Fern Gardening: ‘The best potting mix for ferns‘.
Tip: Buy an Australian Standard potting mix to ensure it is well drained, re-wets easily, has a suitable pH, and is free of pest and disease.
WATERING
According to Hanks (1996), lack of humidity and dehydration is often responsible for the failure of ferns indoors. The trick is to keep the media in which your ferns are growing moist through regular and even watering. Ferns generally like some moisture around their roots at all times, but do not necessarily like waterlogging. Summer cooling (air conditioning) and winter heating of your home can adversely impact your ferns as they both dry indoor air, thereby reducing humidity. To maintain humidity, firstly place your ferns away from direct sources of heating and cooling, and mist their leaves with a water sprayer. Also, place your fern pots over water, sitting on top of some pebbles or similar and not actually in the water itself (root rot – no thanks!). As the water evaporates, humidity around the plant increases. New generation Plant Parents even purchase humidifiers for this purpose, although that is not necessarily required if you follow the simple tips listed above.
Many horticultural professionals claim that indoor plants suffer from overwatering, and rarely from underwatering. Too damp a potting mix attracts pests we just don’t want. More on that shortly. It also potentially leads to root and stem rot meaning your fern’s roots cannot supply essential nutrients to the stem and leaves, and the leaves cannot provide the products of photosynthesis, e.g. sugars, to the roots.
So how do we know when to water our ferns? Well many of you may just stick your finger in the potting mix to find out. IF the top third of your finger comes out dry, well a watering is required. However, you can use a soil moisture meter to get a more accurate reading without disturbing the plant’s root zone.
Tip: Consider placing your fern in a sub-irrigated planter to take the guess-work out of watering. These planters introduce water from the bottom, allowing the water to soak upwards to the plant through capillary action. You can even make your own sub-irrigated planter using a cover pot, elevated interior pot and wicking material.
FERTILISING
Fertilise during periods of active growth, i.e. spring through to early autumn. Whilst seaweed and fishmeal solutions are excellent tonics, consider the smell they may introduce into your interior. Could they be a little ‘on the nose’? Ensure that the product you choose does not smell. Many organic fertilisers include bone meal, dried blood, fish emulsion, and other components that give off a noticeable and undesirable odour, with interior plantscapers saying they may be a poor choice in an enclosed indoor space. And be careful that these solutions may not be complete fertilisers, i.e. do not contain a balanced N-P-K ratio critical for plant development. N = Nitrogen, P = Phosphorus and K = Potassium. Plants normally require higher levels of nitrogen and potassium than phosphorus.
Nitrogen (N) is essential in the formation of protein, and protein makes up much of the tissues of most living things. Phosphorus (P) stimulates root growth, helps plants set buds and flowers, and produce seeds. It also helps plants use other nutrients more efficiently and helps turn energy from the sun into usable energy for your plants. Potassium (K) helps plants grow strong stems and keep growing fast. Plants lacking in potassium do not have enough energy to grow properly grow, their roots are not well formed, and they have weak stems, the edges of older plant leaves appear burned, and potassium deficient plants cannot regulate and use water efficiently.
Use controlled-release fertilisers in pots AND water-soluble fertilisers in green walls and hydroponic situations. Plant roots are highly efficient at absorbing nutrients whereas plant leaves can only handle very dilute nutrient solutions otherwise leaves will mark or burn. So only use foliar applications when your plant needs trace elements, e.g. has a deficiency.
Be mindful though that the more you feed your plant, the more it will grow and the more pruning that you may need to undertake.
Tip: Look for new fronds developing at the base of your fern that tell you that now is the time to fertilise. Your fern is in active growth mode!
PRUNING
Remove old, dry fronds below the green ones. Depending on your own preferences of course. I like to let the old fronds stay on for as long as possible to enable any phloem-mobile nutrients, e.g. nitrogen, return to the plant.
Tip: Buy a good pair of secateurs or floral snips and clean them regularly after use with methylated spirits to avoid cross-contamination of disease between plants. Most scissors just don’t cut it in this situation (no apologies for the bad pun!). Steel wool soap pads, commonly used to clean grotty dishes in the kitchen, are excellent for cleaning these tools.
PEST & DISEASE MANAGEMENT
Mealybug and other scale insects can be difficult to treat on fern leaves given their delicate nature.
Most scale insects are female and capable of reproducing without males. They become permanently attached to their feeding site and lose their legs, where they feed with their piercing mouth parts. Their protective shells, a defense against predators, makes treatment difficult.
Mealybugs are a type of scale insect and they often hide on underneath of leaves. They look like small bits of cotton. Mealybugs usually feed on the joints between the leaves and the stems or on the leaf veins themselves with their piercing, sucking mouth parts. This causes the leaves to turn yellow and fall from the plant. Some people suggest wiping the mealy bugs with methylated spirits, I would recommend pruning affected branches before they spread. Or you could try applying Eco-neem, a registered organic insecticide that controls a broad range of chewing and sucking insects including mealybug, aphids, mites, fungus gnats in soil plus more. It will also control sooty mould. Alternatively Eco-oil can also control mealybugs, scale and aphids, whilst also attracting beneficial insects (but they have to be in your home for this to happen!). More on that later!
Aphids prefer tender new growth and they love flowers. Most of you though will be growing your indoor plants for their foliage, and not their flowers. Ferns are vascular plants but they do not flower, reproducing instead via spores. So this may be less of a problem for you. They are notorious for spreading disease, e.g. sooty mould. Wash aphids away from your plants or remove them with your fingers or a cotton swab. Apply Eco-neem or rubbing alcohol and use sticky traps to capture them. Prune infected areas.
Fungus gnats look like fruit fly. They breed in moist, overwatered potting mix where they lay their eggs in the top layer. This can damage plant roots. Make sure you water your plants evenly. To control fungus gnat, lay sticky traps or apply Eco-neem. Also, consider replacing the potting mix in which your infected plant is situated, cleaning all traces of this mix from your plant’s roots gently with water before potting up in new fungus gnat egg-free mix.
If you want a more natural solution to control pests on your indoor plants, consider the use of beneficial insects. Check out Bugs for Bugs, Biological Services or EcoGrow, all Australian suppliers of beneficial insects. Bugs for Bugs have a handy guide called ‘What’s your pest?” on their website that tells you which beneficial insects are suitable for use on which plant pest. For example, Cryptolaemus are Australian native ladybird beetles that predate and eat mealybugs.
Consider isolating infected plants whilst you are treating them to avoid further infestation amongst your plants. It is also a good idea to isolate new plants for a time when first bringing them into your home to ensure they do not bring in pests.
Tip: Buy yourself a jeweller’s loupe to magnify those little critters on your plants so you can identify them properly. A magnifying glass can also be useful in this situation.
We could go on and on! There is so much more to know about growing ferns indoors. And we haven’t even touched exotic fern species. We will leave that for another time.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us via our website or message our Facebook page.
A bientôt!
NB. I do not receive product endorsements from any of the businesses listed above. And I am definitely not an affiliate of Amazon!!! 😛
*Edited (19/06/2025) to refer correctly to Dicksonia antarctica rather than D. australis. Thanks to my dad for pointing out the error. Nice to know the family reads my blogs!
Jordan, Greg 2019b, ‘Asplenium bulbiferum (note the bulbil growing from the leaf blade)’, Key to Tasmanian Vascular Plants, University of Tasmania, viewed 18 February 2022,
Do I need to convince you that Tasmanian native plants not only look good, but many of them taste great as well? Well do not just take my word: Trust the Feisty Tasmanian!
We took a little road trip not too long ago to Tasmania’s northern coast to visit Murnong, the garden of Rees and Col Campbell in Wynyard. This is not just any suburban garden. It is chockful of edible native plants from Tasmania. Rees is also known as ‘The Feisty Tasmanian’ and she shares a passion for edible native plants with her husband, Col. Rees and Col want to show people that Tasmanian plants look good, taste great and increase biodiversity. And Rees and Col do just that in their home garden and in Rees’ book, Eat Wild Tasmanian.
Murnong shows you how beautiful native plants can be in a suburban garden
We were lucky enough to have a personal tour of Murnong with Rees and Col followed by a delicious lunch. Ludovic and I were both very taken with this garden. Ludovic made a list of the plants that caught his eye from this garden that he wants to grow, so I have shared them with you below. You will have to read a little longer to get to those plants that I am itching to grow (and eat!).
Ludovic’s list of favourite native edible plants
Apium prostratum
(Creeping Sea-Celery or Sea Parsley)
Ludovic loves parsley, so it is not surprising that he was attracted to this plant given it is a member of the same family, Apiaceae. This prostrate coastal plant spreads to 1m with finely divided leaves and small pink-white flowers. It prefers dry-well-drained conditions. Give it too much water and the roots will rot. Enjoy Sea Parsley as a garnish on stews, in salads or deep-fried. Consider it as a substitute for parsley when making your next batch of garlic bread.
Apium prostratum (Creeping Sea-Celery or Sea Parsley)
Atriplex cinerea
(Grey Saltbush)
Rees prepared us some Saltbush Tempura for lunch using this plant. This dish was very more-ish, made even more so served with some of her homemade preserves featuring ingredients such as Solanum laciniatum (Kangaroo Apple). This bushy shrub grows to 1-2 metres, possessing silvery-grey, fire retardant succulent foliage. You will find it growing on well drained sites among rocks or in grassy places on the sea shore. Grey Saltbush is high in salt, hence its common name, so consume in small quantities unless cooked by boiling. Great fried!
Atriplex cinerea (Grey Saltbush)
Baeckea gunniana
(Alpine Heathmyrtle or Mountain Baeckea)
Ludovic was very taken by scent of the following plants in this list, including this Mountain Baeckea. The tiny grey-brown, heath-like leaves of this spreading alpine shrub (~ 0.3m x 1m) have a pleasant tea-tree smell when crushed. Small white flowers bloom in summer. Mountain Baeckea prefers a cool, moist, well drained, sunny position and it makes a good rockery plant. Its leaves can be used in all sorts of sweet and savoury dishes. Dried or fresh leaves can be used to make tea.
The leaves of this low growing alpine shrub are strongly lemon-scented when crushed. Rees says this grows well in gardens at all elevations, although it requires some protection at sea level. It will grow to around 50cm high. Pink flowers in spring. Lemon-scented Citriodora prefers a cool, moist but sunny position, and it is another good rockery plant. Its leaves can be used in flavouring or as garnish.
I love anything lemon-scented, so I can’t wait to see how Ludovic will use this in the kitchen. Although first I will have to get my hands on a seedling to plant in the garden.
Boronia citriodora (Lemon-scented Citriodora)
Kunzea ambigua
(White Kunzea)
A real stunner in the garden! The flowers of this tall shrub are strongly honey-scented. There are several forms available in nurseries including the following. Both prefer a well-drained sunny position and will tolerate coastal exposure, producing small, scented white flowers in Spring:
Kunzea ambigua (White Kunzea)
Sweet Scented Kunzea
This shrub can grow to 3m high, forming a good screen.
Spreading Sweet Scented Kunzea
This low growing shrub spreads to around 2m and makes a good groundcover plant.
Use the dried or fresh leaves of either to make tea, flavour roasts or stews. Their flowers are also edible.
Olearia axillaris
(Coast Daisybush)
Olearia axillaris is a erect native coastal shrub from the north-east which grows to about 1.5 m high. The Coast Daisybush has silvery-grey foliage and white daisy flowers in Spring. The flower heads can be found in the axils of the leaves, hence its specific epithet ‘axillaris’. The leaves can be used to replace rosemary. This plant is suited to drier or coastal gardens. So, while Ludovic was taken with its scent, we will not be growing it any time soon here in Liffey!
Olearia axillaris (Coast Daisybush)
Prostanthera cuneata
(Alpine Mint-bush)
This compact, dense shrub to 1m high is now considered extinct from Tasmania, although it remains on the mainland where it is in cultivation. This floriferous plant makes it a stunning specimen and I highly recommend it in your garden for its aesthetic values alone.
Prostanthera cuneata (Alpine Mint-bush)
If you are after a mint bush that still grows naturally here in Tasmania, consider Prostanthera rotundifolia (Round Leaved Mint Bush). This is an aromatic, fast growing shrub (~2m x 2m). The Round Leaved Mint Bush produces masses of mauve flowers in Spring, so it looks and smells great. It prefers a well-drained, sunny position and is an excellent shrubbery and screening plant. Use the fresh, young leaves in place of introduced mint for flavouring, e.g. tea, cooking or garnishes.
My favourites?
Barbarea australis
(Riverbed Wintercress or Austral Wintercress)
I love my green leafy vegetables and this brassica (member of the Mustard family) is no exception! According to Rees, this is a rare and endangered brassica endemic to Tasmania that grows along the banks of only a few rivers. This dwarf herb grows to about 45cm high x 30cm wide, preferring a moist, sunny location in the garden or container. Its tasty, pungent leaves can be eaten raw in salads, or steamed, stir-fried or treated as you would any other brassica.
Barbarea australis (Austral Wintercress)
Billardieria longiflora
(Purple Appleberry or Climbing Blueberry)
I was delighted to recently find the Purple Appleberry growing on the bush block where we live, although it was growing just a little too high for me to reach its edible fruit without help. This woody, twining climber can reach 3-4m high. Its bird-attracting tubular, creamy-green flowers appear in spring, followed by bright purple berries. The Purple Appleberry prefers a semi-shaded well drained position. It is a great plant in shrubberies and on structures. I recently specified this plant to screen a fence in the Westbury Hemp House garden. Its edible fruit can be eaten raw or cooked in jams and preserves
I also specified the Native Raspberry for use in the Westbury Hemp House Garden, against a fence facing almost due North. It is a rambling, prickly shrub to 1-1.5 m high. It has the most beautiful small pink flowers appearing in Spring followed by edible red fruits. However, its small, hooked thorns can make collecting its fruit a little difficult. This raspberry needs moist, well-drained soil and ample sunlight. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, and its leaves can be used in tea.
Rubus parvifolius (Native Raspberry)
Other native edible plants
The plants listed above are only a few of the many Tasmanian native plants that have edible parts. If you would like to learn about other edible native plants in this state, check out the following resources.
An updated version of Rees’ book Eat Wild Tasmanian will be available for sale in early 2022. Rees’ book includes many edible native plants, including cultural, landscape and usage information, as well as some inspiring recipes. Come along and see Rees at the Tasmanian Garlic & Tomato Festival on Sunday 20 March 2022.
While you are waiting to get your hands on a copy of Rees’ book, download yourself a copy of the Edible Native Plants of Tasmania PDF, produced by NRM North. This guide includes a list of over 50 edible plants native to this state, and shares details on which parts of the plant can be used, and how to prepare and use them. An excellent resource!
Where to buy your native plants?
To get you started, here are a couple of Tasmania’s most well-known and respected native plant nurseries. This is not an exhaustive list. However, I have selected these nurseries to include as they provide credible advice and two of them are retailers so they are used to dealing with the ‘general public’, i.e. do not expect you to be experts already.
Run by Sally and Herbert Staubmann, Habitat Plants is one of Tasmania’s best native plants nursery (and they just happen to be our neighbours, lucky us!) I spoke with Sally some time ago asking for her recommendations for easy to grow edible native plants.
Sally’s top three easy to grow edible native plants are Barbarea australis, Tasmannia lanceolata and Mentha australis. Well, you already know about Barbarea australis, Austral Wintercress. Now let me tell you a little more about the other two.
Tasmannia lanceolata
(Mountain Pepper)
The Mountain Pepper is perhaps one of the better-known Tasmanian native plants. You can find this dense, understorey shrub growing to around 3 m in wet forests (and on the bush block where we live). Therefore is is not surprising that it needs a moist, well drained, semi-shaded position in your garden. This pepper has striking, dark-green leaves, red stems and creamy yellow flowers appearing in Spring. The Mountain Pepper is dioecious, meaning it the female and male flowers occur on separate plants. You therefore need to have both a female and a male plant to produce its edible, black fruit. Recommended as a good specimen shrub, it can be touchy. Both the fruit and leaves can be used in flavouring. Rees claims that its pepper flavour is several times the heat of ‘normal’ pepper, and that it has even been sent to Japan to flavour wasabi!
Tasmannia lanceolata (Mountain Pepper)
Mentha australis
(River Mint)
The River Mint is a perennial herb with aromatic leaves that grows naturally only along a few rivers in Tasmania. It prefers moist conditions, in which it spreads rapidly, but can be grown as a more restrained plant in drier conditions. River Mint has small white to lilac flowers in spring/summer.
Rees and Col gave us a small River Mint plant to take home. Its highly aromatic leaves make a great substitute for introduced mint.
I have planted this mint in a pot outdoors protected from the local wildlife. Like any mint, you really don’t want it escaping.
I am guessing that this is only the first of many native plants that we will be planting in the near future. Ludovic has his list as you have already seen, so I better get stuck into sourcing those first. Stay tuned for more details.
Our Tree Aeonium was the highlight of our display at Tamar NRM’s Sustainable Living Festival 2021 at the Windsor Park Community Precinct. Note the emphasise on the past tense. Read on to find out how it fared …
Getting to the event itself took a little planning. Looking back now, I would say we were a little optimistic thinking that we could fit all our plants into our smallish Nissan Pathfinder. We left the packing of our Tree Aeonium until last. Given this aeonium was the central feature of our event display, we wanted to minimise the amount of time it spent in our car. However, moving this plant into the car, I managed to bump the top of the aeonium, slightly weakening its stem.
All packed and ready to go!
The Cube
Nonetheless, our Tree Aeonium survived the journey to town and was the hero of our display. Botanically known as Aeonium arboreum var. atropurpureum ‘Schwarzkopf’, this branching succulent shrub caught the eye of festival-goers, many of whom said they had one of their own but had never seen it flowering. “What are you doing to make your plant flower?”, was the question we were asked by more than a few patrons. Finding the right spot for any plant is critical, as is watering and feeding it appropriately. The Tree Aeonium is winter active/summer dormant and requires good drainage. Therefore I am very careful to avoid over-watering it. And when I first noticed its flower buds appearing, I fed it with a liquid fertiliser.
For those of you who came along to the festival and wanted to know which other plants were in our display, here is a quick list:
The Tree Aeonium’s bright yellow flowers and contrasting dark purple leaf rosettes were a real show-stopper
Plant stands
Our plant stands on display
We had several more plants on show in our standing planters located at the rear of our stall. These plants were (from top to bottom in the picture to the right):
Ludovic made these plant stands for Blooming Tasmania’s annual Spring Festival in 2018 using plywood machined on a CNC router.
The Container Connection generously donated the beautiful Deltini planters in which these plants are housed for that same display. These sub-irrigated planters make watering your plants a whole lot easier. Plus they are very easy on the eye and suitable for tabletop arrangements.
Indoor plants: Keeping you and your plants healthy
During the festival, I gave a presentation on ‘Indoor plants: Keeping you and your plants healthy’. I hoped to inspire those in the audience to consider how plants contribute to both the physical and mental wellbeing, especially as they can help to improve indoor air quality. However, more on that topic another time. I received some great questions from people listening to my presentation, including the following:
Which ferns will fare well inside my house?
Which, if any, indoor plants are toxic to pets?
What types of sub-irrigated pots would you recommend?
Stay tuned for my answers to these questions in the near future when I can bring myself to write another blog. Right now though, I am quite frankly ‘zonked’. That is, I am very tired. It has been a busy few weeks in the lead up to this festival, updating our website, developing my presentation, preparing other event materials, and generally just making sure our ‘normal’ business activities tick over (not to mention teaching geography at the University of Tasmania). Both Ludovic and myself though are very thankful that this event was able to go ahead given many other similar events across Australia have been cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chlorphytum elatum, a close relative of the Spider Plant seen in our display (Chlorophytum comosum), was used in NASA trials testing plant’s ability to remove formaldehyde
Well, we eventually got home in one piece. Ludovic has put his flat-packing skills to good use and the Cube is safely stored away until the next event. However, the same cannot be said for our Tree Aeonium.
Our Cube is all packed away until the next event
Packing the car as we left the festival site, the wind picked up and our Tree Aeonium could not withstand its force. The terminal rosette broke off and its lovely inflorescence fell to the ground. And then on the final leg of the journey home, several branches broke off. I salvaged those, and cut them back to essentially make stem cuttings. I also collected many of its leaves to trial some leaf cuttings. All these cuttings are all now having a couple of days in the ‘fresh’ air so that the cuts can callous over before I place the pieces in a propagating mix in which they hopefully develop roots and then become new aeoniums.
The crowning glory of our display in its final resting place
Stay tuned for news on how those little babies fare. In the meantime, I will bid you all a good night and depart for bed. Faire de beaux rêves!
Do not worry, this is Gabrielle’s (not Pandora’s) box. If you are interested in growing your own vegies, then you may want to take a peek inside.
By now, most of you have probably cottoned on that this is indeed a box for storing seed. Until recently, I have been storing our seeds in an old food safe in a cool, dry place in the house. This arrangement has worked quite well until now, with the seeds seemingly remaining viable. However, it was getting a little messy in this safe and hard to find the seeds I wanted, when I wanted them. I wanted to come up with a better way to organise my seeds that did not rely on tying a rubber band around groups of seed ordered by seasonal sowing recommendations.
So, Ludovic and I came up with a little design for a seed storage box. Ludovic sketched various designs until I was happy. He is very patient!
Dimensions of our seed storage box
During this conceptual phase, we also had to decide on which materials we would use. Eventually, we settled on plywood.
We used plywood to construct this seed box
Then we got to the task. You can see me below starting to marking out the different sections of the seed storage box that we needed to cut. I did a little bit of the grunt work, but then got distracted on other tasks, so it was left to Ludovic to finish the box off.
Me getting busy marking out the dimensions of the seed box
Et voila! This is the beautiful little creation that Ludovic completed. Ludovic added the hinges to enable the lids to be lifted off without removing them fully. He also included two little straps, one on each lid, to help open them more easily. The observant among you may notice that the lids open upwards, rather than outwards. There is a reason for that, as you will shortly find out.
Voila! The completed seed storage box
Here is a peek into our seed storage box. I have temporarily created dividers with recycled paper. However, I will create something more permanent over time. You can seed a list of each seed type inside the seed box and its likely sowing time. The list continues on the other lid. You may be able to see that I have put those seeds that can be pretty much sown at any time of the year here in my part of Tasmania at the top of the list. For the sowing method, ‘d’= Direct (in the ground) and ‘p’ = Punnet (or whatever container may suit that purpose). I may simplify this list even more over time, but for now I am giving it a go.
I have grouped seeds into the following categories. However, we are all different and think about edible plants differently depending on how we use them. So, feel free to come up with your own method of sorting your seeds:
Asian greens
Beans
Beetroot
Brassicas
Carrots
Chillies
Cucumbers
Flowers
Herbs
Leafy greens
Onions
Pumpkins
Radishes
Salad
Swedes
Tomatoes
Zucchinis
Some of you may prefer to use common names. Me, well I have my own style!
Another thing I did was to write a little code for each category. Can you see the ‘FO’ written on the Asian Greens marker? Well that reminds me that we mostly eat the leaves of Asian Greens, so they can be considered as a foliage (FO) crop for the purposes of crop rotation as follows:
Legumes (LE)
Foliage (FO)
Fruit (FRU)
Root (RO)
Green manure/Fallow – No code for that one. Although I do have some green manure seeds somewhere. Must find them!
LE – FO – FRU – RO … my new mnemonic for remembering crop rotation.
I struggle with remembering information at the best of times. So I am always trying to find useful mnemonics to help me. If you have any gardening mnemonics that you think may help me, feel free to share them with us on our Facebook page.
My next task is to make a database into which I will transfer my plant list from the Excel spreadsheet it is currently kept in. That will make it more easy for me to record information on the plants that we are currently growing, would like to grow, would like to use in our landscape design or just like want to know about them. Currently, I have over 1,000 plants listed in this spreadsheet, so it is getting a little unwieldy.
As for finding the time to do this, there are other tasks that require our attention. Like starting off those seeds, planting them out and tending to them. Hold on though, I am getting a little ahead of myself. There are three garden beds currently in a half-state of preparation that need a little love before this can happen, as you can see in the picture below.
We are busy preparing 3 new beds in the enclosure to plant out our seeds
So on that note, I will leave the writing for now and head outside to make hay while the sun shines … or something like that!
Watching a webinar on biophilic design recently, a question popped up in my brain: “What exactly is a fractal?” Then a second question: “How is it relevant to building and landscape design?”
The first time I can remember really attaching myself to the term ‘fractal’ was when watching an episode of Coast some years ago now. I was fascinated as the presenter explained that the more closely you measure a coastline, its length increases due to this phenomenon: fractal geometry.
Seeking out a more nuanced definition of a ‘fractal’ online, I came across an organisation entirely dedicated to fractals! The Fractal Foundation’s mission is to use the beauty of fractals to inspire interest in science, math and art. This foundation says that a fractal is a never-ending pattern: “Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop.”
The Fractal Foundation says that the coastline phenomenon mentioned above is an example of the Koch Curve (1). The Koch Curve is made by repeatedly replacing each segment of a generator shape with a smaller copy of the generator. At each step, or iteration, the total length of the curve gets longer, eventually approaching infinity.
Koch Curve construction (Image: Melikamp (CC BY-SA 3.0))
By now I am guessing you are wondering how this relates to building and landscape design? Hang in there, it is coming! Fractals are just one natural pattern used in biophilic design.
The International Living Future Institute defines biophilic design as the practice of connecting people and nature within our built environments and communities. If you do your own Google search, you will find many variations on that definition. The institute’s definition is clear and simple. However, it may be beneficial if I also elaborate on the term ‘biophilia’ here.
Edward O Wilson popularized the term in the title of his book Biophilia (1984), defining it as an instinctive bond or sense of affinity of human beings with nature, or ‘an innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes’ (p. 1). (2)
US design firm Terrapin Bright Green say that biophilia helps explain why crackling fires and crashing waves captivate us; why a garden view can enhance our creativity; why shadows and heights instill fascination and fear; and why animal companionship and strolling through a park have restorative, healing effects. (3)
Given our interest in improving health and wellbeing through the built environment, it is only natural (pardon the pun!) that we are interested in applying biophilic design elements into our work. The International Living Future Institute’s Biophilic Design Guidebook lists 6 biophilic design elements and their corresponding attributes, as categorised and explained by Stephen Kellert:
Natural patterns and processes
Environmental features
Natural shapes and forms
Light and space
Place-based relationships
Evolved human-nature relationships (4)
The biophilic design element I would like to discuss in more detail is natural patterns and processes, given my current interest in fractals. Fractals are only one of many attributes associated with natural patterns and processes, with others including:
Sensory variability
Information richness
Age, change, and the patina of time
Growth and efflorescence
Central focal point
Patterned wholes
Bounded spaces
Transitional spaces
Linked series and chains
Integration of parts to wholes
Complementary contrasts
Dynamic balance and tension
Hierarchically organized ratios and scales (5)
The Fractal Foundation describes a fractal as a never ending pattern that repeats itself at different scales. This property is called “Self-Similarity” (6). So although fractals appear very complex, they are made by repeating a simple process. The Fractal Foundation tells us that in nature, fractals include branching patterns like trees, river networks, lightning bolts, blood vessels, and spiral patterns like seashells, hurricanes and galaxies. As a horticulturist, I am fascinated too by the fact that the plant kingdom is full of spirals, think spiral aloes, sunflowers, pinecones or the fiddle head of a fern, a self-similar plant that forms as a spiral of spirals of spirals.
Aloe polyphylla (spiral aloe) (Image: Sam (CC BY-SA 4.0))
Birth of a cube
Discussing fractals with my partner Ludovic, he reminded me that The Cube we designed and built for our display at Blooming Tasmania’s Flower and Garden Festival in late 2018 was inspired by the Menger sponge. According to Wolfram Mathworld, the Menger sponge is a fractal which is the three-dimensional analog of the Sierpiński carpet. Yes, I am almost losing myself too!
5 stages in the evolution of a Menger sponge (Image: Niabot (CC BY 3.0))
You can read more about Ludovic’s design process in our blog ‘Birth of a cube’. If you are interested in seeing the cube itself, come along to the Sustainable Living Festival at the Windsor Community Precinct in Riverside, Launceston on Saturday 9 October 2021. We will be having a stand there so you can also meet us in person and find out a little more about what we do.
Our cube inspired by the Menger sponge
Until then, we hope you make the most of this beautiful weather before the worst of winter sets in.
And remember: who gives a flying fractal about integrated building and landscape design?
We do 😉
Who gives a flying fractal about integrated building and landscape design? We do! (Image: Fractal Foundation)
We have been in a process of reinvigoration recently. Find out how we are seeking to sustain our business and our planet too.
Developing ourselves professionally
Firstly, Ludovic has been quietly working behind the scenes to have his building design skills recognised here in Australia. He successfully completed the Diploma of Building Design and is now a Registered Building Designer in Tasmania. Well done Ludovic! To continue his professional development, Ludovic recently joined the Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA). I am already a member of the Australian Institute of Horticulture (and its Tasmanian Regional Convenor) and Horticultural Media Association Australia, and I sit on the Executive Management committee of the Interior Plantscape Association.
Ludovic is now a member of the Building Designers Association of Australia
Joining like-minded organisations
Secondly, we have been looking at where we spend our earnings. We want our money to support good work. So we have joined Renew. Renew is a national, not-for-profit organisation that inspires, enables and advocates for people to live sustainably in their homes and communities. This organisation has been providing expert, independent advice on sustainable solutions for the home to households, government and industry since 1980. They used to be called the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) back in the day. However, the technologies that Renew spruik should be considered mainstream, i.e. not ‘alternative’, if we want to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and avoid dangerous climate change.
Inwardout Studio is now a member of Renew.
Renew publish two excellent publications that you really should read if you are seeking an environmentally sustainable home and lifestyle. According to Renew, Sanctuary is Australia’s only dedicated sustainable house design magazine, profiling the best in environmentally aware architectural and design solutions. Sanctuary’s tagline is ‘Modern green homes’. Renew’s Renewmagazine is a great read if you are interested in making your home and lifestyle more environmentally sustainable, i.e. doing it yourself. Its byline is ‘Technology for a sustainable future’ environmentally sustainable home and lifestyle.
Switching our banking
Thirdly, we have been reassessing where we save our money. We currently bank with one of the Big Four, a hangover from my childhood when the state supported banking, i.e. it was not all privatised. I have investigated options to switch our savings and find that Bank Australia is the financial institution most closely aligned with our values, i.e. seeking to live more sustainably. Bank Australia supports projects that have meaningful positive social, environmental, economic and culture impacts; staying carbon neutral and contributing to a healthier planet. The only downside is that they are yet to have a branch in Tasmania, and most likely won’t in the near future. However, they do have excellent call centre staff based here in Australia. I like to speak with people! We will be making the change in the coming weeks.
Our superannuation is with Australian Ethical. Australian Ethical seek out and support investments that provide positive, sustainable change for society and the environment. They do not invest in industries such as tobacco, uranium, coal mining, coal seam gas (CSG), exploitation of people or old growth forest logging. They claim to be the first publicly listed company in Australia to earn B Corp certified status and donate 10% of their profits as part of their annual Community Grants program.
Want to do your own research so you can invest your money differently? Check out Responsible Returns for a start. Responsible Returns is an initiative of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia. This initiative can help you to find responsible or ethical banking, superannuation and investment products matching your values and interests. Simply select the top themes you would like to support (positive screening), e.g. renewable energy and energy efficiency, and those issues you want to avoid (negative screening), e.g. fossil fuels. It will then ask you what kind of product you are looking for, e.g. superannuation, investment, banking. Hit ‘Search’ and you will be provided with a list of results for financial institutions fully or partially meeting your criteria. Highly recommended!
Refreshing our website
Finally, we have been working to refresh our website. So you will notice a few changes coming up! We hope that these updates will make our website easier to navigate so that you can quickly find what you need.
Anyway, I better get back to that work. So I will sign off for now.
A bientôt!
NB. We received no endorsement from any of the organisations listed in this article. We just wanted to share our story to encourage you to explore options to become part of the change required to sustain human (and other) life on this planet.
When seeking garden design inspiration, sometimes the best place to look is indoors.
Heading into town the other weekend, we were driving past City Park when I asked my partner to stop. There was a place I wanted to see that I had not visited for a while. Living on a bush block has its advantages, i.e. tranquillity, beauty, clean air and so on. However, sometimes I just want to see what else is out there in the big wide world. Well at least in the rest of Tasmania! 😉
The John Hart Conservatory is a fairly unassuming building in the centre of City Park in Launceston constructed in 1932. Conservatories typically play an important role in botanical education, conservation, display and scientific research. Some conservatories are similar to zoos, in that botanists propagate rare and endangered plant species in them as a zoo-keeper would protect endangered animals in their facilities. The John Hart Conservatory is what I consider to be a display conservatory, affording locals and other visitors with an opportunity to view plants that they do not necessarily grow in their own gardens … yet?
If visiting City Park in Launceston, take the time to check out the John Hart Conservatory
The current display is full of vibrant, colourful textured foliage, with a few floral displays thrown in for good measure. After viewing this display for the first time, the word ‘texture’ just kept leaping into my head.
Texture and layers abound in this display
The horticulturist behind this display considered all planes when considering the layout, with hanging baskets very much a feature here. However, the centre of the conservatory is devoid of plants, perhaps my only ‘criticism’ of this design. Whilst voids in design can allow for light to enter spaces, I think a central feature display may have provided more mass in this instance.
A multitude of Coleus varieties provided foliage colour.
The displays laid out along the perimeters of this space though were lush and vibrant.
Ludovic admiring the displays
Cordylines added texture and a different dimension.
Hanging baskets reminded us that we should always look up!
Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ drapes from above
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these photos. I have been a little slow to ‘put pen to paper’ so to speak recently. I highly encourage you to visit the closest conservatory to you to see what you can find growing there. Most likely that conservatory will be located in a botanic garden. Click here for a list of botanic gardens in Australia to find one near you.
Whilst the tomato season has been pretty ‘lame’, we made one surprise edible discovery this week that put a smile on our faces.
Whilst taking our post-lunch walk around the dam one work day last week, Ludovic came across a small, red fruit on the ground and told me that he had found a ‘berry’. Taking a closer look, I realised that it was a fruit along with its swollen pedicel that had fallen from a nearby Native Cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis).
Upon this discovery I decided that we should skip work, well at least for 30 minutes, and visit one of the more accessible Native Cherries on the block to see if it too had these edible treats on it. And it did!
Ludovic picking ‘fruit’ from the Native Cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis)
This hemi-parasitic plant is notoriously difficult to propagate as it needs a host to support it. Luckily though, there are plenty of these trees on the bush block where we live. However, trying to access the ‘fruit’ is the tricky part. You really need to be a cockatoo to get to the higher branches. They are known to enjoy this delicious snack. Luckily we were able to beat them to it this time.
The ‘fruit’ is easy enough to pick when it is on the lowest branches
The fruit is actually a small hard, green nut. The edible part of this plant is not the fruit itself, but the swollen red pedicel (stalk) attaching the fruit to the plant. Both come of rather easily from the tree.
Ludovic holds the swollen pedicel (red) which attached the fruit (small, green) to the plant. The pedicle is the edible part.
The swollen pedicles are best eaten fresh as a snack. Ludovic is thinking of making a jam combining the Native Cherry and the Native Currants we harvested last weekend. There will be a bit of work involved removing the fruit from the pedicels to get enough yumminess to do this. Stay tuned to see how he goes!
A small harvest from the Native Cherry this time
In the meantime, if you are interested in knowing what edible species you may find on the Apple Isle, check out NRM North’s Edible Native Plants of Tasmania. This handy guide is a visual reference and includes a list of nurseries who grow and stock these plants.
If you have been wondering what has happened to your tomato crop this year, you are not alone! I have heard many anecdotes that the tomato harvest has been poor both here in Tasmania and on the mainland. Our story is no different. However, we have had a little glimmer of hope this week
Tomato, tomato? Wherefore art thou?
You can see a lot of leafy growth here. Perhaps I have overdone the nitrogenous fertiliser. I pruned these plants quite hard last weekend to open them up. But where are the tomatoes? There are flowers, but I would hardly describe these plants as floriferous. I really should have applied some potash to help out here. You have to get done on your hands and knees to see any fruit.
There they are! Those ripe tomatoes will not hide from me any longer
We grow cool climate tomato varieties as most of you probably do here in Tasmania. The first plant this season to produce ripe fruit is a variety called ‘Stupice’. My neighbours gave me a plant a couple of years ago, telling me that it is a reliable cropper for them. One of the best gardening tips I can give to you is that if you want to know what you can grow in your garden, find out what is growing well in your neighbours’ gardens. Of course, there will always be some differences between gardens, e.g. building overshadowing a patch. However, this is a pretty good rule of thumb. So, I am not surprised that this potato-leafed tomato was the first to ripen this year.
Stupice: You little beauty! And the Thai Basil flower in the background is pretty good too
That said, as of Sunday, 21 February April, our tomato harvest stood at 2 tomatoes weighing a total of 52 grams.
I am optimistic we will harvest more tomatoes. Not sure how many though!
The season’s weather has been all over the shop, excuse the vernacular. There has been a lot of rainfall recently but in huge downpours rather than gentle showers. In the last fortnight, we have had two rainfall events, one equalling 84 mls in less than 12 hours, and the other 54 mls in a similar time period. Daily temperatures have been uneven also.
According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, daytime temperatures over 32 degrees C and/or night-time temperatures below 12 degrees C will diminish pollination in tomatoes. High humidity creates sticky pollen which does not transfer well. We have had wonderful warm weather this weekend. However, it does not look like these conditions will last long, looking at the Bureau of Meteorology’s MetEye local forecast app. MetEye provides detailed 7-day wind, wave, rain, and weather forecast maps for boating and farming for all locations across Australia. This is a wonderful tool. If you don’t already use it, get onto it.
Anyway, summer in Liffey appears to have been a sporadic event this year.
Where is summer?
I am not going to wipe off the 2020 harvest yet! Last year, we picked tomatoes up until mid-April. And there are tomatoes on our plants. However, those bottles we have washed and ready for sauces will have to wait a lot longer by the looks of it.
How is your tomato crop going this season? Share your stories with us on Facebook.
If you want to know why your tomato plants performed differently this year, come along to the Tasmanian Garlic and Tomato Festival in Selbourne on Sunday 21 March 2021. Annette and Nevil Reed from Tasmanian Natural Garlic and Tomatoes will be conducting tours of their farm, talking about how this season went along the way. Nevil will also be one of our guest speakers at the Q&A Panel, along with Tino Carnevale from ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and Rees Campbell, author of Eat Wild Tasmanian.
Sometimes the best plants are those that you do not have to grow yourself!
Living on a bush block in northern Tasmanian, we are lucky to be surrounded by native plants, including some edible species. Take the Prickly Currant Bush (Coprosma quadrifida) for example. This plant is one of several edible coprosma species in Tasmania. Luckily for us, it is growing abundantly where we live and is currently fruiting. So, I decided to set out on a little harvesting expedition yesterday.
Whilst out harvesting, I only wanted to find the female Prickly Currant Bushes. This species is dioecious. Put simply, that means that these bushes either have only female flowers or only male flowers, i.e. different sexes. Given I wanted to find fruit, I needed to find female plants. And I want to know where they are for next year too. The block we live on is 70 acres so you can get lost if you don’t know where you are going. So, I decided to take along a GPS to record the locations of the female plants, i.e. those I picked the currants from.
Here I am recording this female plant as a Waypoint on a GPS so I can find it next time
I was fairly prepared for this task, or so I thought. I had a sunhat on, a big pot strapped around my waist for fruit to fall into (not attractive, but very practical), and gloves to protect me as I picked the fruit. It’s not called the Prickly Currant Bush for nothing!
Readers: There was one thing that I forgot to consider. Can you think what that was? (Answer below this image).
Harvesting the currants. Gloves are a must! And long sleeves too as I have now learnt. It is not called Prickly Currant Bush by some for no reason!
Yes, a long-sleeved shirt!
I ended up with a few scratches on my arms. Nothing major. However, I also saw lots of little spiders and other insects. Next time, I will wear long sleeves. It also pays to pay attention to where you are walking. Snakes are out and about at the moment, so if you want to go out harvesting these currants, make sure you are safe. If you have gators, wear them.
Cleaning the currants – first stage
Back at the house, I then had to clean the currants. The first layer of inedible debris came off quite easily by allowing it to float to the top of a container in which the currants were soaked in water. Obviously this matter was lighter than the currants. Yep, a free science lesson as I am that way inclined today! In the end I resorted to sorting other flotsam and jetsam by hand as it did not want to separate out easily in the water. For example, immature/unripe fruit. That took a little time, but the final result was worth it.
All 759 grams of currants!
All that work and only 759 grams harvested! We will just have to savour the flavour 🙂
This small harvest may not seem like a big deal. However, I am stoked that we were able to find so many currants so close to home. I only ventured 200 metres from the house. There are many more plants around, so I think I will go out next weekend too. However, I will remember to leave some fruit on each plant for the wildlife to enjoy.
Native currants ready to eat!
Now what to do with these currants? Rees Campbell, local author aka The Feisty Tasmanian, has a recipe for Bush Berry Pie on page 131 of Eat Wild Tasmanian. I might adapt that recipe to make it plant-based, i.e. sans eggs or cream. I am not sure how that will work! Otherwise, we will just eat them fresh by the handful. Ludovic made a sauce using these currants last year. However, that takes a bit more work removing the seeds from these small fruit (5-10mm diameter). We need a more heavy duty strainer to be able to tackle this task.
Did you know that there are over 150 edible native plants growing on this island? !f you want to know which species are edible and how to use them, then I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Rees’ book. Also, come along to the Tasmanian Garlic and Tomato Festival in Selbourne on Sunday 21 March 2021. Rees will be conducting two workshops and a cooking demonstration where she will describe some of the more useful plants, how to grow, harvest and cook with them.
Rees Campbell seen here with her book ‘Eat Wild Tasmanian’ (Image: www.feistytasmanian.com)
I got involved in the Tasmanian Garlic and Tomato Festival as I just love garlic and tomato and cannot imagine life without them. Anyway, more on that in my next blog. I am going to take some time out for ‘afternoon tea’ and enjoy some of these beautiful currants.
