News — ABC Offtrack

Greening our cities with vertical gardening

Posted by John Zeaiter on

Earlier this week we touched on what is for me a fascinating gardening topic. One that has the potential to bring back greenery to cities in a big way. Indeed many would say the idea is the future for city design; one that has many benefits beyond making our city skyscapers just looking better. So what is this revolutionary concept? It's the planting of flowers, vines etc through vertical gardens or green walls. The effort involves re-introducing gardens and green space to cityscapes where a place for a beautiful, refreshing and uplifting garden is limited. Instead of a garden being...

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Have you thought of growing your own herbs?

Posted by John Zeaiter on

Do you like cooking with food? This week we had a lively discussion on our on suggestions for how to make the finest Bruschetta. From adding a touch of sugar to the finest balsamic vinegar to letting the mix stand in the sun for ten minutes, it became obvious that the making of this Italian classic was taken very seriously by many readers. This included your correspondent who added his own tip for making the best Bruschetta recipe: using the best olive oil and spreading it over sourdough bread, then slicing a clove of garlic and rubbing it on each...

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The stunning and efficient Proteaceae family

Posted by John Zeaiter on

One of the more popular plants available at Evergreen Growers is the iconic and stunning NSW Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima). With its long woody branches, elongated leaves and bright red flowers which form in spring, the Waratah is part of five species of similar shrubs and small trees found in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. The famous Waratah flowers are indeed a number of smaller flowers gathered on one large flowering spike. Bird attracting and frost tolerant, the NSW Waratah is the floral emblem of New South Wales. Equally iconic and stunning are the elegant family of proteas. Hailing from southern Africa...

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