Yours in Green

Yours in Green is a garden blog for not-so-green thumbs and keen gardeners alike. It's written in layman’s terms with a dash of humour thrown in.

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26 November 2012 ,11:21 In mint condition

By Jody Rigby

One of the easiest herbs to grow if you’re starting out is common mint Mentha spicata. Actually the perfect spot for a mint plant is in a pot under a dripping tap, as they like reliable moisture and you can grow them in part shade to full sun.

One thing you need to know about this and other mints is they spread under the grow via underground stems or stolens, which makes them very adventitious - spreading meters at a time in the right conditions. So it’s best to have them in their own bed or a large pot.

One of my clients has a mixed herb and vegie plot and I am constantly pulling up these travelling stems to keep a leash on the mint. But they come up readily and it’s not too hard to follow these stems (and you can give these rooted stems to your friends to share some love). Mint has commonly been used to flavour sweets over the years (except I must have been one of the only kids in the world to hate minties) and is also used in sauces to accompany meat or freshen up the odd cocktail. A very handy herb to have in the garden.

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26 November 2012 ,11:13 Mesembry...what?

By Jody Rigby

Mesembryanthemum is a rather long name to remember, but you may be more familiar with it’s common name pigface. It’s that colourful groundcover that you’ll often see nestled in rockeries or mass planted on nature strips. They are actually a succulent so they're very drought-hardy, flowering throughout spring to autumn without any attention at all. They perform best in frost-free areas and a liquid application of Powerfeed or something similar every month during flowering wouldn’t hurt.

When I spotted these two plants in suburban gardens recently, they hurt my eyes. These images have not been colour or contrast enhanced and they are really that iridescent! Many varieties are around ranging from whites to yellow-red or scarlet-pink.They are perfect for sloping banks as they form a dense carpet to suppress weeds. You could also use them as a foreground plant amongst flowering perennials or even hanging baskets.

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12 November 2012 ,16:31 Loads of potential

By Jody Rigby

Here’s a little bit of a garden cheat to give you great results with fast-growing flowering annuals or climbing perennials, and a step-by-step way of planting out;

1. Select punnets of sprawling annuals or ground covers - think petunias, scaevola, ivy geranium, lobelias - or even create a herb hanger with yummy strawberries tomatoes and other herbs. Buy a good quality potting mix. This is important.

2. Moisten the mix and start adding to the pot in layers. Fill to the bottom row of openings and insert first row of seedlings, leaving 1cm of stem inside container for stability.

3. Add more potting mix and firm down. Plant out the next row and repeat this process. NB - You don’t have to plant out every hole but the result will be fuller if you do.

4.Now plant out the top of the pot and water well until you see water coming out of the bottom holes. Fertilise fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser.

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12 November 2012 ,16:22 Like ships in the night

By Jody Rigby

The mysterious night flowering orchid cactus Epiphyllum oxypetalum is at it’s peak right now. I have one flowering in my shaded front yard that I’ve had for about 8 years and it never ceases to amaze me with it’s plate sized blooms. Due to the pollinators they aim to attract, namely bats, they have cleverly modified flowering times to the evening, when these critters are feeding. So you'll need to catch them just after dusk to see the full bloom.

My grandmother and I have this amazing pink form and I have a white also. I think the pink may be ‘Space Rocket’ and it really is iridescent. These cacti like sprawling plants are pretty easy to grow, they're best in a protected spot with a well-drained potting mix and extra water in spring and summer. You can take stem cuttings with these plants by cutting sections a couple inches and placing them the right way up in a sandy mix and watering sparingly.

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About our Blogger

Jody Rigby
Jody Rigby is a well-known horticulturist and TV presenter.

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About this Blog

A constant learning curve, gardening is all about trial and error. Knowledge grows from sharing information between friends, passing down through generations, or just getting it wrong a few times before you get it right. It's about getting grubby outside and aching from digging too much, but then feeling that fall away when you get your first flower or prize fruit off a new tree... and getting so excited you need to tell everyone.

Yours in Green is everything I’ve learnt so far - what to do when, how to do it right the first time, and of course, some frustrations along the way and how to remedy them.

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November 26, 2012, 12:21 pm
In mint condition
One of the easiest herbs to grow if you’re starting out is common mint Mentha spicata. Actually the perfect spot for a mint plant is in a pot under a dripping tap, as they like reliable moisture and you can grow them in part shade to full sun.Read More...

'Be the first comment!'

November 26, 2012, 12:13 pm
Mesembry...what?
Mesembryanthemum is a rather long name to remember, but you may be more familiar with it’s common name pigface. It’s that colourful groundcover that you’ll often see nestled in rockeries or mass planted on nature strips.Read More...

'Be the first comment!'

November 12, 2012, 5:31 pm
Loads of potential
Here’s a little bit of a garden cheat to give you great results with fast-growing flowering annuals or climbing perennials, and a step-by-step way of planting out; 1. Select punnets of sprawling annuals or ground covers - think petunias, scaevola, ivy geranium, lobelias - or even create a herb hanger with yummy strawberries tomatoes and other herbs.Read More...

'Be the first comment!'

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