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Citrus Tree sharing pot For a while now I've wanted a lemon tree and because I live in an area that gets a lot of frosts, I want to put it into a pot so I can move it around until I find a spot it likes. I have a large pot that now only has jonquil bulbs in it. Will the lemon tree and the jonquils co-exist happily?
Various plants ID request Hi guys, can anyone help me ID this plant pls? It is most likely a weed but the leaves remind me of African bush daisy, though the plant is a low growing grass. Thanks a lot!
Giant bird of paradise Hi There, Just wondering if any one could give an advice can I keep my giant bird of paradise which is 50 cm away from my house as picture shows. Thanks in advance.
Tree with brown pods and on the inside 4 lobes with red seeds Hi there This is a tree on a property my husband and I just bought. It has brown/greyish pods with lobes inside and 4 round red seeds. This is in Quandialla, NSW, not far from Young. I'd love to know what tree this is. Our neighbours say it makes some people itchy. Thank you.
Native Quandong looking poorly I have a row of Elaeocarpus Eumundi along my back fence of my Sydney property that are over 10 years old and mostly doing well. There is one tree that is not, for some time it has been looking paler and a bit more scraggly that the other trees. I had not being doing much special care to these trees for a while since they were quite established. In January this year I noticed that the problem tree was quite dry around the base so I watered, mulched and added some enriched cow manure. I kept up water to the tree but my March it still wasn’t looking any better. The leaves are a pale colour, and they are spotted with what looks to be a nutrient deficiency. Day by day the leave continue to drop to the point that the tree will have no leaves within a few months. There are signs that new growth wants to come out, but it never seems to happen. The last very small flourish of leaves came out quite pale with green veins but light green leaf colour otherwise. Everything that I read suggests that the tree is suffering a nutrient deficiency, or potentially too much phosphorus. The soil is relatively high pH (6.5 – 7). A tree arborist suggested to try and adjust the soil PH down which I started trying around 5 weeks ago. I tried sulfur powder, and then a few weeks later liquid sulphur (since the powder didn’t seem like it was getting absorbed). In between I also tried Iron Chelates since I read that may help with getting some green back into the leaves in the short term. We have had quite a bring of rain in the last few months. Nothing seems to be making any difference and I worried that the tree will die. Would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
Sweet Potato During the 1940's and into the 1950's and perhaps later my mother served, with roast lamb, a vegetable we called 'sweet potato'. My recollection is that both the skin and flesh were an off white colour, perhaps a pale grey, very slightly stringy to taste and with a defined sweet taste. I have not seen this vegetable for many years. It is, in my opinion, much better than the orange sweet potato we buy today. Does anyone know the name of this vegetable? Is it still available? And if so, where, in Sydney can I buy it? Thanks in advance for all your help. Tony
Is my plant worth persisting ? Hi all and thanks for reading my message. This used to be a red David Austin rose. Planted around Dec 2023 and had one bloom in the weeks after. Plant started deteriorating right after with no leaves and no new buds. I was thinking my clay soil under the potting mix was the issue. So I dug the plant up and introduced seasol gold with a layer of Gypsum at the bottom. No difference. There is another white David Austin plant about a metre to the left. That one is flourishing. Not sure what to do. If the plant is not worth saving I rather pull it out and replant something else. Any advice appreciated.
crawling insects in house For the last 2 - 3 weeks, these caterpillars have been invading my house (about 4 to 6 daily). I have been putting them outside, but this morning I found one in my cutlery drawer! ?? Gross ?? They are usually just crawling on the floor. I have patches of dead grass, so I guess they are related to that activity?
Identify plant Can someone identify please just would like to know how to maintain
Lilly Pilly stunted at the top Hi Guys, I have a lilly pilly hedge at the back of our property that is about 4 years old. There is a section that mysteriously does not want to grow any further and we are wondering why. The section to the left and a small section to the right of the fence behind us is growing fine, although the section over the neighbours fence is purely stunted. I understand it appears to have been hedged and the ends are quite thick, but I would have thought over the summer these would have grown further. I suspect the hedge is being pruned by our neighbour without our consent, but we cannot confirm this. From the images, I just want to know if there is some reason that due to the location, or sun-exposure, or condition of the pruned top section... is it possible that it won't grow higher? For whatever it's worth... the hedge is aligned east-west... so gets as much sun as it wants.
lettuce Lettuce seedlings are snail protected and covered by very fine netting but leaves are being eaten overnight
Sick Peach Tree My peach tree looks unwell as the leaves are pale and have red spots in them. The tree is small , I bought it three months ago. Please help
Tipuanu Tipu Hi. My Tipuanu Tipu is growing over on itself. The main stem is shown in the attached photo. Will this correct itself or is there anything I can do ?
Port Wine Magnolia Struggles Hi My port wine Magnolia is really suffering. Previously it was vibrant and bushy, however the leaves started to drop and the leaves are going black. I cut away a head of dead material but it continues to deteriorate. Thoughts please?
What is wrong with my cycad Cycad has had no new fronds in 2 years. The cone was covered in a fluff that has been removed. Any help would be appreciated.
What's wrong with my avocado sapling Hi there Is anyone able to advise what might be wrong with my avocado sapling? It was grown from seed in a herb patch. Soil there is average and it gets mostly filtered light. We live in Karratha, WA, which is quite far north (Latitude 20 degrees) and quite hot (routinely over 35 degrees currently). I recently treated it with an anti-fungal spray, as a white powdery substance was forming at the stubs of the branches.
Some brown leaves on Kaffir Lime Tree Tree in a pot,currently fruiting ill knock all those off Tree not strong enough to bear fruit. Just some browning on some leaves,can't see any insects
Shrubs dying I have a row of callistemons that are about 5 years old. Up until a few months ago, they were healthy. However over the last few months they are dying, one-by-one progressing down the row. I have checked and cannot see anything that is eating them or any disease that is visible. I have also dug around the root base and there is nothing there and it is not too moist. Can anyone shed any light on this? Many thanks Robyn
Groundcover options Hello, your help would be much appreciated because we have run out of ideas! I live in Melbourne, Australia (which has a Mediterranean climate) in a large apartment block with an open internal courtyard. See photo. We have 3 large planter boxes with healthy olive trees growing in them. The courtyard gets sunshine throughout the middle of the day for several hours. However we would like to grow some ground cover under the olives to cover the mulch. We have tried geraniums and herbs (eg parsley, thyme, etc) but they haven't survived either because it's too dry or too little direct sunshine or the soil type is wrong, - or something else! (the olives are watered from the base via water reservoirs around the perimeter of the plastic planter box). Do you have any suggestions? Many thanks Hugh Hungerford
Silky oak in need! Hi there, I've found a silky oak seedling in my garden bed and have transferred it to a pot to nurture before moving it to a permanent home in a private arboretum. Any advice for keeping it alive and well? It's taken a few blows from hedgers and its removal was not ideal.
Help with Citrus Hi All, I have 3 citrus trees in my front Garden. Over the winter my Lime tree started getting weird spots on the underside of the leaves. They look black and almost oily and they are not raised at all - as in you cannot feel them on the leaves. They quickly turn to top of the leaves yellow where they appear. New growth is also unaffected and it appears on the older growth. I have tried horticultural oil, copper spray and Mancozeb but the problem persists. I have cleared all the infected leaves from my lemon tree and it quickly sprouted new leaves. Once again the problem came back. It has also spread to my lemon tree now. Any fruit produced looks to be unaffected by the problem but not sure as my lime has not produced ay fruit yet and my lemon produced fruit before it caught whatever this is. I am at a loss and very scared it will eventually destroy my citrus trees who are now over 2 years old. Any help would be much appreciated.
Robinia Mop Top Suckers Hey guys, I've noticed a few discussions on this topic on several other sites but thought I would bring it up here again as I'm a recent victim of this problem in my garden.. I had 12 Robinia mop top in my front yard and had them removed and stump ground down 5 months ago – they were established tree about 20 or so years old. I planted established Japanese Maples in its place shortly thereafter. Little did I realise the root system was busy preparing it's resurrection's tactic. Now over the past few weeks I'm noticing massive amount of little suckers showing up aaallll over the place. I should have poisoned the trees before they were chopped down. I just did not know this was a thing and the tree remover promised it won't come back again. Clearly, they were clueless. Has anyone else had a similar experience and did you have any 'success' in keeping them at bay and eventually killing it? It seems like letting the suckers grow a bit, then then chopping and poisoning them is the best way to slowly get rid of it. But this will likely go on for quite a while I think. Digging down and poisoning the larger roots that came off the stump probably isn't going to do anything at this stage as the entire root system has started to do it's own thing so it wouldn't be effected by that I don't think. What poison and what ratio of dilution is the best at getting to these suckers? Any advise would be appreciated.
Poorly developed stem Hi my agnis flexuosa I planted about 8montbs ago, I had to stake it . It stands about 1.5 MTRS high has a very thin trunk if I untie it , it falls flat to the ground. Seems to be healthy other than this problem. Can you help please. Yours Deb
Does anyone know how to get rid of a these? Hi all, I have a tree at backyard and recently has so many of these black ladybug lined insect, they are all over the tree and also the wall.
What are these bugs and more importantly How do I get rid of them? These bugs are killing my hedges in 3 different locations. There are thousands of them. I have tried many commercial products over the last 2 years and many more home remedies. Nothing has worked. The hedge is now dying presumably from the bugs attacking the plants.
What is slowly killing my lilli pillis? Have had my LPs for nearly 5 years since the landscaping was done. All has been fine up until the last 4 months or so. Twigs / small branches have started to die - twig death happens quite quickly (2/3 days) and nothing is eating them that I can detect. Most of the 20 plants are affected but not all of them - one adjacent to one of the worst affected ones if absolutely fine for now. Have tried Eco Oil, White Oil, Pyrethrum as well as Mancozeb. The way things are going I will lose the battle. All other shrubs and trees in the garden are healthy and unaffected. I am guessing it is fungal. The death never happens at the bottom of the plant - always from the middle up and generally at the crown of the tree. Red box in the photo shows what it looks like after day or 3 - give it 2 more days and the twig will be dead and the leaves dry. We live in Marrickville Sydney. Any help at all is hugely appreciated.
Something eating our Viburnum stems Hi Guys, We need some help with a recent problem, namely, something is eating our established and healthy Viburnum plants - the stems, not the leaves. We took some photos, and asked the local nursery, but no success. Is anyone came across with this problem, and can tell us what is the pest, and how can we stop to destroy the plants.
Growing mandarins in pots. I have recently purchased a mandarin imperial (Citrus reticulate) tree. It was growing well in a 30cm pot and I have moved it to a 70cm pot that is 40cm deep. Since moving it, last spring, it has been deteriorating in its appearance. Leaves have been curling and dropping while green and the new growth is very abundant leaving a very twiggy looking tree. the ends of the branches are also dying off. I have attached some photos in an attempt to get some much needed advice. Thanks.
Eleaocarpus eumundi Hi there, my Elaeocarpus eumundi – Eumundi Quandong‘s bottom branches are dying. I have 2 and one is doing well but the other is scrawnier with dying lower branches. I probably don't water it enough and would love advice about how much/often. It unfortunately gets trimmed almost in half by the neighbours across the fence once a year (government housing).
Native trees in a small yard Hi Gardeners, I want to plant some small/medium Australian native trees in my small garden in Melbourne. The strip of garden bed is on the northern side of a tall fence (shaded until they outgrow the fence) and sits about 3 meters from our house which is on a slab. Does anyone have suggestions for native trees that are great for wildlife, can handle the shade, and won't cause my nearby house any problems with wandering roots? Thanks!
Paeonies - feeding Hi, I have three peonies ( herbaceous, not tree ) which I purchased in Autumn as bare root peonies and have planted in large pots. I’ve used premium lotto g mix, mixed with perlite, and a few handfuls of dolomite lime in each pot. They are starting to grow, and the tallest is now around 15-20cm and starting to leaf up. They are getting around 6hrs full Sun. Should I be feeding them nice they are putting on more leaves, or is the potting mix/dolomite combo enough to keep them going through the Spring ? Im getting mixed messages online….some say they are hungry plants and I should definitely be giving them an extra boost like Rose food ( I have Yates Thrive Roses and Flowers pellets ) soon. I would definitely like to see them blooming this year, if possible, and would gladly feed them extra if I thought this would encourage them to flower. Some places suggest they shouldn’t be allowed to flower in their first year, and to remove the buds if they do.Can someone give some advice as to what the ideal feeding schedule would be for these pennies to induce flowering and if this is ok to do ? Thankyou
How to look after my herbs in Spring NSW Hi, I'm based in Sydney, NSW, a very new herb/veggies gardener and would like some advice. I've got dill, mint, rosemary, italian basil, lettuce, onion shallots. My pumpkin seedlings have just started to sprout and I hope they take off. Any advice on what fertilisers for Spring? Many thanks for your help.
Around a pool in Melbourne. Hi All, I am looking for some suggestions, pictures would be a bonus on what to plant against the back fence. I had to cover the extensions the neighbour installed due to not being compliant. The plant would need to be pool compliant, no footholds please! Thought about bamboo however alot of posts say its quite messy. Heliconias are nice but may not screen out next door. Lilly pillies I've read shed a lot, especially the berries which can stain. I would like something around 4m to block out next door. That wouldnt require too much trimming as the height may be hard to reach! Location- Melbourne, VIC South facing. The back mainly gets the afternoon sun. Thank you!
Frangipani Stem - White bumps What are the white hard bumps on my frangipanni stems?
Seeking advice on how to help struggling bamboo plants Hi All, I am seeking some advice on how to help some struggling bamboo plants. The bamboo on the left of the picture is thriving, the bamboo on the right has lost its colour and is not growing. They are in a type of planter box which may add to the issue. We have insured we have watered it, fertiliser with nitrogen. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Mitch
Eumundi Quandongs Hi my Eumundi Quandongs (4 in a row) are very stressed and this has been progressive since Feb 22. I have used Neom and Seasol fertiliser however there has been no improvement. Would appreciate any advice. Please see photos. Kind Regards Chris
Eumundi Quandongs One of my 6 Eumundi quandongs has started to look really unwell all of a sudden. I only watered it once this winter (only a light water) but the leaves are gradually starting to curl up and die from the top down. The soil does feel a little moist, but no sign of any pests, mites or other obvious symptoms. Only planted 1yr ago, fertilised every 4-5months with seasol but has been declining rapidly over the past 2wks. Any ideas?
White spots on trunk of Agonis flexuosa Hi - we've got a Peppy/Agonis flexuosa we planted from a pot about a year ago (Duncraig in Perth). The leaves have gone quite yellow and now there are white spots on the trunk. Any suggestions on causes/remedies? Thanks!!
street trees ancient oaks and planes on the nature strip plus jacaranda and silver birch in the garden creating havoc with excessive roots in both sewer and stormwater. Which native trees preferably 2 - 5 metres would be suitable?
Casuarina glauca In need of some advice with regard to the Casuarina Glauca in the pics attached. They were lush beautiful cousin it's but have gone to what you see over the last 4 to 5 years. They have had native fertilizer but I can say we don't water them. Any advice would be appreciated as we will give them one last try before replacing them.
Caterpillars on Eumundi trees I have three 10 metre high Elaeocarpus Eumundi trees which are being eaten by clustering caterpillar. They also have a bug living in the leaves, perhaps thrip? I have attached photos Thanks Melinda
Buxus Blight We have a small hedge that is dying off? Is there anything I can do to save it as it seems to be moving from plant to plant.
Caterpillars I have clusters of ravenous small geen caterpillars eating my Eliocarpus eumundii. How do I get rid of them please?
Transplanted Lilly Pilly’s We transplanted mature Lilly Pillys during the winter months & all the leaves turned brown & the plants appear to have died. When you scratch the plants stem it is still green underneath & after x2 rounds of seasol several plants have a few green leaves on them. Will these plants survive & what is suggested to help revive them? Thanks
Bald Gardenia (with pic) Hi guys! So, I'm at a loss. This is my second gardenia and like the first one, most of the leaves have fallen, some of them turn brown or black and it's got a white goo on a few branches. Nevertheless, it seems to be wanting to grow more leaves at the top of the branches. I have nonidea what is wrong with her! Has anyone seen this happen? The plant is located in a balcony East. Thank you in advance!
Pencil Pines Hi, I have a couple of pencil pines in my front yard, both would be 15M in height, they have started to turn brown in colour, any ideas on the problem and how to remedy? Many thanks in advance.....Paul
Nectarine tree dropping fruit I have a Nectarine tree on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland that has lots of fruit but recently dropped approximately 50% of the fruit before it ripened. Is the climate here no good for Nectarines. It is supposed to be a variety suited to this climate.
Hiding Cyclone wire fence Hi, i am looking for the best option for my situation. i have approx 170m length of wire cyclone hedge that i would like to cover. I want something that will grow over the wire while not destroying it underneath so i still have my security. I would also prefer that the plant grows quickly initially but the slows down upon maturity (I have no desire to spend my whole life pruning both sides of 170m fencing), although i do not mind pruning this once a year, etc. I know a hedge would be great but i dont know how often it would need pruning. It must also be drought tolerant as i am not sure i can water it all regularly etc. Is there any such plant that exists? Thanks in advance (for example tradescantia is a plant that i am familiar with and is very easy to trim, etc but it requires shade and water which will not be avaialble).
Dying Causarina Glauca Hello, I have a dozen or so Casuarina Glauca (Cousin It) plants along a retainer wall. They are approx 10 years old, are fertilised once a year with Osmocote Pro for natives. As you can see in the pictures they appear to be dying off slowly. They wer all healthy, bushy and appeared in good health a couple of years ago but are withering now. The plants growing through them are Lobelia white root and a native violet which we manually pull out when it gets thick. Any thoughts please.
Resilience Lillypilly Hi there I was wondering if someone could help confirm what is eating my lillypilly. Any help would be appreciated. I have attached photos Cheers Sean
Starting out - cactus garden Hi team! We have a newly built home and are wanting to start a cactus garden The current soil is muddy & compacted - we need to build it up, what soil, sand, product would you suggest?
Sickly Quandongs After floods in the first quarter of this year I thought two of my eumundi quandongs had survived. I lost the third one. However in the last couple of weeks they have started dropping their leaves. The leaves are still green and appear to be healthy otherwise. What is happening to them?
What's eating the bark of my Camellia We have a 40 year old camellia...now a tree! It is being attacked by something that is eating the cambium layer and ring barking the tree. It leaves behind a 'sawdust' like covering... a web of debris, over the area it is attacking. Can't see any borer holes or insects, although there were millipedes in patches of the 'sawdust covering'
Bee attracting groundcovers G'day all is there any grass or ground cover that will attract bees? preferably native. Cheers
Can anyone help me answer some questions about the Shiny Fan Fern? Hi, I am a student doing a research project on the Shiny Fan Fern ( Sticherus flabellatus), found in Eastern Australia. I have a few questions about this plant that I am unable to find the answers to using the Internet. If anyone has knowledge of this plant, would you please answer me to help me with this project? Thank you. Here are the questions I need answered: What is the habit of the plant? (general shape) Does it have seeds/seed pods? What are the identifying features of these if it does? What are some uses for this plant? Thank you so much, Charlotte
What is wrong with my Calamansi plant Dear Gardeners, I am new to gardening and have been taking care of a Calamansi plant from seed for a year now. This winter, I had brought it indoors and started noticing that new leaves are yellowing. Been watching YouTube and reading online and came to a conclusion that it does not have sufficient iron. However, after applying some Yates iron chelate about 3 weeks ago (sprayed on leaves). It still looks unhealthy! Thus, am lost on what to do. Any advice? Note that I do water the plant every time when I see the mulch turn dry.
Root Identification Hi. Hoping someone can help. I have cracks in the cement slab of my outdoor area caused by roots. I have some small fruit trees in my yard. But I also have a large gum plus a large Moreton bay fig in the park adjacent to my property. I would like to identify which trees the roots belong to, without digging all the way back to the trees. Ideally I would like to take a sample of the root and have it “dna” tested to identify its type. Does anyone know if this type of service is available ?
What's wrong with this Palm ? Any advice appreciated. Thanks
Lemon tree leaf and branch rot Hello! I’ve noticed my lemon tree has developed a kind of rot on the leaves as well as some of the smaller branches have started rotting and dying. I’ve been told it could be zinc deficiency but it looks like rot to me! Any help is greatly appreciated!
Chinese Elm fungus treatment. What's the best treatment for black mould on Chinese Elm?
Digital ph tester Would like to know of an accurate digital pH tester under $100. Thank you
Sick Quandong I have 12 sick Eumundi Quongdong Trees. They have this weird growth on their leaves. They are still producing new leaves but generally are not healthy. We have had excessive amounts of rain, I am not sure if this has contributed to them not being healthy.
Apple Trees and Natives Can you plant Australian natives under an apple tree? I want a predominantly native garden, however a retaining wall on the property gets full sun throughout the day and I thought that would be a great place for fruit trees - I have planted a Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, then used some Myoporum to act as ground cover - will this be ok? I only planted this this weekend (20/06/2022) so it's not too late to move them, or choose something more suitable. I have clay soil that I've incorporated compost into, and have used clay breaker to help improve drainage. Any other tips would be great as I'm a total novice and have no clue what I'm doing - it's all been from online research
Palm tree with peeling bark on one side Hi, I have a long-established palm tree in my garden in Mount hawthorn, WA. I believe it's an Alexander Palm. It's lost the bark on one side (west-facing), and it's been like that for years. It doesn't appear to have any other significant issues, other than the branches/leaves have always looked a bit sorry. A gardener came round many years ago and though it might be frizzled top, and require nutrients, but that was before I noticed the lost bark on the one side, so I don't know if that diagnosis would explain it. I've been topping it up with trace elements every year since. Anyone have any ideas on what might be causing the bark to strip and not grow back?
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