Gardenamateur

LATEST ARTICLES ( 569 )

• Just a Bit Ratty

  

  I can thank Kenneth Grahame's wonderful children's book 'Wind in the Willows' for starting me out early on in life with a relatively fond view of rats, because... Read more

  Posted on 08 April 2013 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Fading to Brown

  

  Anyone who has grown the fussier Australian native plants knows how it goes. One week it's apparently healthy and green, defying the experts who said it'd... Read more

  Posted on 05 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Meet the B Team

  

  Some people ask "when is it a good time to repot succulents?' and, if today is anything to go by, the answer might be "when you feel guilty". Read more

  Posted on 29 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• You've Got Too Much Time on Your Hands!

  

  Of all the comments made about my little hobby of doing diecast dioramas, the dumbest one that I hear quite often is: "You've got too much time on your... Read more

  Posted on 27 March 2013 MOTO

• Country Revival

  

  I might be a city boy born and raised, and a long-term denizen of the inner-city if the truth be told, but the occasional weekend of country-style fresh air,... Read more

  Posted on 25 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Learning to Love Radishes

  

  And the winner, ladies and gentlemen, of the seed-sowing race, planted on Sunday morn and announced this Wednesday morning, is... the radish seeds of... Read more

  Posted on 19 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Getting My Act Together

  

  Sowing seeds is so much more fun than just banging in a seedling (but I do admit to being a seedling planter fairly regularly, when I commit one of the three... Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Saturday Rounds

  

  I love a good Saturday, and today has scrubbed up pretty well for fun. In fact, if I was allowed to choose a favourite day of the week, Saturdays would just... Read more

  Posted on 16 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Autumn Joy

  

  I'm never sure whether its plants' in-built thermometers which tell them autumn's cooler days are arriving, or whether it's their in-built light meters which... Read more

  Posted on 09 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Tangy Weather

  

  One of the good things about gardening in backyards is that the rest of the street can't witness the strange things you sometimes get up to: like gardening in... Read more

  Posted on 02 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• You Lookin' at Me?

  

  There I was trying to take a photo of a herb taking over the vegie patch when a very loud buzzing demanded my attention. He or she, the blue-banded bee, was... Read more

  Posted on 20 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• One Era Ends, Another Begins

  

  It's only once in your life that the best job you've ever had comes to an end, so I thought I'd reflect a bit on the closure of 'Burke's Backyard' magazine, hav... Read more

  Posted on 19 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Busy in Brizzie

  

  As tourists, we love it when the soggy weather forecasts don't come true. They said 'cloud and showers' and all we got was cloud, with hardly a drop on our head... Read more

  Posted on 16 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Country Comforts

  

  "I love a road trip," said Pammy, as we glided in our car through northern New South Wales on our way to Brisbane. And she's right, we both do like a good road... Read more

  Posted on 15 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Training Days

  

  If watching grass grow is just a bit too slow-paced for your frisky, modern tastes, try watching passionfruit in action – they're way faster. Read more

  Posted on 13 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Snow in Summer

  

  When I glanced outside early this morning it looked like we'd had a dusting of snow overnight. The paving was white and all the nearby plants were flecked with... Read more

  Posted on 12 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Volvo Club Day

  

  I always remember one scene in 'The Simpsons' where Lisa Simpson is flicking through a teen girl's magazine called 'Non-Threatening Boys' and that's very simila... Read more

  Posted on 09 February 2013 MOTO

• Cubist Flowering

  

  "Hey, come outside and check this," said Pammy, "Cubey Guy is flowering."Cubey guy?"In the succulent patch... Cubey Guy... I don't know its name, but it's... Read more

  Posted on 09 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Bouncing Back

  

  Thankfully, summer temperatures here in Sydney have returned to something approaching the norm following the record-setting 45°C scorcher a few weeks earlier. Read more

  Posted on 05 February 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• 142nd Ain't So Bad!

  

  How's this for a fab little race result: driven by Elio Celani, this Giaur 750 (pictured below) finished the 1956 Mille Miglia in 142nd place! That was enough t... Read more

  Posted on 05 February 2013 MOTO