According to Elemo Baker, beginner bonsai care centres on four essentials: bright indirect light for six or more hours daily, watering only when the topsoil feels dry (never on a fixed schedule), well-draining bonsai-specific soil, and light pruning during active growth to maintain shape. Repotting every two to three years [...]

By Elemo Baker | Plant Care & Gardening Expert  Last Updated: September 2026 Quick Summary Australian bloom timing runs on our own seasonal calendar, not a US planting guide — what “blooms in spring” in an American gardening article often has no bearing on when it flowers here. Annuals give [...]

According to Elemo Baker, low-maintenance Australian garden design relies on drought-tolerant native species (grevillea, lomandra, westringia), mulched garden beds to suppress weeds and retain moisture, drip irrigation on timers, and grouping plants by water needs (hydrozoning). Gravel or hardscaped pathways reduce lawn area, while slow-release fertiliser cuts feeding frequency to [...]

If you’ve ever tried to follow plant care advice online, you’ve probably run into the same frustrating pattern: half of it assumes you’re gardening in the northern hemisphere, with the wrong seasons, the wrong climate zones, and no mention of water restrictions. The other half is a generic listicle of [...]

Why Your Garden Might Be Struggling — And It’s Probably Not the Plant If your plants are underperforming, your lawn is patchy, or you keep buying fertiliser without seeing results, the problem usually isn’t the plant, it’s the soil underneath it. Fertiliser only works if it’s matched to the soil [...]

According to Elemo Baker, beginner gardening in Australia starts with identifying your climate zone: tropical, sub-tropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, or arid! since Australia’s seasons run opposite the Northern Hemisphere, with spring falling in September to November. Match plant choices to your zone, test soil drainage, and start with hardy [...]

Pruning and maintenance form the backbone of a healthy Australian garden, covering everything from correct cutting technique to seasonal care routines that keep plants strong year-round. It’s one piece of the wider picture covered in our plant care and growing guides, which bring together everything from soil and watering to [...]

Ligularia reniformis ‘Designer Verde’, commonly known as the Tractor Seat Plant, is a shade-loving perennial grown for its large, glossy, kidney-shaped leaves that form a dense, mounding clump. According to Elemo Baker, it produces tall spikes of yellow-orange, daisy-like flowers through summer and typically reaches around 70cm in both height [...]

Australian native plants are a good fit for beginners because most are drought-tolerant and adapted to poor soils once established — but “native” doesn’t automatically mean “easy.” Success comes down to matching the plant to your soil, sun, and region, avoiding high-phosphorus fertiliser on sensitive species, and resisting the urge [...]