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What Do I have In My Brisbane Garden?
How to Garden When You Know Absolutely Nothing - Episode 2
Contents
What do I have in My Brisbane Garden?
When we start gardening, the space we have might be messy and need some care. So let's fix it up with some easy gardening tips! New gardeners often ask, "What plants do I have, and how do I take care of them?" In this episode, we'll answer these questions:
- 1.How to tell what is a weed in Brisbane using common sense.
- 2.How to tell what plants you have in Brisbane using common sense.
- 3.How to tell what type of soil you have in Brisbane using common sense.
Disclaimer
To make things simple for beginners we simplify to clarify. You might find information that contradicts what is said in these episodes which is okay and part of the learning experience. It isn’t in preschool that we learn negative numbers exist, and it isn’t when we start out gardening that we learn the microbiological pros and cons of tilling soil.
How to Tell What is a Weed in Brisbane Using Common Sense
Weeds are roughly grouped into two categories:
- 1.Invasive weeds identified by the Brisbane Council and horticulturalist groups that hurt our environment
- 2.Plants that grow very well in our garden that we don’t like.
Invasive Weeds
You can find a list of invasive weeds on the Brisbane City Council website (Weed Identification – Brisbane City Council). If you need to know the name of the plant check the section later in the episode on How to Find the Name of a Plant. If the site says it is extremely invasive in your area, pull it out, it is not worth the hassle.
Plants I Don’t Like
Sometimes, people call the same plant a weed, but others say it's their favorite. If a plant grows well in your garden, think about if it’s really a weed or if you just don’t like it because someone said so. Plants can be pretty and grow nicely, but someone might say it's a weed only because they don’t like them in their own garden. Remember, gardening is personal for everyone, so try to like a plant before you decide to take it out.
Weeding Without Knowing Anything
There’s a simple 6-step checklist to figure out if a plant is a weed, and you don’t even need to know its name! I used these steps in people’s gardens when I was first starting out. Just ask yourself these questions. If you say “yes” to most of them, the plant is probably a weed.
- 1.Location – Is the plant growing in a strange spot? Did it show up under another plant or between rocks or pavers? Is it in a place where you wouldn’t usually think a plant would grow or be planted? If so, it might be a weed that grew from a seed landing in a funny spot.
- 2.Size – Is the plant too big or too small for where it’s growing? Maybe you have some nice moss between your pavers, but if a tall plant pops up there, that doesn't seem right. In older gardens with lots of old plants, all the small new ones will be weeds or seedlings because there are no young plants.
- 3.Previous Cuts – Look near the base of the plant. Can see a wound from a cut where the plant has grown again? This is often a very good indicator that someone chopped the plant to the ground because they weren’t able to pull the plant out. he two exceptions here are some natives and grasses like to be cut to the ground once a year and the other is that someone may have considered the plant a weed but you like the plant.
- 4.Quantity – Is there very few of that plant? In gardens we use the same plants multiple times in different locations to make it appealing and cohesive. This often means that if there is only one or very few of a plant it may have been blown in as a seed. The alternate scenario is a garden that hasn’t been looked after will have a lot of the same weed taking over the garden.
- 5.Neighbourhood – Do other people take care of that same plant in their gardens? Look at your neighbours' gardens—can you see that plant there? If it looks nice and cared for in their garden, it’s probably not a weed. But if you don’t see it in anyone else’s garden, or only in the neighbour with a garden full of weeds, then it might be a weed.
- 6.Appeal – Do you like the look of it? Simply looking at the plant and at the space you might decide it doesn’t look right or suit the area. This could be because it shouldn't be there!
This list helps me get rid of most weeds I find—about 90%! You will see the same weeds over and over, so once you know them, you don’t need to figure out what they are again.
Source: Okatsune Pruners
Pruning Shears
Pruning shears are used to cut dead leaves and branches, trim plants, or harvest fruit, veggies, and flowers. I have tried many pruners over the years, both cheap and expensive. The best ones I've found are the Okastune 103 Bypass Pruners. The more expensive brands like Fiskars are more complicated, and they break easily. The locks break, and the springs stop working.
Fancy mechanisms = breaks easily- Stick with Okastune (cheaper) or Felco (expensive)
My experience
The Okastune 103 Bypass Pruners have a simple, strong close and a single spring. You don’t need anything more. You can buy these pruning shears in Brisbane from Amazon.
Buy From Amazon
Source: 9L Watering Can
Watering Can or Hose
Plants need water to grow! A watering can is good for small gardens and applying fertilisers, while a hose is better for big spaces. Make sure the water comes out gently (like rain) by picking the right type of nozzle
- For outdoor spaces wihtout hoses, a large 9L watering can is good because it limits trips back and forth from the tap.
- Every hose we have used gets kinks, except for hose reels which are a great investment but not necessary.
My experience
From my experience, all the watering cans available locally are cheap and leaky, but they get the job done. You can buy a hose or watering can in Brisbane from Bunnings or Amazon.
Buy From Bunnings
Gardening Gloves
Gloves help keep your hands clean and protect you from cuts, blisters, and infections when handling soil and compost. Please wear gloves! Your hands are your most important tool for gardening, and a cut in the wrong spot can stop you from gardening for a while.
- Gardening gloves always break. I go through at least 1 pair a week.
- Expensive or cheap, they all seem to break the same—usually at the tip of the index finger.
My experience
Cheap or expensive, they all seem to break at the finger, so you might as well get the best value. I now use Saxon Large Nitrile Dipped Garden Gloves 6 pack. They are cheap, fairly breathable, and durable. You can buy these gardening gloves in Brisbane from Bunnings.
Buy From Bunnings
Source: Willow 60L Black Dome Bin
Bucket or Bin
Buckets are super helpful! I carry it around with me when working in the garden. You can use it to carry tools, collect debris and weeds, and hold plants, soil, and mulch.
- Any container without holes!
- Pick a size that matches your strength and size.
- You don’t need a lid.
My experience
We use the Willow 60L Black Dome Bin because it is cheap, tough, large, and light. You can buy this bucket/bin in Brisbane from Bunnings.
Buy From BunningsSpecial Mentions
You can garden without these special tools, but you will always find me using them! They are super useful for specific tasks. If you're doing something in the garden and think there must be a better tool for this, these are those tools!
Source: Thumb Control Hose Nozzle
Thumb Control Nozzle - Easy Watering
If you need to water your garden for more than 10 minutes, you should use a thumb-controlled hose nozzle. This nozzle lets you push a lever with your thumb to control the water flow, so you don't have to hold a trigger and get hand cramps.
- Don't buy the lever + trigger hose nozzles. We want to avoid the trigger altogether.
My experience
We use the Garden Hose Spray Nozzle and don't have any complaints about it. You can find it or similar ones on Amazon and Bunnings.
Buy From Amazon
Source: Hand Hoe
Hand Hoe - Easy digging, weeding, planting and chopping
A hand hoe is a helpful tool in gardening. It's great for digging small holes, cutting roots, removing weeds, and teasing roots. Because it's small and sharp, you can use it to do detailed work. It's an important tool for any gardener.
- Easy digging, weeding, planting and chopping.
- The cheap ones are heavy, and that gets annoying really fast.
- The head of the expensive ones are made from one piece (no welds), so they don't crack or break.
My experience
We use the Asaka Kogyo Forged One Hand Culch Hoe with Handle. It is strong, very light, and has three prongs instead of one. This makes weeding and teasing roots much easier. You can buy this hand hoe in Brisbane from Amazon.
Buy From Amazon
Source: Cyclone Stirrup Hoe
Stirrup Hoe - Easy weeding
The stirrup hoe is the best weeding tool, and I recommend it to everyone. It's quick, effective, and you don't have to bend down. These tools are used by farmers, growers and gardeners to get weeds close to plants. For shallow-rooted plants, it pulls them out completely. For deep-rooted plants, it cuts the top off. You can pick up the weeds or leave them to dry and die on the surface.
- Can require a little muscle depending on soil.
- Use it quickly and often. Check out 'How to use the Stirrup Hoe' on YouTube.
- I find stirrup hoes are easier and faster than other types of hoes.
My experience
Some people say there's no point in weeding if you don't get all the roots. But in my experience, when people think that way, they often end up not weeding at all. The strategy of this hoe is to weed quickly and frequently (e.g. every 2 weeks), attacking the weeds until they give up. We use the Cyclone Stirrup Hoe as it has a strong wooden handle and is very sturdy. You can find it at Bunnings.
Buy From Bunnings
Source: Loppers
Loppers - Easing pruning and reaching
Loppers are for cutting things too big for your pruning shears, and they get a lot of use! Think of the branch of a hedge, a small limb of a tree, or something just out of reach for your pruning shears.
- Must be light.
- Must be telescopic!
- Leave cutting huge branches and trunks to the pruning saw.
My experience
I have been using the Fiskars Extendable Handle Lopper, but it's no longer sold, so I can't recommend a current one. What I love about it is that it's extremely light and telescopic. If it isn't telescopic, don't bother! It allows me to reach things without needing to climb a ladder, and because it's light, it isn't too heavy to hold up when fully extended. Another great feature is being able to adjust the length by simply twisting the handles—no buttons that can break and force you to move around.
Conclusion
Having the right gardening tools makes gardening easier and more fun. From digging and pruning to watering and weeding, the tools we've talked about are important for every gardener.
In Episode 2 we will cover how to identify what weeds, plans and soil you have in your Brisbane garden using common sense. If you are interested, our gardening services specialize in designing, planting and maintaining gardens. Feel free to explore our gardening services.