Encyclopedia

Australia has some very unique plants, with a large array of strange and eye-catching inflorescences. Natives are perfectly adapted to Australia's harsh climate, and hence do not require as much care as foreign plants. 

Australia is home to over 2000 different species of native bees, with varying behaviours, and they come in an array of different shapes and sizes. They play a vital role in pollinating our plants, contributing to over 70% of our Australian food crops.

Our country is lucky to be the home of such rich and unique biodiversity. Australia is home to a multitude of different reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, mammals, and birds. Some of these animals can't be found anywhere else in the world. 

Derived from the family Bromeliaceae, and subfamily Tillandsioideae, Air plants are epiphytes. Epiphytes are plants that graft or grow onto other plants, but do not rely on or feed off the host plant. They do not need soil to grow, instead they absorb all their water and nutrients through their leaves.

Algae is an aquatic plant that provides positive health benefits to humans, our oceans, plants, and our wider environment. It consumes carbon dioxide to conduct photosynthesis, which is something to keep in mind and consider for solutions on climate change and improving our sustainability. 

Annual plants are defined by completing their life cycle, from germination to seed, in a single growing season. Then it generally dies off. But due to the natural environment and climate in Australia, some annuals break this rule, behaving more like a perennials, as they continue to survive past a single season.

You guessed it. Biennial plants are defined by completing their life cycle, from germination to seed, in two growing seasons. In the first season they germinate and grow stems, leaves, and roots. In the second season they flower, fruit, and seed, and then they die off. Examples of biennial plants include beets, carrots, and cabbage.

There are some differences between cacti and succulents, but they are very closely related. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti derive from the family group, Cactaceae, whereas Succulents can belong to a number of different family groups. They are low maintenance plants that can tolerate the heat and require little watering.

Climbers and creepers, sometimes referred to as vines, are plants that grow along the ground or climb a support, like a wall or tree. They produce a clasp, twine, or tendril from their leaves or stem to climb. Climbers can beautifully accentuate the outside or inside of your home, are easy to care for, and are often very easy to propagate.

Composting is the process of recycling organic matter including paper materials, food scraps, and leaf litter. There are different methods of composting and all of them can deliver a multitude of benefits to your home life and your garden by reducing food wastage, improving your soil quality, and minimising pests and disease. 

Conifers are trees that can easily be identified by their need-like foliage. All conifers are classed as Gymnosperms, which means that they do not produce flowers, instead they only produce cones and seeds. There are over 600 species of conifer, with the majority being trees, and a few being shrubs and ground cover.

The botany world offers a buffet of edible plants in the form of fruits, vegetables, herbs, grass, seeds, plant roots, flowers, and leaves. Bush foods are edible plants native to Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been harvesting, preparing, cooking, and using bush foods for ten of thousands of years. 

There are over 10 000 known species of fern. Ferns differ from liverworts and mosses as they are vascular plants that roots, stems, and complex leaves possess true roots, stems, and complex leaves. They do not produce flowers or seeds. Rather, they reproduce via spores.

Plants feed predominantly through the process of photosynthesis via sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. However, fertilizers provide  the vital nutrients that plants rely on for healthy growth, via the soil. There are many different types of  fertilizers to choose from (organic or synthetic applications).

Monocotelydons make up grasses and grass-like flowering plants. The two families that make up grasses, are Poaceae or Gramineae. Grass provides a comfortable bedding, which can be enjoyed for many purposes,  from yards and sporting fields, to  parklands and community spaces. 

The most common ground covers we are familiar with are grasses, but they can come in other forms like climbers, herbs, ferns, and annuals. Ground cover plants are low-growing, providing protection to your topsoil, and are great for introducing more diversity to your garden.

The use of herbicides or weedkillers is essential for our Australian farmers. At home however, depending on the weed problem, herbicides are just part of the solution. It is important to use integrated methods (chemical, manual, physical methods) for effective results and to limit herbicide resistance.

Inviting some of your garden into your home can be beneficial to your physical and mental health. Most plants that are suitable for growing indoors often derive from the tropics. If they are positioned in a suitable spot, indoor plants require low amounts of light and water to flourish, making them low maintenance and easy to care for.

Liverworts are generally regarded as Bryophytes, with mosses and hornworts. They are flowerless, spore-producing, non-vascular plants, descendants from some of the first land plants. There are around 9000 known species, with the most of them thriving in damp environments. They are great for terrariums.

Moss is one of our most primitive plants dating back 450 million years ago. Like liverworts, mosses are spore-producing, non-flowering, non-vascular plants. They are vital to our eco systems and collectively, moss provides more carbon offset than all the trees in the world. 

Although mushrooms are not actually part of the Plant Kingdom, and belong to their very own Fungi Kingdom, they are a vital part of our ecosystems that provide a multitude of benefits to our planets health. When identified correctly, they also deliver us a buffet of edible delights.

 Mulch can provide so many benefits to your garden by reducing soil compaction and erosion, retaining soil moisture, suppressing weeds, providing sun and heat protection, stimulating microbial activity, and adding nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.

Perennials live for several years,  with a lot of trees and shrubs living significantly longer lives. Perennials die back to the ground in Autumn/Winter and regrow from plant crowns or roots during spring. One great advantage of establishing perennial plants is that they don’t need to be replanted every year.

Like humans, plants get sick too. They can be effected by numerous pests and diseases, and it is important to identify the problem accurately to implement an appropriate solution and to stop the spread. The Department of Primary Industries provides a lot of useful information for pest and disease identification and control.

The plant kingdom, Plantae can be divided into 5 broad groups: Thallophytes Simple body structure (Algae) Bryophytes  Non-vascular plants (Moss) Pteridophytes Spore dispersing plants (Ferns) Gymnosperms Non- flowering (Conifers) Angiosperms  Flowering plants (Roses)

Plants can propagate in a variety of different ways. A flower can either have just the male or female part, or both the parts, which allow the plant to reproduce without the process of cross pollination. Other processes include seeds, spores, cuttings, division, grafting, and budding.

Many perennials will develop into shrubs if left untamed. A shrub is defined as a plant which is shorter than a tree, with woody stems, and these stems are more numerous than trees. Shrubs look great in a garden, and can be pruned into a multitude of shapes, including hedges.

Soil is often misconceived as dirt, but it is actually a lot more complicated than that. It is defined as a mixture of organic and inorganic matter, organisms, minerals, liquids, and gases. All these elements are vital to supporting most plant life, providing them food and water.

Collecting plant specimens (herbarium) can provide useful data for education and research, and can add pleasing aesthetics to your home. There are several ways you can preserve your plant specimens, through pressing, hanging, or keeping them live (terrariums).

Sustainability is not just a term used  to promote 'environmentalism', rather it is a mission of intent to be able to meet our own needs, environmentally, socially, and economically, without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

Trees come in a diverse range of shapes and sizes, producing an array of inflorescence, fruits, and seeds. They provide a multitude of benefits to our health and our planet, which is increasingly important as we now face the unpredictable and extreme events of climate change. Trees are also beautiful ornamental plants and have a wide range of human applications.

Turf can provide an enriching, recreational space for family, friends, and pets. It can also deliver environmental benefits like, reducing run off, preventing erosion, and regulating the temperature. While turf can make great green spaces, maintaining a smaller lawn is more efficient, and allows for more plant diversity, resulting with higher adaptability and weather tolerance.

The definition of a weed can be quite subjective. One person's weed, can be another person's favourite plant. However, some weeds have been officially recognised and listed as invasive. It is important to comply with the legislation and regulations of government agencies, like the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), to maintain control over our vegetation.