This episode explores how colonial history has affected what we plant and who gets to garden. We also discuss practical gardening tips with an eye to Indigenous knowledge.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Native plants
Displaying 1 - 20 of 59 articles
Each year, hungry plant-eating animals do billions of dollars of damage to valuable plants. We need prevention methods that don’t involve killing them.
Today, these plants are iconic to the Australian bush. But banksias and their many relatives originated in far-away shores 130 million years ago.
The father of Khoisan revivalism became a public historian as his academic work met activism.
Native common wildflowers provide large amounts of pollen and nectar for insects – but many are undervalued by the public.
Whether riding on the feathers of birds or evolving on Gondwana, Australia’s plants got here in very different ways
Native plants help damaged landscapes by stabilizing soil, fighting invasive species and sheltering pollinators. Two horticulture experts explain what they’re doing to help develop new seed sources.
They’re beautiful in bloom, but Callery pear trees crowd out native plants and turn productive open land into woody thickets.
Plant breeders must now engage with kaitiaki if special relationships with a plant have been asserted. But Māori have no say on the introduction of exotic plants that could become invasive.
Honey bees, wild and native bees face threats from parasites, pesticides and habitat loss. Shorter winters, more extreme weather and more habitat destruction won’t help.
Our study found it wasn’t cafes with access to sugar-rich food that led to more miner aggression. In fact, gardens were where we recorded the highest amount of aggressive behaviour.
With spring’s arrival, it’s important to know which plants might exacerbate hay fever. Surprisingly, it’s not native wattles you have to watch out for.
Spring has settled in and fruit is starting to ripen. Read this before you start helping yourself to the edible plants growing in your neighbourhood.
Many plants are really good at withstanding bushfires, but the combination of drought, heatwaves and pest insects under climate change may push them to the brink.
Farmers can help slow climate change by mixing native grasses into croplands, restoring wetlands and raising perennial crops. These strategies also conserve soil and water and build new markets.
Large-scale tree-planting projects are politically popular and media-friendly, but without effective planning and long-term management, they can do more harm than good.
Looking for a new gardening challenge? Turning your yard into an insect-friendly oasis could mean less work and more nature to enjoy.
What blooms underground and smells like vanilla? The answer is an underground orchid, and I never expected to see one, let alone have the privilege of working on them.
In many parts of Australia, the trees are in full flower in December. But once they start you must be quick to catch sight of them, the impressive flower show doesn’t last more than a couple of weeks.
‘As I learn more about First Peoples’ plant knowledge, I’m also better understanding the broader Australian community’s failure to recognise the depth and breadth of our expertise.’
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Sydney Horizon Educators (Identified)
Top contributors
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Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Assistant Professor of Biology, Baldwin Wallace University
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John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Curtin University
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Associate Professor, University of Southern Queensland
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Research Fellow, Curtin University
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Murdoch University
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Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, University of Canterbury
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Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Environment; Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO
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Future Fire Risk Analyst, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
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Research botanist at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia/Environment Institute, University of Adelaide
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Adjunct Assoc. Professor, The University of Western Australia
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Associate Professor, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney
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Senior research fellow, Western Sydney University
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Lecturer in Natural History, La Trobe University
