Sydney Community College Blog | by Claire Pickard on 26 February 2021
Do your plants keep dying? There are faster ways to learn than from your mistakes.
It’s life after lockdown and many of us are more focused on our homes and staying healthy. Last year saw an increase in edible gardening, as people turned to their backyards and balconies to ensure a supply of local fresh herbs and other easy to grow edibles. But if you were one of the many who discovered they weren’t born with two green thumbs, there’s a faster way to learn than from your mistakes - you can sign up for our Vegetable Gardening Workshop. It’s a solid foundation on how to set yourself up for success growing edibles.
We’ve also seen a solid trend toward the indoor jungle look for some years now. A must-have feature of any contemporary interior styling, indoor plants are a fast-growing (sorry, pun intended) segment of total nursery sales, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. But styling your interior to get the inside jungle look with plastic plants – well, that’s just cheating! When you propagate living plants from a cutting and choose the hardy survivors of the plant world, your indoor or small patch garden can be both low cost and easy. You can get the dirt on how to get started with our Introduction to Indoor Gardening Course.
Outside of the home many people don’t have a garden to step into, but there’s a lot you can do with a front porch, balcony or even windowsill. Small Space Gardening is another popular course, with practical info on designing a garden to bring plant-life and biodiversity to your balcony, courtyard or small garden.
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Horticulturist and gardening show radio presenter Marianne Cannon teaches Small Space Gardening at Sydney Community College and shared with us the top 5 plants she claims you “can’t kill...”
1. Snake plant (Mother-in-law’s tongue)
Photo by Jake Goossen on Unsplash
This little beauty thrives on neglect and can go for about a month without water. It’s perfect if you’re the busy or forgetful type of gardener... This plant has stiff, tall leaves and comes in a range of shapes and sizes. They love a bit of sun, and only need watering when the soil is dry to the touch.
2. ZZ plant (Zamioculcas)
Photo by Nicolas Solerieu on Unsplash
More tolerant than a mother of four, these plants can handle low light, dry air, drought, bugs and a bit of good ol’ fashioned neglect. If you’re looking for something indestructible, look no further. This only needs to be watered around once a month.
3. Air plant (Tillandsia)
Photo by Severin Candrian on Unsplash
These clever little plants don’t need soil to grow. They’re perfect for people with minimal space. You can pop them in a terrarium or sit them in a dish and let ’em grow! Protect it from full sun and spray with water once or twice a week.
4. Philodendron
Photo by Severin Candrian on Unsplash
Bring the tropical feel indoors with these popular plants, with lots of shapes and sizes to choose from. Once you’ve found a place for your philodendron to live, you can pretty much forget about it! Water no more than once a week and keep out of the direct sunlight to see them thrive.
5. Jade plant (Crassula ovata)
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Also known as “money plants”, they are easy to care for and can last for ages if treated with a bit of love. If the top of the soil is dry to touch, give your jade plant a drink. They keep water in their leaves, so can handle a bit of neglect. Just keep an eye on the roots, which can rot and fall out of the pot (only to keep growing on the floor).
They do say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but we think there’s an exception to the rule when it comes to gardening. You can’t go wrong with a short course to get you started, and you’ll be on your way to a lifetime of learning from plants.
Gardening Short Courses
- Australian Native & Indigenous Plants Workshop
- Edible Organic Gardening Workshop
- Garden Landscaping Project Course
- Gardening for Beginners Course
- Green Walls & Vertical Gardens Workshop
- Indoor Plants & Gardens Workshop
- Landscape & Garden Design Foundations Course
- Landscape & Garden Design Foundations Course [Mentor-led]
- Plant Propagation Course
- Plants, Pots & Container Gardening Course
- Small Space Gardening Course
- Sustainable Food Systems Course: An Introduction
- Vegetable Gardening Workshop
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