My free Greentech Australia tickets have arrived. If you are in Sydney, Greentech is from November 7-8 , and from the time of writing free tickets were available at the Greentech website.

Greentech is all about green building, design and technology. There are some great speakers, talks and exhibitions. Find out more.

I love this book! Smart Permaculture Design is no ordinary gardening book. The author, Jenny Allen, has such a great way of writing. She tells an enticing story about her permaculture garden in Melaney, Queensland, while also teaching readers about permaculture principles and design.

Her words are poetic, dramatic and informative and she adds just enough spice to keep you drooling through her beautifully illustrated book. (more…)

While we were in Canberra for the long weekend, my family and I visited Floriade. I spend a lot of time in Canberra, but I have never managed to visit this epic flower event.

Floriade bills itself as Australia’s biggest flower festival and although my gardening heart lies with edibles, a day of wandering amongst fabulous colourful flower beds seemed too good to miss.

The beds, made up of many different blooms, form giant pictures to reflect this year’s theme of Films that shaped our nation. Films such as: Muriel’s Wedding; Happy Feet; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; and Babe were all there. Some of the designs did take a bit of imagination to grasp but the pretty, bright flowers were great to wander about in anyway.

There were also some good showcase gardens and exhibitions. One of the exhibitions we stumbled across was an example of an Eco Villa. Eco villas are low cost, long-lasting and environmentally friendly housing. I think they would make a good external studio or office. One to keep in mind for when we eventually buy some land ;-).

This year Floriade turns 21 and runs from 13 September to 12 October 2008. The event is free.

As the hot summer months approach it’s important to ensure gardens are in excellent shape waterwise.

Here’s a little article I wrote for G magazine a while back. Just saw it online.

The Alternative Technology Association (ATA) also recently released an excellent book about conserving water around the home.

The book, Water not down the drain, tells you about:

• Choosing rainwater tanks and harvesting rainwater
• Supplying rainwater to the house and garden
• Setting up a grey water diversion system
• Grey water treatment systems
• Grey water health and environmental concerns
• Creating a rain garden to capture storm water
• Cutting greenhouse emissions while saving water

Interested? You can order it online through the ATA.