Biophilic urbanism: how rooftop gardening soothes souls

Join us as we take a deep dive into the complex and sometimes controversial gardening topic of sustainability. This on-demand lecture series features four separate classes related to the overall theme. Each highly engaging session is modeled after a college course and is taught by a leading expert in the field. With each class you’ll receive not only in-depth instruction but also informative handouts to help you understand and visualize the concepts being discussed. Each class is offered on-demand, so you can view it at your leisure.

Have you just whipped up a delicious pumpkin pie, and now you’re left with a mound of pumpkin peels? Before you toss them into the compost or trash, hold on a minute! What if we told you that those discarded peels can actually work wonders in your garden? From enriching soil to warding off pests, pumpkin peels offer a treasure trove of benefits you’ve probably never imagined. Intrigued? Keep scrolling to unlock the secret potential of Pumpkin Peel Uses in Garden!

Friend of the GPOD Cherry Ong is taking us along today to visit Bellevue Botanical Garden in Bellevue, Washington.

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If you're after a completely free-to-enter garden to relax in and explore this summer, then Manchester's Ordsall Hall has it all — a gorgeous garden, a historic hall, and a lovely allotment. Everything at Ordsall is free to explore, making it a must-visit this season.  Want to find out more? Our team took a tour this summer to show you what Salford's oldest building has to offer.  The Gardens Ordsall Hall has lush sprawling grass to the front of the property… But to the back? This is where you can find their impressive time capsule garden.  The rear garden is designed in a traditional Tudor style knot, similar to what would have been grown back then. Rose bushes stand out among carefully pruned hedging. Lavender covers the flower beds.

Nasturtium flowers are loved for their colorful blooms and unique foliage. A valuable asset in both flower and vegetable gardens, nasturtiums are a tried-and-true companion plant. Though many growers first become interested in nasturtium’s edibility, they’re often delighted to find that it may also help to repel many common garden pests. This is believed to be the result of certain aromatic chemicals that are released from the plant throughout the growing season.

If you're after a completely free-to-enter garden to relax in and explore this summer, then Manchester's Ordsall Hall has it all — a gorgeous garden, a historic hall, and a lovely allotment. Everything at Ordsall is free to explore, making it a must-visit this season.  Want to find out more? Our team took a tour this summer to show you what Salford's oldest building has to offer.  The Gardens Ordsall Hall has lush sprawling grass to the front of the property… But to the back? This is where you can find their impressive time capsule garden.  The rear garden is designed in a traditional Tudor style knot, similar to what would have been grown back then. Rose bushes stand out among carefully pruned hedging.

In Jade Pearls and Alien Eyeballs I talk about the journeys plants have made with us – crisscrossing the globe and leaving Earth entirely for missions in space.

As we’re all stuck at home for the moment, I thought it would be nice to take some virtual tours of lovely places. It might lift our spirits momentarily, and give you some ideas of new places to visit when we are free to wander once more.

The political weather has been stormy of late, and as the sun has come out to play at last, the garden seems the safest place to be. There’s a lot to be done to get it ready for the growing season, so time spent outside is never wasted. A lot of what I’m doing at the moment could best be termed ungardening, clearing out the contents from last year’s containers, and reusing the potting compost in the bottom of new pots, or as a soil improving mulch.

Header image: Melburnians admire the first primrose to arrive in the colony, transported by a Wardian case, in Edward Hopley’s A Primrose from England, circa 1855. [Bendigo Art Gallery, Gift of Mr and Mrs Leonard Lansell 1964]

By Heidi Zimmer, Southern Cross University and Catherine Offord