The Healthy Home Office
20 February 2025

Whether temporary or permanent, the home office has become an important space as more people are working from home. A pleasant and comfortable work zone will improve work satisfaction and productivity. If a temporary home office space is required, here are some keys to ensure that your work space is a pleasant and enjoyable place to be.


The Position – Ideally a space away from the activities of the household is desirable. A spare room transformed is excellent if this is available. It will mean changes and rearranging, but this is normally achievable with skillful use of space.


It is not always possible to find a spare room and a small area of the main living space may need to be claimed. This should be screened off from the living area as much as possible. Plants are great for screening off a separate work space. Create your own little jungle corner.


Think Big – If the space is available, bring in some large potted plants. Olive trees are very hardy and will cope with periods indoors. Even Citrus trees can be added to your indoor space and bring with them a wonderful fresh fragrance. Think outside the normal to bring the natural goodness of the outdoors to the indoor spaces.


Your View – Windows will give access to fresh air and a view of the great outdoors. A view into the garden is fantastic and will connect you beautifully. If the view is less than inspiring, create a view with plants. This can be a garden or a collection of potted plants.


The Workspace – A desk or table with ample room for equipment is ideal. The key to working at home is to be organised. Bookwork and papers can easily be piled if organised correctly. A comfortable chair is a necessity for the long hours of sitting. To be able to use the chair from the ‘normal’ office is a huge advantage if this is possible. A beautiful potted plant or two in your space will make life much more pleasant.


The Routine – Work in some daily exercise. Have your start and finish times. Take your breaks with a walk around the garden. This is a great chance to check on the progress of the veggie patch. A ten minute stretch and stroll is recommended for each hour of sitting. When the workday is done, close everything down and be prepared for the next day. Resist the temptation to return to work projects until it is start time tomorrow. A good walk or a half hour in the garden will give a great unwind time to move into an after-work mindset.


Plants are proven to improve the air quality and general well-being of our spaces and our lives. Now more than ever, it is important to connect with nature and with each other. Make your ‘Stay at Home’ time an experience to refocus and reset the important things of life.

A close up of red and green peppers growing on a plant.
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A close up of a cabbage with green leaves growing in a garden.
20 February 2025
Cabbages are a fantastic winter crop and are perfect for adding to soups, stews, and salads. Cabbages are planted from seeds or seedlings as the cooler season begins. Choosing the Right Variety Some of the most popular cabbage varieties grown include White (Cannonball), Savoy, Red cabbage and Chinese cabbage. White (Cannonball) cabbage is a compact variety that is easy to grow and produces large heads. Savoy cabbage has crinkled leaves and a mild flavour, making it a great choice for salads. Red cabbage is a colourful variety that adds a splash of colour to any dish. Chinese cabbage include Bok Choy and Pac Choy and are popular in Asian cooking. Preparing the Soil Before planting your cabbage seedlings, you will need to prepare the soil. Cabbages require well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Start by digging over the soil and removing any weeds or debris. Next, add compost or well-rotted manure to the soil to improve its fertility. You can also add some blood and bone to provide essential nutrients for your plants. Planting Your Seedlings Once you have prepared your soil, it’s time to plant your cabbage seedlings. Space your seedlings around 30cm apart to allow them enough room to grow. After planting, water your seedlings thoroughly to help them establish their roots. Using a plant tonic such as Seasol will minimise transplant shock and help your plants to have the very best start. Caring for Your Cabbages To ensure that your cabbages grow healthy and strong, there are a few things you will need to do. Firstly, you will need to water your cabbages regularly. Although cabbages are grown through winter, the soil needs to remain moist so be sure you give them a good soaking during dry periods. You will also need to protect your cabbages from pests and diseases. Common cabbage pests include cabbage white butterflies, aphids, and caterpillars. To prevent these pests from damaging your plants, you can cover them with a fine mesh netting. You can also use organic pest control methods such as neem oil or pyrethrum spray.
There are many different types of flowers in this field.
20 February 2025
So often we hear that the garden is dull and colourless in the summer after all the pomp and splendour of the spring season, but this needn’t be the case. Right now we have a fantastic range of summer perennials in stock that will perform and improve year on year in the summer and autumn garden, giving a real wow and an essential pop of colour at a time of year when it can be great to enjoy the garden at any time of day or alfresco in the evening. Try out some Agastache or more commonly known as Hummingbird Mint, such as Agastache ‘Sweet Lili’ a magnificent Australian hybrid with apricot tinted rich amethyst flowers or Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ with densely packed spires of rich blue. Cone flowers are an essential part of the perennial garden at this time of year and include the statuesque Rudbeckia laciniata with towering stems to 2m with bright golden petals around a central cone of black. We have a great range of Echinacea also referred to as cone flower such as the newly released Echinacea ‘Rich Red’ with flowers that open as a vibrant orange red and deepen with age until they are a rich glowing deep red, or you could try one of the bright pink cultivars such as Echinacea ‘Magnus Superior’ with huge blooms with broad petals or the quirky Echinacea ‘Double Decker’ that produces a second row of petals from the top of the cone. Globe thistles such as Echinops ritro ‘Taplow Blue’ are much adored by bees and humans alike and they produce an abundant display of golf ball sized sapphire blue blooms that also make a fabulous cut flower for the home. For those who may live by the seaside or further inland we have the super hardy Sea Holly Eryngium bourgatii ‘Oxford Blue’ with its architecturally gorgeous blooms of steely blue. We also have the far less commonly seen Pink Statice, Limonium peregrinum which will endure hot dry conditions and harsh winter frosts to boot and still flower with papery pink blooms which can be picked and dried and will maintain their colour for years after picking. An essential of the modern New Age Perennial Movement that is sweeping the world are the perennial grasses and we have some great stock now, such as Panicum ‘Iron Maiden’ a new release Aussie Bred form with densely clumping glaucous blue grey foliage with deep purple highlights topped with fawn inflorescences which look wonderful when back lit by the afternoon sunlight. Japanese Sword Grass is another must have, try Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Fontane’ (little fountain) with green foliage with a strong central silver spine and superbly fluffy flower plumes of silver grey or Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gold Bar’ who’s rich green foliage is regularly crossed with band of gold on an upright tight clumping form. What summer garden would be complete without Queen of the Meadow or Filapendula palmata nana with its fairy floss pink flower heads on thin elegant stems or the delightful spires of Veronicastrum or Culver’s Root. These form lovely clumps topped with long elegant flower spikes. Try Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavendelturm’ with soft mauve flowers, or the Icy Blue of Veronicastrum sibiricum. Now is a great time to see and plant these and many other beauties from our nursery to your garden, and add a little extra sizzle to the summer garden.
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