Jerry Coleby-Williams

Brisbane

Presenter at ABC Gardening Australia

Curator. Conservationist. Plantsman. 1960s model, fully self-recycled. Sick of being right. Welcome to Planet Guinea Pig

Featured in: Favicon

abc.net.au Favicon

homestolove.com.au Favicon

msn.com

Articles

Native Plant Myths

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Australia is home to a phenomenal diversity of plants – there are at least 23,000 species already named, and more being found all the time. Many are well-suited additions to any garden, but there is a lot of misinformation about growing native plants, so Jerry is going to do some myth busting!While many are suited to dry soil and hot climates, there are plenty found in cold, damp climates or shady rainforests.
Growing Gluten Free

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Growing salad foods is great but if you want to grow more daily staples, you’ll need to include starchy foods. We need carbohydrates to give us energy – think bread, rice, beans and potatoes. But science is revealing how different carbohydrates can have different impacts on our bodies. The Glycaemic Index ranks how quickly carb-rich foods affect our blood sugar levels and ranks them accordingly. High-GI foods are fast acting, causing blood-sugar levels to spike and then crash.
Presidential Plants

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Jerry visits Ipswich, where the head of the Queensland cacti and succulent society lives with a stunning collection of rare and unusual plants. Bec Archer reckons she has about 1,000 plants, collected over 20 years. Bec grew up around plants, as her mother also collected cacti, so it was no surprise when she chose to study horticulture. She now manages the scientific research glasshouses for the University of Queensland.
Plant Profile | Pitcher Plant

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Jerry looks at the curious and slightly gruesome pitcher plants, which boost their nutrient intake by trapping and digesting insects. He says they are relatively easy to grow but have a few quirks; choosing the right species is key to success; hybrid varieties have been bred to be more resilient. He recommends feeding twice a year (in spring and summer), using fertiliser formulated for orchids. COMMON NAME/SPitcher plantBOTANICAL NAMENepenthes sp. - more than 150 species.
How To Grow And Care For Bougainvillea

Jan 6, 2025 | homestolove.com.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Bougainvilleas are quintessential tropical vines, known for their drought tolerance and lavishly brilliant flowers. They originate from tropical South and Central America, where they’re called paper flowers. Bougainvilleas are rapid growers, flowering all year round in the tropics and subtropics. Vigorous, untrained cultivars are fast-growing climbing plants that can reach 30 metres, scrambling up and through other plants.
FAQs - Caudex | Pruning banksia rose | Smallest flowering plant

Dec 6, 2024 | abc.net.au | Tammy Huynh |Millie Ross |Jerry Coleby-Williams

TAMMY: It’s the swollen, woody part of some plants that forms at soil level. It looks like part of the roots but it’s a stem that grows above ground. They’re important adaptations of some plants, used to store water and nutrients in times of drought. Plants such as Sinningia become dormant over winter and the energy to regrow is stored in their caudex. Their rugged appearance sets them apart from other plants. MILLIE: Unlike other roses, Banksia roses aren’t pruned in winter.
Tropical Treat - Gardening Australia

Dec 5, 2024 | abc.net.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Jerry looks at luscious pineapples. They naturally grow in tropical and sub-tropical climates in warm, humid, lowland conditions, but Australia’s first successful commercial crop was grown near Sydney, showing how adaptable they are. Pineapples are bromeliads and there are more than 2,00 0species in the family. Original from South America but are now grown all around the world. There are different pineapple varieties, depending on their use – for canning, for fresh fruit or for juicing.
FAQs - Preserving garlic | Golden Barrel Cacti | Natives for tight spots

Nov 29, 2024 | abc.net.au | Hannah Moloney |Jane Edmanson |Jerry Coleby-Williams

HANNAH: There are a few ways, but the simplest is to freeze it. When bulbs are beginning to shoot, pop the whole bulb in the freezer or break off individual cloves and store them in an airtight bag or container. You can do this with or without their skin. When needed, they can be defrosted and used like fresh garlic. JANE: A 4-5-year-old cactus grown from seed is still small enough to fit in a 10cm pot, while the huge metre-high giants you see in display gardens are probably 40-50 years old.
FAQs - Flowers from seed | ‘PBR’ | Fruit flies and persimmon

Nov 22, 2024 | abc.net.au | Clarence Slockee |Sophie Thomson |Jerry Coleby-Williams

CLARENCE: I recommend sunflowers. The big, bold beautiful flowers are a great incentive, plus they give impressively quick results that children - and cockatoos! – will love. There are lots of cultivars with different sizes, flower shapes and colours to choose from. Sow directly in your garden in spring. SOPHIE: You’ll often see this on a plant label – it’s an acronym that stands for Plant Breeder’s Rights.
Hot Grevilleas - Gardening Australia

Nov 21, 2024 | abc.net.au | Jerry Coleby-Williams

Jerry is at Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, in the hills above Brisbane, where 56 hectares of bushland and gardens attract more than 1 million visitors a year. Today he’s focused on the garden’s great grevillea collection. There are more than 350 species of grevilleas, part of the ancient Proteaceae family, and hundreds of cultivars and hybrids as well – many of them excellent garden plants. While most grevilleas are native to Australia, five species are found overseas in PNG and nearby islands.