Recent articles by Penny Woodward
![Listen to your garden A magpie lark.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/OG 139 Magpie lark_Alamy-500x500.jpg)
Listen to your garden
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Penny Woodward likes to take the time to listen to what's going on in her garden and learns from the sounds she hears.
![How to turn old clothes into compost Olod clothes can be used on your garden bed as mulch; they will break down.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Clothes on garden bed_Penny Woodward-500x500.jpg)
How to turn old clothes into compost
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Tonnes of textile waste is generated each year in Australia - we can help keep it out of landfill by using old clothes in our garden.
![Growing rocket Broad-leafed annual, 'Apollo'.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/133 broadleafed rocket_Penny Woodward-500x500.jpg)
Growing rocket
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Penny Woodward profiles this versatile, peppery herb, which is as easy to grow as it is delicious! Great for salads and stir-fries.
![Tips for growing hellebores, also called winter roses Hellebores are also called winter roses.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/iStock-Helleborus Tutu-500x500.jpg)
Tips for growing hellebores, also called winter roses
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Hellebores love shade, thrive in frosts and have glorious flowers that appear right through winter into spring, writes Penny Woodward.
![Drough-tolerant herbs Moonshine yarrow.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Moonshine Yarrow by Penny Woodward Socials-500x500.jpg)
Drough-tolerant herbs
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Penny Woodward loves drought-tolerant, grey-leafed herbs. Here are a two of her favourites that you can plant in early Autumn.
![Make your own calming herbal tea Basil is a warming, relaxing herb.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/OG 137 Calming herbs_basil_kirsten bresciani-500x500.jpg)
Make your own calming herbal tea
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Herbs not only add colour to your garden and flavour to food, they can also be made into calming teas and soothing oils. Here Penny Woodward looks at basil and chamomile.
![Plant your garden for the planet Penny Woodward in her garden.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Penny Woodward by Dan Coates-500x500.jpg)
Plant your garden for the planet
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Penny Woodward, who has written for OG for over 15 years and been the horticultural editor for seven, knows gardeners can make a difference.
![Protecting your plants from pests Collars can protect seedlings from pests.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bean seedlings with collar_Penny Woodward-500x500.jpg)
Protecting your plants from pests
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Deploying a range of barriers and exclusion products will help protect your crops from marauding creatures, writes Penny Woodward.
![Grow your own aloe As aloe vera grows it produces offsets around the base that can be planted as new plants.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Aloe vera iStock_small-500x500.jpg)
Grow your own aloe
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Penny Woodward looks at the many practical uses of soothing aloe vera and how to grow and harvest this succulent.
![Solutions to reduce textile waste More and more businesses are trying to change what happens with the clothing they make.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/iStock_clothes recycling-500x500.jpg)
Solutions to reduce textile waste
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Don't throw those old clothes away, put them to use in your garden, writes Penny Woodward.
![Handy tools for your garden Handy tools for your garden](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PW 132 tools_web-500x500.jpg)
Handy tools for your garden
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
When it comes to small hand tools, such as trowels, Penny Woodward says look for comfort and durability to last you a gardening lifetime.
![How good bugs work in an organic garden Good bugs are vital to an organic garden.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Bee on zucchini Alamy-500x500.jpg)
How good bugs work in an organic garden
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
A well-balanced garden replicates a wild environment filled with beneficial insects that can help keep pests under control.