Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 8
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
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00:34Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37It's holiday time and we have got a basket full of Easter goodies for you.
00:43So, let's dig in.
00:45.
00:46I've got the lowdown on where our chocolate comes from,
00:50as well as some ideas to decorate your eggs, using plants of course,
00:55and we find out how the RSPCA is helping rescue bunnies feel right at home.
01:02Did I mention plants are the key?
01:04We've all got places in the garden that need a change or a complete reset.
01:09It's time to think about autumn planting.
01:11And I'm thrilled to be visiting the home veggie garden of an Australian legend,
01:16the incomparable Maggie Deer.
01:19And I'm hoping I might even get to sample some of her cooking.
01:30For more than a century, Australians have had a love affair with chocolate.
01:35On average, we each eat six kilos of the stuff every year,
01:40putting us in the top ten chocolate-eating nations.
01:43And our appetite for the sweet treat is growing every year.
01:48I'm here in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney
01:51to meet the Director of Horticulture
01:53in a new exhibition space open to the public.
01:57And the first exhibition is all about chocolate.
02:01Why did you choose chocolate?
02:04Well, I was trying to come up with an idea for what do I do
02:07to talk about science and conservation in a conservatory in a greenhouse?
02:11My usual creative process is go home, turn on some music,
02:14pop up on the couch, eat something,
02:15and that day it was chocolate, which is most days.
02:17And I'm eating away and looking at my fingers and thinking,
02:20what do I talk about? What do I talk about?
02:21Do we talk about orchids? Do we talk about flowers?
02:24Chocolate! Chocolate is the story.
02:28Chocolate's 5,000 years of history.
02:30It's the rainforest wrapped up in a chocolate bar.
02:32Where does chocolate grow?
02:33Grows only within 10 degrees north or south of the equator.
02:36So the equator is the belt around the middle of the globe.
02:39So only just that small tip,
02:40so only a few countries that actually touch around that area.
02:43Australia is one of them.
02:44We can grow chocolate in the northern Queensland area.
02:46So we don't think about it, but that area is also,
02:48chocolate was the perfect story,
02:50but it's all the things that add to it.
02:52The rainforest is also the home of vanilla and spices
02:55and Brazil nuts and cashews and nutmeg.
02:5880% of our food crops originated in the rainforest.
03:02So that's an amazing story.
03:04Two-thirds of the world's plant life lives in the rainforest.
03:07Two-thirds?
03:08Two-thirds.
03:09One-third of our biodiversity of animals live in the rainforest.
03:12So you just think about that little bitty belt around the middle.
03:15It's kind of like your pants belt.
03:16The belt falls off, it all falls off.
03:17So that belt is the most probably biodiverse region.
03:20It's the cradle of life.
03:21It's probably one of the most important areas of our whole planet.
03:24Can you tell me a little bit more about this amazing plant?
03:27Well, chocolate is a really cool plant.
03:29First of all, you know, the name, Theobroma cacao.
03:32Theobroma's Latin for food of the gods.
03:34It's theology.
03:36Theology.
03:37This is a food that people worship even to today.
03:40But an amazing thing to me is these little tiny flowers
03:42that actually bloom on the trunk of the tree,
03:44and it's pollinated by little midges and ants and aphids and thrips,
03:47and then produces this giant fruit.
03:49There's multiple cultivars and varieties actually found across the world,
03:53depending on where you're at.
03:54And this one's actually Carrillo.
03:55Differences are in the flavor and the size of the fruit and the color.
03:58No different than picking a different variety of apple.
04:19So what farming methods have you replicated here?
04:26Well, instead of the typical, historical, more common method
04:30of growing chocolate in rows and actually in a very cleared plantation,
04:33we've gone back to what's actually becoming the new way of growing chocolate.
04:36It's actually growing under the canopy of rainforest trees
04:38in conjunction with other food crops.
04:39So think banana trees and vanilla vines growing,
04:42coconut palms, which we have here.
04:43But most importantly, the soil is happier,
04:45which means the little midge that lives in the soil most of the year
04:48and then it actually flies up here and pollinates that little tiny flower.
04:51You get more midges.
04:52You get more midges, you get more chocolate,
04:53you get more chocolate, you get more money,
04:54and you don't have to cut as much rainforest down.
04:57What plants have you selected for this section of your rainforest?
05:00Well, this rainforest we actually recreated an Amazonian,
05:02a South American rainforest, because that's where chocolate's from.
05:04The rainforest is all about stratification.
05:06It's the different layers of the trees and the ground covers and the bushes.
05:09This particular vine, this beautiful fleshy leaf vine, is vanilla.
05:13It's an ingredient of chocolate, but also if you grow vanilla outside
05:16of the South American rainforest where it's native to,
05:18you have to hand-pollinate it.
05:19Why is vanilla so expensive?
05:21Think about your eight-hour day doing this,
05:23basically pollinating a thousand flowers.
05:25So vines are a really big part of the rainforest.
05:28Absolutely.
05:29You know, vines are actually one of those, you know,
05:30structural components of the rainforest.
05:31They're opportunists.
05:32They're actually there to fill in the gaps as soon as the sun comes through
05:35and a tree falls over.
05:36This one's Fittonia, and it's actually the giant Fittonia,
05:39Fittonia gigantea.
05:40And if you actually look at most house plants we actually grow in the house,
05:44I guarantee you almost every one of them is from the rainforest.
05:47Because why?
05:48They grow in deep shade because, you know,
05:49sitting there beside your lounge or your TV is about the only light they get.
05:52But this one's huge leaves, grows at the bottom of the canopy.
06:03Rainforest across the whole globe are actually under threat.
06:05Right now they estimate about 80,000 hectares per day are lost.
06:09That's about 60 hectares per minute.
06:12My hope with the exhibit is, by the time you get through with it,
06:15you might have learned a little bit about the rainforest,
06:17a little bit about chocolate,
06:19a little bit about what we do as a science organization.
06:21But most importantly, the next time you go to the grocery store and reach up
06:24and buy a bar of chocolate, you might turn it around to the back and look at it and go,
06:27yeah, this one actually helps the planet just a little bit.
06:30Maybe I'll pay an extra 50 cents for it.
06:32So make a little bit of a difference.
06:34It can be a bit all or nothing out in the garden.
06:43Some veggies just seem to come all at once
06:46and you end up scrambling to put them to good use.
06:49And if that happens to your carrots,
06:51I've got a great tip to help you spread that harvest out
06:54for as long as possible called succession planting.
06:57This means I plant a crop of carrots roughly every four weeks.
07:02So when the latest crop is going in, it's time to thin out the older crop.
07:07This makes a really efficient process in the carrot patch,
07:10making sure the harvest is staggered across time
07:13and you never end up with a huge glut of carrots on your kitchen table.
07:16To plant carrots, firstly prepare the soil.
07:21They need free draining, loose soil with a bit of compost.
07:25They don't need any fertiliser as this can cause deformities.
07:29Remove any hard clumps or stones because when a carrot comes into contact with these,
07:34it will either grow around it or be stunted.
07:37And that's how you get some weird shapes.
07:41Always use seed when planting carrots because they are all about the taproot.
07:46So if you transplant carrot seedlings,
07:49it's likely you'll disturb their redevelopment, resulting in stunted growth.
07:53Sow thickly in shallow rows.
07:56This is to ensure lots of successful germination.
07:59Don't worry if it seems like too much
08:02because they can always be thinned out later.
08:04Cover the seeds and lightly pack down the soil to keep it all in place
08:08so it's making contact with the seeds.
08:11Water in straight away with a watering can or a light hose spray
08:15so they don't all wash away.
08:17They need to be kept consistently moist.
08:20Now, my special tip to keep the moisture in
08:23is to use salvaged pieces of hardwood timber
08:25and lay them on top of the rows.
08:27Now, it might seem a little bit harsh just to plug some timber on top of the seeds,
08:32but it actually benefits them.
08:34From here, you're going to water every day the first couple of weeks
08:37and this timber will hold on to that moisture,
08:39making it available to the seeds and prevent evaporation.
08:43I leave the timber on top until the seedlings are a few centimetres tall,
08:47checking regularly by lifting the boards.
08:50These are around two weeks old,
08:52and while they might look a little flat,
08:54they definitely perk up quickly when they see the sun.
08:57And as an added bonus, weeds are less likely to germinate under the boards
09:01due to the lack of sunlight.
09:03These carrots are around eight weeks old
09:06and are well overdue for a good thinning.
09:10It's always a joy to pull up a carrot
09:12and see what's been growing underground all this time,
09:16and by following these simple steps,
09:18you're sure to get a great harvest.
09:20Autumn's a great time to get busy in the garden.
09:31The changing of the season means there's so much to do.
09:34Well, Clarence is here to show us how to hop to it.
09:40We're coming into autumn and it's the perfect time for a reset.
09:44We've all got places like this in the garden
09:46where we haven't been quite sure what to do with them.
09:48This one was a veggie patch.
09:50It's been holding these pot plants for quite a while now,
09:52so it's a perfect time here in autumn to get in.
09:55There's still a bit of heat in the soil from summer.
09:58We can get the weeds out, more soil in if we have to,
10:01get the plants that we want into the ground.
10:03They can chill out over winter.
10:05Then as spring rolls in, boom, colour.
10:12As my dad used to say, preparation is everything.
10:15Now, with any new garden project, we've got to ask ourselves,
10:26what's the aim?
10:27Do we want to block out the wind?
10:29Do we need shade?
10:30Or do we just want it to be this beautiful feature?
10:32Well, I want this to look like a beautiful native patch,
10:35lots of colour, lots of texture,
10:37lots of different structure and form.
10:39Primarily to bring in insects, birds, lizards,
10:42just to really improve the biodiversity
10:44of what will be a feature native garden.
10:47First things first, though, remove unwanted plants and weeds.
10:51Watch out for perennial weeds, those with rhizomes, bulbs or tap roots.
10:55Chase these out and if you want to chuck them on your compost,
10:58make sure you soak them in a bucket of water for a couple of weeks
11:01or put them into a plastic bag and leave them in the sun
11:03so that they don't reshoot.
11:08There we go.
11:09Nut grass.
11:10I don't like it.
11:12I don't like any weed for that matter, but you can see the nuts,
11:15you can see these tendrils just run along under the ground.
11:18So you might pull this one out,
11:20but if you pull that one, you might miss these ones.
11:24And you're still in trouble.
11:27One brown, one, one white, one and one with a bit of shade on.
11:34If you're going for natives, you want a low phosphorus mix.
11:37Plenty of native mixes out there,
11:39but I still like to add a bit of sand,
11:41so it's nice and free-drainy
11:42and it's not going to overload it with nutrients.
11:48When it comes to prepping garden beds,
11:50everybody has their own personal preference.
11:52Some people like it perfectly symmetrical,
11:55a nice mound,
11:57very rounded,
11:59rectangular,
12:01maybe even a grassy knoll, if you will.
12:03I like to try and mimic what you see in the bush,
12:06which is all kinds of shapes and different forms.
12:09As long as the plants are happy, that is the main thing.
12:18You're probably wondering what I'm doing.
12:20It's just as easy to walk around and do a bit of stomping with your feet.
12:23Luckily, I've got this heavy pounder.
12:25Just to really get a bit of form,
12:27this garden bed is going to settle over time.
12:30I'm just speeding up the process.
12:31You don't really have to do this.
12:33Nice, solid base to work with.
12:35Just like a pyramid.
12:36Good, solid base.
12:37All that's left now, set the plants out and see how they look in situ.
12:53So, native frangipani.
12:55Prior to place in the centre.
12:56It's been in the pot a little bit too long,
12:57so it's looking a little bit worse for wear.
12:59Hopefully, it'll really enjoy its new home and start to thrive.
13:02They can get pretty big, but they do take a good prune as well.
13:05We've got a nice little edge of different kangaroo paws,
13:08the brachioscombe, nice ground cover, plenty of colour,
13:11a nice patch of fringe lilies and chocolate lilies
13:13just to give a bit of colour and a bit of flavour to the garden bed.
13:18There's a wax flower over here, some paper daisies
13:20and a beautiful corrier that will also give us a nice bushy shrub,
13:24beautiful colour, an absolutely stunning plant.
13:26And one of my all-time favourites, bush mint.
13:38Great colour, great flavour.
13:40Everything's pretty much going to revolve around our centrepiece,
13:44the native frangipani.
13:46So, I'll get him out, start digging our hole.
13:50Been in the pot for quite a while, so all going well.
13:54He will recover.
13:56He's certainly going to be the biggest plant in this bed,
13:59so he's going to need a bit of room around him as he starts to grow.
14:03But these little paper daisies and the prostiants
14:07are hanging out next to him.
14:09It's not going to bother him too much.
14:11Righto.
14:12So...
14:15Now, it's just a simple matter of getting it out of the pot,
14:19which is always an interesting task.
14:22There we go.
14:23Get rid of that.
14:24It's fairly solid.
14:26Oh!
14:27Spoke too soon.
14:28End of the hole.
14:32Give it a nice bit of room around it.
14:37I'll prune this back, clean it up.
14:39Hopefully this new home will give it a new lease of life,
14:42so everything around it will hopefully just sit underneath.
14:46It'll do its thing.
14:47The colour and form on this is just beautiful when it does flower.
14:51So, Prostanthra, bush mint.
14:54Great little plant.
14:56Lots of different species.
14:57So, you know, different colours, different forms,
15:00but by and large, gorgeous, gorgeous aroma.
15:05As the name suggests, a minty smell.
15:09But very high on the eucalyptus flavour.
15:16Two down.
15:18Paper daisies.
15:19Another great addition to the garden.
15:21So many different colours, so many different forms.
15:24But really nice to fill space and just give you that gorgeous colour.
15:30And, of course, as the name suggests, a flower.
15:35Bit like crape paper.
15:40These are pretty low maintenance.
15:42Natives do look hard to themselves, but all plants need water.
15:47Got a few more to go yet.
16:00Another kangaroo paw.
16:03This one, along with so many others, so many cultivars now,
16:08the colour and range is just unbelievable.
16:11It's the last one to go on the ground.
16:13Pretty happy with how it looks.
16:14Light mulch.
16:15We'll be done.
16:16All that's left now is to water it in.
16:31Might even give it a light prune so that these plants can chill out over winter,
16:35ready for that spring burst and some beautiful colour in summer.
16:40So if you're after a new addition, ready for next summer,
16:43get into your autumn planting right now.
16:46We've all heard of the Easter Bilby.
17:00Well, this next story is about a member of the same family,
17:04the Bandicoot or West Australian Quenda.
17:08Like many of our small marsupials, they need our help.
17:12So let's catch up with Josh,
17:14who's learning about a project that's putting them front and centre.
17:23There's nothing better for the spirit than a bush walk.
17:27And when it's so close to home, it's even better.
17:30Today I'm taking a walk with Dr Leonie Valentine, a researcher from the University of Western Australia.
17:39This is the Craigie Bushland Reserve in the Perth northern suburbs.
17:43It's a much loved patch of bush and for a very good reason.
17:48Isn't this an amazing view?
17:50Yeah, it is Josh, isn't it?
17:52It's about 56 hectares of Cheward and Banksia woodlands.
17:55And it's been identified as a bush forever site, which means it's got a lot of conservation significance.
18:00The reserve is flanked by a wastewater treatment plant, the freeway and suburbia.
18:09I guess it would be fair to say that this pocket of bush must be under a fair amount of pressure.
18:14Absolutely, Josh. And that's why this fence that excludes foxes and feral cats is really important.
18:21The feral proof fence was erected in 2010 and has enabled the eradication of foxes, cats and rabbits,
18:28which is having a big impact on the health of the local ecosystem.
18:31Leonie has been paying close attention through her research to the role of a particular native critter.
18:40So you can see that there's quite a few diggings going on here, Josh.
18:43And this one, this is a really good example.
18:46Now that's not from a rabbit, is it?
18:48No, it's from a quenda. So a quenda is a type of bandicoot.
18:51And we thought the quenda used to be part of the southern brown bandicoot complex,
18:55but it's its own unique species endemic to southwest WA.
18:59The fence that we looked at earlier has allowed us to do is reintroduce them to this part of the bushland.
19:05And so DBCA, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,
19:09did a translocation in 2013 of about 46 quenda.
19:14And what's the difference in a quenda digging this hole,
19:17as opposed to a rabbit digging the hole in terms of regeneration of plants?
19:22Quenda dig quite differently to rabbits.
19:24Quenda are omnivorous.
19:26So they're looking for underground beetle larvae and plant tubers as well as fungi.
19:31Okay.
19:32And so they're scenting them with their beautiful long nose and they're creating a dig
19:36and they're digging underneath them through their hind legs
19:40and creating this beautiful spoil heap that you can see over here.
19:43Now when you've got a rabbit digging, a rabbit often digs dirt so it's a bit more dispersed
19:47and it often leaves pallets behind.
19:50Yeah.
19:51So this looks like a little compost pile.
19:53Doesn't it ever?
19:54It's great.
19:55You've got leaves and twigs and it's covered.
19:56Yeah.
19:57So this becomes a site that's better suited for things to germinate from, is it?
20:00Yeah.
20:01So that is exactly what can happen.
20:03So what we think goes on is that the soil is removed from in there.
20:07And so that's firstly breaking the soil crust.
20:10And that means that you're allowing more soil moisture when it rains to penetrate into the soil.
20:16So it means plants might be able to get more moisture.
20:19And then you put in the soil on top of litter.
20:22So you can see that there's a lot of leaves underneath here.
20:24And because it's quite damp, that's provided a really good environment for that litter to decompose,
20:29which is how we're getting nutrients back into the soil.
20:31And so when we've done some trials where we've actually seeded areas like Quenda digging,
20:38we found that you can get a lot more recruitment to things like Chewett species and Acacia and Canidia prostrata
20:44from areas that have been dug by Quenda compared to undug areas.
20:48It's unintentional cultivation.
20:50Absolutely.
20:51Yep.
20:52Quenda are listed as a WA priority conservation concern.
20:57Their numbers have been decreased by predation from introduced animals and habitat destruction.
21:03The good news is that the 46 Quenda that were introduced to the craggy bushland
21:08have multiplied quickly to now be in excess of 100.
21:13Leone and her research team have been monitoring them and running experiments to understand the Quenda's impact on native vegetation.
21:23This is one of our exclosure plots, Josh.
21:25We've got five of these throughout craggy bushland.
21:27And what we've got here is a fence that excludes Quenda from the area.
21:32Whereas outside, we've got Quenda that can dig as much as they like.
21:35So what do you notice?
21:37Well, firstly, there's a lot more understoring vegetation, but also a lot more leaf litter.
21:43Yeah, there really is.
21:44And if you compare that to over here, where you can see that there's been quite a bit of Quenda activity,
21:50there's quite a lot lower litter load.
21:53And so what we've done, one of the things we've looked at, is how much litter is there in an area where a Quenda digs.
22:01And we've found that there's a lot less once you've got Quenda turning that soil over and decomposing the litter compared to where we've stopped them digging.
22:09And what's the impact of that?
22:11Well, that probably means that we've got lower fuel loads.
22:15So one of the really interesting research questions that we'd love to look at in more detail is how that might change how a fire moves through an environment.
22:23OK, so we've spoken about building up organic matter and dealing with non-wetting soil.
22:29A bit of composting, I've got to ask, as gardeners, what are they doing in terms of manure?
22:35Well, we spoke before that Quenda like feeding on a whole range of things, including invertebrates and plant material, but also fungi.
22:42And so they're probably really important at dispersing fungi throughout the environment.
22:48And that means that that's even helping even more other plants as well.
22:53They're inoculating the soil as well.
22:55They are, indeed.
22:56These guys are serious gardeners.
22:58Absolutely.
22:59You've described the types of benefits that come from the Quenda being here in terms of the bush.
23:10Yeah.
23:11But what makes this a good site for the Quendas?
23:14Well, this is a really good spot for Quenda because there's lots of understory vegetation and it's really dense.
23:20And there's herbertia throughout the area, as well as things like the grass tree.
23:25And what's so special about the grass trees?
23:27Oh, the grass tree can be a Quenda home.
23:30Oh, this is a really good example of where Quenda like to seek shelter.
23:34You can see that they've made a bit of a break underneath the grass tree.
23:38Look at that.
23:39Yeah.
23:40And it's nice and dry.
23:41Look, all the sand out here is quite wet, but in there it's still nice and dry.
23:44It looks very cosy.
23:45It probably is very cosy.
23:46So do they have shelter as individuals or as groups?
23:51No, as individuals.
23:52So they can have overlapping home ranges, but they like to be solitary.
23:56Australia has lost many of its native digging mammals and the species that have survived are in decline.
24:03Research like this can help us understand their important role in ecosystem health and bushland restoration.
24:10What we're seeing here, Josh, with the return of Quenda to Craigie Bushland is the reintroduction of ecosystem processes that have probably been lost for quite some time.
24:22And that's really exciting.
24:24And hopefully we'll find out a lot more.
24:27Every year as far back as I can remember, my family and friends have got together to create colourful dyed Greek Easter eggs.
24:43Well, I've got some eggs from my chickens at home and I'm ready to get creative with this year's batch.
24:50Hey, Maria!
24:52How are you?
24:53Hi, girls.
24:54How are you going?
24:55You good?
24:56Oh, look who's in charge up the back here.
24:59Ange!
25:00Mwah!
25:01How are you?
25:02How are you?
25:06You know, the world is in order if Ange is giving me a stick about the beard.
25:10Everything is fine in the world.
25:11I've known Maria and her mum, Angela, for most of my life.
25:15And today, Maria's invited her two nieces, Pamela and Zoe, along to help us create what I think will be some pretty amazing Easter eggs.
25:24So look at these eggs, girls.
25:26I remember when I was your age and I used to do egg dyeing with my ear and my mum.
25:31It was lots of fun, wasn't it?
25:32Yeah, it is, yeah.
25:33Yeah, we dye red eggs for Easter and they symbolise that Christ has risen.
25:39And on Saturday night we crack them and whosoever egg is not broken is the winner and has good luck for the year.
25:45Yeah, the champion for the year.
25:46Champion.
25:47And you keep that egg.
25:48Now there's my eggs, Maria.
25:50I've selected all of my white ones.
25:52White are the best because they show up the colour.
25:55And they haven't been in the fridge, have they?
25:56No.
25:57No, because room temperature is the best because that way when we boil them they don't break.
26:00Okay.
26:01Now, Zoe, what have we got here?
26:03Beetroot.
26:04What colour do you think we're going to get out of the beetroot?
26:06Purple, red.
26:08Yeah, I think you're right.
26:09And what about over here, Pamela?
26:11What have we got?
26:12Onions.
26:13What colour will come out of the onions do you think?
26:15Brown.
26:16Do you think they'll make you cry as well?
26:18Maybe.
26:19And what else have we got here, Maria?
26:21We've got some stockings and some ties and some little stickers.
26:25We can also get the girls to pick some leaves from the garden and we put them on and we dye them,
26:31tie them with the stocking and when we take it off it leaves the imprint of the leaf.
26:35Oh, wow.
26:36So they make really pretty eggs.
26:37What do you think?
26:38Do you girls want to come up and we'll pick some flowers and some leaves?
26:41Yeah.
26:42That sounds like fun to me.
26:43Kay, let's have a look in the garden.
26:45Now, do either of you know what plant this is?
26:47Rosemary.
26:48Now, if we cut off about that much, that's the pattern that we'll get on the egg, okay?
26:54There's lots of different plant leaves and flowers you can use, but it's best to stick to edible plants and the ones that you know.
27:02For a list of the obvious ones to avoid, check out the fact sheet on our website.
27:08This is a chicory flower and I think that pattern will come up beautifully on our eggs.
27:13And then look what we've got here, some beautiful basil.
27:16So let's cut some of these off, cut that one off.
27:19And the last one over there is the oregano.
27:21Let's get a little bit of that.
27:22Take it off right at the bottom there.
27:24What have you been up to, Maria?
27:26Well, I've cut up some stockings ready for the eggs.
27:28We've got some onion leaves and some stickers, so we can get working.
27:33Alright, we'll grab an egg, girls.
27:37Tightly press the leaves and flowers against the eggs with pieces of stocking.
27:42This will hold everything together, but it'll also let the dye through to colour the eggs.
27:52Look at that one.
27:53See the purple flower?
27:54Yeah.
27:55They'll put it face down, so we should get the pattern of the flower.
28:03We'll put some rosemary with the stickers, yeah?
28:05Look at that, Maria.
28:06It's like a spider.
28:07Yeah, it does look like a spider, doesn't it?
28:08Yeah.
28:09Okay, tie that off, Zoe.
28:11Oops.
28:14Well, I think we've done incredibly well.
28:16We're up to about 15 eggs and we've had our first casualty.
28:19The stocking hasn't quite caught her artwork, but she's ahead of her time.
28:23I love your work.
28:24Well done, Zoe.
28:25Okay, Maria.
28:26Here's some more cut veggies.
28:27I've got some onions there.
28:28Alright.
28:29In I go.
28:30I've got a little bit of beetroot here.
28:31And some more cabbage.
28:32Now, tell me, what's the boiling technique?
28:33I don't know.
28:34Really, it's experimental.
28:35So we'll see how we go.
28:36But I think about an hour to get a colour.
28:37We're already getting a bit of colour.
28:39Yep.
28:40And what's the purpose of the vinegar?
28:41The vinegar.
28:42The vinegar will make the eggs hold the colour more.
28:43Okay.
28:44So I think we'll splash some in now.
28:45What quantity?
28:46Just like half a cup, I would say.
28:47A splash.
28:48A splash.
28:49A splash.
28:50You know that measurement.
28:51It's written on the side of all good kitchenware.
28:52Greeks don't measure.
28:53Just a splash.
28:54A Greek splash.
28:55Now the dye colour is strong enough, we'll add the eggs and simmer slowly for about an
29:20egg.
29:21I'm really excited to see how they've turned out.
29:23Let's start unwrapping, eh?
29:24Yeah.
29:25Whoa.
29:26That's so pretty.
29:27Look at the pattern here.
29:30Take off the stocking and all the bits of plant material and stickers to reveal the beautiful
29:36finished Easter eggs.
29:37And that's where you put the chicory flower.
29:40Let's try that one.
29:41Look how white the egg is underneath where we took the sticker off.
29:44Yeah, and the love heart.
29:45This looks like the one we covered in onion leaves.
29:47Yeah.
29:48I think it's really well.
29:51Oh.
29:52Finish off by rubbing a bit of oil on the eggs to make them look even better.
29:57Look at the result.
30:00And the best thing is, it's all come from the garden.
30:06Still to come on Gardening Australia, Sophie catches up with a culinary legend.
30:13I check in with all creatures great and small.
30:18And we meet a children's book illustrator drawn to all the details.
30:24A few years ago, I was planning a camping trip with a mate, and I realised we'd need some
30:33fresh herbs to cook on the campfire.
30:35I thought about passing through the towns and picking them up as we went through, but
30:38five bucks for a sprig of parsley?
30:40Not on my watch.
30:41So instead, I planted the holiday herb basket.
30:44All you need is a basket.
30:46So this one cost me about five bucks, I think, from the op shop.
30:50Nice and sturdy, enough soil depth to maintain quite a few plants, but not so big that I can't
30:55lift it.
30:56Lift it with a little bit of off-cut of pond liner, and then put a couple of drainage
30:59slits so the moisture can actually get out of the bottom.
31:02Your sort of traditional idea would be that you should match always your Mediterranean herbs
31:05or your Asian herbs.
31:06I push my luck with everything, and I'm going to pack everything I can into this basket,
31:10because I want lots of flavours.
31:11I'm going away.
31:12I want a little bit of everything.
31:14So with my summer basket, I've got basils, oregano, thyme, all of those summer flavours.
31:19But coming into the cooler months, there's a few other flavours to choose from.
31:23Plenty still.
31:24Of course, rosemary, and as well as being a beautiful flavour to use in just about all
31:28cooking, it goes a really long way.
31:30A little flower in the winter months as well.
31:32I'm going to plant some sorrel, and it's actually a really, really good plant for the
31:36cold.
31:37You only need a few leaves, really, really zingy, sort of lemony flavour.
31:40Great with fish, great with all sorts of dishes.
31:43Of course, parsley.
31:44I can't live without it.
31:45I put it on everything.
31:46So flat leaf parsley is just so easy to grow and perfect for this sort of project.
31:50And I'm also going to cheat a little bit.
31:52I put a bit of celery in.
31:53I don't necessarily use celery like big, fleshy stems.
31:56I like it just as a little bit of a flavouring in lots and lots of things.
32:00Edible flowers?
32:01There's actually plenty of them.
32:02And coming into winter, beautiful little Johnny Jump Up viola.
32:05A little bit of cheer.
32:06Really nice if you want to give this away as a prezzi.
32:08And autumn is the best time of the year to sow coriander.
32:11Cooler weather, warm soil, and I'll always do that from seed.
32:15So I'm going to pack a bit of that in as well.
32:18Because I'm planting so many different plants in here, I want a really good quality potting
32:22mix with heaps of nutrients.
32:24So to a premium mix, I've added a little bit of organic fertiliser and some worm castings.
32:30So first up, I'll do the rosemary, because it's sort of the most substantial plant that's
32:35going to be in the basket.
32:36The roots are looking pretty good.
32:38Nice amount of space.
32:40This variety should spill a little bit as well as grow upright.
32:44Next, I reckon the red sorrel.
32:52Oh, look at that.
32:53That's going to go bonkers.
32:59And a little bit of French sorrel.
33:04Again, some of these varieties are actually better in a pot,
33:07because they can be pretty vigorous in the garden.
33:09And then a bit of parsley.
33:14So the nice thing about my very first holiday herb basket was, you know, it was great.
33:18We got to have herbs with every meal.
33:21And, you know, it was lovely, fresh food.
33:24But the other nice thing was that people would spot it on the back of the ute and have
33:29a little chat to us about the gardeners.
33:31It's not the normal thing to see someone's little garden on the back of their truck.
33:34Anyway, we were in one little town and these ladies spotted it on the back of the ute
33:38and were so excited and told us all about their garden
33:41and then disappeared round the back to go and pick us some produce.
33:44So that night we had fresh herbs and fresh zucchini from their garden.
33:48It was pretty lovely.
33:53It's good to be a little bit careful when you're moving any member of the carrot family.
33:57So parsley, celery, any of those guys, they don't really like root disturbance.
34:01So try and be a bit cautious.
34:03Now this just needs watering in.
34:06And don't be afraid to give them a liquid feed.
34:08It'll really push the growth along.
34:10In a couple of weeks, you'll be ready to hit the road.
34:12And until then, have a great weekend.
34:14It's a good time of the year to be in the kitchen, turning all of your garden goodness
34:26into nourishing food for your loved ones.
34:30Sophie's catching up with a culinary icon who's been encouraging Australians to do just
34:36that for decades.
34:41I'm lucky today to be visiting the iconic and beautiful Barossa Valley, renowned around the
34:46world for its food and its wine.
34:49But perhaps its most famous export is not a food or a wine, but a person.
34:55Cook writer and television presenter Maggie Beer.
34:59And she's invited me to come and check out her own private veggie patch.
35:03I'm so excited.
35:06Hello Maggie.
35:08Hello Sophie.
35:09Look at your hands in the soil.
35:12Whenever I can.
35:13Good to see you.
35:15Lovely to have you here.
35:17Look at this.
35:18What a great looking patch.
35:20Well, it's my joy.
35:23I don't do it all on my own, I can tell you, but it's where I want to be.
35:28Is that right?
35:29More and more.
35:30Until I'm so sore I can't move.
35:33The old body is not quite as happy.
35:36But then I recover very quickly and back out again.
35:39Now what's this?
35:40Mine is lettuce.
35:41Maggie is known for her amazing cooking.
35:43But I'm here today because Maggie is also a passionate gardener.
35:48And here in her amazing home veggie garden, that passion is obvious to see.
35:53Look at all this luscious kale, Maggie.
35:56Well, look, I love kale so much.
35:59And whereas I started with this curly kale in Cavalonero, it was when I came to your garden
36:05and all these difference, the Russian kale, the pink kale.
36:09And I thought, I've got to get my act together.
36:11I've got to grow more kale.
36:13And they are different.
36:14They are different.
36:15They all have different flavours.
36:17Do you want me to cook some kale for you and convince you it's worth eating?
36:22Well, I use it in my juice, but I'd love to know how you cook it.
36:25That would be fabulous.
36:26OK.
36:27Well, I might go for the Cavalonero.
36:29The Cavalonero is a shyer bearer in comparison with the other kales.
36:35But it does have a quite distinctive flavour.
36:40OK.
36:41Kitchen.
36:43So what are you doing here, Maggie?
36:45Well, the first thing I need to do is strip the kale.
36:48It's best if you just strip off this back spine.
36:53You don't have to.
36:54If it's really young, you can have the whole lot.
36:56And then that goes to the chooks anyway and you get beautiful eggs.
36:58So nothing's wasted.
36:59The chooks are very well fed chooks.
37:01So you get lovely coloured eggs as well as lovely flavoured eggs.
37:06Beautiful.
37:07And that I'm just going to put on to blanch.
37:12And how long will you blanch it for?
37:15That's hard.
37:16If it's young, probably three minutes.
37:19If it's older leaves, about five.
37:21If you buy it from the supermarket, it's likely to need a little bit more cooking.
37:29You want to keep a bit of colour there, but three to five minutes.
37:36Maggie was obviously inspired to get into gardening by her deep love of fresh produce.
37:41These days, though, she has another inspiration.
37:44She's deeply committed to improving the food offerings found in aged care homes around Australia.
37:50She's even started a foundation to make sure it happens, the Maggie Beer Foundation.
37:55And they're doing some truly groundbreaking work.
37:58Now, you're passionate about making sure that we all get access to quality food, whatever our age.
38:05Absolutely.
38:06For me, it's about no longer allowing institutionalised food.
38:12And I've been doing masterclasses for cooks and chefs for five years,
38:16because it's an incredibly complex arena and there's no specialised training.
38:21And there's no level of training for people to get into food and aged care,
38:27because they're not paid, not respected.
38:30And there's so much we have to do, because there's so many people working so hard without support.
38:37We need to give them skills, knowledge, respect and remuneration.
38:42With my foundation and working with a lot of other people who are passionate about it too,
38:47is showing what we can do.
38:49And that is about gardens and cooking and respect.
38:53So it's not that complicated really, is it?
38:56No, it's not.
38:57Because if aged care facilities have a little community veggie pot,
39:01the residents love to be out there playing in it.
39:03Absolutely, but I don't have to tell you.
39:06So often people are left just being looked after and that's not the way.
39:12Yeah.
39:13Well, all my cooking is about what's in season.
39:16Autumn, our quince, we've got a quince orchard.
39:19So I've just chopped those up, ready to go.
39:22Now I'm going to toss them off in olive oil.
39:24It's about just giving a little bit of sweetness to the kale for the kale doubters.
39:30Because they seem to be everywhere.
39:34They do.
39:35I have heard someone say that the best way to cook kale is with olive oil and butter,
39:39so it slides straight out of the pan and into the compost.
39:43That's unfair.
39:45You've only just cooked that for a few minutes.
39:47Just a couple of minutes and I started with some olive oil,
39:50sneaked a bit of butter in, a bit of salt.
39:52And I'm after that colour, but I don't want it to overcook.
39:55So the kale, now that it's cooled, I can squeeze out more of the juice.
40:01Really?
40:02Yeah.
40:03Okay.
40:04That's enough.
40:05But I've still got good colour.
40:06Let me take that.
40:07Just chop it.
40:13Okay, now it's ready to go in the pan.
40:22Cooking now.
40:23Okay.
40:26Okay.
40:29Toss it together.
40:34And that's all the cooking it needs.
40:36Wow.
40:37That's so simple.
40:38But while I'm here, I really want to put a piece of sourdough on my little Japanese grill.
40:45Okay.
40:46So there we have it.
40:48A little bit of black pepper right at the last moment.
40:52And this is a shared dish.
41:02Beautiful sourdough.
41:03A bit of sourdough.
41:05There's nothing like using the first of the season's oil, which we had crushed last week.
41:11And it's really peppery and it's at its absolute peak.
41:15And so to calm it down, I'll put some fresh ricotta on.
41:19Okay.
41:20Because it is rather robust, to say the least.
41:24And I have pomegranate seeds or arils because pomegranates are in season now.
41:32They are.
41:33But this is just about having things that are two hand in season.
41:42Oh.
41:43And really.
41:44Doesn't that look beautiful?
41:45It's as simple as that.
41:47Mmm.
41:48Mmm.
41:49Mmm.
41:50Mmm.
41:51Mmm.
41:52Mmm.
41:53See, food to me is so simple.
41:55It's just throwing together great ingredients.
41:57Mmm.
41:58Mmm.
41:59You make it look so simple, Maggie.
42:00You make the garden look so simple.
42:01Mmm.
42:02Well, Maggie, I didn't know what to bring, you know, you, so I've actually brought you some
42:16vegetables.
42:17So these are Egyptian walking onions.
42:19Walking onions?
42:20They're bigger than shallots and less fiddly in everything than shallots.
42:25Yes.
42:26But they're sort of like a red onion.
42:27But what happens is they send up a flower spike and on the top of the flower spike they
42:31have all these little bulbils and then the weight of that makes the spike bend over.
42:36So that's why they're called walking.
42:38Thank you, thank you, thank you.
42:39There you go.
42:40Oh.
42:41Oh, well, that's a gift.
42:43Couldn't be to a better home.
42:45Oh, good.
42:46What a magical day and what a treasure we have in Maggie Beer.
42:53He's hoping her work sees more and more healthy, delicious, fresh meals being served to our
42:59deserving older Australians.
43:11Animal shelters aren't the most attractive of environments.
43:14The concrete and steel necessary to keep them clean and functional can be quite confronting.
43:21It's a situation that the RSPCA headquarters in Yagoona in Sydney's southwest is trying to
43:28change.
43:29Over 400 rescued animals live here.
43:32The RSPCA's mission is to give them a second chance.
43:36But traditional surroundings are not always conducive to adopting a furry friend.
43:41But that's where plants come in.
43:44The RSPCA are reimagining what a shelter could be and are in the early stages of creating
43:52landscape gardens that are inviting to humans and animals.
43:56Let's take a look.
43:57Brendan Neely is the Executive Manager of Animal Care Services.
44:10We see about 12,000 animals through the door each year just at this facility.
44:14It's a busy place.
44:16Given the volume of animals that we see moving through, wear and tear is one of the biggest
44:20issues that we have.
44:21And so getting into some of the garden spaces just softens that environment for both our
44:25animal visitors and our human visitors.
44:31The first area to be completed is this special spot for small animals, where rabbits and guinea
44:37pigs can meet potential new families.
44:39Very soft, isn't it?
44:41It's a completely different presentation because shelters can be a fairly confronting environment.
44:46And to see something like this that's colourful, soft and completely different to what they're
44:51expecting is fantastic.
44:52And if they stop and pause while they're walking through our facilities, it actually increases
44:57the adoption chances.
44:58So it actually helps animals find a home.
45:00Look at that.
45:05Steve Warner is the landscape designer who created the space.
45:08This area is meant to be for the kids to come in and just relax.
45:12It's a safe area to bring a rabbit, to actually come in here, pop the rabbit down, sit on the
45:17ground with the rabbit and actually engage.
45:19You just have some fun.
45:20If you can have some fun, you'll start bonding with the animal.
45:24I notice there's lots of colour and the fences are black and quite low.
45:29So you don't even feel like they're here.
45:31No, I'm glad you said that because what was the most important, it's getting the balance.
45:35We need to enclose the space, but it's really important that it didn't feel like
45:37caged in.
45:38There were some key requirements for plant choices in the project.
45:43Plant selection was very much about maintenance, low maintenance, to the point of zero maintenance.
45:49The focus for our client is that it's the animals.
45:52So we don't want to be a problem when it comes to the landscape.
45:55We want to be the benefit.
45:56So selecting plants that are very easy to maintain is very important.
46:00So looking at natives, looking at hardy plants, looking at plants also that the veterinary
46:06side of the establishment are very happy with as well.
46:09So what are some of the plants you've selected in this area here?
46:11The majority of our planting, you can see, they're grasses.
46:14So the pennisetums here work really well for us.
46:17We also then put a border planting of the lamandra tunicas.
46:20Again, it's very hardy, but very soft for the kids to be rolling in the space.
46:25And again, it's got to be soft in selection for the animals as well.
46:32Good job!
46:33But it's much more than just a pleasant environment for pets and people.
46:38Are you seeing a change in the animals' behaviour?
46:42We certainly do with the rabbit enclosures.
46:45Each of them has a little hop-down.
46:46So the rabbits can actually leave their hutch, hop down into a veggie garden that's individually
46:50built for them, and then hop back up the bunny hops as we call them.
46:54Bespoke veggie gardens for the rabbits.
46:56Absolutely.
46:57They do.
46:58It's also really interesting because we're able, particularly for the rabbits and the
47:00other pocket pets as they're referred to, seeing them do what they do, which is dig
47:04up lawns, chew things, is a great way for people to go, actually, I've really got to
47:09consider taking these on.
47:11One of the rabbits whispered in my ear earlier that you actually don't charge for the work
47:15that you're doing with the RSPCA.
47:17I'm committed and connected with what this organisation does.
47:20I'm a pet owner myself, and I know the good work they do.
47:24So if we can give back with our knowledge and if we can give back with our time, well then
47:28that's worthwhile.
47:29So I'm happy to give back.
47:31It seems it's a win-win situation.
47:34Steve's happy, the RSPCA are happy, the visitors are happy, but it's the animals that
47:40are set to benefit the most.
47:42Yum!
47:43To give an example of exactly what it's done, we've seen our rabbit adoptions double since
47:47the gardens came online, which is an amazing result.
47:50The ultimate thing that we're aiming at is getting these animals a second chance.
47:53And so as a result, to see a doubling of those figures simply because of the garden space
47:57here, it's paying dividends every day.
47:59Enjoy this story of an inspiring Australian author whose motivation is the wonderful Aussie landscape.
48:16My name's Trace Beller.
48:30I live in Djarjarung country in central Victoria, and I make graphic novels really about connecting
48:37with the country and community.
48:42They're kind of cartoony stories, but there's a lot more detail, like nature detail, than in a normal cartoon.
48:50So there'll be like specific bird species or specific plants from that place.
48:56And I often put little labels on or little sound effects about the different birds.
49:01I call myself a story catcher.
49:04There's just stories everywhere.
49:06There's so many stories from nature.
49:08And if you've got your ear kind of switched on, you're going to be loaded up all the time.
49:14I'm an early bird, so I like going everywhere really early.
49:33And I've got a few favourite morning spots.
49:35This is one of them.
49:37So I ride along the creek, and then I sit down by this water hole for my brekkie.
49:48I love like the dew dropping off the high branches up there and creating the ripples in the water.
49:57It's such a good way to start the day and connect myself to where I am
50:03before I go and sit indoors on a computer or at a desk.
50:21When I draw things, I notice things and I start to understand them more.
50:27And I write down the sounds as well.
50:31So I might take note of the birds, the weather, the light, the light always changing.
50:38If you take a photo or walk past, you're not going to notice nearly as much.
50:43Every single kid should have a magnifying glass.
50:48It's how you work things out.
50:50I'm not a scientist, but if I just keep looking at things and start to understand them,
50:56it most definitely connects me to where I am by taking the time to stop and sketch.
51:02And it doesn't matter if it looks great or whatever.
51:05It's nothing to do with that.
51:06It's more about there's nothing between me and my sketch.
51:14Everything else just drops away and I become more with that place.
51:20It's a very mindful thing, actually.
51:23Yeah.
51:24Oh, my lovely tree.
51:26And I go and say hi to my grandma tree over there.
51:29I really like that she's been here longer than all of us.
51:34She features in my book, actually.
51:36So the main character, when she arrives at her new home,
51:39she goes out in the morning and greets her beautiful new friend,
51:44a yellow box.
51:45I had to put her in.
51:46She's so special.
51:47Good morning, tree.
51:49Aren't you a beauty?
51:50I hope you don't mind if I climb you.
51:53I've lost my bearings because we got here in the dark.
51:56I'm sorry.
51:57I'm sorry.
51:58Landing with Wings is the story of a girl and her mother
52:02and they move to this area.
52:04And at first they're strangers there
52:07and then they gradually connect with the community
52:11and with the country.
52:14This book is very much about a sense of belonging and connection.
52:19I wonder who used to live here.
52:27It would have been a gold digger.
52:29Yeah, there used to be thousands of people
52:31digging for gold around here.
52:33I thought it was called the gold fields
52:35because of all the yellow plants everywhere.
52:38I way prefer your reason.
52:41This area is known as the gold fields
52:44and for me that was really hard to call it that
52:48considering all the damage that had been done from the gold rush.
52:53There's so many beautiful golden plants and birds
52:59that I found another way to feel good about calling it the gold fields.
53:05I really like the yellow navel fungus.
53:08They've got this cute little dip in them like a belly button
53:12and they're tiny.
53:13They're so little.
53:14You have to be careful where you step.
53:16And I've been getting to know waddles.
53:19I used to think there was only one kind of wattle
53:22but now I've been watching throughout the year.
53:24There's so many different ones
53:26and when I draw them, I learn what they are.
53:32Golly, you get a great view of Mount Alexander up here.
53:35Alexander? That's a strange name for a mountain.
53:40Well, my ancestors have called it Lianganook for thousands of years.
53:45Do they come from here?
53:47Yep, we're Dja Dja Wurrung around here.
53:50That knowledge probably goes a very long way back.
53:54Yep, way, way back.
53:56Forever, we reckon.
53:58The main people that read my books are primary school kids.
54:04And when I was at primary school,
54:07I didn't even know there were Aboriginal people living in Victoria.
54:11So things have really changed
54:13and it's great to be part of that eye-opening
54:17and ear-opening experience of the kids.
54:26It's really important to acknowledge where we are in this country
54:32and to respect what we do know.
54:35Like if we know the name of a place, to use that name
54:39and to just keep learning from the people of that area.
54:44It's like we're putting down roots that go way, way back in time
54:49and into the future too.
54:51Forever, really.
54:53Looking out across the plains,
54:55I realise that I'm part of the country now
54:58and it's a part of me.
55:00Got a busy weekend coming up?
55:11Some time in the garden is the perfect way
55:14to slow things down a little.
55:16And if you're looking for some inspiration,
55:18here's your list of jobs to start you off.
55:21In cool areas, it's time to plant Easter lily bulbs.
55:30If you're short on space at your place,
55:32they'll grow just as well in a pot.
55:34Spinach seed can be sown directly into beds now
55:38at spacings of around 40 centimetres.
55:41Add a touch of texture to your garden
55:43with the surprisingly tough lamb's ears.
55:46The velvety soft leaves help it conserve moisture,
55:51meaning it's great to use in tough and hot spots.
55:55Warm temperate gardeners get a hold of a rabbit's foot fern.
56:00Tougher than most ferns, it can be grown inside or outdoors
56:04and will cover its pot with furry little rhizomes.
56:08If you're serious about your backyard harvest,
56:11why not make your own wooden basket or trug?
56:14You'll find all the plans on the GA website.
56:17Melaleucas and calistamins will benefit from a light prune
56:21to remove the spent flower heads.
56:24In subtropical areas, as your palms drop fronds,
56:28chop them up or shred them for instant mulch.
56:32If you've got a dry, shady spot in your garden,
56:35why not try a bromeliad?
56:37Their epiphytic nature and water reservoir means the right type
56:42will thrive in those tricky spots.
56:45It's open season to soak carrots, so hop to it.
56:49Try all season or baby varieties for better results in your climate.
56:55In the tropics, start preparing your beds
56:58for the productive dry season.
57:00Lay compost and mulch and water in well
57:03to prime everything for planting time.
57:07It's also time to plant lettuce
57:09to take advantage of the oncoming cooler temperatures.
57:13Choose loose leaf varieties for a more reliable harvest.
57:18If your fruit trees are a bit ratty,
57:20now's a good time for a structural prune.
57:23Remember to remove any branches that are dead, diseased or dying.
57:28In arid areas, your compost bin might just be ready to empty.
57:32Spread over garden beds and cover with mulch to keep the goodness in place.
57:37At this time of year, scale build up can start to be a serious problem.
57:43Remove what you can by hand and then treat once a week
57:47by spraying diluted horticultural oil.
57:50Sweet pea seed can be sown now.
57:53But remember to get your support structure up before planting
57:57so you don't trample the seedlings in the process.
58:00Enjoy the weekend, gardeners.
58:02And remember, you can always catch up on Gardening Australia
58:06on ABC iview anytime.
58:09Well, that's all we could squeeze into our basket for this week,
58:18but there's plenty more coming up next time.
58:21Take a look.
58:25A lot of people have a love of indoor plants,
58:27but today I'm meeting a woman whose passion
58:30for her indoor jungle has changed her life.
58:33I'm visiting a friend's garden full of ideas
58:36to bring life into a small space.
58:40And Millie catches up with a very clever gardener
58:43who's made the most of her inner city space.