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Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 9
Transcript
00:00.
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00:06Hi!
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00:27Ah!
00:29Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37Mum always used to say good things come in small packages.
00:41She may have been talking about me, but I like to apply it to the garden.
00:46Many of us don't have the luxury of a big garden,
00:49but there's still so much we can do in tight spaces.
00:54So this week, we're talking small, but thinking big.
00:58As we look back on some of our most inspirational small space stories.
01:06A lot of people have a love of indoor plants,
01:09but today I'm meeting a woman whose passion for her indoor jungle has changed her life.
01:15I'm visiting a friend's garden full of ideas to bring life into a small space.
01:22Millie catches up with a very clever gardener who's made the most of her inner city space.
01:27The area that we're standing in where most of the food is coming from is around 12 by 8 metres.
01:33This is the amazing garden of Darren Partridge.
01:49By day, a humble research laboratory manager.
01:52But in his spare time, a super gardener extraordinaire.
01:56And it all started as a way to honour his great-aunt.
02:19My great-aunt passed away a couple of years back, and she loved her petunias.
02:25The day before she passed away, she actually planted some petunias out.
02:29And I thought, you know what, I'm going to finish off what she started.
02:33Little did I appreciate just how much work they were going to be, though.
02:37By about mid-summer, I was done with deadheading petunias.
02:40Having been bitten by the gardening bug, but no longer loving his petunias,
02:48Darren was at a bit of a loss as to what to plant next,
02:52until his then-housemate came home with a struggling native plant.
02:57He said, can you fix this for me?
02:59I said, I don't think so.
03:00I think it's due to go to the compost bin.
03:04But what is it?
03:05And he said, it's a kangaroo paw.
03:06And I said, a what?
03:09I've never heard of a kangaroo paw.
03:11But my curiosity got the better of me,
03:13and I looked it up online, and I was amazed by what I saw.
03:16I went to the native nursery, got my kangaroo paw,
03:18and then picked up about 100 other plants at the same time.
03:22I was just blown away by what was available in the nursery,
03:26and just fell in love with so many different varieties and textures and colours.
03:31What were some of the challenges you faced
03:34when you started to set the garden up?
03:35The aspect was a major challenge, or a major consideration at least.
03:41You get a north-facing sun that just, you know, pelts down on this pavement.
03:45But in the winter, it's full shade.
03:48So you've got to go with some plants that are going to tolerate that real blistering sun,
03:54and then, you know, at least filtered light in the winter.
03:58Wind is an issue here, even though we are in a small courtyard.
04:02With the sun, it's about just going Western Australian, I say, in the containers.
04:07They love their sun, the Western Australian plants.
04:09And this courtyard gives you that opportunity to play with those Western Australian natives.
04:13The first thing I noticed when I stepped into Darren's backyard is the layers and the staging of the plants.
04:23They're clustered together.
04:24You don't notice that they're pretty much all in pots.
04:27All of the pots are literally shading and protecting each other from the sun, aren't they?
04:35Yeah, absolutely.
04:35And that's the whole idea.
04:37I mean, you want to retain that moisture as long as possible to save on water.
04:42Like, I'm trying to create a cottage garden, and I want it to look full.
04:45And I want it to look different at every angle.
04:49So the height and the layers, and it's really important to work with all that.
04:55I feel like I'm in a lolly shop.
04:57Do you have any favourites that you want to talk about?
05:00It's a good way to describe it.
05:02The Leschanaltia biloba is probably my favourite.
05:04The blue is amazing, and it's a Western Australian plant.
05:08It lives in sand.
05:09It lives in desolate soils, yet it produces just an amazing colour.
05:13The yellow bells here, I mean, look at how much flower is on it.
05:18Yeah, I mean, this flower's for such a long time as well.
05:21It starts to open in about winter, and it just keeps going right into the summer.
05:26It's another Western Australian.
05:28It's grafted, this one.
05:29It's recommended to be in a container, especially on the East Coast.
05:33But, yeah, I love it.
05:34It's a winner all the time.
05:36Peronius?
05:37Yeah?
05:37You've got more than your fair share.
05:38They're not the easiest plants to grow.
05:41What's the favourite one here?
05:42My favourite would probably be the one over there on the hanging basket, the Baronia safralifera.
05:48It is a difficult one to grow, I've been told, but I've had excellent success with it.
05:54I've not lost one yet.
05:55I have lost other Baronias in the past.
05:58They don't like to be waterlogged, and they will just drop from root rot almost overnight
06:04sometimes with very little warning.
06:06So what sort of soil have you used in there?
06:08This is just native potting mix.
06:10I mean, a good native potting mix is all I require.
06:14Just keeping the root ball moist, especially for the Baronias, is to keep it moist and cool.
06:19I have my Baronias south-facing, so that helps keep them out of the direct sun, or at least in direct light.
06:28So this garden here is two years old.
06:36It's two years old.
06:38Yeah.
06:38And your gardening heritage is effectively two years old.
06:45Yeah.
06:45What would you say to people that are setting out?
06:50Read, read, read, read.
06:52Fall in love with learning about gardening, and embrace the learning.
06:59Don't be afraid of it, and don't be afraid to fail at it.
07:05Because every time you fail, you are learning still.
07:08I like to be the best I can be at something.
07:14If I'm going to do something, I mean, I'll put everything into it to make sure I do it as well as I can.
07:20If I'm not satisfied, I'll keep working at it.
07:22And the problem with gardening is that you're never quite satisfied.
07:25What was motivated by a few pots of petunias has been transformed into a native garden wonderland.
07:38And if a renter like Darren can do it, and go from garden zero to horticulture hero in less than two years, then what's stopping you?
07:53What natives can you grow from seed?
07:55Well, there are stacks.
07:57Everything from gum trees to wattles, and of course, lots of those beautiful flowering species can also be grown from seed.
08:04This is a little paper daisy from New South Wales, and here I'm growing the local species of Dianella.
08:10In lots of cases, this is the only way you can actually get your hands on some of these plants.
08:16So I highly recommend that you give it a go, track down some seed, and get them growing.
08:21What is tropical coriander?
08:23Well, here it is.
08:24It has dozens of common names.
08:27I call it Oryngium fetidum.
08:29This plant needs warmth and moisture, so if you live in a frosty climate, you'll have to grow this indoors or in a glass house.
08:37I grow this for its flavour.
08:39It's really lovely, fresh, chopped up, and used in things like salads or soups, but I never cook it.
08:46This plant has no concept of drought, so it's growing in a plastic pot, and I stand it in a saucer of water, and I top up that water daily.
08:56It sells seeds freely, and in summer it'll produce little suckers, so it's quite easy to grow.
09:02In winter, it stops growing.
09:04Here in the subtropics, it's too cool to harvest all year round, so I just grow the ordinary coriander during the cool seasons, and that way I've got fabulous flavour all year round.
09:15What is hummus?
09:16What is hummus?
09:17Well, some people pronounce it hummus like the dip, and if you think of a bowl of dip as a bowl of chickpeas broken into millions of fine, smooth pieces, then I can understand why.
09:29Hummus in the soil is tiny pieces of broken down animal and plant material that have been decomposed by the microorganisms in the soil.
09:38It's the end result and purpose of compost, and it's an integral part in sustaining the health of plants and soil.
09:51If there's one thing I love, it's indoor plant inspiration.
09:55Seeing how the right plants can completely transform an indoor space into your own personal oasis.
10:03Josh has found a garden that's taking the inspo to the next level.
10:07Indoor plants have certainly enjoyed a return to popularity, and today I'm heading to a Perth home to meet Fessy Jojo, a collector who has taken things to a whole new level.
10:28Hello.
10:29Welcome.
10:30Wow.
10:31Look at this place.
10:32It's a forest.
10:33It certainly is.
10:34Yeah.
10:35You've got so much height and natural light in this room, things are just thriving.
10:46Yeah.
10:47Pretty lucky with the light and also we've got double height ceiling, so I can grow big, big plants.
10:53Fessy's house is bursting with green.
10:56Superb specimens everywhere you look.
10:59This is quite uncommon.
11:01Philodendron golden dragon.
11:03The shape of the leaf looks like a dragon.
11:05And this is one of the New Year's leaves.
11:08This one will grow bigger than this, I hope.
11:12And how about this?
11:13Philodendron glorious.
11:15Quite big specimen with big leaves.
11:18What's the secret to getting big leaves inside?
11:21Good light, of course.
11:23And these are the types of Philodendron that likes to climb.
11:28So if you give them a pole or totem to climb, they will give you bigger leaves.
11:33Now this really does feel like an indoor jungle.
11:50Yeah, I let them grow out.
11:52It does feel wild.
11:53It does feel wild.
11:54It's like the house has been colonised by plants.
11:58Mm.
11:59Did you design the home with these plant arrangements in mind?
12:04We didn't design it with plants in mind, but we did design for light.
12:11And at what point did you start to populate it with plants?
12:15Uh, I think when indoor plants made a huge comeback, probably about six to seven years ago,
12:21yeah, I started to bring them in and I can't stop.
12:26Fessy shares this house with her husband, Victor, the two kids and three dogs.
12:33For me, what makes this collection really stand out is how the plants fill the generous indoor spaces
12:39and soften the interior of the building.
12:43And it's not only inside, the magic continues seamlessly to the outside
12:49with more plants hanging from every possible point.
12:56You've clearly thought about the connection of the outdoor spaces
13:00with the inside from the outset because they flow so well.
13:04What was your thinking there?
13:06Uh, I like this courtyard to be the centre in the, in the house,
13:11so I can see from my living room, I can see the courtyard from the dining
13:15and especially the kitchen where you spend most of your time.
13:19This is where I keep all the plants that needing a little bit more attention, a bit more humidity.
13:38And do you do much of your own propagation?
13:41Yes, I do. Especially when you propagate, they do need a little bit more attention.
13:46Like these potted plants, I just potted them up, they are ready, they are fully rooted,
13:54so the worm will make them grow better.
13:58And are there any special plants in here?
14:01Uh, probably that parigated fiddle leaf fig.
14:06It wasn't doing well inside, so I brought them back here.
14:10And once they look good, I'll bring it back inside.
14:12I've always loved plants as long as I can remember.
14:18Uh, I grew up in Indonesia.
14:20My parents had big gardens, and also my dad worked in a forest, so he took me to the forest often.
14:28I think, here, I think when we first got our own house, that's, that's when I started doing some gardening.
14:37I'm always in the garden.
14:40I did a plant count back about three months ago, inside only.
14:46I've got 558 inside.
14:49Yeah, that's a lot.
14:51How much work is involved looking after all the plants?
14:54It's a lot of work.
14:57A lot of people ask me, how do you do it?
15:01I think when you love something, you make time for it.
15:05It's a big job, but very rewarding.
15:08Every day is kind of like watering days.
15:10I try not to keep them in one day, so I'll spread them during the week.
15:17And also maintaining the pests.
15:20It's very important.
15:22I don't think I can keep all of them pest free, but then get them under control.
15:27That's the key.
15:28What's growing inside the cabinet, Fessy? They must be special.
15:44Very special.
15:46Most of them are still babies, so they are quite fragile.
15:51So I try to keep them in this mini glass house, to keep the humidity high also.
15:56That variegated monstera, is it? Very interesting.
16:00Yeah, that's the monstera adansonia variegated.
16:04Quite special and it's not cheap.
16:07So when you say not cheap, can that be so cheeky to ask?
16:11Yes, I bought one leaf cutting, just one leaf.
16:16Not established, just a cutting.
16:19$4,500.
16:22No!
16:24I'm obsessed with plants.
16:25You reckon?
16:27No wonder it's in a cabinet. I think you need a padlock as well.
16:30That's how obsessed I am.
16:32Wow!
16:35An avid collector, Fessy also has other rare beauties, such as
16:40algonema picta, tricolor, philodendron isulmanii, and the shingle leaf monstera dubii.
16:51To see greenery all around you makes you feel calm and relaxed.
16:59Just being in nature makes you feel good, happy.
17:02Has your passion for indoor plants changed your life?
17:06Yes, definitely.
17:08My background is accounting.
17:11My parents encouraged me to do business, so I did my accounting degree, work as a tax accountant for 15 years.
17:19But then I realised that's not my passion, so I decided to turn my hobby into a business.
17:29Working with plants every day, meeting people with the same, similar interests.
17:35So, it's a dream come true.
17:38Being in a green space like this makes you feel like you're in nature, even when inside.
17:46And whilst this kind of scale might be a bit big for most of us,
17:50it's certainly a great reminder of how the creative use of indoor plants can really enrich a home.
18:11Compost systems make a wonderful addition to any garden.
18:15They help turn all those food scraps into garden gold.
18:18But the last thing you want to do is open that lid and find a couple of rats and mice living in there.
18:24But often you do, because it's the perfect habitat.
18:27It's warm, it's sheltered, and there is plenty of food.
18:31So, let's find out how we can make it rodent-proof.
18:39Most compost bins you get from the shop don't have a base.
18:43That's the perfect opportunity for rodents to dig down and under into your bin.
18:48So, what can you do?
18:50I'm using Vermin Mesh, which is a nice, tough wire with little squares around 6mm in size.
18:56Place your bin on top and use your wire cutters to cut a big square.
19:00The next stage is to cut a rough circle shape, leaving a margin of at least 10cm around the edge.
19:14Finally, fold over the mesh using your gloves.
19:18Then, in your best gardening boots, give them a little gentle stomp down to make sure it's nice and firm.
19:26But make sure it's not too grippy on there, because you do want to be able to take it off when it comes time to empty your compost.
19:34As you can see, this is nice and solid.
19:39That wire is tough, those squares are small, but worms can still get in and out, which is fantastic.
19:46But best of all, it stops the rats in their tracks.
19:49Can you grow pumpkins in a small space?
19:58Well, you certainly can, but you've got to choose the right varieties and you've got to think creatively.
20:04Pumpkins actually grow quite well vertically.
20:06So if you get non-vigorous varieties, you can grow them up an old frame, maybe a tripod of three garden stakes, an old ladder, something like that to get them up and give you more space on the ground.
20:19There are varieties like the golden nugget types.
20:22My favourite is one called bushfire.
20:24It grows to about one, one and a half metres high and produces beautiful fruit about that big.
20:30The perfect size for two people to eat and enjoy without any going to waste.
20:34This year, I'm also growing another dwarf variety called Jack B. Little.
20:40My goal here was actually to get the vine to scramble up this tree because I wanted a pumpkin tree.
20:45It's not behaving for me, but I'll keep working on it.
20:48The most important thing wherever you grow your pumpkin is they need really good soil.
20:52So get some aged manure, some pelletised manure, mix it all through, get the soil really gorgeous with lots of compost and then they'll grow a tree.
21:04When designing a garden, it's important to think about your space.
21:11What do you want out of it?
21:13How do you want to use it?
21:14What do you want it to look like?
21:17Well, Jane's found a courtyard garden that shows how a little bit of planning can help achieve oversized results.
21:24This is Carlton in Melbourne's inner north.
21:31This is one of the city's older neighbourhoods with plenty of character and beautiful Victorian era terrace houses.
21:38The gardens here are small, but if it's done well, a small garden can still fill a home with life.
21:47And this one belongs to friends of mine and it's clear just by standing in the street that there are gardeners here.
21:54They've got plenty of good ideas and they'll be an inspiration for anyone who's gardening in a small space.
21:59The two bedroom terrace has three small outdoor spaces, all used to great effect.
22:09The front garden, which faces the street, has a cottagey feel.
22:13Alongside the house is a light well, which bounces greenery and light indoors.
22:18And out the back is a courtyard, which functions like another room.
22:23And together, these spaces wrap the home with a sense of tranquility.
22:31Starting out the back in the courtyard is the garden space that flows out from the kitchen.
22:39My friends bought this house only five years ago and began with a blank slate.
22:45Everything you see here has been achieved in that time.
22:51Pots of begonias clustered together and raised on stands give height and colour and they flower for months and months.
23:03One of my favourite small space features is this one, flowering right now.
23:08It's a wonderful crepe myrtle and it's a beauty because all you do is prune it once a year,
23:13right back so you end up with these lovely long flowering spikes.
23:18It's a great tree because it gives structure, it gives colour and shade.
23:22And more summer shade comes from this.
23:25It's a climbing black edible current and it's a beauty.
23:29And it grows very quickly.
23:30It's grown from a single stem and I really like how this joins up with the grapevine.
23:34And the two together, they just give this lovely feeling of height and of green covering.
23:42It's a beaut little oasis.
23:44Both the vines and the crepe myrtle are deciduous.
23:47So in the cooler months, the precious rays of sunshine can still find their way in.
23:52When you're walking through the house, you catch glimpses of the light well.
23:59It's a narrow void between this house and the neighbours designed to let some light in.
24:04This could very easily be a dead space, but here it does more than just let light in.
24:10It lets nature in too.
24:16These hanging baskets are really doing the trick because they're raising the plants above the ground
24:22and you can see them from windows at a great advantage.
24:25They look terrific.
24:27If you're a renter and you're not allowed to drill into outdoor walls,
24:31there are brackets that clamp onto the bricks so you don't have to drill into the mortar.
24:35So that means this kind of effect is available for everyone.
24:40My friends have also made very clever use of mirrors.
24:45This full-length arch, in particular, gives the illusion that the space is continuing beyond the wall.
24:51You'd be forgiven for thinking, at first glance, that you could see into the neighbour's place.
24:57But mirrors also, of course, bounce even more light into the living spaces.
25:03If you're using mirrors in the garden, there are a few things to think about.
25:08Consider what you're aiming to reflect.
25:11You obviously want a picture of the garden and the plants,
25:14not the infrastructure like pipes and hoses and taps, that kind of thing.
25:19And importantly, make sure they're not too high or anywhere where birds can crash into them.
25:25That's really vital.
25:26And here is the front garden.
25:37It's in the style of a cottage garden, but on a very small scale.
25:42There are masses of plants here, and many of them are easy to propagate
25:46and also easy to share with neighbours and friends as they walk by.
25:51There's a lovely phlox that came from a very old friend.
25:54And this one, Tallinum paniculata, or the jewels of opar, that came from my mother.
26:00Very pleasing to see it.
26:02Another plant that always catches my eye when I come to visit is called Lemon verbena.
26:07It's been trained as a standard and it has a beautiful lemony scent.
26:12The two stems have been twisted around each other to give the stem more structure and stability.
26:18This one is about four years old, but I can show you how easy it is to start a new one.
26:24Go to the nursery and buy a lemon verbena that's got two reasonably straight stems
26:29and they've been twisted around.
26:30Take off any lower branches. That's easy to do.
26:34And then take off any of the stems so that you're raising it up all the time.
26:39And as the plant grows on this stake, you'll find that by nipping out that top growth
26:45and doing it consistently, you'll get that whole part of the plant really bushy,
26:50much thicker, and that is what makes the really good mop top.
26:54Then it's just a matter of keeping on top of it.
26:57Get your shears or your secateurs out and go chop.
27:01Take off a lot of that top growth, do it regularly.
27:04Oh, every three or four weeks would be fine
27:06and you'll find that that mop top will really thicken up.
27:10My friend describes her front garden as deliberately fussy.
27:14Having a front garden that needs frequent trimming, deadheading and tinkering
27:19gives the chance to see the world go by, to chat to neighbours and share cuttings.
27:24Hi, how's things?
27:25Very good, thank you.
27:27It's a lovely morning.
27:29Even here in the city, gardens aren't just about creating a sanctuary to hide away from the world.
27:35They're also about creating a space that you connect with other people
27:40and connect with the community around you.
27:42In fact, you'll find, and it doesn't matter what size space you have,
27:45that your garden will always be the focal point for your home and your life.
27:55Still to come on Gardening Australia,
27:58Gerry shows us one of the favourites hanging around at his place.
28:03Tammy builds her own little world.
28:08And I'm taking it to the streets.
28:17You may think in a small urban garden there wouldn't be much room to grow food,
28:22let alone keep poultry.
28:23Well, Millie's found a garden in Melbourne that's pumping out the produce.
28:31Today I'm in Northgate.
28:33This is typical inner city Melbourne, which means compact blocks with little room for a garden.
28:39But did you know that a small garden can still be abundant?
28:41Today I'm going to introduce you to a gardener who knows all the tricks for getting the most out of a space.
28:50This little garden belongs to Kat Lavers.
28:53Kat is a permaculture designer and educator,
28:56and she's been cultivating this pocket-sized patch for the last 10 years.
29:01Kat, how big is this garden?
29:03The whole block is a 14th of an acre, or 280 square metres,
29:07but the area that we're standing in where most of the food is coming from
29:10is around 12 by 8 metres.
29:13This is an amazingly abundant little garden.
29:16What was here when you first started?
29:18It was a really typical suburban garden,
29:21a run-down house, a garden that was overgrown,
29:24there was a lawn that was barely alive,
29:26and really, really poor quality soil.
29:29You tested the soil when you got here?
29:31Yeah, we tested it for lead and found that we did have a lead contamination problem,
29:35which is common throughout most areas where humans have settled.
29:37So, how did you go about designing a garden full of food on contaminated soil?
29:42One of the most important steps that we've done is use the raised vegetable beds.
29:47Obviously, when we're eating that much produce, it's really important,
29:50so we have clean soil that has been brought in for those.
29:53We also know that lead doesn't generally transfer into fruits,
29:57so this beautiful blood plum behind us is totally safe to eat from.
30:00Kat rotates crops across three main garden beds, which have been carefully designed.
30:08To make things easy, they're the same size, just over a metre by three metres,
30:13which means she can rotate crops and easily move infrastructure,
30:17like the trellis system, from bed to bed.
30:18The beds that are the same size are quite an important step for us.
30:25As really productive food gardeners, we have a planting design,
30:29and I found initially when I had beds of different shapes and sizes,
30:33it was so complicated working out how many of what plant to fit in what position
30:37in the bed the next year.
30:39These days, we have more like a script for planting.
30:42We know how many tomatoes we need, we know where we're going to put them in the bed.
30:44Next year, we just pick the trellis up and we move it to the bed over,
30:48and then we start the process again.
30:56What were the first things you put in the ground?
30:58The trees went in pretty soon.
31:00And it doesn't look like you're afraid of secateurs when it comes to your fruit trees.
31:05No, that's right. They do need to be quite tightly pruned to fit in a garden like this.
31:10In a small garden where you're producing for a kitchen,
31:12it's really important that we have fruit ripening all year round,
31:17rather than one big tree that crops all at once.
31:20So we keep our fruit trees deliberately pruned quite small
31:23so that we can have more diversity of fruit throughout the year.
31:26Kat, you're a big believer in the easy plants, aren't you?
31:29I sure am, Millie.
31:31So one of my favourites is the wild rocket.
31:33Wild rocket, which is a different variety to the standard rocket seed
31:37that's usually offered to gardeners.
31:38This variety is perennial and it's also self-seeding.
31:42In fact, in some areas it's a weed, which is important that people know.
31:45This is an incredible plant for home food gardeners
31:48that's drought-hardy, crops nearly all year round.
31:51And you can even cut it to the ground and it will keep reshooting for several years.
31:54We actually do a lot of chop and drop here, so we don't haul a lot of material away to a compost.
32:07We don't even have room for a larger compost system here.
32:11So much of the composting actually happens in situ,
32:14just by chopping the branches and leaving them on the ground underneath the plant.
32:17So every productive garden has a couple of chooks, right?
32:29In Kat's case, she's had to think small.
32:32And her flock of quails have proven a fantastic alternative for a small space garden.
32:37So how did you get the idea to keep quail?
32:40Yeah, well this is a really small urban block
32:42and so space is always going to be a constraint for us.
32:46But particularly because we've had leaded soil contamination issues
32:50and we needed to make sure that we didn't have birds free-ranging in the existing soil.
32:54So the area that we're sitting on at the moment has got a concrete base
32:58and it's also got laser light above us.
33:00So it's stopping flaking paint coming from the neighbour's roof from above
33:04and it's stopping the quails getting into the original soil below.
33:07So this is just like a deep litter of mulch or something?
33:10Exactly, that's right.
33:11It's actually a compost system in progress that we're on at the moment.
33:14And the beauty of the deep litter system is that we never have to clean out this run ever.
33:19We just harvest it as compost for the veggie patch after the materials have broken down.
33:25It's also really fantastic for the birds.
33:28As you can see, they're really interested in the litter.
33:30A quail's reason to get up in the morning is to scratch around looking for bugs.
33:35And particularly for animals that are kept in small urban areas,
33:37it's really essential for their health that they're in a stimulating environment
33:42that also engages them in a way that allows them to be quails.
33:47So you're giving them lots of greens to eat and other things in the environment?
33:51Yeah, that's right.
33:52So we give them a basic chook layer pellet as a ration, but we try really hard to get them away from that as much as possible.
33:59So we give them lots of greens and weeds from our garden.
34:03We harvest earwigs for them.
34:05We give them worms from time to time.
34:06So yeah, as many live healthy foods that we can produce ourselves as possible.
34:11And the odd bath.
34:13That's right. The dust baths are really important.
34:15They love it, of course.
34:17And it's really important that the animals have as little stress as possible.
34:22And you can see how much they enjoy dust bathing.
34:24It's also really healthy for them.
34:26Dust bathing is a way that birds reduce lice and mites.
34:30And so it's a good preventative health measure that's really easy for us to take.
34:33And what about the eggs? Are they as delicious as a chicken's egg?
34:37Yeah, well, I've got some of the eggs here, Millie.
34:40So the eggs are beautiful.
34:42They, I think, you know, they taste almost identical to a chicken egg.
34:46You need about four or five of them to equal the volume.
34:50And one of the amazing things about the eggs is that each quail hen has got her own unique shape and size and pattern.
34:57So if I take these two eggs, you can see they were probably laid by different hens.
35:04But if I took those ones, you could see the matching patterns there.
35:10Wow. So that could be from the same hen.
35:12They are absolutely beautiful.
35:14And, I mean, an amazingly productive use of this little space.
35:18A small space isn't a barrier to a great garden.
35:33But this one also shows that if you work out what you've got to work with and then apply some clever design,
35:38you can also have one that is diverse and beautiful and efficient and productive,
35:45that makes use of every inch.
35:47There are so many ideas to inspire your place here.
35:50I bet this one's got you thinking.
35:58Tellanzias are popularly known as air plants.
36:01They're bromeliads and they come from Central and South America.
36:04There's over 700 species of these evergreen tufted perennials.
36:10And this one is a hybrid.
36:14They hook people into being collectors with their shape-shifting silhouettes
36:19and brilliant science-fictional tubular flowers.
36:23They have adapted to live in tough places, on the branches of trees or on rocks.
36:28I planted a border of Tillandsia secunda along the base of this hibiscus hedge.
36:34The hedge filters the sunlight, calms the wind and allows rainfall through.
36:40Conditions which Tillandsias adore.
36:43And flowering is quite dramatic.
36:46This plant has produced a spike which is just short of two metres tall.
36:53And when it's finished, it starts producing all these little pups.
36:58These are sisters. They're clones of the mother.
37:00The mother plant will now die and these are looking for somewhere new to live.
37:06Tillandsias have thin, wiry roots.
37:10Great for attaching to a support, like a branch or a rock.
37:14Or in this case, some bricks.
37:16But it takes some time.
37:18And during that time when they start to grow those roots, they need some support.
37:21And that is going to be provided by glue.
37:25A quick dab of fast-acting, water-based glue will hold the plants in place until they can form their own anchoring roots.
37:34Spanish moss, Tillandsia osnoides, is another favourite bromeliad.
37:41Soft whirls of leaves on dangling stems develop this moss-like appearance.
37:47And it's also easy to propagate.
37:49I've cut a thin strip of mesh and by putting threads of Spanish moss through this, I'm creating sort of a necklace.
38:01You can see the effect over there.
38:03On the south side of this fence, over the course of a year, this will now double in volume.
38:10Don't let the common name air plant confuse you.
38:14I splash them with water weekly and I use a spray bottle to give them a liquid feed once a fortnight during the warm seasons.
38:22My Tillandsias seem to like this care. I've always got plenty to give away.
38:26Now, if you don't have a garden at all, you can still enjoy a mix of plants at your place in a good old fashioned terrarium.
38:43Tammy's here to show us how to create one.
38:46Are you keen to get into gardening but find the process a little bit overwhelming?
38:50You know, getting a veggie patch started or growing an entire foliage forest in your apartment?
38:57Well, you know me, I like to start small.
39:00I've shown you how to make a mini greenhouse to grow quick crops and a little hothouse to grow cuttings of your favourite plants.
39:08So how about digging into a tiny garden?
39:11A terrarium is a great way to bring some green to your scene.
39:15Sit it on your desk at work or make one for a friend.
39:17It's small scale gardening at its best.
39:23So what is a terrarium?
39:25A terrarium is a mini ecosystem in a glass jar.
39:29Traditionally, it's sealed and it has all these layers in it to assist with drainage.
39:35It creates a perfect moist, humid environment for plants to grow.
39:39Once there's a bit of water in there, moisture from the soil and transpiration from the leaves of the plants condenses,
39:44runs back into the soil and creates a self-supporting environment.
39:48It's plants that love humidity that really thrive in these closed terrariums.
39:53I've had this one for several years and you can see how well they're doing.
39:57So plants like Phaetonia, Calatheas and Peace Lilies really love this environment.
40:02You can also have an open terrarium and this opens up your plant range to a whole diverse range of other plants that will also thrive in the environment.
40:09And people often ask, but what about succulents?
40:14And you can definitely grow succulents in your terrariums.
40:17You just have to make a few adjustments to help them thrive.
40:20This includes making sure you use a cacti and succulent potting mix.
40:24This is a free draining mix so the roots aren't going to be sitting in water.
40:27Also ensure that you have a large opening and this allows for really good airflow.
40:31And when it comes to watering, don't use a spray bottle.
40:36Spraying will keep water on the sides of the glass and this will create a moist, humid environment which these succulents definitely do not like.
40:44A big no-no when it comes to succulents in terrariums.
40:48Do not be sucked into mixing them with your humid-loving indoor plants.
40:52It's a recipe for disaster.
40:53I know it looks pretty, but they both have very different watering requirements.
40:58So these succulents, if they get too much water, they're going to rot and unfortunately die.
41:03Whatever you choose for your open or closed terrarium, pick plants that have similar growing needs.
41:10And now, let's make one.
41:11You can use almost anything for your closed-lid terrarium, like this old food pickling jar or even this mayonnaise jar with the blue lid.
41:20It doesn't matter because all the light can get in on the sides.
41:24I'm going to use this jar, which I found at an op shop.
41:27It looks really interesting.
41:29As far as what tools you'll need, tongs come in really handy.
41:34A spoon is also useful.
41:35And this makeshift tamper, which is a knitting needle and some bread tags and that will help firm down your soil.
41:42A full list of the tools and materials you'll need is available on the Gardening Australia website.
41:47You'll need about two centimetres of gravel in the base of your jar.
41:54Next up, we've got horticultural charcoal.
41:57This is great for sweetening the soil and helps remove and absorb any nasty smells.
42:02You'll need a good handful or two.
42:03Now to stop the potting mix from falling straight into the gravel, I'm going to use a fly screen mesh, which has already been cut to size.
42:11You can also use paper, but it won't last as long.
42:15And now for the mix.
42:17It's made up of half dampened perlite and really good quality potting mix.
42:21So it's not too wet and it's not too dry.
42:24You want the height of the mix in the jar to be about four centimetres.
42:29It's time to plant.
42:30So I'm going with this calathea.
42:31It's going to add a lovely green backdrop and also allow the light to get to the plant at the front.
42:37But it's a little bit too tall, so I'm going to snip it back just to make it fit.
42:42Don't worry, I'm not harming the plant. It will grow back.
42:45Because we've got quite a bit of the root ball here, it's not all going to fit in the container.
42:52We don't need it all, so I'm just going to remove that with some scissors.
42:56And now it's ready for planting.
42:59I'm digging a hole with my fingers just to help settle it into its new spot.
43:05And then just backfill with potting mix around it.
43:08Next I'm choosing something that's not as tall.
43:11This is philodendron fat boy. This one has chubby stems.
43:15If it starts to get too big, I'll trim it back.
43:17This little guy is a photonia. He's really cute and he stays quite small, so it's perfect for putting it at the front of the terrarium.
43:26I want to plant little pockets of this throughout the terrarium, so I'm going to divide it.
43:30Photonias don't mind being divided, as long as you've got enough of the root ball attached to the plant.
43:36And photonias also strike really well from cuttings.
43:40This is club moss. Now it's not a true moss, but it's somewhere in between a fern and a true moss.
43:45They have shallow roots, they love moisture and stay quite small.
43:50They can handle more variations in the environment than true moss.
43:54The roots are so fine. Quite delicate.
43:57Make sure you backfill when you put your plants in and cover the roots, otherwise they can dry out.
44:03I'm tamping down the soil mix. This is awesome.
44:07And I'm wiping down the inside of the jar and any potting mix lingering on the leaves.
44:11And I'm adding some pebbles for decoration.
44:15Water in to help the plants settle, but once the lid's on, you really shouldn't have to water again.
44:20As for maintenance, I won't need to water this one.
44:24The seal's fairly airtight, so the water will stay in there.
44:27But if yours isn't, then you may need to water every now and again.
44:30If you see condensation, don't worry, it's a good thing. It means it's working.
44:34If the plants get a bit big, I'll be watching and I'll just simply cut them back to keep them small.
44:40Now you also want to keep it in a brightly lit spot, but out of direct sunlight.
44:45And I've got just the spot.
44:51A little garden of calm on my desk as I'm working.
44:54There's so many ways to get into gardening and starting small brings big benefits.
45:01Sydney. Cars and concrete. No time to go slow.
45:16But in the midst of the busy city, I know a place where the cars stop for the foliage and flowers.
45:32And this little laneway is my kinda city sanctuary.
45:36Sebastian Vasquez and Mike Heenan have lived in the Darlinghurst area in Sydney City for decades.
45:49And they got Hayden Lane growing.
45:52Woo-wee! Hi, how are you guys?
45:54Hi, Narelle. Hi, Narelle.
45:56Were you gardeners before this?
45:58Ah, that's interesting.
46:00Look, we are not professional gardeners by any means.
46:03We probably don't know half of the names of the plants in the lane.
46:08But we have a passion and that's all you need.
46:12So what was it like here before this all began?
46:15Yeah, it was an absolute dumping ground.
46:18So there were mattresses at the end of the laneway.
46:21All the businesses used to use their rubbish bins.
46:24There were rats, there were syringes.
46:26It was pretty horrible.
46:28I do believe that your home doesn't stop at your front door.
46:30Like, your home is the neighbourhood that you live in as well.
46:34I just got to a point that I said to Mike,
46:36OK, we have to do something different.
46:38How about we just fill that lane with plants and see how people react?
46:42And so we put a post on Facebook and we just pretty much requested plants and pots.
46:48And even if they were half dead, we said, OK, we'll take them.
46:51We'll bring them back to life.
46:52And the post sort of went viral.
46:55It was crazy. We come home and we couldn't get through the front door.
46:58There was a banana tree sitting in the front door one day.
47:01And you'd hear the front gate squeak open and look out and say, oh, another plant.
47:05Yeah.
47:07You've got so many familiar plants in the collection here.
47:10Yes, Costa. As you can see, there's a lot of indoor plants that have been donated by people.
47:14And the lane is perfect for indoor plants because we don't get full sun all day.
47:21That's right. I mean, you get that window of full light, but then the rest is reflected,
47:25which is exactly what the indoor plants like.
47:28Absolutely. So, like, look at this lovely begonia.
47:31Oh, yeah.
47:33Which was donated by my boss's mum who moved into a nursing home.
47:37And it's thriving there. It's absolutely gorgeous.
47:39And a spathophyllum tucked in next to it. And over here you've got the stenanthes.
47:45Like, that's a classic indoor plant and it's loving it.
47:48I think we have also created a bit of a microclimate in the lane here.
47:51And colour, I mean, you've drawn out lots of different coleus.
47:56I mean, you don't get as much flowering in limited light, but that gives you that colour and sense of flower.
48:02Absolutely. And they're so easy to propagate as well.
48:04So we actually started our collection of coleus with some cuttings that a neighbour gave to us.
48:10And they're just all over the lane now.
48:13And a Norfolk Island pine. Look at it. It's loving it in here in a pot.
48:17And it was going straight into the tip. Like, we were walking in the neighbourhood and we just saw it there.
48:22And we went like, that is a perfect trip with the lane. And look at this. It's thriving there. It's great.
48:27Here we have Madagascar Jasmine. Yes. One of my favourites.
48:33Oh.
48:35So I spent hours intertwining this around the bars and it's now up and running.
48:39Yeah. And working its way out towards the street.
48:42I can see where it's heading. Let's chase it. Let's go.
48:45I love that the laneway project is now heading up the walls.
48:50It's working really well. Yeah. And we picked succulents because they didn't need much watering. They look beautiful.
48:57Then we've gone for like a dangling down cactus so people don't get prickled because they can't touch it.
49:03Just at the end we've got a little gnome hidden away behind some grass. So it's pretty, yeah.
49:07A gnome that came from Melbourne. And the birdhouse that came from Columbia that was painted by my mum.
49:12And she's a fan of the lane.
49:15I like how you've got not just the plants but all of these wonderful cultural and personal connections to people.
49:24Absolutely. And that's what makes this space so special.
49:30So Costa, this is Rebecca's pot. It's a pot that is very close to our hut.
49:35And there is a very sad story behind this spot. About a month after we started the project, a man walked past the lane and he said,
49:44Oh, what you have done in the lane is beautiful. But do you know that the lane hides a very dark story?
49:51And is that a young woman was found dead in the lane in 1997.
49:58I had no idea that that had occurred. So we thought that we had to do something about it.
50:02A lovely neighbour donated this amazing pot. The florist around the corner donated the bromeliad.
50:09And we just make sure that we always keep this pot spectacular just to honour her life, Rebecca's life.
50:15There's so many ways that the garden can help heal. And this is such a special tribute to a life.
50:23That's what it is about. We just want to change the future of the land.
50:29We can't change the past, but we can change the future. And I think we're doing it.
50:35Definitely the sense of the safety in the lane has changed dramatically.
50:39We saw the opportunity to add some seating so people can just come and read a book or have a cup of tea, which we've seen people doing, or have their lunch.
50:47Yeah, but the artwork's been huge. So over Mardigua we had a group of drag queens come dancing down and they came and posed in front of the mural down the end of the laneway.
50:58We saw that the adding art and combining it with the plans was the perfect match.
51:07I think it was on the first weekend there were people taking their wedding photographs at the end of the rainway where we just put plants.
51:13That's right.
51:14So that was the beginning.
51:15That was lovely.
51:16As the laneway's grown, so has the attention.
51:22One of the joys about it is that people are taking control of their streets. It's a garden instead of a dumping ground.
51:28We were very surprised and delighted when it all happened. What a fantastic thing to do during lockdown.
51:36We have little parties here. I come down here for lunch sometimes, especially when I'm working from home. It's brilliant. I love it.
51:42Everyone feels a part of the lane in some way, shape or form, but it's also inspired other people across the community to do their own laneway and work on their community gardens and that's just the type of community we want to continue to see building across Sydney.
51:57This gives us a reason to come and connect and hang out with our neighbours and it's just fantastic, especially for Vera to have somewhere nice to hang out outside.
52:06What would you say the space means to you?
52:13Oh my God, so much. It has helped our mental health.
52:20It has.
52:21Particularly through COVID, so it gave us a project and something different to think about and just to be able to nurture something I think is part of that.
52:31It has made me love our neighbourhood even more, for sure.
52:36And now we've hardly ever used our front door, so we've come out through the back door into the laneway.
52:41And it's just nice to stroll into laneway and the disbelief of what we've actually managed to achieve in that time.
52:47With a laneway like this, the city starts to grow on you and it's thanks to the imagination and initiative of Sebastian and Mike that's transformed this lacklustre laneway into a safe, beautiful place.
53:02I would love the elephant beer.
53:10In cool temperate areas, it's time to prepare for bare rooting.
53:14Add some well-rotted manures and compost to your patch, dig over and in a month or two you'll be prepped for planting bare root fruit trees.
53:23Perfect for rockeries and retaining walls, native and exotic alpine species like lithodora, phlox, saxifrage and sedums will provide colour and contrast in the toughest of spots.
53:37Head into your local nursery and check out some ground cover banksias.
53:41They'll be flowering now so it's easy to pick your favourite.
53:44In warm temperate areas, you may have a glut of Fejoas.
53:49Remember, ripe Fejoas will fall to the ground and the bounty can be made into jam or even fermented.
53:57If you want more birds in your backyard, why not plant a drooping she-oak or Alicasurina verticillata.
54:05It's a magnet for migrating birds like grey fantails and golden whistlers, which seek it out to refuel on local insects.
54:14Kale seed can be sown now and remember, the colder it gets, the stronger the flavour.
54:21In subtropical areas, we're heading into peak leafy green production.
54:26So to keep them growing, give crops like silverbeet and Asian greens a fortnightly feed of fish emulsion.
54:33Keep an eye out for leaf miner on citrus.
54:36The giveaway is silvery little tunnels on the leaves.
54:40Remove affected foliage and spray the tree with horticultural oil.
54:44If you're looking for a smaller eucalypt, it's hard to go past the swamp bloodwood.
54:50It'll top out at around nine metres with a short trunk and has masses of red or pink flowers.
54:57In the tropics, you can start your zucchini now and expect a harvest within about six weeks.
55:04Hide it among other plants to confuse the pests.
55:07Try out a Japanese menthol mint.
55:11It's a step up in strength from common mint and will grow happily if kept damp in a pot.
55:17If you're lucky enough to have a cinnamon tree, you'll need to step up the water as we head into drier weather.
55:24In arid areas, be on the lookout for early outbreaks of aphids.
55:27Check tender tips of new growth and under leaves and squash with your fingers.
55:33Classic brassicas like cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts can go in now.
55:39Every garden could use more blue.
55:42And now's the time to sow cornflowers into punnets.
55:46Transplant into the garden when they've got their second set of leaves.
55:49Autumn's a brilliant time to be in the garden, so get out there and don't forget to let us know how you're going on our social media pages.
56:05Well, that's everything we could fit into this small space special.
56:09Hopefully it's given you some ideas to use at your place.
56:12Now, we've packed plenty of gardening goodness into next week's show.
56:18Here's what's to look forward to.
56:22What does geology have to do with your garden?
56:25Well, it turns out quite a bit.
56:27And today I get to meet a legend and learn more about how what grows above the ground is influenced by what's going on below.
56:36I'm taking a close look at the fimbriated, involuted and convoluted shapes of, among others, the pom-pom, the water lily and the cactus forms of the daily hour, of course.
56:49And here in South Australia, I'm meeting some budding ecologists who are restoring and conserving a historic creek as part of their school curriculum.
56:58.