Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
CDh6
  • 2 days ago
Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 10
Transcript
00:00CWWWWWWWWWWRWWWWWEW!
00:04**TRAVORS**
00:06Hey.
00:07Hi.
00:08**TRAVORS**
00:09**Qué
00:25**TRAVOR**
00:29Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:36Have a look at this.
00:38I'm on a suburban block in northwest Melbourne
00:41that's been transformed into a productive personal farm.
00:46I can't wait to show you how it's been done.
00:49But first, here's what else is on the show.
00:54With a bit of commitment to care for eye-catching metanillas,
00:57I guarantee these tropical treasures will give back in spades.
01:01And I'll be sharing tips on how to grow them.
01:04What does geology have to do with your garden?
01:07Well, it turns out quite a bit.
01:09And today I get to meet a legend
01:11and learn more about how what grows above the ground
01:14is influenced by what's going on below.
01:18I'm taking a close look at the fimbriated, involuted and convoluted shapes
01:23of, among others, the pom-pom, the water lily and the cactus forms
01:27of the daily hour, of course.
01:30And here in South Australia, I'm meeting some budding ecologists
01:34who are restoring and conserving a historic creek
01:37as part of their school curriculum.
01:39This might look like your typical front yard,
01:48but here in the suburb of Nidere, not far from Melbourne Airport,
01:52there's a lot more going on out the back.
01:55Let's check it out.
02:04It's the home of architect-turned-passionate veggie grower Ben Strong.
02:09Ben Strong, who transformed this quarter-acre block four years ago.
02:15Ben.
02:16Hey, Costa.
02:18Wow.
02:19Look at your place.
02:21Oh, welcome.
02:22This is incredible.
02:23It just goes on and on.
02:25What was the site like when you first arrived?
02:29We were lucky to have the established fruit trees.
02:31So we've got an apricot tree, a plum tree, an apple and a pear.
02:36But the rest of it was just grass and it was quite overgrown
02:39with lots of kind of brambles and shrubs and stuff.
02:42So we cleared all of that out
02:44and then we got to work making these terrace veggie beds.
02:48We're growing hundreds of kilos of fruit and veg every year,
02:52feeding us and our friends and family.
02:53So what exactly was it that set you off on this gardening path?
03:00Four years ago, before I moved onto this property,
03:03I was living in a small apartment in Carlton North
03:05and I'd never grown a vegetable before
03:07and honestly I didn't really have any desire to,
03:10but I was working as an architect
03:12and a big focus of my work was sustainability.
03:16And as I started to think more and more about sustainability
03:20and how I could apply it in my own life,
03:22I realised that growing food was an opportunity for me
03:25to make a difference in my day-to-day life.
03:29So how did you go about setting out the block?
03:33So we started with about 22 vegetable garden beds
03:37and they're about 3 metres by 1.2 metres
03:40and we arranged them north-south
03:43and that's because that means that they go down the hill
03:46but it also means that we get really good sunlight
03:49into each bed as well.
03:50Yeah, so it comes right over from east to west.
03:53That's correct and so we don't get too much overshadowing
03:55from one bed to another.
03:58How have you gone about setting out your planting across the beds?
04:02Yeah, so over the years I've discovered that
04:05certain vegetables like to grow in certain areas
04:07because of the different microclimates that we have in the garden.
04:11So for example, we've got a big brick wall there
04:13which radiates a lot of heat in summer
04:15and so I need to put all my warmth-loving crops there
04:18so things like capsicums and eggplants and tomatoes
04:20and then there's shadier spots under the fruit trees
04:23where things like lettuces and turnips do a lot better
04:26and I try and incorporate more than one species in each bed
04:31because I find that plants do a lot better
04:33when they're planted with other species.
04:36We grow about 30 different annual plants
04:39so things like onions, potatoes, eggplants, capsicums, tomatoes.
04:44It's great to have diversity
04:46and I find that you get better harvests that way.
04:48So what have you learnt about gardening on a site like this?
05:03Ultimately, it's about being organised and being consistent
05:07and making sure that you've always got a new plant
05:11to replace something when you've harvested a crop
05:13and by doing that I've found that I'm able to harvest a lot more food
05:17and that experience has just come over the various seasons.
05:23I feel more connected to nature, weirdly.
05:26I love going out into nature and going on walks and stuff like that
05:29but I've never felt more connected to nature than in my backyard.
05:33MUSIC
05:34A key ingredient in much of the garden's success
05:40is the large compost area.
05:44Oh, look at this.
05:47It's like my nirvana.
05:50This is heaven.
05:51It's compost and chickens combined.
05:53That's it.
05:54Welcome to our integrated chicken composting system.
05:57This is where we produce all of our compost needs for the backyard.
06:01This is kind of under some fruit trees.
06:03It's quite a shady area.
06:05It's shaded by the fence
06:06and so it wasn't a great place to grow veggies
06:08but what it means is we can really produce
06:11that source of fertility that goes out into the garden
06:14and we produce about 10 cubic metres a year of compost.
06:18We bring in all of our food scraps, garden scraps
06:22and it all starts at the top of the hill here
06:24and you can see all the chickens,
06:26they peck through all of that good stuff
06:28and pick out whatever they want
06:30and then when I'm ready to make a pile,
06:33what I do is with all of these bays here,
06:35I'll start a hot compost pile in the first bay.
06:39It'll sit for a while, it'll heat up,
06:41get nice and hot like this one here
06:43which is sitting at about 55 degrees right now
06:45and then once it's sat for a couple of weeks,
06:48I'll turn it again and we'll go down the hill
06:50and it's a lot easier to turn down the hill than up the hill
06:53and so the compost pile will sit there for a couple of months
06:56and mature
06:57and then when I'm ready to use it,
07:00I'll turn it one more time
07:01and when I do that,
07:02I'll also sift it using this A-frame sifter here.
07:06The compost system with his homemade sifter
07:09is a great idea
07:10and Ben, along with help from his wife, Maddie,
07:14has started sharing his idea on socials.
07:17It's looking good.
07:18Do it one more time and I might move.
07:20OK, so this is the A-frame sifter
07:22so what I do with this
07:23is I take all of the chunky compost
07:25and I turn it into nice, finely sifted compost
07:28and all of the chunky material just slides off the top.
07:31Awesome.
07:32That was really good.
07:33Great.
07:36And with the garden pumping out an absolute bounty of produce,
07:41Ben and Maddie have found a way to make the good times last.
07:45Oh, what's going on in here?
07:48What a cave of produce you've got stored here.
07:52What you see here is the past couple of years' worth of harvesting
07:55and then preserving.
07:57And, I mean, you've got the potatoes here as well.
08:00Yep, exactly.
08:01I think that's about 30 kilos worth of potatoes there
08:03that we've harvested just this year.
08:06For Ben and Maddie,
08:07they're reaping many rewards for all their hard work.
08:12This is the best part for me.
08:14It's such a collaboration between what's happening in the garden
08:19and then bringing it into the kitchen
08:20and being able to make something and share something
08:24that is so nourishing with the people you love.
08:28It's, yeah, really rewarding to be part of that full process.
08:32Well, I've got my eye on that particular crunchy potato.
08:36Oh, that one's mine, Kosta.
08:38No, I'm just kidding.
08:40Let's dig in.
08:41Oh.
08:42Yum.
08:45Cheers.
08:46Cheers.
08:46Cheers.
08:50Why do terracotta pots turn white?
08:58When new, terracotta pots are usually a lovely, consistent orange colour.
09:04However, over time,
09:06they can build up a white, powdery substance on the surface.
09:10And this is due to calcium and other salts in your water supply
09:13or fertiliser,
09:15making their way through the porous pot
09:17and accumulating on the surface as the water evaporates.
09:22Now, you can wipe this off with a mild vinegar solution.
09:26But me, I quite like the character, so I leave it as is.
09:30Can I grow sweet peas in Queensland?
09:33Well, yes, you can.
09:34The main question is, where in Queensland do you live?
09:37You see, they're easy to get started.
09:39You soak the seed in water overnight
09:41and you plant them outside in a sunny spot
09:44with freely draining compost-enriched soil
09:47and give them a support to grow up.
09:49The sweet spot with sweet peas is cool winter days.
09:5416 degrees, 50 days in a row, and you'll get a brilliant crop.
09:59In fact, you'll do better with sweet peas
10:01in the central desert uplands of far western Queensland
10:06or even Ipswich
10:07than you will do here in Bayside, Brisbane.
10:11So it's where you are that will lead to your success
10:15with sweet peas in this state.
10:17What veggies should I grow for pickling?
10:21Well, welcome to my pantry.
10:23The great news is that you can pickle pretty much anything,
10:26including carrots, tomatoes, zucchini and more.
10:30The main thing is to leave out the starchy veggies like potato,
10:33which can get mushy and spoil the pickling solution.
10:37Of course, you can also dry your fruit and veg
10:39or do the canning method for your tomatoes and fruits.
10:43And of course, there's always the jams and chutneys.
10:45There is more than enough you can do with your surplus garden produce.
10:49There's so much to explore in the world of tropical plants,
10:59beautiful flowers, lush foliage and intricate shapes.
11:04But what if we could have it all in a hanging basket?
11:08Well, Tammy's here to show us how.
11:10When the weather cools, it can be hard to get motivated
11:16to leave the cosy indoors.
11:18But if you're a little plant obsessed like me,
11:20it's a great opportunity to go on the hunt for something.
11:24I'll know it when I see it.
11:26I'm visiting a great little nursery
11:35in the heart of Sydney's thriving, growing area,
11:38the Heels District.
11:39This place is filled with all sorts of cascading greenery
11:42and plenty to catch the eye.
11:47Wow, check out these medanillas.
11:51They're just the thing I'm looking for
11:52to add a bit of warmth and cheer to the garden.
11:56Medanillas are evergreen flowering shrubs
11:58and the main attraction is long-lasting blooms.
12:01And they also get these pretty ornamental berries.
12:08The blooms and berries grow from the main stem
12:11or woody trunk rather than from new growth or shoots.
12:14In botanical terms, this is known as Cauliflorus
12:17and is a feature of many plants that grow in the tropics.
12:21And medanillas are very much
12:22from the tropical regions of the world.
12:26And I love the lush leaves of medanillas.
12:33In their tropical homes,
12:34the leaves help capture water and nutrients for the plant.
12:38This one, Medanilla kokchineia gregoryhambali,
12:41has these beautiful deep veins and a red-purple underbelly.
12:45It's tiny now,
12:46but it will grow into a shrub about one to two metres tall.
12:49And look at the corky stems on this one.
12:52It's a taller variety called Giant Chandelier.
12:55I don't see this very often and I like it as a feature.
12:59I reckon as the stems age,
13:00they harden to help keep the plant upright.
13:02This is Medanilla magnifica,
13:14renowned for its pink pendulous flowers.
13:17They're slow growing and can get up to two metres tall.
13:22This classic is widely grown in Europe as an ornamental plant.
13:28This one's also popular with gardeners all over the world.
13:31It's Medanilla pendula.
13:33It's got these pink pendulous flowers,
13:36followed by these red-purple berries.
13:38The berries and the flowers can appear on the plant at the same time,
13:42so the plant is constantly giving.
13:43It will grow to about a metre in a few years.
13:48I've got my eye on this Medanilla pendula high bridge.
13:51Look at how vibrant the berries are.
13:54If you want to grow them in cooler climates,
13:56you'll need to give them protection from frost.
13:58Luckily, they're happy in pots,
14:00so it's easy to move into an undercover spot.
14:04Now let's dig into how to take care of my new favourite plant.
14:08I've chosen this rustic hanging basket
14:10and I'm lining it with cocoa fibre,
14:12which will retain a free-draining mix.
14:16In their natural habitat,
14:18Medanillas grow like an epiphyte or a semi-epiphyte.
14:21They may have adapted to grow on rocks or on the forest floor.
14:24Or the dispersed seed may have sprouted
14:27from accumulated leaf debris and moss
14:29in the crook of a large tree in the rainforest.
14:32So whether you're growing Medanillas in a garden or in a pot,
14:35the key is they need excellent drainage.
14:39I'm using two parts chunky orchid bark
14:41to one part perlite
14:43and one part horticultural charcoal.
14:46And because the horticultural charcoal and perlite can be dusty,
14:50I've pre-wet them.
14:51I'm just loosening some of the roots here
15:01so they'll grow well in their new home.
15:05Now it's a bit of a tight squeeze,
15:07but if I do it carefully enough,
15:10it won't damage any of the berries or the flowers.
15:13I'm backfilling around the plant.
15:37Medanillas thrive with a liquid feed
15:39about once a week during the growing season.
15:43And because their nutrition needs are similar to orchids,
15:45I'm using an orchid-specific fertiliser.
15:48This has a lower nitrogen to a slightly higher potassium level,
15:52and this will enhance flowering and fruiting.
15:55As always, follow the instructions on the label
15:57to get the right dose.
15:59When it comes to watering,
16:02what I would say is don't overwater.
16:05Never let a Medanilla sit in a pool of water,
16:07like a saucer.
16:08And conversely, don't underwater.
16:11These plants are not drought-tolerant.
16:14Aim for a watering regime somewhere in the middle.
16:17Water regularly during the warmer months
16:19and keep it on the drier side during the cool months.
16:21They like a well-lit, semi-shaded position,
16:26protected from strong, direct sunlight,
16:28and definitely keep it away from the hot afternoon sun.
16:38And what I find works well for plants
16:41that have high humidity needs
16:42is to group them with other plants
16:44rather than on their own.
16:46Together, they shelter each other
16:47and create a little microclimate.
16:50Alternatively, you can invest in a greenhouse or humidifier.
16:56With a bit of commitment to care
16:58for eye-catching Medanillas,
16:59I guarantee these tropical treasures
17:01will give back in spades
17:03with beautiful blooms, berries,
17:06and foliage fields all year round.
17:17In this garden, there's plenty of interest
17:21from the lovely deciduous trees and shrubs.
17:24They give colour for many, many months,
17:26in particular over autumn.
17:28But come winter,
17:30when the leaves have fallen off
17:31and the trees are dormant,
17:32you need another plant to give a bit of interest.
17:35And this is where this one steps in.
17:37Chamisoparis lausoniana silver queen.
17:41Look at those beautiful,
17:43very fine, delicate sort of tracery of the fronds
17:46and that lovely, silvery look.
17:49It stays like that all year.
17:51It's a medium-growing tree,
17:53five, six, maybe seven metres high,
17:55and it really adds a lot of interest
17:57over all of the year.
18:06Next week is Compost Awareness Week.
18:09And for me, digging in the compost
18:11really makes me think
18:14about how what's underneath
18:16supports all this growth on top.
18:19And it seems I'm not the only one
18:21wondering about what lies beneath.
18:25Millie's got a story with a botanist
18:27who spent decades tapping into the connections
18:30between these two worlds.
18:33As gardeners, we are always talking about soil.
18:36But today, I get to dig a little bit deeper
18:39and learn how the geology of a place
18:42is just as much part of the ecosystem
18:44as the plants.
18:50The real geologists are only interested
18:53in what's down there.
18:54They see the surface as a soil and vegetation
18:57as a nuisance.
18:59To me, it's an essential part of the story.
19:03It's all interrelated.
19:04Leon Kostermans is a geologist and botanist.
19:10He's iconic in plant circles.
19:12And if you're interested in Australian plants,
19:15you've likely got one of his books on the shelf.
19:18He's been studying the relationship
19:19between geology and flora for decades.
19:23This is where we are.
19:24This is where we are.
19:25There's the gate.
19:26And at 91, he's pretty inspiring.
19:28To see some of these complex relationships
19:32between plant communities and geology in action,
19:35we're exploring the Langwarren Flora and Fauna Reserve,
19:39south-east of Melbourne.
19:41When you're walking through a place like this,
19:44I mean, is it just one geology?
19:46No, one of the great things about this reserve
19:49is that it's got diversity.
19:53And that diversity that you can see
19:55in terms of the vegetation
19:56is actually related to the diversity
19:59of what's underneath of the substrate.
20:02What's under the surface is just as important
20:05as what's above the surface
20:06if you want to understand nature,
20:09if you want to understand ecosystems.
20:11We've got about four types of substrate,
20:16in other words, soil or rock or whatever.
20:19Most of it's sand.
20:21And each area is quite different
20:23in terms of the vegetation.
20:26To begin to understand sand,
20:28it makes sense to start with classic beach sand.
20:32About seven kilometres from here
20:33is Seaford Beach on Port Phillip Bay,
20:36a stretch of coastal dunes fringed by coastal vegetation.
20:39The coastal sands,
20:42which were produced by sea action,
20:45are quite young.
20:46They're only about 6,000 years old
20:48around our bayside.
20:50And that beach sand is just quartz sand
20:53plus shelly material, no soil.
20:57The species that occur on beach sand,
21:01they're plants that have coast in front of their names,
21:04coast wattle, coast tea tree,
21:06coast banksia and so on.
21:07And so they're confined just to that strip
21:10or should be confined.
21:13So as you travel inland,
21:15how are the sands different here?
21:17The sand here is of quite different origin
21:20in the sense that it's windblown
21:22within the last 100,000 years,
21:25something like that,
21:26when sea level was lower
21:27and there were strong winds.
21:29And so they produce much bigger dunes,
21:33as you can see here.
21:35And it gets sorted in the process
21:37because wind can only lift a certain amount of sand.
21:41So you don't get coarse sand here,
21:43you only get the finest stuff that could build up here.
21:46A lot of plants are adapted to that condition.
21:49So you get a heath land.
21:51You can see there the heath tea tree,
21:54the casea swaviolanus, sweet wattle,
21:57the brown swattle over there.
21:59You can see hakers.
22:02If you go down the slope
22:03where the soil is moister,
22:06it's nearer the water table,
22:08you get a whole lot of other species,
22:10but one that you don't get up here,
22:12but what you do get down in the valley,
22:14is wetting bush,
22:15which is spectacular when it's in flower.
22:20And what about other vegetation types on the property?
22:23I believe there's a woodland?
22:24Yes.
22:25Down in the south-western corner,
22:28you've got an area that's down
22:30on the Sandringham Sandstone,
22:32which is a different type of geology again.
22:34And it's a grassy woodland,
22:36which is mainly silverleaf stringybark trees
22:40and peppermint,
22:41but the understorey is sedges and grasses.
22:45But you also have other species
22:47that you don't get on very high areas,
22:49such as blackwood wattle.
22:52In a far corner of the reserve,
22:53sedimentary rock that sits below everything
22:56is much closer to the surface.
22:58There is in the reserve a quarry,
23:01a little old quarry,
23:02which shows what the rock is like
23:04underneath the basement rock or the bedrock.
23:06And that's about 400 million years old,
23:09give or take.
23:10And it's quite different
23:12because it has a veneer of sand,
23:16but it's rocky underneath.
23:17And you can see it's quite different.
23:20It's got different types of vegetation.
23:22We still see narrowleaf peppermint,
23:25but when the rock layer is closer
23:26to the surface like this,
23:28we also start to see swamp gums
23:29and messmates.
23:31Nearly 40 years ago,
23:41Leon co-founded a group of volunteers
23:44dedicated to restoring the reserve's plant diversity.
23:47And since then,
23:50our role as volunteers
23:53has been to work to try and restore it
23:56to what we believe should be its natural character.
24:00While the geology underlying these plant communities
24:03has been millions of years in the making,
24:06human influences have been a lot more sudden,
24:08including the clearing of vegetation
24:10and the activities of the quarry.
24:13These kinds of disturbances give some plants
24:16an opportunity to grow where they shouldn't.
24:19When we started here,
24:21a lot of the plants here were weeds,
24:25as we call them, environmental weeds.
24:27There were species that belonged on the coastal sand.
24:32But when an area has been disturbed,
24:34if it's opened up by fire or clearing,
24:37there's a fair chance
24:39that the weedy plants will get in.
24:42Because you can grow on the coast,
24:43you can grow anywhere.
24:44Yeah. Right.
24:44That's it.
24:45Despite being native,
24:46they're out of place here.
24:48When Coast Wattle and Tea Tree grow inland,
24:51they become dominant
24:52and smother out other species.
24:55And so our first job, really,
24:57was to get rid of all the coast tea trees
25:00that were around this area.
25:02And the heath tea tree,
25:03which does belong here,
25:04comes back in its place.
25:06Do you feel proud when you look at this area
25:08and see what you have achieved in those decades?
25:11I often wish with our volunteers
25:13that we could take them back to what it was like.
25:17Because when you're working
25:18and doing just a little bit at a time,
25:21you sort of tend to think,
25:22there's no end to this.
25:24But the point is,
25:25you've got to really stick at it
25:27because it's just made such a difference,
25:30particularly when you see it when it's like this.
25:32You're someone with a good long view of time.
25:35I mean, you can look at a 400 million-year-old rock
25:37and think it's, you know,
25:39and understand it.
25:40What does it feel like
25:41to be able to stand here
25:43as a human in your 40 years
25:46working on this site?
25:48Well, you feel insignificant
25:49when you look at it in terms of the timescale.
25:53Our human lifetime is just,
25:56you know,
25:56the tiny bit of thin...
25:58It's a little bit of leaf litter on top.
25:59...on the top of the whole timescale.
26:02As gardeners,
26:06we spend a lifetime
26:08trying to hone those skills of observation
26:10and understanding those complexities
26:12of the environment around us.
26:14And today,
26:15I've had my eyes opened
26:16to see those plants that I love so much
26:19as a window to what lies beneath,
26:22those ancient forces
26:24that are the foundation
26:25to every living thing.
26:27Still to come on Gardening Australia,
26:34Sophie's headed back to the classroom
26:36to learn about a project
26:38to restore a historic creek
26:40on the school grounds.
26:42We meet a gardener
26:44whose collection of rare and unusual plants
26:47are going to blow your mind.
26:49And we've got all the jobs
26:51to keep you busy this weekend.
26:57It's hard to go past the dahlia.
27:01With so many shapes and shades,
27:04they're a real winner
27:05when it comes to pumping up the colour.
27:08Hannah's checking in with a grower
27:09who's showing you
27:11how to get the full rainbow
27:12at your place.
27:18Who doesn't love a showstopper
27:20that flowers long and strong
27:22for up to six months of the year?
27:24Well, look no further
27:26than the stunning cultivars of dahlia.
27:29They're big, bold
27:30and buzzing with bumblebees
27:32who love to sleep in them.
27:36Emma Horswill owns and runs
27:37Earthenery Flower Farm
27:39south of Hobart.
27:41Her passion is a dahlia
27:42and she knows everything
27:43you need to know
27:44about these wonderfully
27:46eye-popping plants.
27:49G'day, Emma.
27:50Hi, Hannah.
27:51How are you?
27:52So happy to be here.
27:54Yeah.
27:54How is it that you came
27:55to be so beautifully obsessed
27:57with dahlia?
27:58I think it probably started
27:59with just the one plant
28:00like it does for most people
28:02and then you're addicted.
28:03That's it.
28:03You can't help it.
28:04Once you start,
28:05you can't stop.
28:06No.
28:07And you have so many
28:08different cultivars here.
28:09I'm seeing dozens and dozens.
28:12That's what I look around.
28:13Yeah.
28:13How many do you think you have?
28:15Well, we're growing out
28:16about 40 seedlings
28:17that we've bred ourselves
28:18to trial as second year seedlings
28:20and then probably about
28:2160 named varieties as well.
28:23Wow.
28:23So around 100.
28:24So what different types
28:25of forms of dahlia do you have?
28:28Oh, well, there's quite a few
28:29from the tiny pom-poms
28:31through to the giant dinner plates
28:33and then things like
28:34this beautiful cactus
28:35and these decoratives,
28:36everything in between.
28:37There's one called fimbriated,
28:39which has got tiny little
28:40split petals on the end as well.
28:42So there's lots of
28:43really interesting, unique forms.
28:45And are you drawn to
28:46one more than the others?
28:48I do have a favourite in colorettes.
28:51I love the colorettes form.
28:53Very beautiful,
28:54very useful for design work as well.
28:56And the bees love them.
28:57They're open-centred.
28:59Dahlia's broadly have huge amounts
29:01of diversity in them, don't they?
29:02They do, yes.
29:04Yeah, it all comes down
29:05to the genetics.
29:06They're octoploids,
29:06which means that they have
29:08four sets of genes
29:10on both sides.
29:11Where humans,
29:12we're just two sets.
29:14Oh, wow.
29:14So there's a lot.
29:16And is breeding something
29:17that you really enjoy doing?
29:19I love it.
29:20It's so addictive.
29:21It's like Christmas morning
29:23when that first flower opens up.
29:26It's so, so exciting.
29:28You could just be the one
29:29that develops a new cultivar
29:30that no one's seen before.
29:31And so can I see a dahlia
29:34that you have successfully bred?
29:35Absolutely.
29:37It's exciting.
29:37Yeah.
29:38So this one we actually released
29:39last year.
29:42So it's called E.F. Rothko.
29:44Beautiful.
29:44We name all of our dahlias
29:46that we breed after artists' names.
29:48So this one reminded me
29:49of the beautiful streaks of red
29:51that Rothko used in his paintings.
29:54It's very painterly, this form.
29:56This is a peony form.
29:58Two and four layers of petals
29:59with a nice open centre.
30:01And the bees love the open dahlias,
30:03don't they?
30:03They do.
30:03So they can get in there more easily.
30:05Yep, yep.
30:06The pollination's really good.
30:07So the seed collection's really good.
30:08The germination's really good
30:10if they can access those centres
30:11all day long,
30:12as opposed to the decoratives
30:14which are really closed.
30:15Yeah.
30:16Emma, what are some of the key characteristics
30:18that you love about the Rothko?
30:20It's the colour as well as the form.
30:22It's very kind of sculptural
30:23and very sort of expressive.
30:25Looks like it's being brushed
30:27with a brush stroke.
30:28Yeah.
30:29I see my flowers a little bit
30:30like materials for art.
30:32Yeah.
30:32So it's just a riot of colour
30:35and you're just playing with colour
30:36when you're putting an arrangement together.
30:38So I love it.
30:47Emma, how do you actually breed dahlias?
30:50Well, there's a couple of different ways.
30:52You can do hand pollination
30:53so you can select your seed parent
30:56and your pollen parent
30:57and you can match them
30:59or you can do open pollination
31:01which is what we do
31:02where we let the bees do the work for us.
31:05And one of the things that we do
31:06is we try and concentrate our genetics for colour
31:09by planting in what we call them bee lanes.
31:12So the bees prefer to travel down
31:15from flower to flower to flower
31:17down the row
31:18rather than zigzagging across.
31:20So in this row in particular
31:22we've got all of our reds.
31:24So we concentrate the genetics
31:27for colour and form
31:29as much as we can.
31:30We love Rothko so much
31:32that we decided this year
31:34to plant a whole row of babies of Rothko.
31:37Would you like to see that?
31:38I would love to see that.
31:39All right.
31:39Let's go.
31:49Okay, Hannah.
31:50So here we go.
31:51This whole row,
31:52200 Rothko babies.
31:55200.
31:56Yeah.
31:56And you can see huge colour variations
31:58straight away.
31:59Yeah.
31:59And they're all sort of quite warm colours
32:01so it's interesting to see
32:03how the genetics have responded
32:04for that one.
32:05Oh, it's fascinating.
32:06You still have like some,
32:07you know, clear yellow ones
32:09but all the way through
32:10the pinks and oranges
32:11and the pinks and reds as well.
32:11Pinks and oranges
32:12and really true red.
32:13Now, the really important part
32:15is the assessment, isn't it?
32:16Yes.
32:17Actually choosing what you're going to save.
32:18Yeah.
32:19Assessment is a really important part of breeding.
32:21You can't be passing on flowers
32:23that aren't consistent.
32:24So there are things
32:26such as dominant
32:27and non-dominant traits
32:29with dahlias
32:30and unfortunately
32:31all the things
32:32that are undesirable
32:33such as weak stems
32:35or downward facing blooms
32:36or things like this one
32:38with a curled petal
32:39around the centre
32:40they're all dominant traits.
32:42Chance of getting a bloom
32:43that it has got
32:44a high petal count,
32:45strong stems,
32:46upward facing
32:47is very low.
32:49Yeah, wow.
32:50That's what makes it
32:50so exciting though
32:51because if you breed
32:53that one flower
32:54that's perfect
32:55you're going against
32:56all the odds.
32:56Yeah.
32:57Yep.
32:58Finding the perfect dahlias
32:59can be a multi-year process.
33:01Definitely.
33:02Yep.
33:02It's a good practice
33:03to grow for three years
33:04before you name it
33:05and release it.
33:06Ah.
33:07Amazing.
33:08Yeah.
33:11How easy are dahlias
33:12to grow, Emma?
33:14They're really easy to grow.
33:15Yeah, definitely.
33:16And easy to grow from seed.
33:18Ah.
33:18As long as you know
33:20what type of seed to save.
33:22Yeah, well here's some
33:22that's ready to collect.
33:25Nice.
33:25So you want to choose
33:26the papery dry ones
33:28instead of the green ones.
33:30So if we just break this open.
33:32So how do you know
33:33which seeds are good to save
33:34or maybe not good to save?
33:36Yeah, so the seed
33:37that you want to keep
33:37is this dark, black,
33:39long, thick seed.
33:41And the ones that are
33:42like light green
33:43or brown
33:44that haven't been pollinated,
33:46those ones you don't have to keep.
33:47And then from here
33:49do you have to, you know,
33:50make sure they're dry
33:51but then storage techniques?
33:53What does that look like?
33:53Yeah, just exactly
33:55like every other seed.
33:56Nice, cool, dark.
33:58Keep them dark
33:58and then bring them out
33:59in spring and plant them.
34:00Yeah.
34:01See the culmination
34:03of all of our...
34:04The trophy.
34:05Yeah.
34:05Sorry, it doesn't look real.
34:07It doesn't, does it?
34:08Oh, this looks amazing, Emma.
34:11And it's the culmination
34:12of all your hard work
34:13out in the garden.
34:14Absolutely, yeah.
34:15This is why we breed and grow
34:17so that we can play
34:18with these beautiful flowers
34:19at the end.
34:19And you can see
34:20all the forms in action here.
34:22Yes, yeah.
34:23From the cactus
34:23to the Rothko
34:25that we were looking at
34:26and this is one of Rothko's babies.
34:28Some beautiful decoratives.
34:29I think they all just work
34:30so well together.
34:32Oh, stunning.
34:34Someone once said to me
34:36that flowers are just joy
34:38on a stick.
34:38I reckon that's so true.
34:41Giving joy to probably you
34:43but also to everybody else
34:44who comes into contact with them.
34:46Yeah, I agree totally.
34:48That's a beautiful saying.
34:49Yeah.
34:49Can you recommend trees
35:05that tolerate salinity?
35:07For an ornamental native shade tree
35:10I recommend Cupaneopsis anacardioides
35:13also known as the tuckeroo.
35:15It's a magnet for biodiversity
35:17and not a particularly big tree.
35:20It's often less than 10 metres tall
35:22and it's not very long lived
35:24often living to less than 100 years
35:26and it's an evergreen tree.
35:29It originates in Australia and New Guinea
35:32and it tolerates drought
35:34salt laden winds
35:35brackish water
35:37and it will grow in any soil type
35:40which is why it's popular with councils.
35:43Another pick is Coast Banksia
35:45Banksia integrifolia.
35:48This variable and adaptable banksia
35:50grows slowly
35:51to eventually attain tree size
35:53and can handle salt, wind and drought.
35:56The large lemon yellow flowers
35:59are produced all year round.
36:02They're nectar rich
36:03attracting wildlife
36:04and are followed by their iconic fruit.
36:13Alright, Costa,
36:13so I'm going to give you a quick tip
36:15on how to use a scythe.
36:16So what you want to do
36:17is stand with your feet
36:18shoulder width apart
36:19and then you want to just gently swing the scythe
36:21and let the scythe do the work.
36:26Oh.
36:29Beautiful.
36:31Alright, I'll leave you to it.
36:32Leave me to it?
36:34Ben!
36:36Anyway,
36:37it looks like I've got my work cut out for me here
36:40while you join Sophie
36:42who's with a group of budding young ecologists.
36:45Here goes.
36:45For ten years,
36:57the teachers and young students
36:59of St Michael's Lutheran School
37:00have been restoring a section
37:02of the nearby historic Handorf Creek
37:05that flows through the school grounds.
37:11To look after the health of the creek,
37:13the young ecologists monitor the water quality,
37:16wildlife activity and flora
37:18with a range of equipment.
37:20Bubbles.
37:21Yep, still visible.
37:23Yep.
37:24Behind the project is Principal Terry Taylor.
37:27When she arrived at St Michael's,
37:29the creek was completely overgrown
37:31and inaccessible.
37:33What motivated you to have a go
37:35at restoring this creek line?
37:37I looked at it one day
37:40and thought this is a perfect opportunity
37:42for our children to learn something
37:43about conservation
37:44and that even as young children
37:46they could make a difference.
37:48If that wasn't visible, I'd be worried.
37:49We were really fortunate
37:51to get some fantastic grants
37:52from National Land Care
37:53and they helped us
37:55to move some of the fences
37:56so that we could get close.
37:58We had some people come in
37:59and do the big jobs
38:00which were to remove
38:01all the dangerous bushes and plants
38:04and the large poplar trees
38:05that were along the side of the creek.
38:07And how have you worked
38:09in what they're doing
38:10with the curriculum?
38:11In terms of the science curriculum
38:12and the environmental learning
38:14that they're doing here,
38:15it's just been so wonderful
38:17to have this hands-on experience
38:19that really in the past
38:21has only been something
38:22we've done in science labs.
38:23And what changes have you seen
38:26in the creek over that period?
38:28Lots more water birds have come in
38:30so that's been one of the huge things
38:32that's different.
38:32The creek has ducks and ducklings
38:35and we have a lot more small birds come in.
38:38So the tiny finches
38:39and honey eaters have come in
38:41because before there was nothing
38:42for them to hide in
38:43and nothing for them to feed on.
38:44We also have put bird boxes up.
38:46Just the animals and the wildlife
38:48that have come into the area
38:49which weren't previously here,
38:51which has been absolutely fantastic.
38:52I'm very, very proud of our students
38:55because they have put so much time
38:57and work into this
38:57and everything that you see around you here
39:00is the work of the children.
39:01They have really been self-motivated.
39:04They have requested that they have the creek club
39:06which is a fantastic opportunity
39:09for those children to come down every week
39:11and really maintain this area.
39:18Mary Whittaker is an IT teacher
39:20whose science background
39:22and passion for the school's conservation project
39:24has helped the students
39:26on a micro and macro level
39:27understand how to monitor
39:29the health of the local ecology of the creek.
39:31Okay guys, just pop the trolley here
39:34and put all your stuff on top.
39:38Okay, and just come over here.
39:41So what have you planted?
39:44So we've planted a lot of local native shrubs
39:47and a few trees that'll get a bit taller
39:49but also indigenous sedges
39:51and lots of grasses along the banks.
39:54So re-vegetated what would have been back here?
39:57Yes, yeah.
39:57And I see you've got some nesting boxes in here
40:00so it's not just about the plants.
40:02No.
40:02You're looking at the fauna too.
40:03Yes.
40:03What are you looking at?
40:05We've put in bird boxes
40:06and some of them were made by the kids.
40:08They were bought as kids
40:09and some have been donated.
40:10So we're looking for birds
40:12right from when the eggs start appearing
40:14will come down each week
40:15and then hopefully those eggs will hatch.
40:18And how do you monitor those?
40:20We've got a nest box camera
40:21so we've got a big long extendable pole
40:23with a camera on the end
40:24that has radio communication to a screen.
40:27So one of the students
40:29will carefully put the camera into the nest box
40:32while the other one watches on the screen
40:33what's happening.
40:34So you're going to think
40:35I think it might be a possum.
40:37Yeah, it's definitely a possum.
40:38And they might say to the other one,
40:40you know, move it around a bit,
40:41tilt it or whatever
40:42and then they'll take photos and video
40:44of whatever they see in there.
40:45But we're mainly looking at the water
40:47and we do scientific testing of the pH,
40:50the temperature, the salinity and the velocity.
40:54OK, girls, if you can just get a bucket of water each,
40:57scoop right down the bottom
40:59so that you get some dirt
41:00and some of the grassy stuff there.
41:04You see floaty things?
41:06I'm getting floated down.
41:07Yeah?
41:07Well, let's come and have a look under the microscopes.
41:11Got it.
41:11You've got it?
41:13OK, take a photo.
41:14Oh, take a photo and take a video as well.
41:16That is brilliant.
41:18What are you up to here, girls?
41:20We're trying to find macroinvertebrates in the water
41:23and there's one swimming there.
41:26And so, oh, I see.
41:27So through that lens, you can see what it is.
41:29Yeah, so this attaches to the camera
41:31and then magnifies the image
41:33so we can see it better.
41:35So what's this chart about?
41:36So once you've got a picture like that,
41:39you see which one it looks like most
41:42and then these dots we've already seen before.
41:46So what do you think it might be?
41:47I reckon it might be a slide swimmer
41:50or maybe a freshwater slater.
41:52Wow, that's so cool.
41:54I think it's either one of these.
41:56Your involvement in the creek
41:58has been written about in a book that's coming out
42:00but I also know that you guys just won a prize
42:04for the restoration of the creek.
42:06Yep, we got the SA Junior Landcare Award
42:09and we won $1,000 from our creek restoration.
42:13How does it make you feel knowing that you started
42:16a group of students that give up their lunchtime
42:19and they go down and they help to make the creek
42:21as good as it is?
42:22Absolutely amazing to know that that's how it's come.
42:26Yeah, really good because we were just a couple students.
42:29we didn't know it was going to actually turn
42:31into something really big.
42:35So this morning when you were looking
42:37into the boxes with the camera,
42:39what did you see?
42:41A possum.
42:42And anything else?
42:44Well, we've been seeing lately
42:47like birds nesting and possums.
42:49And have you had birds nesting there other years?
42:52Yeah.
42:52Oh yeah.
42:53Yeah.
42:54Now why do you think it's important
42:55to check out what's living along the creek line?
42:58Well, it's good because like
43:00we know what animals are there
43:02so we know how to like look after them
43:04and we know like what to do around the creek.
43:07And we also know how successful we've been
43:11in restoring the vegetation stuff
43:13if animals decide to live there.
43:15Absolutely.
43:16What do you like most about Creek Club?
43:19Well...
43:20The fact that we're doing something
43:21to help the environment.
43:22Yeah, that we're actually like
43:23helping the environment like getting better
43:26and like the animals,
43:28it's good that like they're around as well
43:30like and we're helping them too.
43:33So what do you think the future is
43:35when the kids are learning this at a young age?
43:38It's looking pretty good.
43:40It is.
43:41And I think that they,
43:42I hope that they learn that they can do anything
43:44in terms of conservation,
43:46that they can see a space
43:48and they can make a difference
43:49and you know,
43:50everybody can plant a tree
43:51and grow a garden
43:53and these children are learning
43:54that they can do that
43:55even though they're little.
43:57It's wonderful.
44:04I love plant collectors.
44:07There's something special about people
44:09who combine their passion
44:11for particular plants
44:12with a desire to know
44:15and grow as many
44:17as they can possibly get their hands on.
44:20Our next story is with an expert in Melbourne
44:23who's going to have you rushing
44:25to your local plant nursery
44:26for more plants.
44:28I think what's unique
44:41about my approach to gardening
44:43is that it's an expression of me.
44:46My collection very much reflects who I am.
44:53My name's Randall Robinson.
44:55I'm fully retired now
44:57so I get to play with my plants
44:59all the time.
45:02I live in an area called Dunmuchin.
45:04The property I live on
45:06is about 12 and a half hectares.
45:08It's just northeast of Hurstbridge
45:10in the far northeast of Melbourne.
45:14What's so special about this property to me
45:17is that it's,
45:19one of my goals in life
45:20was to have conservation areas
45:22and work in conservation areas.
45:24And we have an endangered orchid species here
45:27that I look after.
45:29It's on neighbors' properties as well
45:30and they look after their areas
45:32as private nature reserves.
45:34What I love about this collection
45:36is the diversity
45:37and the fact that every season
45:40and every day
45:41something is different about it.
45:43So I can come out
45:45and work on one group of plants today.
45:47I can go out tomorrow
45:48and work on a different group of plants.
45:50And it's like having a whole new experience
45:52every day in the garden.
45:55It keeps someone like me
45:56constantly fascinated.
46:00In the collection of plants here,
46:03it's hard to estimate
46:04how many I've got.
46:07But it would be probably
46:08close to about 10,000.
46:10As far as species go,
46:12probably about 8,000.
46:14I have a huge number
46:15of rare and endangered plants.
46:17But for me,
46:18it's all about the collections
46:20and making it suitable for me.
46:24So everything's very ordered.
46:26So it's kind of systematic
46:27in many ways.
46:29But that's the way
46:29I like to keep track of things.
46:32So it reflects
46:33my scientific background.
46:35This is one of my
46:36special little plants.
46:37This is Pelagonium cotyledonus,
46:39one of the Pelagoniums.
46:40Many people call them geraniums.
46:41It comes from a little tiny island
46:44called St. Helena.
46:45It's only 11 kilometers long
46:47and 3 kilometers wide.
46:49In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,
46:52halfway between Angola and Brazil.
46:54And the locals call it
46:56Old Man Live Forever
46:57because it can live
46:58for hundreds of years
46:59and it gets thick,
47:01corky bark.
47:02It doesn't look anything
47:03like a Pelagonium.
47:04It's got regular white flowers.
47:07But one of the fascinating things
47:08about it,
47:09besides it living for a long time,
47:10is that its nearest
47:12genetic relative
47:14is actually
47:15this little tiny pink one here,
47:17which is Pelagonium australii
47:19that occurs
47:20in southeastern Australia.
47:22It's fascinating
47:23that this little tiny speck
47:25in the middle of the ocean
47:26can have a plant
47:27that's so closely related to it
47:29thousands and thousands
47:30of kilometers away.
47:36I was originally
47:37born in Philadelphia.
47:38When I was about four
47:39is what I first
47:41really got interested.
47:42What originally got me
47:43into plants
47:44was I grew up next
47:45to a trial garden
47:46for the United States
47:47Department of Agriculture.
47:49So they trialed
47:50all sorts of new plants
47:51being introduced
47:52to the USA.
47:53So I got to see
47:54an amazing array of plants
47:56that people didn't
47:57normally get to see.
47:59And I just became
48:01interested in them
48:02and was over there
48:03all the time.
48:03and then studied
48:06horticulture in Philadelphia
48:07and it just went from there.
48:12Here is a serapigia
48:13or snake creeper.
48:16Now, most people would know
48:18that this strange
48:19and odd twisting plant
48:20is actually related
48:22to the normal kind of
48:24string of hearts
48:25that most people know
48:26with the little brown flowers.
48:28This grows in the forest
48:30is the stems
48:31are really thick
48:32and fat
48:32and camouflaged
48:33so it looks like
48:35the undergrowth
48:35and it creeps
48:36along the ground
48:37as you can see
48:38with this big plant here
48:39these long thick stems
48:41and then when it goes
48:43to flower
48:44it sends up
48:45these twining stems
48:46that climb
48:48and they're much thinner
48:49and they get the flowers
48:50on there.
48:51There's a couple
48:51of flower buds
48:52coming on here
48:53and they're quite
48:54stunningly beautiful
48:56like spotted
48:57like a giraffe's neck
48:58and then these seed capsules
49:00form
49:00that looks like
49:01a couple of bull's horns
49:02that are also camouflaged
49:04to protect them
49:05from being eaten.
49:07Easy to grow
49:08extremely drought tolerant
49:09one from South Africa.
49:15After I graduated
49:17I applied for a program
49:18in England
49:19called the Eric Young
49:20Orchid Scholarship
49:21and as part of that
49:22I got the opportunity
49:23to go around the world
49:24wherever I wanted to go
49:25to observe orchids
49:27in the wild.
49:29So I chose
49:30the eastern route
49:31and went through
49:32South Africa
49:32up through the Pacific Islands
49:34Asia and India
49:36and then coming
49:37to Australia.
49:40The ability
49:41to travel the world
49:42to see orchids
49:43in the wild
49:44was well beyond
49:45my wildest dreams.
49:47So at the Royal
49:48Horticultural Society
49:49I learned how to grow plants
49:51but at Kew
49:52at the herbarium
49:53I learned how to propagate plants
49:55but also got involved
49:57in taxonomy
49:58and the botany
49:59of orchids in particular
50:01and it was an immense
50:03opportunity
50:04to delve into the heart
50:06of the orchid world
50:07right into the center of it
50:09where all the plants
50:11of the world
50:11are recorded
50:12at Kew Gardens
50:13in London.
50:13one of my favorite plants
50:19at the moment
50:19is this little Sarcocylis
50:21and it represents
50:23a breeding point
50:24as far as the industry goes
50:26there's an increasing need
50:29for novelty
50:30and prettiness
50:31in plants
50:32and plants that
50:33flower well
50:35and abundantly.
50:36the wild species
50:40of Sarcocylis
50:41are usually white
50:42or have a little red ring
50:43in the center
50:44of the flower
50:44but the breeders
50:46have taken these plants
50:47and completely converted them
50:49into something
50:50that's a really desirable plant
50:51and as you can see
50:52there's all sorts
50:53of colors here
50:54yellows and oranges
50:55and reds
50:56and pinks and whites
50:57but this is the ultimate
50:59at the moment
51:00which is a white
51:01that is completely blotched
51:03with pale purple
51:04just a stunning little plant
51:06flowers really well
51:07they're quick growing
51:08easy to grow
51:09small growing
51:10perfect for
51:11the houses
51:12and apartments
51:13and units
51:14that we now have.
51:19What fascinates me
51:21about orchids
51:21was my original experience
51:23was an edition
51:25of National Geographic
51:26that featured orchids
51:27and I think I read
51:29that article
51:29about a hundred times
51:30and looked at the pictures
51:32a hundred times
51:33and the shapes
51:34the colors
51:35the intricacies
51:36and they were just
51:38I don't want to use
51:40the term odd
51:40because I don't now
51:42view them as odd
51:43I view them as
51:45endlessly fascinating
51:46in their complexity
51:48their pollination mechanisms
51:50the way they attract
51:51their pollinators
51:52and the extreme habitats
51:55that they occur in.
51:58The secret to growing
51:59a good orchid
52:00is to not necessarily
52:02fully mimic
52:03its growing conditions
52:04in the wild
52:05but to be really observant
52:07to what conditions
52:08it actually likes.
52:09I'm a firm believer
52:11in growing only plants
52:13that fit into the conditions
52:14you have
52:15instead of making
52:16heroic efforts
52:18to try to grow something.
52:20So with my collection
52:22I grow things
52:23that grow
52:23under the conditions
52:24I have on offer.
52:25you can waste a lot
52:27of money
52:27killing plants.
52:31This plant represents
52:32the kind of ultimate
52:33in horticultural conservation.
52:36It was first created
52:37in 1911.
52:39This particular form
52:40was picked out
52:41from a batch of seedlings
52:42because it was
52:43incredibly large
52:44compared to the others
52:45and it was exhibited
52:47first at the Royal
52:48Horticultural Society
52:49in 1922
52:51and was awarded.
52:53It went on to breed
52:54a lot of plants.
52:56So as a first generation hybrid
52:58an immediate parent
53:00of hybrids
53:01it was used
53:02over 450 times.
53:04That's a lot.
53:05And all the progeny
53:06created from those hybrids
53:08and it
53:09now total over 15,000.
53:12Flowers that last
53:13for a long time
53:13and just its beauty
53:16spurred a whole industry
53:17and it's still used
53:19to this day.
53:21I think gardens
53:24like mine
53:25are extremely important
53:27as far as
53:28plant conservation
53:29but also to
53:31maintain
53:32collections
53:33of plants
53:34that are
53:34grown commonly.
53:37We have a real issue
53:39in society
53:39at the moment
53:40of limiting options
53:41as far as plants go.
53:43Almost recreating
53:44my childhood experience
53:46of having a trial garden.
53:48I almost see it
53:49as my role
53:50to make sure
53:51that people see these.
53:52The main life lesson
53:53I've learned
53:54from plants
53:55is that
53:56my personal desire
53:58is less
53:59than the individual
54:00need of the plant.
54:02So I have to treat
54:03each plant
54:04individually
54:05or at least
54:06as groups
54:07and see what
54:09their needs are.
54:10So it's a humbling
54:11experience
54:12that it's not about me.
54:14it's actually
54:15about the plants.
54:22Well that set
54:24our inspirational
54:25wheels turning
54:26and we hope
54:26it did for you too.
54:28If you need a little
54:29bit more of a kickstart
54:30here's your list
54:31of jobs for the weekend.
54:33There's plenty to do
54:34isn't there?
54:34In cool temperate areas
54:42increasing rains
54:43mean more slug
54:44and snail activity.
54:46Peel back malts
54:47from around your seedlings
54:48to give them
54:49less cover.
54:51If you've got chooks
54:52give the coop
54:53a good clean out
54:54in anticipation
54:55of winter.
54:56Scatter around
54:57some garlic skins
54:58to help deter mites.
55:01Endive seeds
55:01can be sown
55:02in punnets now
55:03for planting out
55:04in about three weeks.
55:07Warm temperate gardeners
55:08native everlasting
55:09daisy seeds
55:10can be sown
55:11in place now.
55:13Prepare a bed
55:14and rake in the seed
55:15with a bit of extra sand
55:17and get ready
55:18for a colourful spring.
55:20Autumn leaves
55:21are falling fast.
55:23Mow over them
55:23before adding
55:24to the compost
55:25and they'll
55:26break down faster.
55:28Clumping natives
55:28like lomandra
55:29and fascinia
55:30can be tidied up
55:31and cut back now.
55:33They're tough plants
55:34so get stuck
55:35into them.
55:37In the subtropics
55:38forget autumn leaves
55:39you'll know
55:40it's the turning
55:41of the season
55:41when you see
55:42the beautiful flowers
55:44of the black wattle
55:45or acacia concurrence.
55:48If your basil's
55:49going to seed
55:50cut the ripe heads off
55:51and store
55:52in a brown paper bag.
55:54The seed should fall out
55:56in the coming week
55:57and you can save it
55:58for next year.
56:00Native to New South Wales
56:01and Queensland rain forests
56:02Davidson's plum
56:04is in full fruit now
56:06and ready to harvest.
56:08The flesh of the sour
56:09tangy fruit
56:10are red when ripe.
56:12In the tropics
56:14remember to mulch
56:14your chillies
56:15to keep them cool
56:16and to prevent flower drop.
56:19Put some compost
56:20down around
56:20your passion fruit
56:21but don't overdo it.
56:23Too much nitrogen
56:24will lead to all vine
56:26and no fruit.
56:27Parsley can be planted
56:29out now.
56:30Remember to harvest
56:31regularly to stop
56:32leaves going coarse
56:34and bitter.
56:35To bully anyone?
56:37In arid areas
56:38olives are ripening
56:39and can be picked
56:40when green or black.
56:42The darker the colour
56:43the riper the olive.
56:45Soak, salt,
56:46preserve
56:47and enjoy.
56:48Now's a good time
56:50of year
56:50to plant native trees
56:51like eucalyptus
56:53and brachychitin.
56:55Parsnip seed
56:55can be planted now
56:57but remember
56:57they can take
56:58four weeks
56:59to germinate
57:00so keep the soil
57:01surface damp.
57:03Enjoy the weekend
57:04gardeners
57:05and if you get
57:06carried away
57:06out there
57:07remember
57:08you can always
57:08catch up
57:09on what you missed
57:10on ABC iview.
57:11Well that's all
57:18we could unearth
57:19for this week
57:20but there's
57:21plenty more
57:22germinating
57:22for next time.
57:24Here's what's
57:24in store.
57:27I'm going to
57:28introduce you
57:28to some big
57:29showy
57:30tropical
57:30native blooms
57:31perfect for
57:32small gardens
57:33and courtyards.
57:35I reckon
57:36this is a lovely
57:36little fence
57:37and it's so
57:38easy to make
57:39by weaving
57:40hazelnut branches
57:41together.
57:42I'm going
57:43to show you
57:43how.
57:45And I'm
57:45visiting a
57:46gorgeous
57:46central Victorian
57:47cottage garden
57:48which has been
57:49designed to
57:50celebrate every
57:51moment of
57:51every season.