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Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 14
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00:27Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37Today I'm on Gadigal country in Eora at Barangaroo Reserve.
00:42It's a stunning native parkland in Sydney's CBD.
00:46The site was named after Barangaroo, a powerful Camaragal woman.
00:52It's Reconciliation Week and all of us at Gardening Australia
00:57want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands where we work and grow.
01:03We've got a packed episode coming your way.
01:06Here's what you can look forward to.
01:11A suburb in Sydney known for house and garden designs by Walter Burley Griffin
01:15and his wife Marian has provided the inspiration for a beautifully thought out small plot.
01:20Now I'm finding out how inspiration from the past is informing the present.
01:25I'm heading back to a regenerative school farm that we visited in episode one
01:31to see how they're growing even more plants to revegetate their local area.
01:36Over the last 20 years that the nursery's been here, we've produced well over a million plants
01:41and all of those plants have been returned to the Bellarine Peninsula.
01:45I'm meeting a gardener who's 91 years young and she lives by the maxim,
01:51never stop gardening and she's an inspiration to us all.
01:56And Millie's got some hot tips for growing a spicy crop.
02:00But if you want to harvest some really quality horseradish,
02:03every now and then you need to divide it.
02:05The theme for this year's Reconciliation Week is Bridging Now to Next,
02:16inviting us to learn about our shared history and common culture.
02:21Down in Tassie, Hannah's found a story that really explores this theme.
02:27Katana Mansell is a Palawa cultural knowledge holder,
02:43whose work is based here at Piria Kitana or Rizden Cove,
02:46on the banks of the River Derwent, just a few kilometres from Hobart.
02:50So welcome to Piria Kitana, also known as Rizden Cove.
03:03Over the last few years, Katana's been building a reputation for her skill
03:07in educating people about the bush foods of Luchewita.
03:11Katana manages a high-end bush food catering company
03:15and regularly takes groups on Kipli Takara or Bush Taka tours of Piria Kitana.
03:22You are an incredibly busy human being.
03:25What is it that drives you to do so much?
03:28Well, I think a lot of people come to Australia or Luchewita Tasmania
03:33and they want to know what is the Australian cuisine
03:36or what is the Aboriginal food cuisine.
03:38It's really important that I take this responsibility
03:41now that I've got my foot in the door
03:43and really drive it to make sure that everyone
03:46that comes and visits our country knows what our food is.
03:49So I think it's really important that we have a story
03:52and it's really unique that we have that history
03:55that can go up to 65,000 years of traditional food.
03:59So it's a great opportunity to really just share culture
04:02and educate through what is on that plate.
04:04Because everyone wants to eat, don't they?
04:06Yes.
04:07And there's always a good story behind what you're eating.
04:09Exactly.
04:10So I'm going to take a moment to honour the history of this place.
04:13Kitana is taking me for a walk to show me some of the bush foods
04:15growing around Piria Kitana.
04:18All the tours she leads here begin with taking a moment
04:21to honour the history of this place.
04:23This land has been a very significant part of the Palawa community and history.
04:29Our people had been fighting for this land for a very long time
04:34and we were rightfully given back this land in 1995.
04:39However, there is a deep dark history that happened here
04:42which was the first impact of colonisation.
04:45So a massacre happened here in 1804.
04:47But now that we've been able to get this land back to the traditional owners,
04:52the Palawa people, we've now been able to connect back to our roots
04:56and our culture and really thrive as a community back on our land again.
05:02So here we're very lucky to have four species of wattle.
05:06So this one here is the blackwood.
05:08As you can see these pods here have all the seeds.
05:11And so our old people used to grind it down with a grinding stone
05:16and then roast them up on the coals and use it for spices and herbs.
05:20So it's a great nutty kind of flavour.
05:23And today we've been able to experiment on that and using it in coffee and ice cream.
05:29It's got a beautiful nutty kind of coffee flavour.
05:32Delicious.
05:33And do you also use the blossoms?
05:35Yeah.
05:36And so the blossoms here we just infuse that into the butter for a couple of hours
05:39and you get this really nice kind of fragrance coming through the butter
05:42and it just lifts the butter up beautifully.
05:45Ah, sounds really good.
05:50So this one is called Timpultina in Palawakani,
05:54but also the common name is Kunzia Ambigua.
05:57So it's got a beautiful kind of tea tree smell
06:00if you just crush that into your fingers and give it a smell.
06:03Oh, it's just so nice.
06:06And what are some of the favourite ways that you like to cook with it?
06:09I love to cook with it for the wallaby, the pint that nimmer.
06:13So when we cook it on the fire, we get all the coals down
06:17and so we've got a really nice flat surface
06:19and we put all the Kunzia leaves on the bottom under the wallaby
06:23so all the smoke comes through.
06:25It's almost like a kind of rosemary and thyme in one with a hint of lemon.
06:29Yeah, it reminds me of thyme but it's better.
06:32I think it's better.
06:33Yeah, way better.
06:36My mum wants to eventually try to convince her.
06:44So Hannah, do you know what this one is here?
06:46Ooh, that's the native pig face.
06:49Yes, but in Palawakani we call this Kunigong.
06:53Kunigong.
06:54Oh, I must admit that's a heaps nice name.
06:57Yes.
06:58And we always want to use the original names.
07:00I think it's really important to start using the traditional names
07:04for these plants.
07:05And these plants have so many different uses
07:08and this one's actually one of my favourite.
07:10Ooh, tell me more.
07:11Like why your favourite and what are all the uses that you like?
07:14Tell me everything.
07:15Well, for someone that isn't as experienced in gardening as you,
07:19I think this one's really good because you don't have to maintain it.
07:23It just grows so quickly and widespread.
07:26It's actually a coastal plant but luckily we've been able
07:29to grow some here at Pirachitna.
07:31And so the medicinal use is actually using the succulent leaves
07:35and using the juices, similar to aloe vera.
07:38Ooh.
07:39And so what we do is rub the juices onto our skin
07:42for any sunburns or mosquito bites.
07:45I'm allergic to them, so it's always been a good thing for me.
07:48Yep.
07:49But also using them in food.
07:50Yeah.
07:51And so what we do is infuse them with some pepper berry vinegar
07:54and use it as a crunchy slaw for our bush tucker tacos.
07:58What?
07:59That's so cool.
08:00Wow.
08:01It hasn't once said run a tour or do catering.
08:05Oh.
08:06So...
08:09The She-Oak has many different uses
08:12and the first one being that my old people used to bite into these leaves
08:17and get all the very sour kind of lemon flavours out.
08:20And when you mix that into your saliva,
08:22actually stops you from being thirsty.
08:24So it's a great survival plant.
08:26That's incredible.
08:27Once these branchlets die off and get a bit dry,
08:29it's really good for starting fires.
08:31But also these little emerging cones.
08:34So once those open up, which you can put in a brown paper bag at home,
08:38shake it up and you can get all the seeds out of it,
08:40which is great for making bread.
08:45You need to try this one here.
08:47Ooh.
08:48What do you call this?
08:49Well, we call it native clover.
08:51Yeah.
08:52But if you try it, it honestly just tastes like a little bit appley,
08:56maybe even apple skin.
08:58And it's got a purple underbelly and green tops.
09:01Yes.
09:02That's the key ID.
09:03Yes.
09:04Mmm.
09:05Oh, it does taste good.
09:06Mmm.
09:07Oh, I like that very much.
09:08As a traditional owner, you have both cultural and legal permission to forage.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Why is that really important?
09:18I think it's important for our community to still connect to our foods and land
09:23and make sure that we continue on these practices.
09:26So it really gives us an opportunity to have the ownership of that and to really be the educators around those foods.
09:34It's really wonderful to see such a surge of popularity when it comes to bush foods.
09:39And it's an industry that's worth millions of dollars, but less than 3% of the bush foods industry is First Nations owned.
09:45So what can we do about that?
09:47It's really important to make sure that we support Aboriginal people in the industry.
09:52And so I guess we see a big barrier is land as well.
09:56Where can we grow and be able to produce all of these native ingredients if we don't have the land to regrow it?
10:02So it's all just coming hand in hand between land ownership and bush food ownership and making sure that we support Aboriginal people to get more land returned back to their communities and making sure that we are looking at how can we better support Aboriginal people for going to use their traditional foods.
10:21So I think it really comes into collaboration between other businesses, also just individuals really supporting Aboriginal people to grow that percentage in the industry.
10:42Can I send cuttings in the mail to friends?
10:44Yes, but there's a few things to consider first.
10:47Check the quarantine restrictions for the state you're sending to.
10:50Both WA and Tassie are very strict and may not allow plant materials to cross the border.
10:55Some states could also impose costly quarantine isolation before delivery.
11:00Check too if you're sending in environmental weed.
11:03It may be okay around your home, but a potential pest elsewhere.
11:07And allow cuttings to develop roots before sending so they'll be more travel hardy.
11:12When packing, wrap the roots in moist paper towels or send in soil.
11:17Whichever you choose to do, make sure to wrap and pack securely.
11:21This will prevent plant turbulence in transit.
11:24Can I over fertilise my garden?
11:27Well, yes you can.
11:28I see fertiliser in combination with compost as a way to gently lift the performance of plants rather than force them into growth.
11:38If a plant is dormant and it's not growing, there's no need to feed it at all.
11:44You'll just be wasting your money.
11:46As a further precaution, I always recommend a liquid foliar feed with a granular fertiliser, put it underneath the mulch.
11:54That way it'll never wash away.
11:57What is a pioneer plant?
11:59These are the first species to grow on land that's been cleared or disturbed in some way.
12:05They are the first step to rebuilding an ecosystem.
12:09In Australia, acacias are very useful pioneer species.
12:13They grow quickly and improve the environment for other plants by adding organic matter, reducing soil erosion, adding shade and shelter.
12:22This makes way for other longer-lived, slower-growing plants to take hold.
12:27When history, modern garden aesthetics and native plants come together, magic can happen.
12:40Clarence is visiting a small garden that has combined these elements to great effect.
12:46Castle Crag is a suburb north of Sydney CBD and it's known for its architectural innovation by the man who designed Canberra.
12:56Walter Burley Griffin.
12:58Now along with his wife, Marion, they created gardens inspired by local landscapes and native plants.
13:08Their ideas are being carried on today by a garden designer who's recently applied them to this front garden.
13:14Hi Emily, how are you?
13:15Good.
13:16Nice to, yeah, lovely to meet you Clarence.
13:18What a garden.
13:19Yeah, it's really grown a lot.
13:22In using natives, Emily Simpson has created a sense of space and tranquility in a relatively small plot.
13:29Given where we are, I'm guessing the Griffins were back of mind a little bit when you were getting inspiration for ideas for the garden?
13:35Yeah, so the Griffins planned Castle Crag in the 1920s and their philosophy was to have the natural environment as the top priority when they designed the suburb.
13:49So they really did inspire the garden.
13:52So really weaving in the local bushland species into these garden spaces.
13:57Absolutely.
13:58I've done a lot of bushwalks through this area and been incredibly inspired by the sandstone rock outcrops, the angophoras and all of the local endemic species of the area.
14:13So there's many layers in the garden.
14:15We've got that canopy layer, which is, we've got banksia, we've got the angophoras as that canopy layer.
14:25And then we've got that mid-storey layer, which we've got these enormous kangaroo paws.
14:32We've got the westringes, the corriers, and then we've got the native grasses.
14:38So we've got poas and dianella.
14:42And then we've got the ground covers.
14:45And along here you're screening out the road here.
14:47There's a lot happening here as well, yeah?
14:49Screening was really important for the owner just to create that respite and privacy for this garden.
14:58Emily has packed a huge variety of native plants into this small space and created a sense of being in a beautiful patch of bushland.
15:06Also we've got the pattersonia, which is a fantastic ground cover plant with that really beautiful little purple flower.
15:14The New South Wales Christmas bush, which is actually flowering early this year.
15:19And we've got grevillea linera folia, which is the white spider grevillea.
15:24And the ground cover layer with some yellow buttons.
15:28And one of my favourites, which is the rice flower.
15:33I really love what you've done with the path here. It looks great.
15:36Yeah, I really tried to make the path feel like part of the garden.
15:41So the ground covers really soften it.
15:44And on this side of the path, we've reclaimed sandstone boulders, which were from the excavation of the house.
15:54And we've reused them in the landscape to retain that higher level of the garden.
16:00These kangaroo paws have just been amazing and really provide that seasonal colour that the owners really wanted to achieve for the garden.
16:15They're stunning. They're just so beautiful.
16:17And then as you turn back, the kangaroo paw really welcome you in, but they also draw your eye to the rooftop garden that blends with the garden here.
16:25And it's really a work of art. It's lovely.
16:28I feel like the roof garden really extends the feeling of the size of the front garden.
16:34And I think with those tumbling, cascading plants of the hardened berger and the prostrate banks here, just that edge of the house is starting to disappear.
16:45Zach is tasked with the ongoing maintenance of the garden, a particularly challenging one being the rooftop garden.
16:54Oh, Zach.
16:56Hey Clarence.
16:57This is a great view up here. Look at this.
16:58It's not bad, is it?
17:00And this just blends seamlessly into the rest of the landscape.
17:03I know.
17:04I mean, it's an interesting spot, isn't it?
17:06Just having this rooftop here, which kind of melds into the garden below.
17:10It looks like it's a little bit tricky, this space here on the rooftop.
17:13I mean, we're standing here on a windy day, southerly coming through.
17:17In the middle of summer, the sun hits this hard.
17:20What sort of medium? What are we talking about? Depth and construction?
17:23So we've got about 200 mil of soil to play with here.
17:26A little layer of sand underneath, so it is shallow.
17:30Zach, rooftops are generally pretty hard things to look after.
17:33You know, you've got the wind, you've got the sun, you've got lack of water.
17:37But how do you maintain it?
17:39I mean, yeah, you're battling everything up here.
17:41We do have drip line, so it is getting regular water.
17:44Yeah.
17:45Plant selection has been key.
17:47We have lost a few things.
17:48We have played with a few things.
17:50And then what we've got left is the stuff that is working well up here.
17:55Can survive those hot, hot summer days.
17:57Can survive the southerly winds that we've got coming through today.
18:01There's quite a few local natives here as well.
18:04Yeah, so we've got Dinella corulia.
18:06We've got some Harden bergera over here.
18:09We've got some Hairpin banksia, the Banksia spinulosa,
18:12which is actually local to Castle Crag.
18:14And this kind of mixture of low-growing spilling kind of plants along the edge here.
18:20Some grasses.
18:22You've got some Lomandras at the back there.
18:24So just trying to keep it as kind of native and local as possible, really.
18:28Some really interesting forms and textures in the garden.
18:32But, you know, I see a little prostrate banksia tucked away there.
18:35We've got a few of the larger forms growing down in the garden of the coast of Banksia.
18:39And we've just tucked a couple of these on the edge of the building
18:42just to kind of flow over and soften this kind of concrete that sits below us.
18:47And really connect to that downstairs.
18:48Exactly.
18:49You get this kind of free flow between the two areas
18:52so they don't kind of feel like distinct parts of the garden.
18:55At the back of the house, sheltered from the strong winds,
19:00Emily has created an eco-friendly pool and filtration system
19:04using the natural rock and native plantings.
19:09Oh, wow, what a surprise.
19:11It's like it's another garden.
19:13Yeah, this is the natural pool garden.
19:15And we've got a biofilter.
19:18The natural pool gives reflection to the garden as well as giving a feel of a lagoon or waterhole.
19:29You can almost see how the filtration for the pool is working with these layers of plants.
19:34Yeah, that's right.
19:35So we've got the natural rock outcrop scene and then soakage, seepage, native grass of knobby club brush.
19:45And then that leads to this biofiltration pond, which filters the contaminants,
19:51which is amazing because the owners don't have to use chlorine or salt.
19:58It's all filtered through sands, gravels and native aquatic plants in this case.
20:06I can see Nardoo, that's one I know.
20:09Yeah, Nardoo is a great filter plant.
20:12We've also got native milfoil as well as native water lily called the fringe water lily.
20:20The native birds also love bathing in the pool.
20:25And we're hoping to see some water dragons enjoying the sandstone rock outcrop and using the pool.
20:34We don't all have room for a rooftop garden or a biofiltration system for the pool.
20:50But we can all use our local native plant species and the landscape to enhance what space we have.
20:56Now I think Marion and Walter Burley Griffin would be proud.
21:04If you've got a tree you want to protect, it's important to know where its root zone is.
21:09Because depending on the species, they can extend many metres beyond their drip line or canopy.
21:16You can estimate where the roots are and where to avoid disturbance by calculating the tree protection zone.
21:23Measure to find where the trunk reaches 1.4 metres off the ground.
21:27At that point, measure the trunk's circumference.
21:31This blueberry ash is 110 centimetres.
21:35To calculate the trunk's diameter, divide that number by pi.
21:39And if you can't remember that from your school days, pi is 3.14.
21:44So this tree's diameter is 35 centimetres.
21:48Multiply that by 12, which equals 420 centimetres or 4.2 metres.
21:55This is the radius of the tree protection zone, 4.2 metres from the trunk in every direction.
22:02Not only should you avoid excavating in this zone, but it's also important to avoid bringing up the level of the soil, as well as compaction from vehicles.
22:13There are plenty of online calculators that can help, and these can be particularly useful if your tree has multiple trunks, which complicates the equation.
22:23All the details are on our website.
22:25But it's always a great idea to consult a qualified arborist if you're going to do any major work near a tree.
22:32A few months ago, I was at a school in the town of Drysdale on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.
22:47I caught up with a few friends of mine who rallied together 600 people from the community to transform a disused sports field at Bellarine Secondary College into a regenerative farm.
23:00It's pumping out produce in the heart of the campus and giving students a chance to get their hands dirty, building food growing life skills.
23:10I've learnt a lot about the farm, but also I think I've kind of learnt things about myself as well, like just being outside and like planting things on the land.
23:21It's just a really good place to reflect on everything.
23:27The school farm is an incredible project, but hiding at the back of the campus is the Bellarine Landcare Nursery, another horticultural gem.
23:36The nursery's become a place for students to learn practical skills alongside the team of volunteers.
23:49Our nursery is a local indigenous nursery, so we collect all of our own seed and cutting material from the Bellarine Peninsula with the aim to return it only to the Bellarine Peninsula.
23:59Managed by Fiona, the nursery has a roster of around 35 volunteers who come throughout the week.
24:08The secondary college runs an agriculture and horticulture program.
24:12We're the backstop for that, so we help them in any which way we can.
24:15We run little classes with them.
24:17We'll help them fix and build.
24:19When they're on holidays, we'll help look after things while they're not here.
24:22So that allows the program to run really, really smoothly.
24:27How would you describe the difference between, say, a landcare nursery like this and a commercial growing nursery?
24:34So our nursery is a not-for-profit.
24:36So any profit we make above running costs goes straight back into programs that benefit nature.
24:42We only take a small percentage of seed and cutting material.
24:46We are really mindful of working with a permit to collect seed from endangered species so we can propagate them and then put them back.
24:56We don't produce on mass single species.
25:00We try and go for diversity.
25:02So we have everything from semi-aquatic plants, grasses, herbs, forbs, shrubs, trees.
25:09And we're trying to do a little bit of all of that rather than just focusing on one little thing.
25:14On the peninsula, there's less than 5% of its natural vegetation remaining.
25:21So for us to do what we're doing and try and make those little tiny pockets stronger, more resilient,
25:28with their communities as well as their genetics, is actually really important.
25:33We produce between 50,000 to 70,000 plants every year, sometimes more.
25:40Over the last 20 years that the nursery has been here, we've produced well over a million plants.
25:46And all of those plants have been returned to the Bellarine Peninsula.
25:49This is a stunning setting for a nursery.
25:53It's really wonderful, isn't it?
25:55The tree behind us, Eucalyptus viminalis, has been estimated of over 350 years old.
26:01And so we're actually surrounded by some of the last remaining pieces of remnant vegetation on the Bellarine Peninsula.
26:08One of my lovely volunteers has coined the phrase Nature Pilates.
26:12So that's what we say the benefits really are for mind and body by coming to volunteer with any environmental group.
26:20You just get so much back from what you put in.
26:23So it's really having a big impact on the entire Bellarine Peninsula.
26:29I truly believe that. Absolutely.
26:32It really makes so much sense to have an entire hub that the school and the landcare and the farm are all connected.
26:41Absolutely. It's wonderful to have a cross-generational connection between the school and our volunteers as well.
26:50Predominantly, but not always, our volunteers are retired.
26:53And so to be able to connect some younger students with some of the older generation is really, really quite rewarding for everybody.
27:00And then see the follow on to the environment and how that works across the peninsula.
27:05It's outstanding. It's just wonderful.
27:11Still to come on Gardening Australia.
27:14Millie's harvesting the most pungent of root vegetables.
27:19Tammy's got her prince all over a fun craft.
27:23And we meet a duo creating colourful native bee hotels.
27:34Here on the show, we are constantly banging on about how good gardening is for us.
27:40Age is no barrier. Anyone can do it.
27:43Well, Jane has found a lifelong gardener who's still out and about in her patch into her ninth decade.
27:52What an inspiration.
27:54This is Bev Brownstein's gorgeous garden in Leafy Ivanhoe East in Melbourne's northeast.
28:07Oh, Jane.
28:08Hello there. Nice to see you.
28:10Good to see you.
28:11Lovely. You've got a gorgeous place here, isn't it?
28:12Yeah.
28:13This really is a lovely front garden.
28:15But look at that view you've got out there. That's beautiful.
28:18See, the other cypress are coming up nicely.
28:21Yeah. Looks lovely, yeah.
28:23Bev says while her front garden is for passers-by to enjoy, it's her huge back garden where she's given her passion for gardening a free reign.
28:33This is a lovely bit of green though, isn't it?
28:36Bev and her late husband moved here from Victoria's Wimmera district two decades ago and immediately got to work on the garden.
28:45That is really a good tree, isn't it?
28:47It's beautiful. Look at the girth. It's a variegated elmine. It must be 80 years old.
28:53That's prior to you coming here.
28:55Yeah. Oh, definitely.
28:56You don't climb it, do you?
28:58Well, I haven't got my climbing shoes on or I'd go up to show you how well I climb.
29:04I'd like to see you scampering up that tree.
29:07No, it's just the urge. It's got to be 30 metres.
29:11I reckon at least 20, 25 metres tall. At least.
29:14And then, so how big is this whole backyard?
29:16Yes, it's a huge garden and it's about 3,000 square metres.
29:20It really is a very sizeable area for you to be looking after.
29:24You do it bit by bit and you've got to have a love of it to give yourself that amount of time.
29:30And I've just spotted something out of the corner of my eye.
29:32That is the biggest philodendron I've ever seen.
29:35Yes, well that's bigger than the one in the Melbourne Shanna Gardens.
29:39Really? But this is extraordinary though.
29:41Isn't it?
29:42Just with all the roots hanging down and the huge leaves.
29:45And it's got masses of aerial roots and I don't know whether I should cut them.
29:49No, leave them be, they give it character.
29:56How would you describe your garden?
29:58Oh, I think it's like me.
30:00It's semi-disciplined, but in its spirit it's inclined to be a bit feral.
30:06We like feral though, don't we?
30:08Yes.
30:09Plants do surprise you.
30:11They do.
30:12Would you mind telling us just how old you are?
30:15Oh, I'm 91 when I last looked in the mirror.
30:19When I last looked in the mirror.
30:22And you keep gardening every day?
30:24Yeah, oh a couple of hours a day, otherwise it gets ahead.
30:28And so why do you do that? I mean it's a lot of work.
30:32Yes, but it's rewarding work.
30:34When you go to your doctor or your physio, what do they say?
30:38Oh, well they say that I'm reasonably fit for my age.
30:43But my physio particularly says to keep moving.
30:49Bury your activity and that would apply to anyone my age that decides to garden.
30:56But you learn to be kind to your body the same as you looking after your plants in a way.
31:03That's really true, isn't it?
31:04Yeah.
31:05And what about lifting things?
31:07Bags of potting mix?
31:08Well, I've had surgeries.
31:10I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than five kilograms.
31:15I've learned skills for that.
31:17Like I have soil in the boot of the car, but I slide it now and drop it onto a trolley.
31:24If you're really keen to do something, you find a way somehow of getting around the difficulties.
31:38What's the dog's name?
31:39Ingi.
31:40Ingi.
31:41It's short for Ingrid, of course.
31:42Oh, of course.
31:43There we go.
31:44Nice German name.
31:45Now this is what you're calling the potager garden.
31:48Yeah.
31:49What have you got in it?
31:50Well, I've got most of the herbs I need for cooking.
31:53Yeah.
31:54So I've got the ordinary ones, parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano.
31:59You must do a lot of cooking.
32:01I like to do Middle Eastern cookery.
32:04Lovely.
32:05What's that thing in the middle in the pot?
32:07He's the old man.
32:09He advises me as to what I should plant next.
32:14It's a casuarina, isn't it?
32:16Yes, it is.
32:17It looks like Cousin It.
32:18It's a lovely little area.
32:20Yes, it's quite productive for a small area.
32:23Yes.
32:24And now you've also got some other native plants to show me.
32:27Oh, yes, I have.
32:28All right.
32:29Lead the way.
32:30Over the other side.
32:31Okay, let's go.
32:41So I created a bushwalk here in memory of the grandkids.
32:44Oh, I see.
32:45The grandkids, yeah.
32:46But you'll need to put your head down or you'll lose your eye.
32:48Yes.
32:49Oh, this is lovely.
32:50Isn't that a splendid Melaleuca?
32:51Yeah.
32:52That one?
32:53Oh, the colour of it's just gorgeous.
32:54It is stunning.
32:55Yeah, I really like that orangey sort of colour.
32:58Lovely strong colour.
32:59Very strong.
33:00And that's its first flower.
33:01Oh, very good.
33:02And have a look at this standard Grevillea.
33:05Yes, that's a lovely one.
33:06My goodness, that's a beauty.
33:11How long have you been a gardener for in all your life?
33:14Well, my grandmother started teaching me when I was about four and a half, five years old.
33:19She'd take me out in the garden and she said, that's a naughty plant.
33:22This is a good one.
33:23The naughty ones were the weeds.
33:25Oh, still are.
33:27Right.
33:28And then when I married Arnold and walked in the Grampians, then I began to really be alive to the fact that there were 3,000 varieties of wildflower.
33:40Yeah.
33:41You know, right from the ground orchids, the terrestylis, right up to massive trees.
33:48That's another learning experience, isn't it?
33:50To have your eyes woken up to native plants.
33:53Well, yes.
33:54Yes, that's right.
33:57Up at the back of the block, there's a shade garden with bird's nest ferns, cast iron plants, hellebores and clive ears.
34:05It's a beautiful collection of plants that are thriving in the shade of a massive mature oak tree.
34:11That really is a beautiful spread of the oak, isn't it?
34:14Oh, it is.
34:15The tree's huge leaf fall allows Bev to produce the garden gold that helps fuel her entire garden.
34:22Do you find that raking up the oak leaves, is that a tiresome task?
34:26Oh, it is for my back.
34:28It's a bit tedious, but look, some of the tedious things are worthwhile because you're getting beautiful compost.
34:35What a beautiful giving tree.
34:37I noticed that you're a keen reader.
34:40Oh, yes.
34:41So you cook, you read, you garden.
34:43Yeah, well, I guess boredom is something that's self-inflicted in a way.
34:48You've got to make efforts, then it becomes almost habitual that you are caring for your neurons.
34:55Those good old neurons keep working, good.
34:58How many steps do you reckon you would do in a day of walking and working in your garden?
35:03Between three and five thousand.
35:05Yes.
35:06But the other day I did, I surprised myself, I did eight thousand steps in the garden during the day.
35:13Eight thousand.
35:14Well, you're a credit, an absolute credit.
35:17I just think it's amazing.
35:19Persisting with activity is a way, well, it's why I'm 91, I guess.
35:24Well done to you because you're a really good example for everyone.
35:30I'm like a lot of plants, tenacious with life.
35:34I like that.
35:35You become a very constrained person, you don't keep your mind moving around things like plants,
35:45around your reading, around your books.
35:47So I regard those as my friends, and my garden's my friend really.
35:54Bev has six children, seven grandchildren and a great grandchild.
35:59Well, we've got a lot of silver bags still.
36:02She worked as a speech therapist before she retired and has always gardened in her spare time and loves to share her knowledge.
36:12It makes me feel very peaceful and delighted and joyful and excited.
36:18It's a whole range of feelings, isn't it?
36:21When you're around things that you want to do.
36:26It's pretty clear that age is no barrier to Bev.
36:29And it's been inspirational to see how her everlasting love of plants and gardening and nature's beauty
36:37has kept her so strong into her ninth decade, and long may it continue.
36:52Horseradish really is one of the most powerful flavours that you can use in the kitchen,
36:57but it is also an unstoppable plant, which is why you always have to grow it in a container.
37:04I've had this in a recycle tub for about 10 years, and the truth is it needs little or no care.
37:11They are so tough they'll look after themselves.
37:13But if you want to harvest some really quality horseradish, every now and then you need to divide it.
37:19So the first thing I want to do is just remove all of this tatty foliage
37:23because the horseradish that you eat is actually the root of the plant.
37:34Just loosening the edges of that.
37:37And when you do something like this, it is a good idea to have it in a barrow or on a tarp
37:42because you don't want things going everywhere.
37:44Time to tip this monster out of its pot.
37:47Now the thing that makes this plant so vigorous is that every single tiny piece of this root can shoot.
38:06So that's why doing it in a contained area is a great idea.
38:10You don't want anything escaping.
38:19Horseradish are best divided through the cooler months, any time from early autumn through to mid spring.
38:26As you're pulling it apart, look for some of the best bits of horseradish to harvest.
38:30I've neglected this a little, but there are some larger pieces of rhizome and a few thicker roots.
38:45I've just replenished this potting mix with fresh mix.
38:48It's really coarse, which is great for getting lots of root development.
38:53It's nice and fat.
38:54I'm going to add a small amount of compost to this top layer and a little bit of fertilizer.
39:02Mix that in really well.
39:07And then I can set my small plants out and backfill.
39:12I'm replanting six of the strongest divisions.
39:16They should shoot away in no time.
39:21And then a little mulch.
39:24And lots of water.
39:29Anything you don't use, roots and all, stick it in a bucket of water to kill it.
39:44But what do you do with horseradish?
39:46I must admit those manky little roots don't look like something you want to eat.
39:50But if you clean them up, you will love them.
39:52Now it's really simple to do.
39:53These roots, I just scrub them with my little wire vegetable brush.
39:57And that takes off all of that outer skin.
39:59You don't even need to peel them.
40:01And give it a quick wash in some clean water.
40:04And then it really is just a case of grating them.
40:07You can do it in a blender if you've got one, chuck it all in.
40:10But I like to do it outside because it's such a powerful and pungent fragrance.
40:15It can be a bit overpowering in the kitchen.
40:31And you can see that I get these beautiful shreds of delicate white horseradish.
40:36So I'll just push them straight off into a jar.
40:39Much more from the bulk.
40:43I'm going to add a small amount of salt and then cover it with vinegar.
40:49There's no doubt that horseradish is a big personality plant in flavour and in cultivation.
40:58But if you like a little punch in your palate, this is a fantastic ingredient to grow at home.
41:04But just promise me, you'll keep it in a pot.
41:06I'm off to make a potato salad.
41:08See ya.
41:19The natural beauty of plants is so diverse.
41:21With foliage, flowers and forms of every shape and colour.
41:25You really can keep looking for a lifetime.
41:33But so often the beauty is only there fleetingly.
41:36So I've got a technique that will help you capture that moment forever.
41:39And you can also share it with others.
41:41So what am I doing?
41:42I'm going to show you how to make printed cards.
41:49But first, I've got to choose suitable plants.
41:52Don't be afraid to experiment with different plant parts.
41:56While we might love the perfect open flower, the spent flower or even the seed head could be a much more interesting shape.
42:07I'm going to use these ferns because I love their architectural forms.
42:11I've laid out some butcher's paper to protect my working surface.
42:18Take a plant part and cut it to a smaller length than the paper.
42:25I'm removing some of the leaves and leaving some of the stem to make it easier to handle.
42:29Evenly coat your rubber printing roller in block printing ink.
42:42Apply the ink to one side of your plant material using firm, even pressure.
42:47Lay the plant on a clean piece of paper or card.
43:01And place a second piece over the top.
43:07Apply even pressure to transfer the ink from the plant to the paper.
43:10You can use the palm of your hand or use a clean roller.
43:17Carefully lift the paper and then the plant.
43:28Allow your new print to dry.
43:32These prints are perfect as cards or even just as keepsakes of your garden.
43:35Because even the most tiny plant moments are worth capturing.
43:56From one craft to another now.
43:58Let's meet a duo building beautiful hotels for our native bees.
44:01Such a simple way to make a big difference for biodiversity in your backyard.
44:07Start. Okay.
44:14Do you agree?
44:28Early 70s, I was up in Exmouth.
44:30Prawn trawler, skipper.
44:32And I wanted a change.
44:34So I came down to Perth.
44:36And there was an ad in the paper.
44:38A business for sale.
44:39And it was a gardening business.
44:41So I thought to myself, oh I could do this.
44:43I bought the business.
44:44But then I thought, oh I better learn something.
44:47So I went to TAFE.
44:49I did four years studying horticulture.
44:51At the peak of the time of my gardening business,
44:53I had about 70 clients.
44:55So I needed people to work.
44:57Anyway, Greg got in contact with me because he's got gardening experience.
45:04And that's how Greg came into the business as well.
45:09So you've been with me for...
45:11About 15 years.
45:1315 years, yeah.
45:15So with his brawn, you know, it all worked together.
45:18Worked out together, didn't it?
45:20It was just a few years ago, I came across this article and it says,
45:24the headline was saving the wrong bee.
45:26And I thought a bee was a bee.
45:28So I kept reading, I read, I read, I read, and then native bees came up.
45:32And then I said to Greg, Greg, check this out.
45:36We're saving the wrong bee.
45:38Bees are all about pollination.
45:40And our native bees more so than the honey bee.
45:43And the honey bee's not a native.
45:44Everything that we eat, consume, and all our flowers need some sort of pollination.
45:50And we're doing a right Charlie good job of destroying all their habitats
45:55and everything that they need to nest and survive.
46:00I grew up in Lake Grace, about three and a half hours east of Perth.
46:05And we used to travel to Perth regularly.
46:07And on our travels, we would have to stop at least three times in that process
46:10to wipe the bugs' bums off our windscreens because there was just so many flying around.
46:16Nowadays, you can drive the same distance and you're lucky to get one insect.
46:21And you feel sorry for them.
46:23And you do, you actually feel sorry for them because they hit your windscreen.
46:26Our world's changing and not in a good way because if we lose all our insects,
46:31we lose our bottom of the food chain.
46:34We're trying to get people excited about the bees.
46:38But it's all insects because even flies pollinate.
46:41Wasps pollinate.
46:42But then you need the wasps in to control some of the spiders
46:45and the other insects that are in your garden.
46:47So it's a happy balance of all things.
46:49I realised that you had to have little habitats like inside bamboo or wood with a hole drilled into it
47:03for them to have their babies in.
47:05So I thought, oh, we'll make one and see what happens.
47:08So I got a bit of wood and I got a bit of bamboo.
47:11We put them together.
47:13And yeah, sure enough, these bees came.
47:16So from that little bit, this is what we do now.
47:21In the process of reading and finding out more about our native bees,
47:27we've come to a realisation that if every house had one of these or two or three,
47:32then it all helps to look after our native bees.
47:34Our structures that we make are basically trying to mimic what they would be using in nature.
47:45We're trying to upcycle, recycle everything that we can.
47:49So we're using reconstituted timbers that we find on the verge of the roads.
47:54We use bamboo.
47:55And our boxes that we make are made out of floorboards.
47:59I've observed so many different bees, from really, really small ones to larger ones.
48:06And it's amazing.
48:08Since reading that article, I've noticed so much more.
48:11Because that's the thing, you've actually got to open your eyes and observe
48:16because you'll see the honey bees.
48:18All the little ones in between will be your native bees.
48:21And they're the ones that get us excited because, you know, the things are working.
48:25We get lots and lots.
48:29And to a point where you just stand there and watch them.
48:33So they don't worry about you.
48:35They only worry about the hotel.
48:37It's got a hollow space for them to put their babies into.
48:40To have a safe haven for their babies.
48:42And that's what it's all about, is the reproduction side.
48:45They don't sleep in there.
48:47No, no.
48:48They just put their babies in home.
48:49Yeah.
48:50And all you do is hang them up on an east-facing wall of your house.
48:52We've found over the years, east side is the best because, especially in WA,
48:57it's away from the hot afternoon sun and the storms that come through.
49:00It's a little bit protected.
49:01It gets the morning sun so it warms them up and gets them going.
49:04They're a bit like the rest of us.
49:05They're a bit lazy in the morning because it's too cold.
49:08So, yeah, they like to be nice and active when it gets warmer.
49:12We go to markets and try and get the public excited about our native bees.
49:19When new people come into the market stall, they have got no idea.
49:24No idea about the existence of the native bees.
49:27And sometimes when Greg's speaking, they're such an awe that they've learned something.
49:31And that's what they say to us.
49:32Yeah.
49:33We've actually learned something today, you know, and that's part and parcel of what we do.
49:38We don't profess to be a full bottle on everything, but we like to put a fire under people's tush just to open their eyes.
49:46It's getting their awareness out to the broader community.
49:49It's a process of cutting all the bamboo into the right length and then I actually make all the actual structures.
50:00The houses, the timber side of things with the saws, and then I handball it to Vim.
50:05He's the...
50:06I'm the filler innerer.
50:07And he also is the artist as well.
50:09So he gives the colour to add a little bit of depth and variety to the whole process.
50:15He fills and then I finish it off with the net and the bits and pieces that need to tie it all in.
50:22So it's a good collaboration, actually.
50:24And when we started, it was only natural.
50:27But then I put a bit of colour and splat, this, that.
50:30And everyone loved it.
50:32So we made a decision to do half and half.
50:35Some markets, the natural ones go fly.
50:38Other markets, the painted ones go.
50:40We didn't want to be boring.
50:41So different shapes came up with hexagons or taller ones.
50:47And we've done a cityscape, which was really thin ones next to each other.
50:51So, yeah, it's just the variety.
50:53When you see them all together and the colour and everything like that, it's really good to see, isn't it?
50:57Yeah.
50:58It's really nice.
50:59You can make anything into a hotel, really.
51:02Some of the things we've used over time is old cupboards.
51:05We used seasipods from the Cocos Palms.
51:08They seem to have a natural feel to them.
51:11And we infill them, too, with bamboo and stuff.
51:13Yeah.
51:14It's amazing.
51:15If we see something on the side of the road and we go, oh, my God.
51:19Quick, turn around, turn around.
51:21And we literally do turn around and we'll pick it up.
51:24And it might take a year or so, because our first grandfather clock, it actually took us two years to get it to the stage where it was finished and it looked amazing.
51:31That round one was an old mirror and it was out on the verge and it was just the round backboards.
51:37And we brought it home and we ended up making a really nice alternative round B Hotel from that back base.
51:44And a lot of our bits and pieces are a little bit of art, really, on the side of your wall if you happen to take them home.
51:52It's amazing where you start from to the end product, so it can be anything.
51:58We see what you can do with it, not what it is.
52:02That's what we do.
52:06This is something that we will continue to do through the years to get people excited about our native bees.
52:12When somebody takes one of our hotels and puts it up and then, you know, a couple of months later come back to us and they say they've got their first bees, that makes it all worthwhile.
52:26It gets a little warm fuzzy.
52:29It does work.
52:30It does.
52:31It makes us say, yes, it does work.
52:33Yeah.
52:34And that's what it's all about, you know, getting somebody else excited about what we're excited about.
52:38And when they do that, it's amazing.
52:40It makes me really happy that we've made them feel like they need to have something like this in their backyard.
52:45Well, there's my weekend plans right there.
52:57I'm not sure I can make them as stunning as those guys, but I'll give it a go.
53:01And there's also a few other things to get stuck into as well.
53:06Take note.
53:12In cool areas, if you haven't already, get your broad beans in quick sticks.
53:17They need plenty of space.
53:19Sow seeds at least 20 to 30 centimetres apart in double rows.
53:24Make space for some Chorazima Chordatum, the heartleaf flame pea,
53:29This native woody, scrambling shrub can get by in dry, shady spots
53:34and gives fluorescent pink and orange flowers.
53:38Calendula seed can be sown now, directly where you want them to flower.
53:42Look for packets of mixed variety seed to increase the flower power.
53:48In warm-temperate Australia, plant ranunculus corms now.
53:52Plant individual corms about 15 centimetres apart and with the claws facing downwards.
53:59Start to raise your mower blades gradually, so the grass can grow longer over the cooler months ahead.
54:05Had your eyes on a particular rose variety?
54:08Get your orders in for bare root roses now, to be ready for winter planting.
54:14Seeding now is Melicopa Elloriana, also known as the butterfly tree.
54:20A surefire favourite with butterflies and birds, why not try growing one from seed yourself?
54:27As temperatures drop, compost heaps can slow down.
54:31Give the microbes a wake-up call and give the whole thing a good crank to turn it over.
54:37Trace elements like zinc, magnesium and boron are micronutrients that citrus need,
54:43but can be washed out by summer rains.
54:46Apply now via watering can to set your plants up for years to come.
54:51In the tropics, flowering now is the blue ginger.
54:56With their incredible spikes of royal blue flowers poking out from glossy green leaves,
55:02this plant will light up any shady spot.
55:05Capsicums can be started now from seed.
55:08Look for smaller varieties for more reliable harvests,
55:12and don't be afraid of a bitter colour.
55:15If your heliconias have seen better days, get in there and give them a tidy up.
55:20Spent flowers and damaged stems can be pruned back now.
55:25In arid areas, you can continue to plant garlic now.
55:29Choose a spot with good airflow to prevent any disease problems.
55:33Keep the mulch light.
55:35As the danger of frosts grows, move sensitive pot plants indoors to beat the chill.
55:41Want a tough native that looks like nothing else?
55:46Meet acacia afila.
55:48This abstract beauty doesn't even need leaves to deliver knockout visual impact.
55:55Have fun out there this week, gardeners.
55:59And don't forget, you can always catch up on Miss GA episodes on iview anytime.
56:06And with that, it's time to pot up this episode, spread some mulch and water in well.
56:17I'll see you next week.
56:18Do you have a spot that doesn't get much sun?
56:23One of the very best for part shade are the graceful and gorgeous Harden Burgers.
56:28And I'll be giving you some tips on how to grow them for a showy display.
56:32I'm sending out an SOS to all you gardeners.
56:36Our native frog populations are being decimated by a fungus.
56:41Here in these tanks is a simple solution.
56:44So join me to find out how we all can be a part of it.
56:48And we meet a gardener who's transforming his family's large country garden into areas for relaxation, productivity and a growing business.
57:01Bye.
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