- 5 months ago
Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 24
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00WHOOHOO!
00:06Hey!
00:17Hey, honey.
00:23Hey!
00:30Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37Next week is National Science Week and I reckon gardeners and scientists have a lot in common.
00:44We both observe closely, experiment, problem solve and we both need a lot of patience to
00:52get results.
00:53So on today's show, we're revealing our inner scientist with a great mix of stories about
01:02people uncovering the beauty of our natural world.
01:07Take a look.
01:08I'm catching up with a citizen scientist whose imagery is a window into this hidden wonderland.
01:18Getting native plants to adapt to conditions that don't normally suit them gives us more
01:21choice for our gardens, but how is it done?
01:24Today I'm meeting a specialist in plant grafting to find out.
01:29I feel like I'm in an oasis.
01:31This fascinating arid garden is filled with a huge range of alloys and a whole lot more.
01:39And we meet an environmentalist who's been looking into our shared future for years.
01:44I'm Professor Tim Flannery.
01:46I'm an environmentalist and climate activist.
01:49I've spent, I guess, most of my career really trying to protect the environment and to make
01:54sure that we address climate change before it's too late.
01:56That's right.
02:03As the mercury starts to creep up, you can feel that motivation to want to get out into
02:09the garden rise with it.
02:12However, in sunny WA, Josh is emerging from winter with his sights set on a green corner
02:19of his garden in need of a tidy up.
02:26I love this little nook in my backyard.
02:29It's sheltered from the wind by walls on three sides.
02:33It's open to the north for winter sun and partially shaded in summer by the canopy of
02:39this gladitsia and crepe myrtle.
02:42These conditions provide an ideal microclimate for creating a tropical vibe, with leafy plants,
02:48a splash of colour, and an outdoor shower to rinse off after gardening.
02:54But some of these plants have gone from lush to overgrown.
02:58And as we emerge from winter, well, it's all looking pretty scrappy.
03:02So it's time for a tidy up, ahead of summer, when this part of my garden looks at its best.
03:07I'm starting with this alpinia, which has become really congested.
03:15It's related to ginger and grows in a similar way, shooting from the base, forming thick clumps.
03:24Because the new shoots grow from underground rhizomes, I'm cutting it back hard so I don't
03:29end up with a bunch of dead stalks.
03:31Now, you can see that some new shoots are already starting to come through, but if any
03:36have already flowered or are looking raggedy, they've got to go.
03:40If you're in a location that gets frosts, wait until the last chance of frost has passed,
03:45because this old foliage will actually protect the new growth from being damaged.
03:54With the alpinia trimmed back, the frog pond is finally exposed to sunlight again, revealing
03:59some bits and bobs that need tidying up.
04:03In summer, a local species of tree frog, called the motorbike frog for its distinctive call,
04:08breeds here.
04:10Replenishing the soil around the edge, where it has settled, will encourage the leafy fringe
04:15plants like cancong, Lebanese cress and taro to quickly re-establish when it warms up, providing
04:23shelter for the frogs.
04:25I'm settling this in with rainwater from our tank.
04:30Now, if you only have access to regular tap water, put it in an open bucket and let it
04:35air off for 24 hours to evaporate the chlorine.
04:39And that way, you won't impact the aquatic life in your pond.
04:44These Neo-Rigelia bromeliads clearly love the conditions here.
04:48They get very little water, make a great foreground plant with their low height, and also make
04:54good habitat for frogs to hide from predators.
04:58But what started as three or four plants has now spread into a big clump and needs thinning
05:04out.
05:05When individual plants flower, they die afterwards, and you get this build-up of dead material thatch
05:10underneath, and you have to clear that out to make room for the new plants to come through, called pups.
05:19Other leafy understory plants like this false cardamom, sansevieria and asperdistra all need
05:26to thin out to remove daggy leaves and to make room for fresh foliage to grow.
05:33These gopersias will also kick off as the temperature warms up, another resilient performer that will
05:38happily fill a gap in a sheltered spot in the garden.
05:44Eating homegrown bananas is one of the most satisfying results in my garden, and a good
05:49measure of how successful creating this microclimate has been.
05:54These are looking quite wintry now, but they'll soon kick off as the weather warms up, and
05:58these stems will produce fruit towards the end of summer.
06:03Once they've fruited, they die off, so I chop them off at the base and cut them up into
06:07smaller pieces so they break down more quickly in the compost.
06:10Now these suckers down here, they'll establish into decent sized stems this summer, and will
06:16then flower and fruit the following year.
06:19So having a mix of established stems and new suckers coming through means that you're more
06:24likely to have bananas each summer.
06:27A mix of pelletised manure and compost will do the trick, and I'll feed the other plants
06:42whilst I'm at it.
06:44With the pruning and thinning out completed, I'm spreading out a layer of coarse mulch to
06:49help with moisture retention as the weather warms up.
06:52A couple of final touches to knock off this tropical refresh.
06:57I'm going to jazz up this wall with some epiphytes or tillandsias.
07:02Now these are air plants, which means they don't need to grow in soil.
07:06They'll do fine against this rock wall, and they get the moisture from the air or the occasional
07:13douse with a hose in hot dry weather.
07:16And a vine to climb up the wall will be the cherry on top.
07:19I've chosen a variety of Hardenburgia called Happy Wanderer, which is more compact than
07:24the local species native to my area.
07:27The dark green foliage and purple flowers will look great against the limestone and provide
07:33additional habitat.
07:35Job done.
07:38As the days get longer and the weather warms up, outdoor living will be back on the agenda.
07:43By giving your plants some TLC now, the new growth will be popping and lush, just in time
07:50for the first barbecue or outdoor shower of the season.
07:58How can you get an extended harvest of oranges?
08:01Well, you can grow three varieties that ripen at different times.
08:04Choose the early fruiting navelina, the mid-season Washington navel, and just as the name suggests,
08:11the last orange of the season, Lane late navel.
08:15And you'll be harvesting for six months from April to September.
08:19Is it worthwhile sowing expired seed?
08:22Yes, I think it is.
08:24If you look at the packet, it'll say the best sown before date.
08:28This doesn't mean to say the seed are dead, so you're in with a chance.
08:32This applies to this seed here in particular because it's a white-flowered hyacinth bean,
08:37which was given to me some years ago by a friend.
08:40It came out on HMS Bounty and was cultivated on Pitcairn Island, so it's extremely rare.
08:47Even if only one plant germinates, I'm back in the game.
08:52What is the difference between tolerance and hardy?
08:55Well, these are words that you'll see written on plant labels that describe a plant's true
09:01ability to handle harsh conditions.
09:03Sometimes you'll see drought tolerant, or other times you might see things like frost hardy,
09:08and that's one I look for all the time.
09:11If it's tolerant, it might cope with the occasional light frost, you might get a bit of burning
09:15on the leaves, but essentially the plant will survive.
09:18But in many parts of cooler climate Australia, we get hard frost, that's minus five, repeatedly
09:24throughout the winter months.
09:26In that case, you need something that is frost hardy.
09:29So what are you looking for here?
09:39So here I've sort of replicated the habitat, or habitats that spiders...
09:44He's only 17, but Michael Lunn is already an arachnologist in the making.
09:50Branches, which the females will really love their stuff.
09:54They're in his backyard in the northern suburbs of Perth, looking for the species that he's
09:59really passionate about.
10:00What are they called again, Michael?
10:02Peacock jumping spiders.
10:04Now, they're really colourful and quite active, yeah?
10:08Oh yeah, they are.
10:09The colours, like they're such bright, vivid colours that you wouldn't normally see in
10:20nature.
10:22But other stuff, like the dancing and the vibrations and all that stuff is so unique just to peacock
10:30spiders.
10:36My fascination started right at the start of the COVID lockdown.
10:40I was sort of wandering around the backyard just seeing what I could find, having a little
10:44poke around the garden.
10:46And it was that spot right there, that little piece of fence.
10:51It felt like just a beam of sun just hit that panel of fence and I just saw it right there.
10:57And from that moment onwards, I've just been hooked.
11:00I found these videos that my friend made, basically a tutorial list on how to look for peacock spiders
11:08properly.
11:09And I watched those videos and I started visiting some spots and using the tools that he taught
11:14me to look for these spiders.
11:18And yeah, I just, I started photographing them and then I met Flynn.
11:22Flynn is the guy that first introduced me to macro photography and has helped teach me
11:27a lot about what I know.
11:29I told Flynn about the pet tarantulas I have.
11:33And Flynn wanted to come round and get some nice close up photos of them.
11:38I thought it would be some really big, high tech, expensive thing.
11:43And he just showed me this sort of small, cheap camera set up that made these beautiful
11:47images.
11:48And I thought, I could do that.
11:51I haven't looked back since I just started shooting.
11:54I thought, you know, this is a perfect opportunity for me to start a public Instagram page and to
12:01be able to share my photos and these spiders with the rest of the world.
12:06So how else are you sharing your love for these spiders?
12:10I've been letting a lot of people tag along on my trips and I've been able to show them
12:15where all the spiders are and teach them a lot about the spiders and even how to photograph
12:21them.
12:22Well, that just leaves me with one last question.
12:24And I'm dying to ask you this.
12:27Can we get out there and find some?
12:29Yes, we can.
12:30Let's go.
12:31Okay.
12:32A lot of piles of dead twigs, so the females generally gravitate to them.
12:38You know what I really love is we're in a patch of bushland not far from Michael's place.
12:44And look, I appreciate how colourful peacock jumping spiders are, particularly when you
12:50look at them in Michael's pictures and videos.
12:53Seriously, in a bushland setting like this, I don't know how he sees them.
13:00He reckons they're about the size of a grain of rice.
13:05Work it out.
13:06Oh, Costa.
13:07I found one.
13:08Costa.
13:09Yeah.
13:10All right, I'm coming over.
13:11Sure enough, Michael, with his bionic vision, spots one.
13:15You see he's on that leaf right there?
13:17Seriously, how did you see him cold like that?
13:21When I first started out looking for peacock spiders, I watched a bunch of training videos
13:25that taught me to look for ants and practice on ants.
13:29So that's what I did for a while.
13:31And also, I think having young eyes definitely helps too.
13:34So I'm capitalizing on my youth while I have it.
13:38Probably my best spot was I spotted one out of a moving car.
13:44On the edge of a road, it was just perched on a leaf, kind of like this one is right here.
13:50What sort of equipment and techniques do you use to capture those images that you share?
14:02Well, here I've got my camera set up.
14:04This is what I use.
14:05I have a 60mm macro lens, f2.8.
14:08It's a specialist macro lens, so it helps me get in there.
14:12Here I have this magnifier.
14:15So you click that onto the front of your lens and that allows you to get even closer and
14:20it also increases the sharpness of your image too.
14:24Some people like to shoot in natural light, but I prefer to use a flash and this custom-made
14:30diffuser.
14:31You just put over your flash.
14:33If you look at the inside of the diffuser, it's got this beautiful white reflective material
14:39here that carries the light with it and just pastes it evenly across the front of it.
14:45There's only two real techniques to macro and that's your single shot and your stack.
14:52And your single shot is by far the more easier one and I think that's the one that people looking
14:57into macro should start with.
15:00When you take a photo, it's sort of a flat image, but a stack is really unique because
15:06your camera will take a series of shots and your camera will change the focal depth at
15:11each shot.
15:13Say I start the stack right at the front of the spider, so the series of images captures
15:19the whole spider in focus.
15:21And when you do that, you can fiddle with your settings to allow your images to even be sharper
15:26and sharper and sharper because you're shooting at a much narrower f-stop.
15:29So you're getting less of the spider in focus, but the little part you have in focus is really
15:35sharp.
15:36So you stack through the whole spider and then you go home and you open up an editing software
15:43and those softwares will detect which areas of your image are in focus and it will stitch
15:48them all together to make one big image with everything perfectly in focus.
15:59When I first got into peacock spiders, I was just interested in finding them.
16:05And I sort of fell in love with them so much that I'm now advocating for them because there's
16:09species like Miratus Yanchip who are under threat from housing developments.
16:15We're trying to work towards getting Miratus Yanchip listed on an endangered species list to try
16:22and stop their habitat being cleared.
16:24Miratus Yanchip is such a new species.
16:27It's hard to get enough survey data to prove that they only exist in that one area.
16:32So at the moment our focus is really to search the other areas and collect as much survey data
16:37as we can to help the people writing up this report that we're going to hopefully present
16:43soon in the next year or two to be able to try and get this spider species listed.
16:51It's cool being a photographer but it would really suck to just have my photos as historical
16:57records for someone to look back on and see this beautiful spider species that once occurred.
17:03I want the spiders to be here for generations to come.
17:08Is it true that you've covered all bases when it comes to peacock spider species?
17:13Maybe not some of the eastern states ones, I'm not as familiar with those ones but the
17:17WA ones I can identify every single one.
17:20I can sort of point out anything new or anything weird that I haven't seen before.
17:27Last year on my trip down south with my friends we all searched this little clearing and I found
17:32this little pile of twigs right in the middle of the clearing and I saw a little jump and
17:38I completely lost my mind because I had never seen anything like that one before.
17:42I spent quite a fair amount of time searching for a new species, like that's top of the list.
17:48So to be able to tick that off was quite an incredible, incredible achievement.
17:55So yeah.
17:56Have you identified a new species?
17:58Well, it's soon to be a new species.
18:01So the actual paper for it is most likely going to get written next year.
18:07It's got this sort of metallic pink patch in the middle of its abdomen that you don't really
18:11see in any other Murata species.
18:14It's quite a look at that one.
18:16Me and Flynn have been lucky enough to be included in this research project that Cambridge University
18:23is conducting.
18:24They're essentially comparing the DNA of all these peacock spiders to sort of find
18:28out who's closely related to who.
18:31Because it helps give us more of a guideline to understand the spiders better and their
18:35lineage better too.
18:37So it's photography and videography now.
18:42What are you looking at down the road, a science degree or...?
18:46Yeah.
18:47Yeah.
18:48Yeah.
18:49I think that would be absolutely amazing to get a proper science degree and be able to
18:52do it full time.
18:54I hope you've been able to appreciate through our lens just what a remarkable individual Michael
19:03is.
19:04At his age, to have such a singular focus on one family of spiders.
19:13Just imagine his contribution to conservation over a lifetime.
19:18It makes my heart sing.
19:22Planning your garden is a very exciting time.
19:38Exploring all the colours and flowers and delicious produce you can grow, that it can be a little
19:43bit easy to forget about some of the more practical elements, like having easy access through your
19:49garden.
19:51When I planned my garden, I used what I call the wheelbarrow test.
19:56I asked myself, could I easily manoeuvre a wheelbarrow to and from every part of my garden?
20:02And that helped me to work out the width and curvature of my garden pathways and navigate
20:06my steep slope.
20:08This is super important, because you need an easy way to get all that compost and mulch to your garden
20:15beds.
20:16And of course, when you're harvesting all the bountiful food crops, the big bunches of
20:20flowers or removing some tree prunings, you can do it easily and safely.
20:25So, when you're designing a new garden or adding a new section to your existing garden, take
20:32a moment to consider how much room you're going to need to get around the space.
20:36If you have a slope, can you get a wheelbarrow from the top to the bottom?
20:40Are your pathways wide enough?
20:43Can you safely and easily navigate in the space?
20:47And if possible, try to include a vehicle access point not too far from your garden beds, in
20:53case you're getting any bulk or heavy deliveries.
20:56A little bit of planning in the beginning can save you a lot of back-breaking, heavy lifting
21:01work well into the future.
21:03The great thing about gardening is that you can take a plant, apply some technique, turn
21:19it into something totally different to suit the needs of your garden.
21:24Clarence is here to show us that a little bit of grafting can yield big results.
21:33Now, Frankenstein's monster was put together by grafting different body parts.
21:39He didn't work out quite so well, but when it comes to grafting different plant parts,
21:44well, the outcome is often much better.
21:46And to find out more about the science of plant engineering, I've come to Barrimer in
21:50the southern highlands of New South Wales.
21:55Josh is a renowned grafting specialist in Australia, and he's been grafting natives for
21:59over 30 years.
22:00G'day, Josh. How are you?
22:01G'day, Clarence.
22:02Hey.
22:03Good to meet you, mate.
22:04Good to see you, mate.
22:05What a great place you've got here.
22:06It's pretty good, isn't it?
22:07So this is where the magic happens?
22:08Yeah, mate.
22:09This is where we stick plants together.
22:11This is where we graft all manner of things.
22:14Mainly we're doing Australian natives here, but we also bring some of the fruit and nut varieties
22:18here to do as well for orchards.
22:20It means that we get to celebrate everything grafting.
22:23Everything you see here is either a rootstock, and we're going to graft it, or we've already
22:28grafted it.
22:29So you've got some great-looking standards here.
22:30What other varieties have you got around?
22:32Well, apart from all of these are actually grevilleas, even though they look so different.
22:36We've grafted those so they're up high at eye level.
22:40But we've obviously got these Eremophilas here, and Eremophila means desert lover, and
22:45they grow in arid areas, which makes it really hard to grow it in your garden in humid East
22:51Coast conditions.
22:52So we select rootstocks that are really robust, that they cope with a variety of different
22:58soils.
22:59Or we graft at different heights, like the grevilleas behind us, so that you get a different
23:03effect, you can see the flowers better.
23:05And that's why I love grafting so much, because I'm a plant geek like you, I just get excited
23:09about plants.
23:10I love them all.
23:11But I can't have them all unless I graft them onto a rootstock where I can grow them in
23:16my condition.
23:17There are a lot of fruit trees that get grafted.
23:20And is it a case of trying to get a higher yield in some instances?
23:23Yes, it is.
23:24Yes.
23:25So it depends on the variety.
23:26So apples and pears, for example, fruit more heavily on slower growing wood.
23:31So we try and slow them down.
23:33But also you find in intensive horticulture, if you plant more trees, you get more crop
23:38in a smaller space.
23:40And so the cost, the irrigation costs, the chemical burden, all of those, all of the nasty things
23:45is all reduced because we've got an intensive system that produces a lot more in a small
23:49space.
23:50And there's so many funky things we can do with grafting too.
23:53I've got two trees at home.
23:54I've got a pear tree with 27 different varieties, actually including two apple varieties on that
23:59pear tree.
24:00And I've got an apple tree with close to 40 different varieties because I just can't fit
24:04that many fruit trees on my block.
24:06They look weird.
24:07But I get to enjoy all this fruit spread out the season for sometimes eight months.
24:12And it actually is, to some degree, a natural system.
24:15So trees will actually graft where branches press against one another.
24:20Sometimes you'll see a graft happen.
24:22It's quite common for roots to graft.
24:24And so different trees growing in an orchard setting or in a forest and the roots can actually
24:28graft together.
24:29So we are working with nature and the best way to manipulate nature is work with nature.
24:38So when it comes to grafting, you're taking part of one plant and adding it to another?
24:43That's right.
24:44So this is Eremophila pink panther and it likes dry conditions, doesn't cope well with heavy
24:50soils.
24:51And this is the rootstock we use, a Myoporum acuminatum.
24:55And it loves heavy soils.
24:57It grows in a variety of soils, a variety of climates.
24:59I mean, it's threatening to snow here today.
25:01We harvest from these as our stock bed.
25:03But we can show you how we do this.
25:05We'll get a piece of this and a piece of this and we'll put them together for you.
25:08Let's do that.
25:15Over 30 years of grafting, there'd be some big numbers when you talk about what you've been up to.
25:20Oh yeah, we've done a few.
25:22One year, I did 463,000 almond buds in that year and the crew I was working with did over
25:292 million.
25:30Well, this is the pink panther that we looked at outside and we'll graft that onto the Myoporum
25:37that we also looked at and this will be our rootstock.
25:40So this is a Myoporum cutting that has already struck.
25:44You can see the roots on the bottom there.
25:46And so we'll graft onto this.
25:47So there's really only three rules in grafting.
25:50Cambium, cambium, cambium.
25:52So everything we do is about getting cambium to knit together.
25:56So we're selecting a piece of wood that's nice and vigorous with buds that aren't too far advanced.
26:02And if we look at this, the reason we want vigorous rootstock is because if it's growing vigorously, then the cambium is going to produce callus quickly.
26:13So once again, cambium, cambium, cambium.
26:15I'll clean that up so we don't want too much leaf on the top.
26:21And then we get our rootstock.
26:26So we trim it down.
26:27We should get a good match there.
26:30I need space so that I can tie it.
26:34Now I am just going to cut straight down the middle of this and we will do what's called a top cleft graft.
26:40There's lots of different ways we can graft, but this is nice and simple.
26:44So then we get our scion and we cut nice and straight, even on both sides.
26:53So then we put our scion in and we slide it in and we want the bark, the line under the bark, which is the cambium layer, to match on both the scion and the understock.
27:03So a wedge into the cleft.
27:05Yes, just the wedge.
27:07And we want to leave what's called a church window exposed.
27:11That way the scion will heal up really evenly and you won't have any dye back in it.
27:15So the church window, as in you can see the arch just above the cut of the rootstock.
27:20Yeah.
27:21Yep.
27:22So at this point, we have to tie it together and we use what we call buddy tape, which is basically paraffin tape.
27:29And what we do, this will actually break down after two or three weeks.
27:34We need to wrap that nice and tight.
27:36We start at the bottom and stretch the tape so that it's nice and clear and it'll stick to itself.
27:41And it seals the entire cut.
27:44And completely covering the open wound, so to speak.
27:47Yeah.
27:48Completely covering the wound, otherwise it will desiccate.
27:51And I like to do about two or three wraps around it and just push that into itself.
27:58So it creates a nice humid environment, which is the perfect environment for callous growth.
28:02Yeah.
28:03There's a saying we have is that a tight tie covers a multitude of grafting sins.
28:10Clarence, if you could pass me one of those bags after you've put a spray of inoculant in it.
28:14Sure.
28:15So what's the purpose of the inoculant?
28:19This puts good bugs on so that there's no room for bad bugs to come along.
28:24Oh.
28:25And we just seal up our bag, creates a nice humid environment, so it's not going to desiccate.
28:30And that extra little bit of humidity makes a big difference as well.
28:34This is a fascinating process.
28:36People like yourself and other grafters, you're providing all these really amazing plants for gardeners to utilise in their gardens.
28:45Well, it's great for them and it's great for us.
28:48I get to work in my hobby and it's great that other people can enjoy these wonderful plants.
28:54Whether you're like a standard grevillea with flowers at eye level or growing heirloom apples in a climate they aren't suited,
29:00or even cultivating disease-free roses, grafting can be applied to so many different plants for so many different reasons.
29:07Grafters, keep on grafting.
29:10Still to come on Gardening Australia, Jerry's got the scoop on a fungus threatening our native plants.
29:20Millie suggests some solutions for a common citrus tree issue.
29:25And we meet an inspirational scientist and environmentalist who's been bringing issues to our attention for decades.
29:35We'll see you next time.
29:37Because COVID has taken some of our everyday products.
29:38We have our first you've created.
29:39If you haven't tried our best friends, we need to go through and have a natural scent.
29:41Go back and send us whatever you want.
29:43프로 has taken care of in the dark, if you were to Whee?
29:45And the best you can use is to restrictions.
29:46Go back and add a little to the green light.
29:48You're you got to be safe.
29:49Do you want to take care of yourself?
29:50See you?
29:51I think you're going to be safe.
29:52You're going to very sneak over this!
29:54I'll have to keep it safe.
29:56I'll have to keep it safe.
29:58You're going to be safe.
29:59You're going to be safe.
30:00I'll have to keep it safe.
30:02As you're going to be safe and be safe.
31:07I need to know what survivors there are in your backyard.
31:11What is one of the toughest plants in your garden?
31:15It's the orchid.
31:16Yes.
31:17I have kept them for a long, long time.
31:19Yes.
31:20They keep on growing for me.
31:22And I just have got to, when they grow too big, I divide them and give to the neighbours.
31:28Oh, well, it's got to be one of the herbs.
31:30So I'd go rosemary.
31:31No maintenance.
31:33You can eat it.
31:34Flavors everything.
31:35It's brilliant.
31:36Yeah, we've got a jungle cactus on the balcony.
31:39Cops the wind pretty well.
31:40And yeah, it seems to survive really well.
31:43Flower.
31:44A succulent.
31:45Definitely a succulent.
31:47You don't need to water it and if you forget it, it's all right, it'll come back again.
31:53Sort of convenient gardening.
31:55Yeah.
31:56I've sprouted a piece of ginger and I've been watching that grow beautifully and it's just,
32:02yeah, it doesn't need a lot of looking after and it's just shot up so quickly.
32:07Probably the Strelitzia.
32:09It's moved from house to house with us probably three times now.
32:14Yeah, it is pretty tough.
32:15Isaac likes to climb it, don't you?
32:17Tries to anyway.
32:18So it actually came before Isaac.
32:20Oh, really?
32:22It's grown up with him.
32:24Part of the family.
32:26Yeah.
32:27Now, what if I told you there was a group of plants that were tough, looked like nothing
32:32else and had knockout flowers to boot?
32:35I'll leave it to Jane for the big reveal.
32:44If you head about an hour and a half south-west of Melbourne towards the port city of Geelong,
32:49you'll find the outlying suburb of Lovely Banks, where I'm headed today.
32:58In amongst the paddocks and large blocks is a unique 20-year-old garden that really stands out.
33:04It's home to passionate plantswoman Sue Davis, who's created an oasis of largely arid plants.
33:17Hello.
33:18Hi, Jane.
33:19Well, this is quite a place you've got here.
33:22It's gorgeous.
33:23How would you describe it?
33:24Three acres of bird-attracting plants.
33:36I wanted to be able to have the flowers, have the plants and be able to keep them alive.
33:40So drought tolerance was the best way to do it.
33:43What was here when you first came?
33:45Absolutely nothing.
33:46It used to be sheep grazing land, no trees.
33:50First thing we planted were four rows of natives around the edge.
33:53And then I planted a row of small on the inside.
33:55And then we started on the beds.
33:58So we found some dirt in the local area, had an excavator come and made the beds for us.
34:04And then we just planted from there on.
34:07There's such a dizzying array of plants to see, but it's the aloes that are Sue's real passion.
34:17This is the most common aloe, or the one that people mostly think of and that they know is an aloe.
34:23Aloe vera.
34:24Aloe vera or aloe barbidensis, some people call it.
34:26Yes.
34:27Now there are two different types of aloes, aren't there?
34:29There's this one, which is what?
34:31So this is Aloe arborescens cross ferox, which has an upright flower.
34:35Yeah.
34:36And then you have Aloe melothii, which has a horizontal flower.
34:39Two different types of flowers.
34:40But they all, the flowers themselves are tubular.
34:43And they're arranged so that the bottom ones come out first.
34:46That's right, yes, yes.
34:48That is a spectacular coppery colour, isn't it?
34:51It's beautiful, yes.
34:52Yeah, it is.
34:53It's really lovely.
34:54There are over 600 species of aloes in the world, and Sue grows over 200 of them.
35:10Oh, that is a glorious sight.
35:13Wow.
35:14Yeah, so that's my favourite aloe, that one.
35:16That's Aloe thraskii.
35:17So why is this one so special?
35:19This one is so special because this year it has survived the frost.
35:24It's very tall now in comparison to what it was when I first got it.
35:29It's a rarer aloe, you don't very often see it in gardens.
35:33And after being in South Africa recently, it just made me love it even more.
35:38And those flowers, they're just ginormous.
35:40Spectacular.
35:41Yes.
35:42It looks, with its leaves and then the foliage down the bottom that's died off,
35:46it looks like it should be under the sea.
35:48How tall is it going to get?
35:50Here, I would probably get another half the height again.
35:53Really?
35:54Whereas in its natural habitat, it would get to twice the height.
36:03Where did this love of arid loving plants, where did it come from?
36:07Arid side of plants came from living in Alice Springs.
36:12Moved up there in 2000, lived there for three years.
36:17We had the three-acre block here and I knew I wanted a garden.
36:20And after living up there, I learned a lot about how to deal with arid conditions
36:25and how to look after the plants and when to water them, when not to water them
36:29because of the cold and the frost that they have up there.
36:31So I learned a lot up there and then came back and applied it here.
36:34So there is a lot to learn about watering of succulents and cacti.
36:39Oh, definitely.
36:40And the alloys fit into that.
36:41Definitely.
36:42If you water too late in the day and it's too hot, they get burnt.
36:46If you water too early in the day and it's cold, then they get frostbitten.
36:50So, yeah, there is a lot to learn.
36:59So this must take a lot of maintenance for you.
37:02It's a big garden.
37:03Yes, yeah.
37:04I spend every spare moment in the garden while I can.
37:08And you enjoy it.
37:09I do, yes.
37:10Because there's plenty of things to look at.
37:12Well, I'm just looking at that amazing thing.
37:14Is that a tree aloe?
37:15That's a tree aloe.
37:16So all the tree aloes are now in the allodendron genus.
37:19And that would be about five metres high now.
37:22Is it going to get bigger?
37:23Yes, it will.
37:24It'll get to two and a half times that.
37:26Gee.
37:27And flowers, of course.
37:28Definitely.
37:29Flowers.
37:30Probably in another couple of months, you'll have these salmon-y orange colour flowers.
37:34Wow.
37:35It looks unreal, doesn't it?
37:36It does.
37:37And when you see it with the aeoniums like that, that's just gorgeous.
37:40Alloes come in all shapes and sizes.
37:45And Sue's garden beds are a perfect example of how they can all work together.
37:51I love how you've got the contrasting colours.
37:53The blue, grey and then this red aloe is just extraordinary.
37:57What's that one?
37:58And the red, that aloe balenii, van balenii.
38:01Commonly known as octopus aloe.
38:03And you can see why.
38:04The tentacles of an octopus.
38:06Yes, exactly.
38:07Oh, and even the little spikes on the edge of the leaves.
38:10Yes.
38:11It's amazing.
38:12And in the summer, it's not as red.
38:14You'd think it would be redder because of the heat.
38:16And does that get frostbitten at all?
38:17It does.
38:18Touch wood.
38:19This year it hasn't.
38:20I actually thought about it last night.
38:22I should have covered it with shade cloth.
38:24I do that to some of my aloes that don't like the frost.
38:27And that just protects the flowers, otherwise the flowers get burnt by the frost.
38:30Ah.
38:31I'm glad he's looking alright then.
38:32Yes.
38:33Yeah, this one's fine.
38:34That's fantastic, yeah.
38:36Mid-growing type.
38:39You got many of those?
38:40Certainly do.
38:41This is a beautiful one here.
38:43This is aloe moonglow.
38:45Ah-ha.
38:46Beautiful yellow flower.
38:47Can be grown in pots.
38:48This is in part shade.
38:50Can be grown in full sun as well.
38:52So that's as high as they get?
38:53They will not get a lot bigger than what that is, no.
38:55Oh, wow.
38:56Perfect for a smaller garden, isn't it?
38:58It is, yes.
38:59And look how many flowers there are.
39:00Is that the beauty of hybridisation?
39:02Oh, it is.
39:03So many flowers to the one plant.
39:05Yes.
39:06That's really something, isn't it?
39:07Yes.
39:08And do they have to be grown on a mound or did you just do that because?
39:10Ah, grown on a mound here because I'm in clay soil.
39:12Yes.
39:13Okay.
39:14They'd get wet feet if they weren't raised up, yes.
39:16So they don't like wet feet.
39:17No.
39:18But they're really good for the number of flowers, aren't they?
39:20Certainly are.
39:21Birds love that.
39:22Yeah.
39:23And then what about this one over here?
39:24The taller one.
39:25This here is aloe ivory tower.
39:27Beautiful flower.
39:28So many flowers on it for such a smallish plant for now, but will get at least double the height.
39:34And look at the size of the candles.
39:36It's just huge.
39:37Definitely.
39:38When the aloes open up, it'll be spectacular.
39:39Oh.
39:40How do the aloes grow?
39:41Are they easy to propagate?
39:42Oh, very easy, yes.
39:43Yeah.
39:44The majority of them I do by cuts.
39:45We cut them and let them callous and then put them in a free draining mix, which I mix
39:57up from a potting mix that I add some perlite to and some food to.
40:02And then basically just look after them after that.
40:04Some of them I do from seed, but I really don't have the patience for that, so.
40:09Ooh.
40:11And smaller varieties of aloes can be grown as fillers in garden beds and even pots.
40:23Are these some new hybrids just here?
40:25Yes, yes.
40:26So that orange one up there is aloe hedgehog and this yellow one here is aloe southern cross.
40:32And they wouldn't happen to be Australian, would they, with that name like that?
40:36That was named by the cultivar grower in Queensland, yes.
40:40Ah, very nice.
40:41They're good colours, aren't they?
40:42Yeah.
40:44They're such a variety, isn't they?
40:46Tall and medium and small.
40:47It's amazing.
40:48Small, tiny.
40:49When you look at aloes, which is basically your garden, the aloes have got a certain architectural
41:00design feature about them, haven't they?
41:02Is that what you like about them?
41:03It's that.
41:04It's the architectural design and the flowers that attract the birds.
41:07And they're drought tolerant.
41:08And to be drought tolerant, that's less water.
41:11Mm.
41:12So a lot easier to look after.
41:14Sue's garden is testament to a passion for plants, and especially the aloes.
41:20Proving tough conditions are no obstacle for success in the garden.
41:25What is myrtle rust?
41:34Myrtle rust is an introduced exotic disease, and it affects all members of the myrtaceae family.
41:40And that includes garden favourites like bottle brush, eucalyptus, and tea tree.
41:45It affects 350 different species, and it's been found all across Australia.
41:51Early symptoms are purple spots developing on the leaves.
41:56And these enlarge, and they become yellow pustules, which release spores.
42:01And that's how this disease spreads.
42:03It spreads on the wind and on clothing.
42:06Now, if you don't check myrtle rust, it will cause defoliation, it'll weaken plants,
42:12and it will stop them producing seed, and eventually they die.
42:16There is nothing you can do to treat the disease.
42:19What we are encouraging gardeners to do is when you spot a sick tree,
42:24to cut it up, put it into a bag, and don't put it into the green waste.
42:29Bin it.
42:30And that way you reduce the amount of disease which can spread through your suburb.
42:40What are these lumps on the lemon tree?
42:42Well, these are a really common thing in lots of suburban gardens.
42:46It's a plant response, known as a gall, to an insect laying eggs in the tree.
42:51It's a citrus gall wasp.
42:52And it can be really detrimental to a tree when you get a very heavy infestation.
42:57It is a native wasp.
42:59But, unfortunately, in southern parts of the country we don't have the native predator
43:03that seems to keep it under control in northern parts of Australia.
43:08If you've got a smaller, easy to access tree, some people have been having success
43:13by gently peeling a fine layer of bark to expose and kill the larvae.
43:18But whatever the treatment, you want to do it when the cuts are not going to trigger growth.
43:23Because soft, fresh new growth is perfect for wasps to lay their eggs in.
43:29Other people are experimenting with spraying the trees with a special type of clay.
43:35It coats it like a liquid, and it actually deters the insects from laying their eggs in the tree.
43:41It is something that you need to keep on top of.
43:43You need to keep the tree as healthy as you can.
43:45Good water, good feed, the perfect position.
43:47And, hopefully, you can live with a little bit of citrus gall wasp,
43:51but also get beautiful fruit from your tree too.
44:00As gardeners, we all know how important it is to protect our natural world
44:06and keep it safe for generations to come.
44:10Our next story is with a scientist, environmentalist and former Australian of the Year
44:16who's dedicated his life and career to protecting our precious ecosystems.
44:25You know, some people love watching a great footy match or seeing a great piece of music performed.
44:43But for me, this is the greatest show on earth.
44:46You know, because when you understand where each of these plants has come from
44:50and what its long evolutionary history has been
44:53and how it interacts with every other element in this environment,
44:56how the birds and the plants work together,
44:59to feel part of it even for a moment and to see the richness and majesty of it
45:04is just enchanting for me.
45:07I'm Professor Tim Flannery.
45:13I'm an environmentalist and climate activist.
45:16I spent, I guess, most of my career really trying to protect the environment
45:21and to make sure that we address climate change before it's too late.
45:26We're in Dharawale Country, about 70 kilometres south of Sydney,
45:34in the Illawarra Escarpment Area.
45:36And as you can see, we're surrounded by temperate rainforest.
45:40And this rainforest is really one of the most ancient habitats in Australia.
45:45Some elements of it date back to a time when Australia was connected with Antarctica
45:50and right through to South America.
45:52I trained as a paleontologist originally,
45:58so studying fossils from past eras.
46:01And that really gave me an appreciation for the fact that Earth's climate can change over time.
46:07And when I started seeing impacts from human-caused climate change,
46:12I guess I was primed by that early work in paleontology
46:16to see what was happening and to understand it.
46:22Well, this place is a real refuge for me.
46:26I spend a lot of time travelling, working in the climate space,
46:29and forest protection as well.
46:31But when I come here, I feel like I'm somehow enveloped in a living ecosystem
46:37that's starting to heal, and that's important to me.
46:40My house is on a sort of a major wildlife corridor between the escarpment up there
46:47and the ocean down there.
46:49And we have a creek running beside it that drains from way up high on the escarpment
46:54all the way down to the ocean.
46:56But it's really important in terms of connectivity,
46:59because this continuous corridor of trees is used by all sorts of wildlife.
47:04Look, my approach to gardening is really based on a sort of a philosophy, really,
47:11that if you look at a jungle, it is perfectly ordered.
47:15So the leaves of the trees and the trees themselves that grow there,
47:19they're adapted to those conditions for millions of years.
47:22And the placement of every leaf in that rainforest
47:25is strictly ordered by the physics and chemistry of that location.
47:29And so to me, it's perfect order, even though it might look messy to people.
47:33But when I see a garden that someone is forced to grow in a certain way,
47:38that is human effort that's put in to disturb that natural order.
47:42So to me, it looks kind of disordered.
47:44So I'm very happy to have this jungle,
47:46because it feels to me harmonious and properly ordered.
47:55You can see these huge eucalypts here.
47:58I've seen pictures, photographs taken a century ago,
48:01and there was still giant eucalypts at that time.
48:03So that's been an ongoing feature of this place.
48:07The rainforest plants that are coming up underneath,
48:09however, they're all pretty new.
48:11I think this was probably a grassland a century or two centuries ago.
48:15Then it became someone's garden,
48:17and now it's slowly just reverting to that rainforest condition
48:21that the climate suits.
48:23I love the Illawarra frame trees.
48:25These huge trees now,
48:27they were the pioneers of the regeneration of the rainforest.
48:31I guess these must have started growing 30 years ago,
48:33and they've just come up naturally.
48:35Under them, we've got the cabbage palms coming up,
48:38and we've got things like the rough leaf fig, sandpaper fig.
48:42Look, I've been so happy to see this little fella come up.
48:46I think it's false rosewood.
48:48I'm not 100% sure until it gets a bit bigger,
48:50but that's what it looks like,
48:51and that's not very common around here.
48:53And then we've got maiden's blush,
48:55that beautiful tree down there,
48:57which is such a glorious rainforest tree,
48:59but again, not very common this low on the escarpment.
49:02So that's telling me birds are moving
49:04from where those plants grow higher up the escarpment
49:06down to here and dropping seeds.
49:08I just hope that they both survive.
49:17There's a lot of non-native plants here.
49:19You can see them all around,
49:20and I haven't taken many of them out.
49:22I've taken out the weedy ones,
49:24but I've left a lot of the others
49:25because they're doing a job in this ecosystem.
49:27I can see it as we go by,
49:29and they'll probably be replaced if they're in the wrong spot
49:32by natives that are coming up.
49:34So I'm not kind of crazy to eliminate every non-native.
49:37I'm quite happy to live with them.
49:39But to see that process of transformation,
49:41that's what's really important to me.
49:48A big part of my job over the years has been educational.
49:52It's just been raising awareness of, first of all,
49:55the incredible beauty and preciousness of our environment,
49:59but also the threat that climate change
50:02and other human activities represents.
50:04Back in 2004, I wrote a book called The Weather Makers,
50:09and people seemed to be able to understand, reading the book,
50:13just what climate change was really about
50:15and what threat it posed to people.
50:17I wrote the book really because I am so concerned
50:21about the future of our biodiversity and our cities,
50:25and just the future of the whole thing that we call planet Earth
50:30over the next century unless we can get on top of this problem.
50:34Australian of the Year for 2007 is Tim Flannery.
50:40For me, I don't think there is a greater honour for an Australian than this one,
50:48for it speaks eloquently of the desire of Australians to address climate change.
50:53We are, on a per capita basis, the worst greenhouse polluters in the world,
50:59and I don't think any of us want our children asking in future
51:03why we didn't give our utmost when it was still possible
51:06to influence the course of events.
51:08So, over to you.
51:11Prime Minister, thank you for the opportunity to hand over this report.
51:14I've had some interesting positions.
51:15I've been climate commissioner where I had to go out and talk to people
51:19and persuade them to change.
51:21I think that a well-crafted response to the climate problem
51:24can be done with minimal cost.
51:26So, you know, when I was climate commissioner between 2010 and 2013,
51:30about 90% of the electricity that we generated here in Australia
51:34was generated through burning coal,
51:36and it was hugely polluting.
51:39As of now, about 40 to 45% of the electricity we generate is clean.
51:44It's from wind and solar and using battery backup and so forth.
51:48Within five years, it'll be more than 80% clean.
51:52So, there's been a huge change in a short amount of time
51:55and we'll all be much better off for it.
51:58At the moment, we're in a transition.
52:00It's a bit like, you know,
52:01having someone remaking your road in front of your house.
52:03Transitions are always messy
52:05and you want them over as quickly as you can.
52:07Well, the good news is,
52:08this energy transition will be over in the next five years
52:10if we stick to our current policy.
52:12And from then on, it's going to be so much easier and so much better.
52:15I've always believed that when you see something that's wrong,
52:20you should stand up and be counted.
52:22You know, let your voice be heard about it.
52:24Being a climate activist, it's very much like playing a very poorly refereed game of rugby.
52:31You know, we've got possession of the ball.
52:33We're moving forward and everyone on the opposition team,
52:36they're trying to give you a bloody, you know, a neck tackle.
52:38They're trying to kick you in the ghoulies.
52:40They're trying to do whatever they can to stop you getting to that finish line.
52:43Our job's not to stand up and fight them.
52:46Our job is to get to that finish line.
52:48So just to keep going relentlessly.
52:51But we just need to win this battle and we can do it if we stay focused.
52:56One of the things that I notice when people are gardening
52:59or just interacting with the environment is these days we expect it all to be quick.
53:04Really, the great things take time.
53:07They take a bit of commitment and a bit of patience.
53:09So as you're thinking about your little part of the world,
53:12think about it a century hence.
53:14Think about what you're doing now and how it might play out over a century.
53:18And that's really the key thing.
53:19Because this is going to be around if we treat it right forever.
53:22We won't be, but this will be.
53:24But our legacy will show in this great performance of nature that surrounds us.
53:38In cool temperate areas, warm weather is a whisker away.
53:42Feed beds with blood and bone to promote strong growth
53:45and replenish mulch to slow down the spread of spring weeds.
53:50Give herbaceous perennials like salvia the chop,
53:53cutting stems to ground level where new growth is present.
53:57This hard pruning clears the way for spring growth and summer flowers.
54:02While you have the secateurs handy, have a go at your gardenias,
54:05removing old buds that have failed to open
54:08and pruning the plants to shape before they set better buds in spring.
54:13Warm temperate gardeners treat peach and nectarine trees for fungal leaf curl.
54:18Spray trunks, stems and buds with copper oxychloride, repeating after rains and until bud burst.
54:25The scent of wattle is in the air.
54:27And while many acacias are too big for home gardens,
54:30prostrate varieties like acacia cartofilla, gold lace,
54:34are perfectly suited to pots and smaller spaces.
54:37Soil pH determines hydrangea flower colour.
54:41So if colour counts, it's time to act.
54:44Adding bluing tonic fortnightly will turn pink flowers blue,
54:49while a cup of garden lime will see blues turn to pink.
54:52August is the start of subtropical spring,
54:56so it's the perfect time to plant quick-growing spring crops
55:01like loose leaf lettuce varieties, rocket, tatsoi, bok choy and mustard greens.
55:07It's also the ideal time to look at installing a watering system.
55:11Whether it's basic or complex,
55:13providing regular irrigation to seedlings and thirsty edibles
55:17can offset the damaging drying effects of westerly spring winds.
55:22It's hibiscus haircut time.
55:25Pruning now gives new growth a healthy head start
55:28on the awful eranos mites that aren't yet active
55:31and promotes a longer, showier flowering period.
55:35Go tropo and plant out tropical greens like ibica,
55:40Brazilian spinach, cancong, amaranth and sweet potato
55:44that love the warmer weather and will all thrive once the rains come.
55:48Remove crusty canes from heliconia clumps.
55:51Snip off dead or damaged stems at ground level
55:54as well as removing those stems that have already flowered.
55:58They won't flower again.
56:00Keep an eye on ripening jackfruit and harvest
56:03before these heavy fruit fall and do damage.
56:06If harvested green, jackfruit can be ripened further indoors.
56:10The longer they sit, the sweeter they get.
56:13As winter winds down in arid areas,
56:16wildflowers are bursting into beautiful bloom.
56:19Make time to head to a botanic garden or go bush
56:23to appreciate these living jewels.
56:26It's prime potato planting time.
56:28Certified seed spuds can be purchased and planted
56:31into compost-rich soil now.
56:34There's no need to chip or pre-sprout them before popping them in.
56:38It may sound boring, but turning on your boar
56:41and running the system for five minutes each week
56:44will prevent the pump from seizing up
56:46and creating an expensive repair job.
56:49Get out there this weekend, gardeners.
56:51There's so much to do at this time of year.
56:54Head to the GA YouTube channel for tons of tips and tricks.
56:59Well, that's it for this time, but in the days ahead,
57:08stay inquisitive, be curious, get out in the garden
57:12and enjoy the world wherever you are.
57:15See you next time.
57:18If you're wanting a bounty from your fruit trees,
57:21now is the time to set them up for success.
57:25I'm visiting the mind-blowing Melbourne Orchid Spectacular.
57:29It's an absolute celebration
57:31of one of the biggest plant families on the planet.
57:34And I'm dropping in to meet a home gardener
57:37who, for the past 30 years,
57:39has been creating a colourful and textural garden,
57:43a palette from which to draw inspiration for her art practice.
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