- 4 months ago
Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 28 🌿🇦🇺✨
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
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00:34Hello, and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37It's spring, and I'm in Sydney's west,
00:40exploring some of the best parks in Parramatta.
00:44It's gardening prime time,
00:46and we're ready and raring to go with everything you need
00:50to get your productive season off to a great start.
00:54Here's what's in store.
00:56I'm going to do a few timely tasks to get the most out of this,
01:01well, transitional season.
01:03I call it springish.
01:05I'm visiting an artist and gardener
01:07who's transformed her bare paddock into a floral canvas
01:10that's just brimming with poppies.
01:12A garden for your cats?
01:15Sounds indulgent, but it actually makes a lot of sense.
01:19I'll be planting out a garden in a cat run.
01:22And we meet a pear lifting the rock on some elusive Tassie species.
01:35Spring is a time to think big in the garden
01:38and let your dreams go wild.
01:41I'm thinking colour, some colour,
01:44and maybe a little bit more colour.
01:47And it seems I'm not the only one.
01:50Tammy's visiting a garden in the Blue Mountains
01:52that's going to get your inspiration metre peaking.
01:56Further on from the Three Sisters in Katoomba,
02:03over the Blue Mountains and down the other side,
02:06you'll find yourself in a picturesque valley
02:08that avid gardeners are drawn to.
02:10It's located in the scenic central west region of New South Wales,
02:18between Blackheath and Lithgow,
02:20approximately 150 kilometres north-west of Sydney.
02:24It's home to Hartvale Gardens
02:27and floral-loving artist and gardener Jennifer Edwards,
02:31whose unrestrained love for colour
02:33has led her to create a garden tapestry
02:36full of beautiful old-fashioned blooms.
02:42Hartvale Gardens, five acres,
02:44is situated in a constantly shifting landscape,
02:47shaped by cloud patterns and seasonal changes.
02:51Hey, Jan!
02:52Oh, hey, Tammy.
02:54Welcome to Hartvale.
02:56You've got an amazing garden here.
02:58Thank you. We love it here.
03:00Hartvale Gardens is a series of vibrant and relaxed spaces.
03:04Maze-like, each with a unique character and purpose.
03:08Serpentine garden beds curve,
03:10mimicking the topography of the valley beyond.
03:13She shares this haven with her partner, Pete,
03:16a licensed builder, and their two moodles, Rusty and Teddy.
03:20Rusty, Teddy. Come on, Rusty. Come on, Teddy.
03:22Hello!
03:24Hartvale Gardens is a happy combination
03:26of two very different skill sets.
03:29So, this is our potager garden.
03:33Oh, it's beautiful.
03:34Yeah, you can see where it's trying to go
03:36with like a country, Australianer setting.
03:39So, it's got a little bit of formality,
03:40but a little bit kind of playful as well.
03:43What are you growing here?
03:44Well, I've got some Italian spinach,
03:46which is really nice spinach.
03:48Lettuce all year round.
03:50We've got zucchinis and cucumbers, Lebanese cucumbers,
03:54some asparagus and some beetroot as well.
03:58And, of course, flowers in the veggie garden.
04:01Yeah.
04:02Jen can't live without flowers.
04:03No.
04:04Always some flowers.
04:05I don't think it'd be your garden without a flower.
04:06No.
04:07What are your favourites in the garden?
04:12I love the veronica.
04:14I love the snapdragons.
04:16They've been a new thing this time.
04:17I found these gorgeous double snapdragons in like yellows
04:21and oranges, which are just beautiful.
04:24And there's other colours around the garden as well.
04:26I absolutely love the aquilegias or granny's bonnets,
04:29as they're called.
04:31They go with the whimsical feel of this garden
04:33because they're just like little fairies' dresses.
04:36Another thing I love are the old-fashioned roses.
04:39Fantastic.
04:41And you've got gorgeous sweet pea towers?
04:44Yes.
04:45They were a new thing this year, the sweet peas.
04:46I just love the smell of them.
04:48They're really beautiful.
04:49In fact, I had a lady here in the garden the other day
04:52and she had tears in her eyes because she just said,
04:55I haven't smelt sweet peas since I was a kid.
05:02A focal point of Hartvale Gardens
05:04that I've been most looking forward to seeing is the poppies.
05:08Jen, what do poppies mean to you?
05:10Poppies, when I'm just surrounded by these flowers,
05:13I just feel joy.
05:15And there's a sense of fun here as well.
05:17Like, I don't know if you can feel it,
05:19but it's like the whole garden's having a party
05:22and we're just invited.
05:23Well, I'm glad we are.
05:25How would you describe them?
05:29I think they're whimsical.
05:31They just seem to float on the air.
05:34And I just love the way the petals capture the sunlight.
05:38They're just lovely.
05:40Poppies are spring flowering annuals
05:42that thrive in sunny spots with well-drained soil.
05:46What varieties are you growing here?
05:48I've got lots of red Flanders, as you can see.
05:52I've got the white version as well.
05:54I've also got Oriental poppies.
05:57I call them pom-pom poppies because they look like giant pom-poms.
06:00I think I like your name better.
06:02And also the pink Orientals as well.
06:05Sometimes they're called peony poppies.
06:07So they're the fluffy sort of pink ones.
06:09And there's some beautiful little angels choir.
06:12They're really sweet.
06:13They're like the little pink ones.
06:15And I've actually got a perennial poppy that I don't pull out.
06:19It just stays in the ground
06:20and they have these massive orange cups.
06:22They're incredible.
06:24You've got quite a collection there.
06:26And it's still growing?
06:27Yeah.
06:28Yeah.
06:29Well, I do love poppies.
06:32In spring, Jennifer deadheads old blooms regularly.
06:34To prolong the display.
06:36Believe it or not.
06:37In about three weeks, all these red poppies go brown.
06:40All the plants go brown.
06:42The seed pods go brown.
06:43And I just spend my time going around collecting seed.
06:49Then at the end of the season,
06:50the seed pods are stored in packets
06:52and named for future plantings next autumn.
06:55In March and early April,
06:57there's parts of the garden here
06:59that I can actually use as little poppy nurseries.
07:02So I start off and I just sprinkle the seeds,
07:05cover them with a little bit of straw, but not much.
07:08Because as you can imagine,
07:09poppy seeds just fall straight onto the ground.
07:11And then when they're seedlings,
07:13I just basically paint with flowers all throughout winter.
07:17I just go, okay, the oriental's at the back,
07:19the Flanders at the front,
07:21angels choir mixed with Flanders.
07:24Yeah, whatever works.
07:25Oh, must be such a fun process.
07:27It is, it is just like painting.
07:29Yeah, it's very creative.
07:31I love it.
07:32I love that aspect of it.
07:33And I just love imagining
07:35what they're going to look like in spring.
07:40It's really a heart connection.
07:42This garden, there's a sense of nostalgia about it.
07:46And I often have people wandering around saying,
07:49oh, my grandma had that plant.
07:51Or, oh, my mum had that.
07:53Or this is like my mum's garden used to be.
07:56Or, it's just lovely.
07:58People pointing out things
07:59that really are a connection to their heart.
08:06Adding to that old world charm
08:07are the espaliered pear trees.
08:09Well, this is, I suppose,
08:11a little mini walled garden that we've created.
08:14Just wanted to create a green wall.
08:16And they're actually fruiting pears,
08:17so we wanted some fruit as well.
08:19One of the typical things that happens
08:21as I'm building,
08:23Jen doesn't even wait for me to finish.
08:25She just whacks a plant in there straight away.
08:27You've got to soften that hardscaping.
08:31We could not do this garden without each other.
08:34Yeah, so I'm a bit of the muscle
08:36and Jen's the beauty.
08:38So, I kind of do lots of the hardscaping, generally,
08:41and lawn mowing and edging.
08:43And Jen is with the flowers.
08:45Well, she's the artist.
08:46Yeah, she's the artist.
08:47She brings it all together.
08:49How did you find this place?
08:51So, our fridge died.
08:52So, we went into Lithgow
08:54and just happened to look up into a real estate window
08:57and saw this land.
08:58Came across, thought, oh, yeah, it's okay.
09:01And then we walked across to that lovely oak tree
09:04and the view. Amazing.
09:05And we just fell in love with it, basically.
09:07So, we ended up buying a fridge and a block of land.
09:10As you do.
09:11Yeah.
09:12As you do.
09:13A fridge and five acres.
09:14And what was it like when you got here?
09:16It was pretty much just the gum trees here
09:18and the oak tree down the bottom.
09:20All the rest of the planting we've put in
09:22in the time that we've been here.
09:24Planting and the buildings.
09:25Peak built all the buildings.
09:26So, everything's been done in seven years.
09:29Wow.
09:32Another beautiful part of the garden, Jen.
09:34Oh, thanks.
09:35We love the little hothouse.
09:36It must be difficult to garden in such extremes.
09:39Yeah, we can get down to minus seven here.
09:42We're in a cool climate.
09:43And the frosts here are phenomenal.
09:45The whole paddock turns white.
09:47Not necessarily for that reason,
09:50but we have the hothouse here
09:52because you can see a lot of white moth around here,
09:54can't you?
09:55Yes.
09:56They lay eggs and growing brassicas is really,
09:59really difficult with them around.
10:00So, that protects them from the grubs,
10:03from the white moth.
10:04It's also a great place just to hang out in winter
10:06and do potting.
10:07So, it's nice and warm.
10:08Oh, I bet.
10:09And it looks fantastic too.
10:11Yeah.
10:12There's so much colour, Jen.
10:14Yeah, absolutely.
10:15It just explodes in October.
10:18As gorgeous as it looks,
10:20country gardening is not without its challenges.
10:22The kangaroos are fine.
10:23Love the kangaroos.
10:25The wallabies do tend to eat my roses in the paddock,
10:28unfortunately.
10:30And also, we have ducks and rabbits.
10:34So, the rabbits and ducks eat all the poppy seedlings.
10:38Jennifer and Pete tackle these obstacles with dedication,
10:42using rabbit-proof fencing to protect their precious plants.
10:46So, this fence is actually dug into the ground
10:49about 20 centimetres.
10:51Wow, in heavy clay.
10:53Yeah.
10:54Yeah.
10:55Very hard work.
10:56Old post and rail with the chicken wire.
10:58And it really does work.
10:59So, what do you do to protect what's outside of the fence?
11:02Pete's actually made me some lovely little sort of wire rounds
11:06or squares or rectangles that I use.
11:09There's probably about 20 of them.
11:11And then, when we do big garden areas of poppies,
11:14Pete actually fences the whole lot until they grow up.
11:18So, what other methods have you used to protect plants outside of the main garden?
11:21The white cockies came and tore out about 15 poppy plants.
11:26Pete made me some pretty scary-looking scarecrows.
11:29Pretty sad-looking too.
11:31But they worked.
11:32We fooled those white cockatoos.
11:34Oh, good on you.
11:35He made three.
11:36So, I actually saw a cockatoo come and land on the fence
11:40and then look at the scarecrow and then fly away.
11:43So, Pete builds everything.
11:44Oh, Pete is amazing.
11:46Yeah.
11:47He's so creative.
11:48There's an old tree stump right at the bottom of the garden,
11:51and we didn't know what to do with it,
11:53but he's turned it into Peter Rabbit's house.
11:56So, it's got a little fireplace.
11:58It's got its chimney.
12:00It's got its clothesline.
12:02And Mum's made a little jacket to hang on the clothesline.
12:05It goes with the whimsical nature of the garden.
12:09We all need a Pete.
12:10Definitely.
12:11We all need a Pete.
12:13And a visit to Hartvale Gardens wouldn't be complete
12:16without taking in some of the best views on the property.
12:21Welcome to my studio, Tammy.
12:22Which just happened to be from Jennifer's art studio.
12:26Wow, Jen.
12:27This is where I hang out when I'm not in the garden.
12:29I mean, really, but the garden comes to you in here.
12:32It does.
12:33It's like you're in the garden.
12:34It's an extension of her garden
12:36and a window into her creative process.
12:38I basically just paint what I see.
12:40The birds, the mountains, and, of course, the garden.
12:46Jennifer and Pete's rustic and artistic garden
12:49is an inspiring intersection of art and horticulture,
12:53framed by the wild panoramic landscape
12:55west of the Great Dividing Range.
12:57It's gorgeous.
12:58How can your livestock, like goats or chickens,
13:08contribute to your garden goodness?
13:10Well, we've just had a tribe of goats here,
13:12so the shed has become a really important home space for them.
13:16To make sure it's comfortable,
13:17we put a deep layer of straw on the floor,
13:20and as that captures all the weeds and poos that come,
13:23we end up scraping it out into our compost base
13:26where it breaks down
13:28and then feeds our garden to grow beautiful crops.
13:32Do I need to buy mulch for my garden?
13:35Mulching is beneficial
13:37because it helps retain soil moisture,
13:39regulate temperature, suppress weeds
13:41and help improve soil health as it decomposes.
13:45Buying mulch isn't necessary
13:47if you have alternative organic materials available.
13:50Now, these can include grass clippings,
13:52fallen leaves, straw or compost.
13:55So, if you have enough,
13:57it will save you money to supply your own.
13:59However, purchasing mulch can save time
14:03and give you a range of options
14:05such as wood chips, bark, straw and composted manure.
14:09Now, whichever way you go,
14:11mulching is a key practice to help gardens thrive.
14:14Why are some plants hairy?
14:17It's a surprising fact that about 80% of all plants
14:21use hairs for one reason or another.
14:23Think zucchini, cucumber, melons, lavender.
14:27This plant uses hairs to protect itself
14:30from moisture loss and sunburn.
14:33This uses hairs to protect itself from frost.
14:36Whereas this plant uses hairs to conserve water.
14:41It will actually soak up dew and rainfall from its hairs.
14:46Hairs are wonderful things.
14:48Parramatta Park surrounds historic old government house
14:58just behind me here.
15:00Parramatta is on Parramuttigal country.
15:03Burra meaning place of the eel
15:06and mudra meaning calm waters.
15:09Let's catch up with Millie now,
15:11who's making a plan for spring growing
15:14in her cool climate garden.
15:16For a gardener, the one thing that is consistent
15:30at this time of year is that the weather is going to be inconsistent.
15:34You get everything from sunny warm days to howling gales.
15:38Even frost is still a risk for us here.
15:40So you need to be in the habit of really looking
15:43at what the season is giving you
15:45and reading the garden every single day.
15:48While you might get a few sunny warm days in spring,
15:52it's actually the length of those days getting longer
15:55that stimulates action in lots of plants.
15:58Lots of different vegetable crops use day length as that signal
16:02to produce flower and set seed.
16:05And if you leave it even a week,
16:07you can have a really good crop go way too far
16:10and you can't pick them for the table.
16:12So this time of the year,
16:13I'm always walking around the garden,
16:14having a look, inspecting everything,
16:16working out what I need to harvest and eat,
16:19what I can leave a little bit longer
16:21and what I might want to save for seed.
16:24Take this radicchio.
16:25Now, this is a new variety for my garden.
16:27It forms the most incredibly beautiful pink heart,
16:31a really lovely dense head.
16:33And it's the last of the batch.
16:34And I've been waiting, waiting, waiting to see
16:37if it'd form a nice dense heart, but it hasn't done it.
16:41And now that those days are lengthening,
16:43I know that really my chance is up.
16:45It's now going to run straight to flower
16:48and try and set seed.
16:49So if I want to get a meal out of this,
16:51I've got to make salad.
16:57One big tip for productive gardening anytime is to plan for anything.
17:08And I do that by planting lots of different things
17:11and always having a backup plan.
17:13This is a lettuce crop.
17:15It is mignonette or butter lettuce.
17:17And it's the perfect time to grow this variety
17:20in that lovely mild weather.
17:22When I saw some weeds and some other lettuce germinate,
17:25I immediately sowed seed directly into the bed,
17:28because why not cut out all that extra work
17:30and go straight to the ground?
17:32But I'm also going to put in some of these more advanced seedlings,
17:35which means that no matter what the weather,
17:38I'm going to guarantee myself a feed.
17:53There are plenty of plants in the productive garden
17:56that are really useful even when they're no longer edible for us.
17:59And brassicas are a great example.
18:02So once those little broccoli florets that we eat
18:05start to actually form flowers,
18:07they're stringy and they're tough.
18:08You wouldn't want to eat them.
18:09But the flowers are packed with nectar.
18:11So they make a great pollinator-attracting plant.
18:14In the cooler months, I really rely on them.
18:16They're one of my main flowers in the garden.
18:19So even though this is no longer of any use to me,
18:22it's a beauty for the bugs.
18:28Then there are those plants that I'm planning to save for seed.
18:31Now I grow lots of brassicas in this garden.
18:34You can see so many of them are now running to seed and flower.
18:37And they're renowned for cross-pollinating,
18:39meaning that the seed you save from most varieties
18:42won't remain true to type
18:43and you won't know what that little seed is going to give you.
18:46But this is one thing that I have found
18:48is a total exception to the rule.
18:50And it's my favourite brassica.
18:52It's spigory yellow.
18:53It's a sprouting broccoli.
18:54You can see it's starting to produce white flowers down the front.
18:57Now it is such a great plant.
19:00We eat it for five months of the year
19:02and now it's getting into its last stage.
19:04So I've been picking these little broccolis to eat,
19:07but soon I'm going to stop picking them.
19:09I'm going to feed them, water them and treat them
19:12as the best plants in the garden,
19:14because they're going to make those seed
19:15that are going to feed us next year.
19:24You know, this time of year can be a lot.
19:27There are a lot of jobs to do,
19:28a lot of weeds that start growing.
19:30But I promise if you keep an eye on your garden
19:32and respond to what's happening, you will win.
19:35Get lots of things in the ground
19:36and you can always have a springish in your step.
19:39It's not too often you see me right in the middle of the Melbourne CBD.
20:05But there are gardens everywhere if you know where to look.
20:12This is the entrance to what I think is one of the best buildings in the city.
20:18Yes, it has a rooftop garden, but that's just the beginning.
20:23This building is a new home for people who need it the most.
20:28Make Room is a six-storey council-owned building,
20:33and up until recently it wasn't being used for much other than storage.
20:38It's been given a complete transformation and retrofitted
20:43to create 50 studio apartments, providing secure housing
20:48for people experiencing long-term homelessness.
20:51Each apartment is fully furnished and people can stay for at least a year
20:58or until they find somewhere they prefer.
21:02People have just started moving in here over the last couple of months,
21:07so I'm heading upstairs to see the heart of any home, the garden.
21:12It's a pretty decent size.
21:19The rooftop's 655 square metres,
21:22with a barbecue area and plenty of seating for socialising and workshops.
21:27There's around 20 raised garden beds fitted with low-maintenance wicking systems.
21:33There's a good mix of perennial herbs, some natives, fruit trees and seasonal annuals
21:39like chilli, capsicum and eggplant.
21:44Building Make Room has been a massive team effort
21:47between Melbourne Council, the state government, philanthropists
21:51and non-profit organisation Unison Housing.
21:56Working here is amazing.
21:59I get to see the next step in a lot of the clients' lives that I've worked with,
22:03going from street-based homelessness into supportive accommodation
22:06where they get wraparound holistic care.
22:09Hayley Morgan has worked in health and homelessness for years
22:13and knows how special this place is.
22:17People that have been rough sleeping and entrenched in it
22:20for such a long period of time often don't get the opportunity
22:24to have supported accommodation.
22:26They could be offered a house that's really far away
22:29where they don't know anyone and then it all falls apart
22:33and the cycle sort of starts again.
22:35So being able to support people for 12 months or for as long as they're here
22:39while they're here just helps build up a lot of their living skills.
22:42So once they're out in housing in the community, they've got the skills.
22:47And what an amazing thing to have this space, a garden.
22:53Yeah.
22:54It's showing people around when they're about to move in.
22:58This is always one of the favourites.
23:00And memories as well.
23:02So people come up here and they look at the garden
23:04and there's always a bit of a story.
23:07So whether it's remembering other periods of their life
23:10or family members that used to grow tomatoes and that sort of thing.
23:13So it really just provides that home connection as well.
23:17So we've got our gardening group which is on once a week.
23:20Or if you don't have any tomatoes for your dinner,
23:22you can run up here, get some tomatoes.
23:24We've had people making like eggplant dip and all these different recipes,
23:28which is pretty cool.
23:30You can see how many we've got. We've got heaps.
23:33There's a few in there. Yeah, definitely.
23:36Tiff moved in about four months ago.
23:39She's planting some seedlings.
23:41So I'm going to give her a hand.
23:43So who was your gardening influence?
23:46My foster dad taught me gardening skills at home.
23:50Really? Yeah.
23:51I actually got to go out on the farm as well
23:54and have a little shot at that with my dog, Rackets.
23:59Rackets?
24:00Yeah. That's a great name.
24:01He was really, really rowdy.
24:02What sort of dog was he?
24:03He was a Kelpie.
24:04Yeah.
24:05Kelpie Aussie.
24:07What have you learnt from the garden over the years?
24:09Like what's it sort of given you and nature?
24:13How things can work together.
24:16How things can work together to help each other.
24:19Yeah.
24:20Yeah.
24:21Yeah, really.
24:22And how simple things can be if you really just look after what you have.
24:27You know what I mean?
24:30Yeah, it's funny, isn't it?
24:31Like the older you get, the more people try and complicate life, don't they?
24:35I think the separation of people from people and disconnection from communication with what matters first, which is this.
24:47You know what I mean?
24:48Because we all like to eat good food, right?
24:51Yeah.
24:52Yeah.
24:53Yeah.
24:54And then good food makes you think good.
24:55Yeah.
24:56So, yeah.
24:57It's all how you think about it.
24:59It's real.
25:00The end.
25:01Yeah.
25:02Yeah.
25:03Yeah.
25:04Yeah.
25:05Yeah.
25:06It's so easy for us to take for granted when you have the safety of a shelter.
25:12Yeah.
25:13That, you know, you suddenly get it again and just that basic need to find calm and balance.
25:23And it can be scary, too.
25:24If you're used to being on the streets, there's actually a community there.
25:28So, you're never alone.
25:29So, to then move in to an apartment, too, can be quite quiet and isolating, which is also why the outdoor space is so important.
25:38Some people, when they first move in, they might sleep for four days.
25:41Wow.
25:42So, they might just sleep for a long time and then slowly over time, you see them making it home, putting in diffusers and rugs and pot plants and things like that into their rooms.
25:52Wow, that must be, like, that difference between a house and a home.
25:58Yeah.
25:59It's a massive difference.
26:00And it's a really nice transition to see.
26:02It's one of my favourite things.
26:07One thing I remember growing up with my grandparents and my parents was whenever you went to someone's place, you always took something.
26:17And I thought, you know, coming and visiting someone's new place here, it'd be really nice to be able to give them a plant.
26:28And this was a gift that has then created pups.
26:32And then those pups have gone on as gifts to others.
26:36So, it just really is that gift that keeps on giving.
26:40So, this is the Chinese money plant, or pilia.
26:43It's a great indoor plant.
26:45It's really tough.
26:46And I've got a few little op shop special pots here.
26:50And I'm going to make some gifts to be given.
26:56So, I might get in here with the secateurs.
26:59So, there's one.
27:01And two.
27:05Three.
27:08Four.
27:09Five.
27:12Look at that.
27:14I'm using a combination of two parts quality potting mix with one part perlite and horticultural charcoal.
27:23And I've got some plastic pots that I've cut down to size.
27:28So, this has got plenty of roots, this little pup.
27:32Now, I just need to backfill it.
27:36Tamp it down.
27:39That looks pretty good.
27:40I'll just put it in this pot.
27:44Look at that.
27:46Now, don't be fooled by the slightly weathered appearance of this devil's ivy or potos.
27:54I actually took this cutting from my place and I brought it down with me.
27:58Because I thought that way I can give this as a gift as well.
28:03I'm dividing my cutting into several smaller pieces.
28:08Making sure each piece has a node or even a small root at the bottom.
28:13Remove a couple of the lower leaves as needed.
28:17Use a pen or a stick to make a few small holes.
28:21Then plant each cutting deep enough so that at least one node is buried.
28:25I'm putting multiple cuttings into the one pot for a fuller look faster.
28:31Now, all of these plants will need some time to recover from their transplant.
28:37Just treat them carefully. Give them some soft light.
28:41Don't overwater them. Just keep the soil moist.
28:43And over this next period of time, they'll grow new roots and before long, nice new leaves and they'll settle in.
28:51What do you like about being in the garden?
29:04Just the excitement of watching the progression of how it grows and getting to understand it.
29:08You know, like just seeing how life is really and living it at the same time and being excited to take care of things.
29:18Having a responsibility is really cool, isn't it?
29:21Like these guys rely on us and at the end of the day in certain ways, if we plant them, that's different than if they grow out in the wild, I think.
29:31Yeah.
29:33Yeah, that nurture.
29:34Yeah.
29:36They're looking good.
29:38They'll grow fast, yeah?
29:39Yeah.
29:41Do you want some water over you?
29:43Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go for it.
29:47What's the reality out there on the streets?
29:51In other councils, people are getting fined for rough sleeping on the streets rather than being provided support.
29:57So the City of Melbourne doing this initiative, we can directly help people that are rough sleeping in the City of Melbourne and house them until their permanent housing comes along.
30:08Wow. I mean, you know, that idea that, oh, well, if you don't see it, it doesn't exist.
30:15It's not going to fix the problem.
30:18Yeah, and nor does moving people on.
30:19And I think that tends to happen in a lot of councils where rough sleepers just get moved on from one area to another to another, but it never addresses the situation.
30:31People need housing. Housing's a solution.
30:33This is the last of the apartments to be occupied, but someone will be moving in shortly.
30:43So I thought I'd leave one of our little pups as a housewarming.
30:47Almost one fifth of Melbourne's office buildings are empty, which means there's a lot of potential accommodation and plenty of rooftop gardens waiting for inspiration.
31:03I'd better start making a few more of those.
31:11Still to come on Gardening Australia.
31:14Sophie shows us how to pick between old friends.
31:18Hannah lifts the curtain on some serious infrastructure.
31:23And we meet two young men who see the world through a macro lens.
31:27How beautiful is Lake Parramatta?
31:42It's an absolute gem in the heart of Western Sydney.
31:46As the weather starts warming up, it's so nice to be able to spend some time with the family outside.
31:53But the question is, what about your pets?
31:55Well, Josh is creating a new garden at his place with just this in mind.
32:07Say hello to Honey and Clover.
32:10We've always been a cat family, and we're not alone.
32:14There are pet cats in around a third of Australian households.
32:19That's over five million cats.
32:21Although none of them are as sweet as honey here.
32:27Here are some more numbers.
32:29Each year, roaming cats are responsible for killing around 500 million native animals.
32:35Now, in response to this, many local councils around the country have brought in curfews to keep cats indoors, either overnight, or in some cases, 24 hours a day.
32:47Now, this is clearly really important.
32:51Our cats have always been indoor cats.
32:54But if you've got cats that are a little bit feisty, which Clover over there normally is, some creative thinking is required to keep them contained and happy.
33:04In recent weeks, I've been busy planting along the east-facing side of a new extension to our home.
33:14A small form of crepe myrtle sits in this little alcove between the extension and the existing house.
33:21At design stage, this was earmarked as a space for a cat run.
33:30We've installed mesh walls and a roof enclosing the alcove, not only to keep honey and clover in, but to keep other cats out.
33:41A weather-sealed flat has been added to an adjoining window to allow access in and out of the house whenever they please.
33:49We can see into the space through these windows and access it through this gate.
33:54We've also closed up the gap beneath the deck in the house with some mesh, so the cats are not getting out of here.
34:00It's a relatively small space, so we've mounted timber steps leading up to a platform where the cats can hang out and watch over their domain.
34:11And these recycled brick plinths will retain warmth, making them a perfect spot for honey and clover to bask in the morning sun.
34:20There's one more structure to go in.
34:23Every cat needs a scratching post.
34:25It's a scratching post.
34:27And I've got a salvaged log that fits the bill.
34:33The timber for this platform and steppers is salvaged too.
34:36It came from the original pergola that was taken back to accommodate the extension.
34:41Now, this isn't the only thing that's going into the ground today.
34:44The final flourish has to be a cat-friendly garden.
34:48So I've chosen plants that are non-toxic, shade-tolerant, compact to suit this small space,
34:53and perhaps most importantly, have to be able to handle some cat play.
34:59I'm working in some compost and fertiliser to improve the sandy soil and get the plants off to a good start.
35:07And drip irrigation for watering during dry weather.
35:12I'm going with a couple of selections that will give the cats some strappy foliage to roam through.
35:17This is Lomandra longifolia lime tuff.
35:22And for contrast, this one is Dianella tazred.
35:27Cats like a place to hide.
35:30Correa dusky bells will fill out this corner nicely and give honey and clover somewhere to disappear into.
35:38This is cat grass.
35:41Now, cats like to eat it because apparently it's good for their digestive system.
35:45And I've hung this just out from the platform.
35:49So the cats will have to reach out to eat it.
35:52And I'll grow another container of cat grass.
35:55So when they've munched this, I can just swap them out.
35:58To finish off, I'm putting down some mulch.
36:02Coarse pine bark mulch to cover the drip line and soil.
36:06And then a finer grade of pine bark, which will be a little easier on cat paws.
36:12And then everything gets a good watering in.
36:14Well, it's great to see the cats beginning to get to know their new space.
36:36Over time, we'll add additional playthings and no doubt more plants.
36:41We might have to give it the occasional clean out and wash down if they start deciding to use this as opposed to their indoor kitty litter.
36:50But you know what? I reckon it's worth the effort.
36:53As you can see, these cats are part of our family and deserve all the love in the world.
36:58And our wildlife certainly deserves protecting.
37:01Who doesn't love hydrangeas?
37:09They're the perfect plant for a moist, shady spot.
37:12But when you've got to choose one, why not think about what the hydrangea does for your garden, not just what it does for you?
37:19What we tend to do is go for the big showy blooms like this one or this amazing double one.
37:24In reality, they're all sterile flowers and they have no benefit to the greater environment.
37:31When we choose lace cap hydrangeas, like this one or this one, in the centre we actually see that the flowers are quite different.
37:38On the outside of the sterile blooms, they've got no benefit to anything.
37:41But on the inside, those tiny little flowers are full of nectar and pollen, which is an absolute magnet for bees and other beneficial bugs.
37:58It's always being drilled into us gardeners that we need to garden to our climate.
38:04But what if there was a way to push those limits?
38:07Well, Hannah's been busy laying the foundations for a big development at her place.
38:15And guess what? We're all invited to the grand opening.
38:30Over the last three months, Anton and I have been working on something that we're so excited about.
38:35Brick by brick, we've been building the place of our cool climate dreams.
38:43Foundations and garden beds are done.
38:46Next, we're going to grow up.
38:48For years, we've been imagining what it would be like to be able to grow heat-loving crops all year round,
38:55including some tropical plants here in Chile Luchewita.
39:00And when it's finished, our new greenhouse will be like a little portal to a warmer climate.
39:06The frame is almost done.
39:09I did want to point out this one little feature frame above me.
39:12Anton made it to fit his grandmother's stained glass window perfectly.
39:16This little chookie here is going to feature heavily.
39:20Next time you see this beauty, it'll be done.
39:25And here it is.
39:27Three months of work distilled down to about 20 seconds.
39:31But look what we've got to show for it.
39:33A greenhouse so awesome that I kind of want to move in.
39:36The whole structure is six by three metres, and we've made sure the longer side faces north,
39:43to soak in as much sun as possible during the cooler months.
39:47The back wall is solid corrugated iron, as it's south facing and will soon have propagation shelves installed.
39:55The whole structure is built on concrete foundations, brick garden beds,
40:00and then recycled hardwood timber framework.
40:02It's beautifully strong, which we really need here to stand up against our strong westerly winds.
40:09I love the fact that some of these windows are from our house when we did a renovation.
40:13We've been saving them for years for just this moment.
40:17Some of the special features include the cross ventilation,
40:21where we can open both doors to get a really nice strong breeze.
40:25But also in the roof, we have what's called a wax strut.
40:29So when it gets really hot in here, the wax inside those struts will expand and automatically open that door.
40:38And then when it cools down, the wax will shrink, which will then trigger the closing mechanism.
40:43These kinds of little simple automatic systems can make our life a lot easier and the plants inside a lot happier.
40:49Importantly, the pathway is nice and wide, wide enough for a wheelbarrow to come in really easily.
40:57Now, these two grow beds are full of gorgeous soil and topped off with some nice compost,
41:03which means there's only one thing left to do, start planting.
41:06So today, I'm celebrating by planting a crop I've never been able to grow here outside in Tassie, the tropical ginger.
41:18Come on Lee, yes, come on.
41:23Another reason why I love these brick garden beds is their capacity to act as thermal mass,
41:27which basically means they capture all that warm sunlight coming in into the bricks,
41:32which has then released the soil to benefit plants like the tropical ginger,
41:37which not only needs it, but loves it.
41:40Just like potatoes, ginger has eyes.
41:43These are the little lumpy bits across the tuber.
41:47This means that you can cut the tuber into smaller sections so you get more plants.
41:51If you have cut your ginger, leave it for three to five days to form a callus before planting.
41:58I'm spacing the ginger around 30 centimetres apart.
42:02And you can see here that we've made this garden bed wide enough to fit in as many plants,
42:08but not too wide that we can't reach over and easily touch the other side.
42:12That's another important design consideration.
42:15Planted around five centimetres deep with at least one eye facing up.
42:19The cool thing about ginger is that you don't have to rotate them with other crops to prevent soil diseases.
42:26This means that this little corner over here will be its forever home.
42:30Every spring I'll definitely lift and harvest what I want to eat,
42:34but I'll replant here again and again and again.
42:39I'm watering them in now to give them a good even soaking.
42:43But from here on in, the drip line irrigation will take over.
42:46We've also got a drainage pipe here so any overflow can safely leave the building.
42:53I'm hugely thankful to my sweetheart Anton for all his work over months while the cameras haven't been rolling.
43:01And while this one's basically a work of art, yours doesn't have to be this fancy.
43:05We spent many years with very simple structures doing exactly the same job just on a smaller scale,
43:13which is building a warmer microclimate.
43:15So that concludes the tour of my new hothouse.
43:22But fear not, we'll definitely be back for more as I come up with ideas for weird and wonderful plants that I can grow in there.
43:27I'm constantly inspired by the staggering diversity of life all around us.
43:46Even in our gardens, all you need to do is peek into the compost or lift up a rock to see a whole lot of life just waiting to be discovered.
43:58Our next story takes a closer look at some of this life that you've probably never even thought about.
44:04They produce a mucus and that's essentially how they move along.
44:21They've got this muscle called the head foot muscle which they use to move along that trail.
44:30They're very hard to see. Sometimes when I point it out to people, they still can't see it.
44:39The smallest we get in Tasmania is about one millimetre.
44:43I'd say they're one of the most loved beetles up there.
44:51A lot of them look like dogs or cartoon characters and I think that's why they look very cute.
45:00We're identical twins.
45:03Yeah.
45:05I start off by saying I study beetles.
45:09And then I say, specifically I study weevils.
45:15And then usually they go to, you mean flower weevils or the bugs in my flower.
45:20And I say, yes, there's a whole bunch of other species though.
45:26There's like 60,000 species and they get really interested because they didn't realise there were so many.
45:31A malecologist is someone who studies molluscs, which is an incredibly large phylum.
45:37I focus on land snails.
45:41In Tasmania we have from about 240 to 260 species of land snail.
45:4885% are native and a large proportion are only found in Tasmania.
45:54They play an important role in the calcium cycle.
45:56So their shells are composed of calcium carbonate.
46:01They draw that up from the leaf litter and they make their shells.
46:05So one of the main roles of weevils is recycling nutrients, especially rainforest species can consume dead plant material and process that and then turn that out into biologically available nutrients.
46:22There's so many in Tasmania that are really understudied and a lot of them in the collections are misidentified or not identified at all.
46:32So there's a lot of work to do.
46:35We have a permit through the Tasmanian Museum and our gallery.
46:39They've given us a permit to collect for them.
46:42When we're planning field trips, there's a wide range of habitats that we sample.
46:47So areas that are more open have a high diversity of weevils.
46:53For snails, rainforests are really good.
46:57Wet creeks or gullies.
47:00There's a few things we bring with us.
47:03I bring my camera, so I have a macro photography set up.
47:07We bring collecting vials, a beating sheet.
47:10If I'm targeting snails and I look more on the ground, under logs and rocks.
47:17And I usually look in the vegetation.
47:20So I beat vegetation onto a beating sheet and then look at the invertebrates.
47:26The pootra is something I got recently and it's essentially two tubes that go into a vial.
47:31And you suck on one of the tubes, you suck an insect up in the other tube and it goes into the vial.
47:39So it's really good for fast moving things that are difficult to get using a vial on its own.
47:45And flying things as well.
47:48We work well together as a team.
47:51So for example, he'll just be looking under logs, photographing things.
47:54I'll be beating stuff off trees and then if I find something interesting, I'll bring it over to him and he'll photograph it.
48:02There can be a whole different world just under a rock.
48:06People don't really know about it.
48:08Especially with macro photography, you can zoom into a snail shell and see the sculpture that you would not be able to pick with the naked eye.
48:16They have very intricate sculpture and patterns.
48:19It's just an incredible world when you zoom in.
48:23Most of my knowledge about land snails, I've learnt it myself from going out into the field and looking at these snails myself.
48:32I've also had a lot of guidance by a fellow snail expert.
48:38I mean, being a scientist is just about observing.
48:42Yeah, and being curious. It's the main one.
48:45It's the main one.
48:46Yeah. So it's really just an innate curiosity.
48:55I think we've both always been interested in small, intricate things.
49:00When I was a kid, it was mainly things on the beach, rocks, bones, insects, just sort of general natural history.
49:09There's a bit of our collection that is bought from antique stores or given to us by other people.
49:16Behind me there's some skulls as well, because I used to collect skulls a lot.
49:21You know, bird skulls, wombat, all sorts.
49:26I've got a lot of pinned insects.
49:28Last time I counted about one to one and a half thousand.
49:31So that's the most important part of my room.
49:36I started working at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery when I was 16 or 17.
49:43I've just been a volunteer there.
49:45So throughout that time, Otto and I have collected approximately 6,000 specimens, give or take.
49:51Probably about 85% of the species in Tasmania are undescribed.
49:58So that's a very large proportion.
50:02We need to describe them so the knowledge about the species isn't lost if they go extinct.
50:08Globally there's a lot of weevils that are threatened.
50:13There's about a hundred that are extinct already.
50:15The work that Bryn and I do, it helps with conserving species.
50:21So, for example, we can go out and, you know, get a new locality for that species and that's very valuable data.
50:32There's this new genus of lansnow I found up at the Douglas Apsley National Park.
50:38And for me it was just really exciting.
50:40It's a really, really tiny coeroped.
50:44It's about two and a half mils and it's completely blind.
50:49Yeah, that's probably my favourite, yeah.
50:52I've got a lot of favourites, so it's very hard to pick one.
50:58In the top five, definitely, would be one called Gryphyfia animala,
51:04which is one that I've been looking for for the last five years,
51:07ever since I was interested in weevils.
51:10And a few months ago, on a field trip with Tasmanian Museum,
51:15I found 12 of them.
51:17And there was about 15 specimens worldwide, I think, before that.
51:22And they look very weird, they're very long, they're flat.
51:26Yeah, they're just really weird.
51:27So Bryn and I, we're heavily involved with iNaturalist.
51:34iNaturalist is the largest citizen science forum in the world,
51:39so people can upload things, observations of species.
51:43Mainly what we're doing is looking at observations other people have made
51:47of snails and weevils and other things that we're interested in
51:50and we try and identify them best we can.
51:54And I really enjoy that, just the challenge of trying to find out what it is.
52:00There's new species found all the time on there.
52:04People just upload them, not really knowing what they are,
52:08and an expert will identify it.
52:10It's really good for younger users.
52:12I've met quite a few younger naturalists that are on the platform
52:17and they use it as a social network.
52:20And it's a very good platform to share knowledge.
52:23I really enjoy it.
52:29So I think people should care about the natural world
52:32because we're so reliant on it.
52:34We're much more reliant than we think.
52:37And it's all connected.
52:38The weevils are connected to the larger predatory beetles that feed on them
52:44and then the birds that feed on them
52:46and then, you know, seed distribution from the birds.
52:49And it has a real impact on us.
52:53My hope is that the work that I do in describing species
52:58and describing their ecology and taxonomy
53:02will better inform conservation plans.
53:05There are quite a few species in Tasmania which are very restricted.
53:09Some can be restricted to a single section of a creek
53:14or a few rock screes.
53:16If that place is disturbed, there's a chance that it could become extinct.
53:20And for me, these tunnel snails are very special.
53:23They've been here for, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of years.
53:28I think they need to be conserved.
53:35I know you've been waiting for it.
53:39It's time to spring into action.
53:41Your jobs for the weekend are ready and waiting.
53:45In cool areas, take a tiptoe through the stunning tulip displays on show now.
53:48To avoid droopy flower heads, keep bulbs hydrated by watering well, especially before and after a cold snap.
54:06For an early summer carrot crop, mix carrot seeds with sand in a jar and sprinkle directly into loose, fluffy soil.
54:19The sand will reduce the need to thin seedlings and provide adequate drainage.
54:24The towering Tasmanian blue gum is in flower and can be planted out now.
54:31Luckily, these 70-metre tall floral emblems come in a backyard size.
54:37The compactor dwarf variety reaches only seven metres.
54:41In warm areas, whip up a mix of white oil to use as an organic barrier to pests.
54:49Add two parts sunflower oil with one part castile soap, shake and label.
54:55Add a tablespoon of this concentrate to water and spray fortnightly.
55:00Wisteria should be looking wonderful at this time of year.
55:03Feed now with high potassium fertiliser and maintain adequate water as dry soil can cause buds to drop before blooming.
55:13Plant out some rainbow chard for added colour in your life.
55:18They grow quite tall, so plant at 30 centimetre spacing into mounded soil.
55:23Regular harvesting will promote growth and yield a better crop.
55:28In subtropical areas, collect eggplant seeds.
55:31Blend mature fruit in a mixer at low speed with lots of water to release seeds from the flesh.
55:40Strain seeds and lay on newspaper to dry out completely before storing in a jar.
55:47Get your PPE on and sink those stinky stink bugs by shaking branches into hot soapy water.
55:55Young bugs are green before they turn their famous bronze-orange colour.
55:59So get in now before they start breeding.
56:03Why not slip in some snake beans?
56:06Climbers are great if you want to stand up while you harvest.
56:10Sow seeds five centimetres deep into rich, well-dug soil for best results.
56:16Mulch once seedlings sprout.
56:19In tropical areas, sapote, known for its cream caramel flavour, is at the end of the harvest.
56:25Edible fruits will be brilliant yellow, but dark gold-coloured fruits should be removed to encourage the next flush.
56:35Trim fronds and dead branches from your trees and lay them down as surface mulch.
56:41The trim will stimulate growth on your plants and it'll also provide free erosion and evaporation control.
56:48It's a win-win.
56:51Try a hybrid capsicum at home.
56:53Release pollen with a tap or the buzz of a tuning fork.
56:58Use a cotton tip to transfer it to the flower of a different capsicum variety or try crossing it with a chilli.
57:06In arid areas, get your sweet tooth going and grow sweet potatoes.
57:11Slips can be grown in a cup of water and planted out in the ground or in pots.
57:16Add organic fertiliser now and monthly to boost your harvest.
57:21Give Gandana a go.
57:22Also known as Afghani leek, this perennial is super hardy and has a flavour somewhere between leek and chives.
57:31Plant seeds in full sun and water daily until they sprout.
57:35Surge up the strength of your spring onion production with a feed of potassium.
57:41Potassium is labelled K on multipurpose fertilisers or you can buy it straight as powder or pellets.
57:47Well, we hope that gets you pumped up for your time in the garden this week.
57:52Remember, you can always check out our stories from gardens across Australia on ABC iview and our YouTube channel.
58:07Well, that's all we've got time for this week.
58:10I've had the best time out here in Parramatta.
58:13We've got plenty more coming your way next time.
58:16Check it out.
58:20I'm visiting a town renowned for its Australian Wildflower Festival to meet the community coming together through their love of plants.
58:28Look at the size of those wax flowers.
58:32They're huge.
58:34Today, I'm going to show you everything you need to know about starting your own raised bed salad patch.
58:39It's the easiest way to grow more food in less space.
58:44And if you're a foodie who loves to garden, then this story will appeal.
58:48I'm branching out to explore some of the more unusual citrus varieties.
58:51We'll see you next time.
58:52We'll see you next time.
58:53Bye.
58:54Bye.
58:55Bye.
58:56Bye.
58:57Bye.
58:58Bye.
58:59Bye.
59:00Bye.
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