- 2 months ago
Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 35
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CreativityTranscript
00:00THEY FIGURED
00:06Hey!
00:13Ooh!
00:19Ooh!
00:20Hey, buddy.
00:23Hey!
00:27Ooh!
00:28Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37Today I'm in Sydney at Ewenton House,
00:40an iconic heritage home and garden in Balmain.
00:45Built in 1854, the house itself is an architectural treasure.
00:51But what I'm here to check out is the garden,
00:53designed to reflect the history of the site
00:56and complement the elevated position overlooking Johnston's Bay.
01:01And while I take the tour, here's what's in store this week.
01:08I'm going to introduce you to some shady characters,
01:11plants that love to take centre stage
01:14in the shady corners of your garden.
01:16Your front verge could be an opportunity to expand your garden.
01:21I'm meeting someone who's done just that
01:23and created habitat for local wildlife.
01:26I'm visiting an elegant show garden with marvellous memories
01:30for the family who set it all up more than five decades ago.
01:35And I'm going to show you a few simple ways
01:37to keep rodents out of the garden.
01:45It's one thing to admire a grand garden when it's established,
01:50but imagine building it from scratch.
01:54Tammy's visiting a couple who have turned a blank canvas
01:58into something truly incredible.
02:03150 kilometres north-west of Sydney,
02:06just 15 minutes from Blackheath,
02:08Hartley Valley offers big landscapes with expansive views.
02:12A perfect backdrop for a visionary garden.
02:15Fittingly, it's home to Highfield Gardens,
02:25an ambitious three-hectare, 10-year-old project
02:28filled with collector plants.
02:34Highfields is a collaborative project by dynamic duo,
02:38plantsman David Kennedy and his partner, Andrew Dunshay.
02:42David works part-time in horticulture.
02:45I'd always aspired to have a world-class show garden
02:48and when we saw this land, it was big enough to do it.
02:51So, yeah, that's where it started.
02:53While Andrew, after a career in the fashion industry,
02:57took early retirement.
02:58Ever since I was a kid, Tammy,
03:00I always had this fascination for large-scale gardens.
03:04I don't know where it came from,
03:05but I just knew that one day it was going to happen.
03:12And then how did the vision come about for this garden?
03:16When we started, there was no buildings here,
03:17so it's just a cow paddock,
03:19and we just sat down and just drew it out on paper.
03:21We were trying to keep the views open
03:24so when you go through the many garden rooms,
03:27you've always got a vista to look at.
03:28And how many garden rooms do you have?
03:30Approximately 20.
03:34This is gorgeous!
03:36This is the dry garden.
03:38It's set on three levels
03:41and it's about 1,000 square metres.
03:43The trees are quite a statement here.
03:46These are Australian tunia
03:48and then, of course, we've got a windbreak
03:51which is a row of conifers
03:53and then we've got some purple-leafed
03:55cootamundra wattles in front of them.
03:57In some places,
03:58the cootamundra wattle is classified as a weed,
04:00but for us, it's fine.
04:02It hasn't seeded anywhere.
04:04And do you find that you need the double windbreak?
04:06Well, we found when we first got the property
04:08that we've got incredibly strong winds
04:11from over on the way, over this way,
04:13so that's why we've put effort
04:14into the double row of trees.
04:17And what is the planting scheme
04:18that you've got going on here?
04:20It's mostly a Mediterranean planting.
04:22It's full of salvias, euphorbias,
04:25some grasses, a few buddlias,
04:28anything that will take dry.
04:30This garden doesn't get watered
04:31and it got through the drought.
04:33Yeah, wow.
04:34It has to survive.
04:35It's either survive, thrive or die.
04:38That's a good philosophy to live by.
04:40But it's a good example to show people,
04:43especially in Australia,
04:44how you can have a garden
04:46even if you don't have water.
04:48Do you have any favourites in this garden?
04:50Yeah, probably the bearded iris.
04:52They do quite well up here.
04:55I love these paths and the walls and the stairs.
05:01Yeah, we've made all these walls and stairs ourselves.
05:04The pair source the stone on site
05:06and the part's blue stone is from neighbouring Oberon.
05:09We did have one wall
05:10that if you pick up a rock,
05:12you can't put it down,
05:13so you've got to find a spot for it.
05:16Otherwise you'd go crazy.
05:17Do they all start to look the same after a while?
05:19Absolutely.
05:19And they all start to get heavier and heavier.
05:24I'm starting to get a feel
05:26for how large this garden is.
05:29I mean, we're entering another garden room here.
05:32Oh, well, this is the cottage garden
05:33and it's full of so many roses.
05:38Oh, and these roses are gorgeous.
05:40What have you got here?
05:41Well, we have Crepuscule and Renee on the gatehouse
05:45and then here on the arbor we have another Crepuscule
05:49and also this is Rosa Albertine.
05:51It's a lovely rose but very thorny.
05:54And then, so there are some others mixed in with it?
05:57Up the top there, that's Summer Romance.
05:59There's some David Austens in this area here
06:02and we've also got another rose here
06:05which is called Complicata.
06:07Fragrant and wild,
06:09David favours old-fashioned roses over hybrid teas
06:11for their form and relaxed growth.
06:14I never used to like roses.
06:15I used to hate them.
06:17And now I've got like over 800 varieties.
06:20They grew on me.
06:22David, are there any standout roses?
06:24Yes, I'd have to say probably Silver Ghost.
06:28It's a modern rose
06:30and it's got very clean foliage.
06:33I don't prune it very much
06:34so it's big
06:35and it's got lots and lots of single white flowers.
06:38It's just a stunner.
06:39And so who does most of the pruning here?
06:42Well, it's shared between the two of us.
06:45Yes, I get all the horrible jobs that he doesn't want
06:48and end up with the thorns in my head and my back
06:51but it's so worth it.
06:53The end results are just amazing.
06:55It's a form of torture.
06:57Shall we see more of the garden?
06:58Sure.
07:09Sloping down from the cottage garden
07:10is what David and Andrew call the prairie garden.
07:14This more open space on the property
07:16is planted in a naturalistic style.
07:19It's a combination of perennials, grasses
07:21and we use annuals as well
07:23which will self-seed and fill up the gaps.
07:27In this one here,
07:28there are Siberian iris, annual poppies
07:31and these really unusual aliens.
07:34The colour palette is a combination of light pastel colours
07:38but I'm actually adding a lot of hot colours to it
07:42so I'm changing the sort of the planting a little bit.
07:45Andrew, what do you think of the colour palette?
07:47As a designer, it just excites my imagination.
07:50It's pretty magic.
07:51Got rare perennials in here.
07:53One of them is an Amsonia.
07:55It's a beautiful American prairie plant
07:57and it's very, very tough.
08:00It has very thick roots
08:02and they go down really deep.
08:04Then it's carved in blue flowers.
08:05It's just a stunning thing.
08:07And David's passion for using colour
08:09comes into full effect
08:10in the eye-catching yellow border.
08:13It's restricted to sort of different shades of yellow.
08:17It includes iris, GMs, shrubs as well with yellow foliage.
08:25Not everyone likes yellow.
08:26There's a lot of people who don't.
08:28Mind you, you're wearing this beautiful dress
08:30and it's yellow.
08:31Well, I'm the exception then.
08:33This border is going to get slightly changed
08:36because I'm adding orange and red to it
08:37to give it a bit more zing.
08:39That's part of gardening.
08:40I just love to change things.
08:41And what was the soil like here?
08:44Absolute rubbish.
08:45It was like concrete.
08:47We were using a crowbar to plant some of the trees.
08:50We had to actually get big graders in
08:52to rip the soil up
08:54so we could actually start to work with it
08:56and David could start to build the soil up.
08:59Every time I planted something,
09:00I would put a mixture of gypsum,
09:04compost and cow manure.
09:06Unfortunately, the cow manure,
09:07it does contain weeds
09:09so it did cause me more problems
09:11than probably it was worth.
09:12But then I would use wetting agent
09:14to water the plants in
09:15and a seaweed-based type fertiliser.
09:19How much time is spent weeding?
09:21I would say at least probably 50% to 60%.
09:26100% of my time, that's for sure.
09:29It's another one of those jobs
09:30that David loves to give me.
09:31Is this another form of torture?
09:33Yep, it sure is.
09:34Situated at the lowest point of the property
09:41is the water garden.
09:44I've got all my Galanthus collection in here
09:47plus trilliums and epimediums,
09:49all sorts of things.
09:50This serene area comprises a series of ponds
09:54with water iris, water lilies,
09:56Japanese maples, conifers,
09:59ito peonies and yellow flag iris.
10:02But shifting rainfall patterns
10:03do present challenges at times.
10:06It's either feast or famine.
10:08You know, sometimes it'll rain a lot
10:10and then other times it'll be very dry.
10:12It can be very stressful.
10:14When it's dry,
10:16it can be, you know,
10:18really quite heartbreaking sometimes.
10:21An absolute highlight of the water garden
10:23are the ito peonies.
10:25With their silk petals
10:26and prominent velvet stamens,
10:28they lend an old-world opulent look
10:30that David adores.
10:32They're tough.
10:33They are quite resilient.
10:36They're fairly easy care.
10:37They're just basically probably
10:39queen of the flowers, I suppose.
10:42Ito peonies are intersectional peonies,
10:45a hybrid cross between herbaceous
10:47and tree peonies,
10:48combining the best traits of both.
10:50They offer a huge colour range
10:52and are known for their flowers
10:54that are held above
10:55luminescent, lush green foliage.
10:58What tips do you have for growing peonies?
11:00When you first plant them,
11:02we put cow manure with them
11:03and blood and bone
11:05and then, of course, some dolomite
11:06and that gets them going
11:08in their first season.
11:10In that first season,
11:11you can usually sometimes get flowers
11:13if you do feed them well.
11:14And what do you do throughout the year
11:16to feed them or prepare them
11:17for their big blooms?
11:18Usually in autumn,
11:20we give them some dolomite,
11:21then some blood and bone
11:22and occasionally we might give them
11:23some liquid food as well.
11:27Through grand vision and hard work,
11:29David and Andrew have crafted
11:31a breathtaking collector's garden
11:33that inspires visitors
11:34to appreciate the beauty
11:35of resilient,
11:37thoughtfully curated plants
11:38in a challenging environment.
11:40And what are the future plans?
11:43We're still going,
11:44of course, on the garden.
11:45We probably never will finish.
11:46The garden will evolve and change
11:48as I come up with new ideas
11:50and it's just all part and parcel
11:52of having a garden.
11:53Well, I can't wait to see that.
12:05How do I get rid of grass organically?
12:08Well, some people, of course,
12:09would spray it with a herbicide,
12:10but I don't do that.
12:11The method I tend to use is smothering.
12:14You can do it with cardboard
12:15or sheets of corrugated iron
12:17which can cook that grass off
12:19and you can convert your area
12:21quickly into a garden bed.
12:22But I do have one really important tip
12:24and that is don't plant it too quickly
12:26with permanent stuff.
12:27You can see here
12:28we've just got annual vegetables
12:29and we're letting a whole season
12:31of growth happen
12:32so I can work my way through
12:34and pull any runners
12:35that come back up out of the garden.
12:37Once that comes out,
12:38I'll work my way right through the bed
12:40before the permanent plantings go in.
12:42It does take a little bit more work
12:44but it is so worth it.
12:47How long does it take dragon fruit
12:49or patea to bear fruit?
12:51Well, it does depend where you are.
12:53The plant originally comes
12:54from Central and South America
12:56so it enjoys warm conditions.
12:58Here in Perth,
12:59I find it takes about three years
13:01from cutting.
13:03Now what you'll need
13:03is a good straight post
13:05for it to ramble up
13:06and it tends to bear fruit
13:08off these laterals
13:09which grow off the side.
13:10You can see here
13:11there'll be a flower,
13:12very short-lived,
13:13which then bears fruit behind it.
13:15What's a good all-rounder plant
13:19for tricky, steep slopes?
13:21I'm a big fan of the Mexican sage bush,
13:24Selvia lecantha.
13:25This plant has a creeping, running pattern
13:28which means it will slowly colonise
13:29and take over all the space around it
13:31which I want on steep, tricky slopes.
13:34And as the plant slowly spreads across the slope,
13:37you can dig up little baby plants,
13:39subdivide any roots
13:40and make more plants
13:42across your whole garden.
13:48Shady spots are so often
13:50a neglected part of the garden.
13:52I see it a bit differently
13:53because there's always so much potential
13:56as long as you choose the right plants.
13:59For example,
13:59this one here is Philodendron xanadu
14:02and it's thriving
14:04in this protected part of the garden.
14:07It's made its way
14:09up and over the sandstone shelf
14:12and it's filled the spot
14:14and it's really given
14:16this corner of the garden
14:18some real presence
14:19and focus and life.
14:23You'll most often see Philodendron
14:25sold as indoor plants
14:27but certain types can be grown outdoors
14:29in warm, frost-free climates
14:32provided they're given adequate shade
14:34and protection from direct sunlight.
14:37Look for varieties
14:38with strong, leathery, dark green leaves
14:42because that's an indication
14:43that they can handle the great outdoors.
14:47You'll get a heads up
14:48if the sun's getting too strong
14:49as the leaves will go pale
14:51and crisp at the edges.
14:53Well, from this shade-loving plant,
14:56let's catch up with Sophie now
14:57and find out some of her favourites.
15:00When you're gardening in full sun,
15:14no problem.
15:15There are lots of plants to choose from.
15:20But once you step in the shade,
15:22you might think,
15:23uh-oh, this could be challenging.
15:25But the good news is
15:26there are plenty of beautiful plants
15:29that will thrive in the shade.
15:36Shade's actually really important in a garden
15:38because it delivers shelter,
15:40cooling and habitat for wildlife.
15:47Too often, shady spots are filled
15:49with the same few species
15:50and the toughness of many common shade plants
15:54makes them invasive in some areas.
15:57Things such as oyster plant,
15:59dietes and English ivy
16:01can take over
16:02and become invasive weeds.
16:04So a quick-growing choice
16:06is not always the best in the longer term.
16:09There are plenty of tough and reliable
16:12set-and-forget greenery fillers
16:13that won't become weedy.
16:15Apart from a tidy-up in winter
16:17or after flowering,
16:19they'll cover the ground
16:20and create shelter for invertebrates.
16:23One of my favourites
16:24is the clivia or clivia.
16:26They're loved because of their
16:27dark green, glossy leaves.
16:29However, their flowers
16:31in late winter, spring
16:32are breathtaking.
16:34The traditional orange
16:35is now diversified
16:36and you can get cream
16:37or lemon shades
16:38and even into the red shades.
16:40And they're incredibly hardy
16:42and tolerant of severe root competition.
16:47Another old-fashioned favourite
16:49is the bergenia,
16:51sometimes called elephant's ears
16:52or saxifraga.
16:54It's a hardy, clump-forming perennial
16:56with these dark green, leathery leaves.
16:58And while the traditional forms
17:00had pink flowers,
17:01there are now cultivars
17:02that have white flowers
17:03and even burgundy foliage.
17:05They make great border plants
17:07and they're hardy
17:08and tough in the shade.
17:10If you want even more colour
17:17in a shady garden,
17:19you can't beat beautiful hellebores
17:21known as winter roses.
17:23They have quite attractive
17:24leathery foliage
17:25but their flowers
17:27that appear in winter and spring
17:28are breathtaking.
17:30They range in colour
17:31from pure white
17:32through different shades of pink
17:34to the dark colours.
17:36Some have veins on them,
17:37some have spots.
17:39Their flower form ranges
17:40from simple singles
17:42to these complex doubles
17:44and they look spectacular
17:45when mass-planted
17:47under deciduous trees.
17:51Another wonderful family
17:53of shade-loving plants
17:55is Plectranthus.
17:56Their ground covers
17:57up to medium-sized shrubs
17:59which have fabulous flowers
18:01or foliage or both.
18:04My favourite is
18:04Plectranthus argentatis
18:06or silver spur flower.
18:08It's an Australian native
18:09and it forms a low,
18:11sprawling shrub
18:12which looks brilliant
18:13when mass-planted.
18:15It has silvery foliage
18:16which stands out
18:18and brightens up
18:19a dark, shady place
18:20and beautiful spars of flowers.
18:23My favourite form
18:24for flower colour
18:25is Plectranthus echelonii.
18:27It forms a large shrub
18:29and produces stunning
18:30violet-blue spikes
18:31of flowers in autumn.
18:33It's breathtaking.
18:39Hydrangeas are loved
18:40by everyone
18:41and come in a variety
18:42of cultivars and species.
18:45Most with big, blousy blooms
18:47in creams, pinks and blue
18:49and they do best in part shade
18:51and they need to be kept moist
18:53especially in the drier months.
18:55And of course,
18:56you can also use foliage
18:57to add colour to a shady area.
19:00These are heucheras
19:01and they add a splash
19:02of bright colour
19:03for small spaces
19:04or even in pots.
19:06To keep them looking fresh
19:07you probably need to divide them
19:09every couple of years
19:10but they certainly look gorgeous.
19:19There are plenty
19:20of other striking options
19:22that make great feature plants
19:23in the shaded garden
19:25like these birds' nest ferns.
19:27These spectacular broadleaf ferns
19:29are often associated
19:30with tropical gardens
19:31or indoors
19:32but they actually grow
19:34really well outside
19:35in the shade.
19:36Ideally,
19:37they want to be kept
19:38in a moist area
19:39and while they'll take the cold
19:41they need to be kept frost free.
19:44Tractor seat
19:44produces big, bold leaves
19:46which bring life
19:47to the shade
19:48creating a sense
19:49of warm tropics
19:50in the cooler regions.
19:51Watch out for snails and slugs
19:53and don't let them dry out.
19:57Japanese windflowers
19:58make a picture in autumn.
20:01They can equally be stunning
20:02as individuals
20:03mix through greenery
20:05or when planted en masse
20:06as they produce
20:07daisy-like flowers
20:09held high above the ground.
20:11They come in several shades
20:12of pink or white.
20:14They can handle some sun
20:15but are prone to scorching
20:16so they do best
20:18where they're in sheltered
20:19shady positions.
20:21They die back
20:21in the cooler regions
20:22in winter
20:23but elsewhere
20:24they're evergreen.
20:29Pieris are evergreen shrubs
20:30with these beautiful
20:31sprays of flowers
20:32either in white or pink
20:34that resemble
20:35lily of the valley.
20:36They're gorgeous plants
20:38but they need moist acid shade
20:40so similar position
20:41to camellias and azaleas
20:42and not only do they have
20:44dark green foliage
20:45some have variegated foliage
20:47and others have brightly
20:49coloured spring growth.
20:50So don't be daunted.
20:59Check what suits
21:00your growing conditions
21:01and embrace the shade.
21:02I've developed a technique
21:19for propagating ferns
21:20by spores
21:21which mimics
21:22what's happening
21:23on the trunk
21:24of my palm.
21:26Using a clear plastic bottle
21:28which has been
21:29almost cut in half
21:30just leaving a hinge
21:31and I'm using
21:34coir fibre.
21:36This has actually
21:36come from my palm
21:38so this is exactly
21:40what they've been
21:40growing on
21:41in my garden.
21:43And you half fill that.
21:45Now to collect
21:47the fern spores
21:48I've got
21:50a fertile
21:51fern frond
21:52and you can see
21:54and you can see
21:54these are the parts
21:55which release
21:56the spores.
21:57You put that
21:58into a packet
21:58and allow that
22:00to release
22:00its spores overnight.
22:03Tap it onto
22:04the coir
22:05and you can just see
22:06this almost looks
22:07like spice.
22:09I'm misting
22:09the spores
22:10before I tape
22:11the top half
22:12of the bottle
22:12back on.
22:13water regularly
22:17through the mouthpiece
22:18with a mister
22:19making sure
22:20you don't over water
22:21and flood the mix.
22:23And when the
22:24spoilings are
22:25big enough
22:25to handle
22:26remove the tape
22:28and pop them up.
22:29I love seeing
22:36what people do
22:37with the margins
22:38of space.
22:39By that I mean
22:40the edges
22:41like where the
22:42vertical meets
22:43the horizontal
22:44where the pavement
22:45ends and becomes
22:47the garden bed.
22:48It's a chance
22:49for those spaces
22:50to punch above
22:52their weight
22:52and really create
22:54garden impact.
22:55Josh is visiting
22:56a verge garden
22:57in Perth
22:58that's doing
22:58just that
22:59for the local
23:00wildlife.
23:05With properties
23:06getting smaller
23:07the front verge
23:08is an opportunity
23:09that you are mad
23:10not to make
23:11the most of.
23:12Often
23:12it's a blank canvas.
23:14You could plant
23:14it up for colour
23:15maybe grow some
23:16veggies
23:17to share with
23:18your neighbours
23:18or you could do
23:20this.
23:25This is a verge
23:26chock full of
23:27species native
23:28to the region.
23:29I'm in Leda
23:30a suburb
23:31about 40 clicks
23:33south of Perth
23:33and this is the
23:34garden of
23:35Beru's Esla.
23:37The three reasons
23:38I bought the house
23:39is because it
23:39faces north
23:40it's a corner block
23:41and there's bushland
23:42across the road
23:43so I realised
23:44that if I could create
23:45a bit of biodiversity
23:46or habitat
23:46in my property
23:47I would attract
23:48lots of birds
23:49and animals
23:49as you can hear.
23:51And with all
23:51the cooch
23:52that you started
23:52with
23:53how did you go
23:53about transforming
23:54it to what
23:55we see now?
23:56So the first year
23:57I started
23:57I didn't have
23:58much money
23:58so I just
23:58watched the sun
23:59angles
23:59so I realised
24:01that the backyard
24:01didn't get so much
24:02sun so I wanted
24:03to grow food
24:03all year round
24:04so I put the
24:05raised beds
24:05in the front yard
24:06for that reason
24:07but what I did
24:08was I started
24:09with getting rid
24:10of the cooch grass
24:11by getting a bobcat
24:13to come in
24:14and taking off
24:14about 10 centimetres
24:15of the top soil
24:16when that soil
24:17was removed
24:18I put in
24:19some soil conditioner
24:19laid some wet
24:21cardboard
24:21and put mulch
24:22on top of that
24:23and that stopped
24:23the cooch coming back
24:24And did you plant
24:25out en masse
24:26from scratch?
24:27I had an idea
24:28in my head
24:28of creating
24:29a fence line
24:30of natives
24:30that would go
24:31around the whole
24:31property
24:32and create
24:32a natural barrier
24:33The whole block
24:34is 500 square metres
24:35and the house
24:37is only 100 square metres
24:37so it's mostly garden
24:39I've squeezed
24:40in just over 200 plants
24:41I've lost about 100
24:43so 50% strike rate
24:45at the moment
24:45I've been to a local nursery
24:47to get a lot of support
24:48and advice
24:48on what grows best
24:49in my soil type
24:50I have sandy
24:51limestone soil
24:52So I chose tube stock
24:53because I felt like
24:54they're obviously
24:55a lot cheaper
24:55than mature plants
24:56but also
24:57I've heard lots
24:58of good stories
24:59about tube stock
24:59having a good start
25:00and being successful
25:02and I wanted to do tube stock
25:03because the money factor
25:05but also the success factor
25:06I deliberately chose
25:12to hand water everything
25:13rather than put re-tick in
25:14and that's because
25:15I wanted to make sure
25:16that each plant
25:16got enough water
25:17so for example
25:18the seedlings
25:19require more water
25:20than the more mature plants
25:22also it's my meditation time
25:24I live in my head a lot
25:25so to be out in the garden
25:26and watering by hand
25:28is a great time
25:28for me to meditate
25:29and it's also
25:30a security system
25:31I feel like
25:35if I can connect
25:36with the neighbours
25:37people who walk past
25:38dog walkers
25:39give them extra produce
25:41when they're walking past
25:42I make that connection
25:43create a sense of community
25:45so this red dragon
25:49here is one of my favourites
25:50it's a grevillea
25:51and I love it so much
25:52because it grew so quickly
25:53and it's got these
25:54beautiful red flowers
25:55as you can see
25:56but what I love so much
25:57about it is the bees love it
25:58and it brings in wildlife
25:59from across the road
26:00I love the habitat
26:02that's created
26:02and the biodiversity
26:03and another one of my favourites
26:05is this grevillea
26:06chrythmopholia
26:07it's a huge native ground cover
26:10and I just love it
26:11because when it flowers
26:12it's covered in beautiful
26:12white flowers
26:13how many individual plants
26:15have made this big massing
26:16so this huge
26:17grevillea chrythmopholia
26:19is from one tube stock
26:20and I grew it about
26:21four years ago
26:22and as you can see
26:23it's just huge
26:24on the label on the back
26:25it's say two to three metres
26:26but mine's gone to like
26:27six metres wide
26:28which is quite incredible
26:29it's a perfect verge plant
26:31it is
26:31I'll just show you
26:32through my garden here
26:33Josh
26:33I love coming through here
26:35because it's all tightly packed
26:37pretty dense there here
26:39I do love this
26:41banksia preanates
26:42it's just amazing
26:42how big it got
26:43in such a short time
26:44I grew it from tube stock
26:45and three years ago
26:46look how big it is now
26:47and a few months ago
26:48I saw some carnabies
26:50cockatoos on there
26:50having a feed
26:51on the top of the
26:52the banksia plant
26:53and I was just chewing away
26:54at the flowers
26:55it's such an amazing sound
26:56and I'm just so proud
26:57of what I've achieved here
26:59for the carnabies
26:59to come in and have a feed
27:00in my garden
27:01it's quite remarkable
27:04it's quite remarkable
27:04how quickly this garden
27:06has established
27:06but what are your plans
27:08with pruning
27:09for example
27:10taking out some of these acacias
27:11which might crowd
27:13the long-term species
27:14like the banksias
27:15I do prune the plants
27:16back a bit
27:16I did realise
27:17that I was going to
27:18put a lot of plants
27:19in a small space
27:20and I had to prune
27:20I didn't realise
27:21how big some of the plants
27:23like this acacia
27:24would get
27:24in such a short time
27:25so I deliberately had to prune
27:26back quite a lot of them
27:27you can't help
27:32but be inspired
27:33by Brews
27:34and his commitment
27:35to creating habitat
27:36for local wildlife
27:37it really does start
27:39at home
27:40but for Brews
27:41that's not enough
27:42he's a teacher
27:44and takes every chance
27:45he can
27:46to share his
27:47sustainability message
27:48in the classroom
27:49there's a pomegranate there
27:50ice cream bean there
27:52a couple of dwarf apples
27:53sweet potato
27:54when I go into a school
27:55I share my passion
27:56my knowledge
27:56my wisdom
27:57with those young children
27:58so they can benefit
27:59from what I've done
28:00and what I've created
28:01in my space
28:01and hopefully inspire them
28:02to create something
28:03in their own gardens
28:04at home
28:04even if you just plant
28:05one small shrub
28:06that's something
28:07and once you've had success
28:08that'll be a second
28:09and a third
28:10and just build on that
28:11and create whatever
28:12you want to create
28:12The Verge is council land
28:14what's been their position
28:16on you planting it up?
28:17Each year they offer
28:18a subsidy on native plants
28:19they give away
28:1920 plants at a reduced price
28:21and the last
28:22six years
28:23I've been buying those plants
28:25to plant along my verge
28:26and I understand
28:27that the council
28:28own that land
28:30however they do
28:31encourage me
28:31to provide habitat
28:32on that space
28:33And what are the suggestions
28:35in terms of species height?
28:37When I'm planning out The Verge
28:38one of the main considerations
28:39is sight lines
28:40because I'm a corner block
28:41when people are turning
28:42they need to be able to see
28:43oncoming traffic
28:44around the corner
28:45so I've been very conscious
28:46of making sure
28:47that I prune the plants
28:48that are over a certain height
28:50What about services?
28:51Yeah I have an NBN
28:53Telstra pit on my property
28:55and I've been conscious
28:55of not growing anything
28:56directly around it
28:57or on top of it
28:58however some of the grevilleas
29:00just take off
29:00so I've had to prune that
29:01quite a few times
29:02Has this garden turned out
29:06how you hoped it would?
29:08I feel like I have achieved
29:09what I set out to do
29:10I've achieved quite a lot
29:11because I've planted
29:12so many species of plants
29:13in a small space
29:14and I love that
29:15I've created a habitat
29:16for nature to come and enjoy
29:17and for me it's about
29:19embracing biodiversity
29:20creating a habitat
29:21where nature can do its thing
29:23Still to come on Gardening Australia
29:30Hannah keeps those pesky rodents
29:34out of her garden
29:35We meet a professor
29:37thinking about planting design
29:39and fire you up
29:41with your jobs for the weekend
29:43Horticultural fads come and go
29:53but some plants
29:55always remain in style
29:56like this one here
29:58the pygmy date palm
30:00or phoenix rubelini
30:01They're pretty much set and forget
30:04They grow to a height
30:06of around about 2 metres
30:08like this one
30:09It's a great choice
30:11for a warm temperate climate
30:13The thing I love about them
30:15is unlike most palms
30:16which grow like dead straight
30:19these ones get a shimmy
30:21and a curve
30:22and a lean
30:23and a bend to them
30:24They're from monsoonal floodplains
30:26in northern Laos
30:27so they're adapted
30:29to both flooding
30:30and seasonal dryness
30:31The glossy foliage
30:33gives the look
30:34of being constantly wet
30:35They also look great in a pot
30:37but watch out
30:38they come with sharp spines
30:41Gardens can hold
30:59a lifetime of memories
31:00and this elegant
31:01tree-filled haven
31:03is a reminder
31:04of many happy decades
31:06for the family
31:07who set it up
31:08in the 1960s
31:09The two hectare
31:14Warren Glen garden
31:15and nursery
31:16in Warrandyte
31:17in Melbourne's
31:18outer northeast
31:19was once home
31:20to nurseryman
31:21Andrew Raper
31:22and his family
31:23It was an old
31:28gold mining site
31:29and Andrew's parents
31:30started a nursery here
31:31building showrooms
31:33and a footbridge
31:34over an ornamental creek
31:36They also started
31:38the display garden
31:39especially to show off
31:40the latest plants
31:41being brought in
31:42from overseas
31:43Andrew, over the years
31:49I've visited this garden
31:50many times
31:51it's a special place
31:52but what is your
31:53relationship with it?
31:54So my mum and dad
31:55Ellen and Barbara
31:56they bought this site
31:58in 1965
31:59and set up
32:00this beautiful
32:01display garden
32:02for people to see
32:03and admire
32:04and learn about
32:05the trees
32:05that were becoming
32:06new to Australia
32:07at the time
32:08And so
32:09are you still involved?
32:10No
32:10we've sold the place
32:12to a new owner
32:13and the new owner
32:14is looking after it
32:15like it was always theirs
32:16it's beautiful
32:17and it makes me
32:18very proud
32:18So the garden
32:24apart from being
32:26a fabulous legacy
32:27it's actually
32:29a planting
32:30of plants
32:30that were in fashion
32:31from the day
32:32the place started
32:33to current
32:34So when
32:35the very first planting
32:36was actually all
32:37cacti and succulents
32:38because that was
32:38a thing in the 60s
32:39then trees
32:41became a big thing
32:42in the 70s
32:43and 80s
32:43and then maples
32:44in the 80s
32:45and 90s
32:46so the garden
32:46is progressively growing
32:48and evolving
32:49to reflect
32:50the trends
32:51Yeah
32:51Except your dad
32:53started the trends
32:54in a way
32:54didn't he?
32:55Well he was
32:56very interested
32:57in all aspects
32:58of gardening
32:58but he particularly
33:00liked trees
33:01and so
33:02the legacy
33:03is as we see
33:04It's amazing
33:05isn't it?
33:18Wowee Andrew
33:20that's not a bad
33:21looking tree
33:22is it?
33:23That's the giant
33:24Californian sequoia
33:25Jane
33:25It's a Californian
33:27redwood
33:27it's one of the biggest
33:28trees on earth
33:29And it's a conifer
33:30And it's a conifer
33:31Wow
33:32It's about 55 years old now
33:34It's at about 25%
33:36of full height
33:37so at 20 metres now
33:39it's got a little way
33:40to go to get to 100 metres
33:42but it will live
33:43to probably
33:441,000 to 1,500 years
33:46Well your dad
33:47would be very proud
33:48He'd be pretty pleased
33:49to see that
33:49wouldn't he?
33:50So very popular
33:51in the 50s and 60s
33:53kind of landmark
33:54kind of tree
33:55that was planted
33:55to sort of say
33:57hey I was here
33:58So Jane
34:09another great conifer
34:10in this garden
34:11is the Swain's
34:12golden pencil pine
34:13planted in the 70s
34:15back in the day
34:16mum and dad
34:17used to get in the truck
34:18drive to Sydney
34:19and the only way
34:20they could get them
34:20was to go and buy
34:21a whole truckload
34:22of plants
34:23They really speak
34:241970s
34:25Absolutely
34:25totally 1970s
34:27Isn't that incredible?
34:28They make a statement
34:29don't they?
34:29Oh it's a glorious tree
34:30the beautiful element
34:31of being narrow
34:33and conical
34:33fits in every garden
34:35still today
34:35And then this
34:36I love that
34:37just as a contrast
34:38So in the foreground
34:39that's the cashmere cypress
34:40from the Himalayas
34:42would be one of my
34:43favourite conifers
34:44beautiful weeping
34:45specimen tree
34:45and blue being
34:46a very uncommon conifer
34:48it's certainly
34:49one of the good ones
34:49I don't see many
34:50of them anymore
34:51but they still are around
34:53you can still get them
34:54So this is the
34:57weeping blue atlas cedar
34:58this is one of my
34:59favourite trees
35:00this is also a really
35:01special tree to me
35:02because my dad grafted
35:03this a very long time ago
35:04Oh isn't that amazing
35:05So it's still a 1970s tree?
35:07Yes here it is
35:08still in the garden
35:09looking fabulous
35:10has a glorious
35:11pendulous habit
35:12It's like a curtain
35:14isn't it?
35:14It's absolutely beautiful
35:15Now because it's grafted
35:17is it going to stay
35:18about that height?
35:19Yes it's only going to
35:20grow downward
35:21not upward
35:21Wowie
35:22So where does this
35:23tree come from?
35:24So it comes from
35:25the Blue Atlas Mountains
35:26in Morocco
35:27so it's North African
35:30It's just lovely
35:31isn't it?
35:32Yeah
35:32Glorious
35:33While the conifers
35:36shine brightly
35:37in the garden
35:37the deciduous trees
35:39are no less impressive
35:40This is a real
35:44wow factor
35:44when you see
35:45that purpley red
35:46and the green lime
35:48of the maples
35:49together
35:49are just as fantastic
35:50Glorious plants
35:52aren't they?
35:52They are
35:52The mid 80s
35:54brought a whole new
35:55range of maples
35:56to Australia
35:56and we planted
35:57all of the maples
35:58which were
35:59not really popular
36:00at the time
36:01but have since
36:01become very very popular
36:03The filigree foliage
36:05and the colours
36:05is so beautiful
36:07and people just love it
36:08These just remind me
36:10of what they look like
36:11in Japan
36:11they're beautiful
36:12Aren't they lovely?
36:13Great specimens
36:14Now what about
36:18this tree
36:19it's magnificent
36:19Jane
36:20this is possibly
36:21my favourite tree
36:22in the whole wide world
36:23so it's
36:24Elmus parvo flora frosty
36:25so the frosty elm
36:27it naturally grows
36:29in this habit
36:30so it's not pruned
36:30like this
36:31it's naturally
36:32the best beach umbrella
36:33you could ever get
36:34so that upright
36:35spreading habit
36:36means it's a good tree
36:37for a lot of gardens
36:38And it's hardy
36:39And it's very hardy
36:40and the leaves
36:41are very pretty
36:42so they come out
36:42with this lovely lime
36:43then they go
36:44hard green
36:45with this beautiful
36:45white margin
36:46that's the frosty name
36:47and then in autumn
36:49the whole tree
36:49goes rich yellow
36:51and all falls down
36:52I know the Chinese elm
36:54to which it's related
36:55that can be a little bit weedy
36:56Yeah so Chinese elms
36:57can be a bit weedy
36:58and also would grow
37:00much bigger than this
37:01this one's about 40 years old
37:03and it's a really nice
37:05sized garden tree
37:06I wouldn't have a garden
37:07without one
37:07Oh
37:07So where did the water
37:10for the little stream
37:11come from?
37:11It's actually just a little
37:13tributary of the Yarra River
37:15just down at Warrandaut State Park
37:17it runs into the Yarra
37:18And so your dad dammed it?
37:20Yeah so he put a little dam in
37:22just basically to make
37:24a fish pond and a duck pond
37:25It must have fond memories
37:27for you
37:28I have a lot of memories
37:29and as a kid
37:31the best time of day
37:33was after the padlock
37:35shut the gate shut
37:35because I had the whole
37:36place to myself
37:37and it was fantastic
37:38I used to love it
37:39and I kind of remember
37:41individual trees going in
37:44or lots of things happening
37:46you know
37:46we had a zoo licence
37:47it was done as a drawcard really
37:49to bring people to the nursery
37:52as an extra thing
37:53so we had kangaroos growing up
37:54and there was always
37:55this incredible amount
37:57of activity going on
37:58around the place
37:59it was a very very very busy
38:00and great place to grow up
38:02Yeah
38:02The nursery was buffeted
38:04by the millennium drought
38:06and the arrival
38:07of big retail competitors
38:09After the death of his parents
38:12the business was sold
38:14in 2004
38:15and nowadays
38:16Andrew is focused
38:17on the family's other nursery
38:19in the Dandenong Ranges
38:20specialising in camellias
38:22you would have noticed
38:24a lot of change
38:25in nurseries
38:26over that time
38:26for the 60s and 70s
38:28up to today
38:28Yeah well
38:29keeping in mind
38:29this was my backyard
38:31as a kid
38:33and so I've seen
38:34the nurseries
38:36and like more
38:37small independent
38:38garden centres
38:38open up everywhere
38:39then the chain stores
38:41come
38:41and then the chain stores
38:43go
38:43and a lot of
38:45the small
38:45inner suburban
38:46garden centres
38:47closing down
38:48so these sort of
38:49destination nurseries
38:50will be the future
38:51forever
38:52I think nurseries
38:55are forever evolving
38:58as do their customers
38:59so at the moment
39:00we've got a whole
39:01new range of people
39:03very interested in
39:03indoor plants
39:04and very interested
39:05in growing their own
39:06food
39:07and so the new
39:08generation of gardeners
39:09they might be
39:10single minded
39:11and very focused
39:12but they're about
39:13to expand
39:13so they will seek
39:15and source out
39:15really beautiful plants
39:17and grow them
39:17successfully
39:18So the future is good
39:20I think the future is good
39:21animals love gardens
39:35for much the same
39:37reasons we do
39:38they're quiet
39:39sheltered
39:40safe
39:41and they have
39:42an abundant supply
39:43of food
39:44water
39:45and nesting
39:46opportunities
39:47if you've ever tried
39:49to grow food
39:49in urban areas
39:50chances are
39:52you've come across
39:53pesky rodents
39:54well Hannah's here
39:56with some advice
39:57about how you can
39:58turn the problem off
39:59at the source
40:01how about these guys
40:06for unwelcome garden
40:07visitors
40:07rodents
40:08and we're not
40:10talking about
40:10our delightful
40:11Australian native
40:12rodent species
40:13in urban gardens
40:15all around the country
40:16you're far more likely
40:18to be contending
40:19with introduced
40:19black and brown
40:21rats
40:21and house mice
40:22even in my garden
40:25in certain times
40:26of the year
40:26rats can be
40:27a real problem
40:28like check out
40:30this kohlrabi crop
40:31they have munched
40:32it to the ground
40:33this is not okay
40:35the good news is
40:37that there are
40:38a few simple things
40:39you can do
40:39to keep rodents
40:40under control
40:41rats and mice
40:43are attracted to
40:44gardens
40:44because they can
40:45easily find
40:46warmth
40:46shelter
40:47and food
40:48compost systems
40:52and worm farms
40:53for processing food
40:54waste
40:55can quickly become
40:56rodent hot spots
40:57if you're not careful
40:58this worm farm
40:59is made from
41:00an old bathtub
41:01and importantly
41:02it has a really heavy
41:04and solid lid
41:05so there's no
41:06nooks and crannies
41:07that the mice
41:08or rats can crawl into
41:09so basically
41:10it's fortnocks
41:11for rodents
41:12usually rats and mice
41:15will burrow
41:15under your compost bin
41:17and set up camp
41:18and breed
41:18but we can put a stop
41:20to that
41:20I use vermin wire mesh
41:23leaving at least
41:24five centimetres
41:25at the side
41:26so I can fold it up
41:27over the edges
41:28and there you have it
41:37the worms will be able
41:38to come and go
41:39through these beautiful
41:40holes but not the rats
41:42yay
41:42and don't forget to put
41:46the lid on
41:46nice and snugly
41:47another potential
41:54haven for rodents
41:55is your chicken yard
41:56or in my case
41:57my goat and chicken yard
41:58this is because
41:59there's heaps of
42:00organic matter around
42:01and often daily food
42:03scraps from your kitchen
42:04if you are feeding food
42:05scraps to your animals
42:06make sure you only do it
42:08in the morning
42:08in small amounts
42:10so they have all day
42:11to eat them
42:12before the rodents
42:13come out at night time
42:14another tip is to store
42:18your chicken feed
42:19into metal bins
42:20which are rodent proof
42:21and make sure you keep
42:22the lid on nice and tight
42:24I've also made myself
42:27a rodent resistant
42:28chicken feeder
42:29just out of a plastic
42:30bucket with a toggle
42:31on the bottom
42:32the chickens have to peck
42:33and every time they do
42:34that it releases their
42:35feed onto the ground
42:37it's hanging off
42:38a metal rod
42:39and it's placed
42:40just higher
42:41than the chickens head
42:42so they have to reach up
42:43to peck the toggle
42:44this design does a fantastic job
42:47at keeping feed contained
42:48and also off the ground
42:50unless the chickens
42:51are eating it immediately
42:52it's actually the best feeder
42:55I've ever found
42:55to help keep rodents at bay
42:57now that's something
42:59to crow about
43:00rats also rely
43:04on a steady source of water
43:06so turn off any dripping taps
43:08and upturn buckets
43:09of course
43:11you can also catch rodents
43:12using live or snap traps
43:14deter them with sensor repellents
43:17or as a last resort
43:19you can use poison
43:20now I don't recommend poison
43:22but if you are going to use it
43:24make sure you look for
43:25first generation bait
43:27with the active ingredient
43:28of warfarin
43:29as this makes sure
43:30that none of our precious
43:31native wildlife dies
43:33if they happen to eat
43:34a dead poisoned rat
43:36so prevention is always
43:38the best cure
43:39do your best
43:40to cut off access
43:41to food, water and shelter
43:43and you should be able
43:44to send your mouse
43:45and rat pack packing
43:46I want to show you
43:54something incredibly exciting
43:55that I've been observing
43:56in the garden
43:57over the last few days
43:58in this yellow poppy
44:00I have a whole lot of bees
44:03now they've been sleeping
44:04overnight
44:05and they're just waking up
44:06they come out
44:07onto these petals
44:08they warm up
44:08and they fly away
44:10but it is not uncommon
44:12to find bees
44:13asleep in flowers
44:14I've found them
44:14in native orchids
44:16I've found them in weeds
44:17on flatweed flowers
44:18they spend the night
44:19and they're nice
44:20and comfortable
44:21and warm
44:21and then they warm up
44:22and take off from the day
44:23it's always worth stopping
44:25to look at your flowers
44:27and look even closer
44:28to see if someone's having
44:29a snooze in the bottom
44:31As our cities have grown
44:38so has research
44:40into just how vital
44:42the link to nature is
44:44in our urban lives
44:45As gardeners
44:46we already know it
44:48life just wouldn't be the same
44:50without our local parks
44:52and botanic gardens
44:53Our next story
44:55is with a professor
44:56who's studying
44:58how we can build
44:59our understanding
45:00of plants
45:01to take these places
45:03to the next level
45:04I really want to try
45:20to design vegetation
45:21and encourage other people
45:23to design vegetation
45:24which is really good
45:25for supporting local
45:26biodiversity
45:27complexity of plants
45:31how many different species
45:32you have
45:32and every leads
45:34to complexity
45:35of spatial form
45:36and that just creates
45:37a whole range of niche
45:38for a lot of organisms
45:39to live in that vegetation
45:41I'm James Hitchmore
45:47and if you want the full title
45:49I'm Professor Emma Writers
45:52in the Department of Landscape Architecture
45:54at the University of Sheffield
45:55What do I do?
45:57I think
45:58I write
45:59and I'm just sort of
46:00always asking questions
46:01about the world
46:02in relation to planting design
46:04biodiversity
46:05human well-being
46:06climate change
46:08all really the big issues
46:09of the time
46:10trying to set horticulture
46:11and landscape architecture
46:13in a policy context
46:17and saying
46:17what should we be doing
46:18where should we be going
46:19I've worked on projects
46:24all over the world
46:25and done projects
46:27really from the scale
46:29of new urban woodlands
46:31in the center of Beijing
46:32all the way to massive
46:33sort of woodland restoration projects
46:35in western China
46:36on the scale of thousands
46:38of square kilometers
46:38the aim has always been
46:40to try to increase
46:42awareness and appreciation
46:43of nature
46:44in urban places
46:45my relationship with Burnley
46:49at the University of Melbourne
46:50it was my first job
46:52after finishing my PhD
46:53in the UK
46:54so in a way
46:55it's where I cut my teeth
46:57and it's a really special place
46:58for me
46:58when I first came here
47:02I was really young
47:03I was only 26 or 27
47:05because I was looking
47:06for some sort of big idea
47:08or research direction
47:09for me
47:10for the rest of my career
47:11and what really supplied it to me
47:14was actually looking
47:15at the native grasslands
47:16on the western plains of Victoria
47:17which I thought
47:18were very beautiful
47:19and just seemed to have
47:20so much potential
47:21as a landscape design form
47:23and during that time
47:26I played a major role
47:27in beginning to develop
47:30research understanding
47:31and how we might use
47:33these native plants
47:34from the western plains
47:36in design landscapes
47:37in the city
47:38and as part of that
47:40I also designed
47:41the grass garden
47:42at Burnley
47:43which is open to the public
47:44and you can see
47:45from that time on
47:48I started thinking
47:49about how could I make
47:50sort of very beautiful
47:52flowering grassland
47:54type vegetation
47:55in cities
47:55and when I went back
47:57to the UK
47:57I really began to look
47:58at a much more eclectic range
48:00of vegetation types
48:02and I looked at this
48:04through research
48:04and then as our research
48:05developed
48:06and I learned how to make
48:07a whole range
48:08of different vegetation types
48:10that no one ever made before
48:11I started getting asked
48:13to try to create those
48:14in public landscapes
48:16often on a very big scale
48:18and so I ended up
48:20in 2007 being asked
48:22to co-design actually
48:23with a colleague
48:24who was doing similar things
48:25the London Olympic Park
48:26and that was a huge project
48:28huge gig
48:29and I eventually ended up
48:31designing and creating
48:3210 hectares
48:34of native wildflower meadows
48:35it was the first
48:37Olympic Park in the world
48:38where you didn't have
48:39just mountain grass and trees
48:40so it was a hugely ambitious
48:42and a big risk taking project
48:44So up on the roof
48:50at the University of Melbourne
48:52Burnley
48:52we have the trial gardens
48:55for the Melbourne Arts
48:57Precinct project
48:57and we've got three beds
48:59here to the right
49:01we have a substrate depth
49:03of 100 millimetres
49:04to the right behind me
49:06we have 200 millimetres
49:08and to the left behind me
49:09we have 300 millimetres
49:11and what we're doing here
49:12is we're testing
49:14how the individual plants grow
49:16and also how they sort of
49:18compete with one another
49:19to try to get a longer term
49:21sense of how we're going to
49:23select the very final plants
49:25for the real project
49:26in the Melbourne Arts Precinct
49:27So the Melbourne Arts Precinct
49:31it's a project to
49:33essentially build
49:34a new gallery
49:35of contemporary art
49:37behind the existing
49:38National Gallery
49:39on St Kilda Road
49:40the space around the galleries
49:42is going to be repurposed
49:44as a major new garden
49:46for Melbourne
49:47and the scale is enormous
49:48I mean we're talking about
49:4918,000 square metres
49:51of planting
49:52so that's just under
49:53two hectares
49:53so the name of the garden
49:55is Lark Bundap
49:56which is its Wurundjeri name
49:59the whole project
50:00in terms of the garden
50:01will be finished
50:02probably in 2029
50:04so it's a slow burning project
50:06and gives us a lot of time
50:07to actually work out
50:09in a very precise way
50:10what we're going to do
50:10which is a real luxury
50:11on many of these projects
50:13so this garden
50:14is a behind the scenes
50:15research facility
50:17so it doesn't have public access
50:18but if you want to see
50:20what it looks like
50:21in a sort of more real world context
50:23there is a test garden
50:24on the corner of Federation Square
50:26in Melbourne
50:27just by the car park
50:28which is freely available
50:29so this test planting
50:32is the result of a large number
50:34of people collaborating
50:35with different skills
50:36and my particular role in this
50:38has been to
50:40in the first instance
50:42try and identify
50:42what the plant palette might be
50:44for the conditions
50:45we're going to have
50:46in the project
50:47and so we'll be able
50:49to get closer and closer
50:50to the spatial arrangements
50:52and the species
50:53we're going to use
50:54in the real thing
50:55in the future
50:55with climate change
51:01Melbourne is projected
51:02to have the climate of Dobbo
51:04in the present moment
51:06by 2060, 2070
51:08and so we have to
51:10have some species in there
51:11which we're pretty sure
51:12will have the resilience
51:13to be able to persist
51:15in the longer term
51:16when we design
51:19this sort of vegetation
51:20you're looking at it
51:22sort of you know
51:22as perhaps a single thing
51:24but I see it
51:24is three layers
51:25we have a base layer
51:27something from zero
51:29to perhaps 20, 30 centimetres
51:31and then we have
51:32an emergent sort of layer
51:33often called a bump layer
51:34and it might go up to 600
51:37and then we have
51:38what we call
51:38a tall emergent layer
51:40and that might be anything
51:41from you know
51:42a metre to two metres
51:43but the bottom
51:45is really important
51:46because the bottom layer
51:47is what's always there
51:48often evergreen
51:50say we've got
51:5110 plants per square metre
51:53we'd normally have
51:54nine plants
51:55or eight plants
51:56in that bottom layer
51:58and then in the next layer
51:59we might have
52:01one or two
52:02and then in the top layer
52:04we might only have
52:050.1 of a plant
52:06I plant every
52:0810 square metres
52:09so if you do that
52:10you create a structure
52:11which allows light
52:12to get in
52:13it also has a lot
52:14of visual dynamism
52:15because of the upright stems
52:17and you get these rhythms
52:18and patterns
52:19and you get this movement
52:21when the wind blows
52:22so it might look
52:23completely random
52:24but in actual fact
52:25it's designed using
52:26spreadsheets and ratios
52:28as well as
52:29scribbling
52:30with a fat pencil
52:31on a piece of paper
52:32so it's a very
52:33creative process
52:34but it's also a very
52:36science-based process too
52:38so in terms of my hopes
52:43for the future
52:43of this vegetation
52:44when it becomes
52:46Lark Bundap
52:47in the Arts Precinct project
52:50I mean obviously
52:51the base thing
52:52I'd like to achieve
52:53is it's got to look fabulous
52:54and it's really got to
52:56capture people's hearts
52:57and imagination
52:58At a time of
53:01biodiversity crisis
53:02and the sort of
53:03the well-being crisis
53:05we have in our cities
53:06it's really important
53:08that we try
53:09to elevate
53:10the significance
53:11of vegetation
53:12in the city
53:13It's not just
53:15nice to have
53:16it's actually
53:16an essential to have
53:18and we've got to start
53:19valuing this sort of stuff
53:21as much as we value
53:23built infrastructure
53:24because you know
53:26the future lies really
53:27in terms of
53:2821st century
53:29in terms of dealing
53:30with vegetation
53:31in cities
53:32and making them
53:32habitable
53:33resilient
53:34climate responsive places
53:36so I really hope
53:37that this will
53:38start a lot of
53:39conversations about that
53:40and I hope
53:41that that will
53:42have a lasting legacy
53:44in Australia
53:54I know what time it is
53:58time to lean into
53:59your jobs
54:00for the weekend
54:01cool temperate gardeners
54:08it's finally
54:09tomato time
54:10so early
54:11mid
54:11and late season
54:12varieties
54:13and bomb proof
54:14cherry toms
54:15to extend your harvest
54:17avoid gluts
54:18and keep you in salads
54:19and salsa
54:20for months
54:21take softwood cuttings
54:23from hydrangeas
54:24and have a go
54:25at propagating them
54:26this weekend
54:27cut 15 centimetres
54:29of fresh green stem
54:31leave a pair of leaves
54:32dip cutting in honey
54:34and pot up
54:35simple
54:36sow some fine french herbs
54:38for instant
54:39ooh la la
54:40chervil
54:41tarragon
54:42parsley
54:43and chives
54:43are good to grow
54:45and even better
54:46to eat
54:46great in pots
54:48hanging baskets
54:49or a sunny spot
54:50in the patch
54:51in warm temperate gardens
54:54roses are rocketing away
54:56so stake delicate
54:57new water shoots
54:58to prevent them
54:59snapping in the wind
55:00these shoots
55:01will become
55:02full on flowering
55:03stems
55:04in no time
55:05get set for summer
55:07and whack in
55:08a watermelon seed
55:09or two
55:10these fine vines
55:11grow easily
55:12in rich soils
55:13and compact varieties
55:15like sugar baby
55:16are perfect
55:16for smaller spaces
55:18strike some simple
55:20softwood cuttings
55:21of mint
55:21basil
55:22rosemary
55:23and salvias
55:24select healthy
55:2510 centimetre
55:26sections of stem
55:27strip lower leaves
55:29pot up
55:30and you'll have
55:30new plants
55:31in no time
55:32simple as
55:33in the subtropics
55:36treat perennials
55:37palms
55:38grasses
55:38roses
55:39and mangoes
55:40to some lovely
55:41liquid potash
55:42this will boost
55:44flowering and fruiting
55:45and bulk up plants
55:46to fight off
55:47fungal attacks
55:48get wise to weeds
55:50either at home
55:51or through a local group
55:53by identifying
55:54and treating
55:55environmental weeds
55:56at this time
55:57of the year
55:57you help to stop
55:59seed set
55:59and spread
56:00over summer
56:01if your dill
56:02is forming seed heads
56:03in the warmer weather
56:04don't despair
56:05the seeds can be collected
56:07and stored in paper bags
56:09once they've dried
56:10completely
56:10they're perfect
56:12in pickling mixes
56:13tropical gardeners
56:15it's a great time
56:16to plant banana suckers
56:18either split
56:19from your own plants
56:20or purchase
56:21from a certified supplier
56:23look for healthy suckers
56:24with well established roots
56:26below your bananas
56:28slot in some sweet potato slips
56:30this super tough scrambler
56:32will help suppress weeds
56:34and retain moisture
56:35plus the foliage
56:37is edible
56:37and in a few months
56:39you'll have tons
56:40of tasty tubers
56:41edible adaptable
56:43and a doddle to grow
56:44pop in a pigeon pea
56:46Cajanus cajun
56:47growing to three metres high
56:49this shrub
56:50is a winning windbreak
56:52a great green manure
56:53and the seeds
56:54are delicious in dal
56:56arid gardeners
56:58have a crack at growing
56:59a caper plant
57:00caperis spinosa
57:02delicious
57:03deciduous
57:04tough
57:04and tasty
57:05these incredible edibles
57:07adore a hot dry climate
57:09and are an attractive
57:10low spreading shrub
57:12if you're noticing
57:13distorted leaves
57:14or buds
57:15on plants
57:16you may have
57:17an infestation
57:18of thrips
57:19inspect plants
57:20for these tiny
57:21cylindrical insects
57:23remove
57:24bin
57:24and bag
57:25affected foliage
57:26and flowers
57:27if you've got
57:28access to irrigation
57:29grow an eggcellent
57:31eggplant or two
57:33great in the patch
57:34or pots
57:34try varieties like
57:36black beauty
57:37turkish orange
57:38or tsakoniki
57:39that don't hate the heat
57:41the weather's getting
57:43warmer gardeners
57:44but our tips and tricks
57:46are always red hot
57:47so head on over
57:48to our youtube channel
57:49for loads of
57:50gardening australia content
57:52you may have missed
57:53well it's time to say
58:03goodbye for another week
58:04but there's plenty
58:05more to come
58:06next time
58:07here's what's in store
58:08millie does some
58:12native plant maintenance
58:14like any other plants
58:15they will want
58:16a little bit
58:17of your love
58:17and attention
58:18which is the best part
58:20about gardening
58:21I'm meeting someone
58:23who's transformed
58:24a shared courtyard space
58:26into a lush
58:27secret garden
58:28well it's a harmonious
58:30group of people
58:30who live here
58:31and I think the garden
58:32has a lot to do
58:32with that
58:33and we meet
58:34a certified chicken
58:36champion
58:37you
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