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Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 38
Transcript
00:00.
00:06Hey.
00:07Hi!
00:08.
00:14Hey, honey.
00:19Hey!
00:20Hey!
00:21Hey!
00:24.
00:26Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:48This week I'm at Kings Park in Perth, helping to celebrate the 60th anniversary
00:55of the Western Australian Botanic Gardens.
00:59Like other botanic gardens, Kings Park conducts botanical science and helps to conserve at-risk
01:05plant species.
01:07But this place is one of only a handful in the world, to focus exclusively on species
01:13local to the region.
01:16It's helping to ensure our native species are preserved for generations to come.
01:22And that is something to really celebrate.
01:24While I have a squiz around, here's what else is coming up.
01:31Perennials are all the rage at the moment, but not all are suited to our climate.
01:35I'll show you some that have a better chance of survival in our increasingly hot, dry environments.
01:41I'm going to show you a simple trick to reduce the risk of rats stealing your fruit or nut
01:47crops.
01:48The warm weather is upon us, so it's summer crop time at my place.
01:55And I'm exploring a farm that is growing one of the world's most celebrated and cultivated
02:00flowers.
02:01A peony.
02:02Perth's Kings Park is pumping at the moment with a native floral display that's an absolute
02:24feast for the eyes.
02:27Kings Park, 400 hectares of preserved bushland and display gardens overlooking the city centre,
02:35was established in the 1890s.
02:38And this section here, the Western Australian Botanic Garden, was opened in 1965.
02:44So this is a 60 year anniversary being celebrated with flowers.
02:5260 years is a solid effort, but that's a blink of an eye next to the 60,000 years that the
02:59original locals, the Whadjuk Noongar people, have been connected to this place.
03:04I want to know more about this history and even though I've been here a few times, Rikita Wally
03:11is revealing a Kings Park I haven't seen before.
03:16Rikki, this place has been known as Kings Park since last century, but it must have had another
03:23name for a long time before that.
03:25Yeah, this has a few different names in our local language, which is Noongar, and it's because
03:30we're oral language, lots of people came here and had different names, Karatgarap, Karatokumba,
03:36Diningambo, Karamuro, and you'll notice Karata in a lot of them, and that means hill.
03:42And the up?
03:43So when you see up on the end of a word, which a lot of our suburb names do have, that means
03:47place of, and the start of that will let you know what that place was.
03:52The most common names we use are Karatokumba and Karatgarap, which means big or significant
03:56hill, or the spider hill, which is to do with the trapdoor spider.
04:05It's a pretty important place for us as Noongar people, as Whadjuk, because it's this beautiful
04:11green bushland in the middle of pretty urban sprawl.
04:15So it's a place for us to come and to feel like we are amongst bushland, seeing the foods
04:23and the animals that are here, a place of learning and teaching.
04:28It's also a place where we can continue our cultural practice.
04:30So we come up here and we do traditional dance.
04:33We teach our next generations their culture.
04:36It's a pretty special place for us and our community.
04:39And this meeting place here?
04:41We're here at Bidawang and Bidawang or Bidawang, it's a place where we travel to speak, to share.
04:48So a meeting place and it was named after all the traditional meeting places that existed
04:54throughout this park.
04:55So it's nice that we still have this meeting place today.
04:59Bidawang was established with a few pretty awesome elements.
05:03There are six rocks in here that represent these six Noongar seasons with the large rock in the
05:08middle to represent the flame or the fire that we would meet around.
05:12Made in a circle because traditionally as Noongars when we do our meetings, decision making,
05:18maybe even conflict resolution, we'll always do that in a circle, in a nice space where
05:23everyone is represented.
05:34The Pioneer Women's Memorial, it's not the first thing that would come to mind when discussing
05:41sites of Indigenous significance.
05:44This place here has a much older heritage and especially that link for women.
05:50So this is a very special women's area.
05:52As we head towards the hill, going down that slope, this area traditionally would have been
05:58only for women and children to enter and it still upholds that significance for us today,
06:05definitely.
06:06They were aware when they were developing the Pioneer Women's Memorial area of the Noongar
06:11women's significance and the heritage here.
06:14So I'm guessing it made sense to put it in a place where women's significance is already
06:19very strong in this area.
06:22So, is it kind of a multi-use area now?
06:28How do you see it?
06:29We do now have a recognition as well of the Noongar heritage and significance with an area
06:36called Yorkers Ninning, which means women sitting or a place for women to come and gather.
06:41So that has been acknowledged and recognised and that heritage, it is something that we
06:48still teach about and uphold.
06:55This area is part of a natural spring, which we are actually bringing back, which is amazing.
07:01This spring provide us with fresh water as well as a series of different plants that have
07:06medicinal purposes.
07:07So a very special place for us to visit and very resource-rich.
07:22Wow, Ricky, what an amazing tuet this is.
07:27That slice taken out at the front, that is significant to your culture.
07:33It is.
07:34We call a scar tree and there are a number of different reasons why we might cut a section
07:39out of the tree.
07:41It might be for tool making purposes.
07:43We can also be marking a significant area.
07:46It reminds us of that really old heritage and that really long but unbroken link that
07:52we have here as Noongar people.
07:55We can see a physical marker in the tree of where our ancestors marked this tree and it's
08:01a lovely reminder for us of that history and that heritage.
08:05In what ways are you and your family connected to country and the landscape today?
08:13So we have a number of different systems or parts of our culture that very much connect
08:18us through country.
08:20One of them is our totemic system.
08:22We call that boorunga.
08:24And every baby that is born is given a plant or animal species that's yours to take care
08:28of for the rest of your life.
08:30If you learn about that species, traditionally you'd be an advocate for it, taking care of
08:34it.
08:35Mine has been visiting us a bit today.
08:37It's the Kulbarati, the magpie.
08:39And it's something that is like my kin that becomes my little family member then that I
08:44take care of.
08:48We don't just live on country.
08:50We don't just take from country and use it as a resource.
08:53We are a part of this country and we have a special family link like kinship with these
08:59animals.
09:00And it's a special way for us to be connected and take care of this place.
09:10I feel very lucky to be able to work here in this place where we have such a strong heritage.
09:16Our culture is so rich here.
09:18And it's something that we're able to share, not just with our next generations, within
09:22the Aboriginal community, but with everyone that comes to this place.
09:27It's something that we talk a lot about heritage and history, but it's a living culture and
09:30I think that's what's really important is that we continue to practice, to share and
09:34to teach.
09:35Really special place for us here.
09:48How can I sow seed on a freshly prepared seedbed without compacting the soil?
09:54This is one of the tips my grandfather gave me and what he said was, rather than walking
10:00on the soil, why don't you walk on some boards?
10:04Because as you walk on these boards, you distribute your weight evenly across the soil, avoiding
10:09compaction.
10:10Plus, it gives you easy access to existing crops and you can sow new ones.
10:15What is the difference between potting up or potting on and repotting?
10:19Well, the truth is these terms are used interchangeably a lot, so I wouldn't get too literal about
10:25it.
10:26But essentially, when you pot something on or pot something up, you would try to move
10:30it into a larger size pot.
10:32Commonly, it's about a half as big as the one it's in.
10:35You can go bigger for much more vigorous growth in many plants.
10:40Pre-potting might mean that you're actually taking an indoor plant, for example, or an
10:44orchid out of the mix, pulling away a lot of the expired mix and replacing it with fresh
10:48stuff in a similar size pot.
10:50They are just terms that we use to mean pay attention to your potted plants.
10:55Do it every couple of years and you will have such great results.
11:00What is a node and why is it important in propagation?
11:03A node is a little bump or joint on the plant stem, where leaves, roots or branches grow.
11:09So when you're taking a cutting, always look for that little bump and make a cut just below
11:14it.
11:15If you're putting a cutting in water, make sure at least one node is submerged.
11:19That will trigger root growth.
11:21No node, no roots.
11:23The node does all the work.
11:29We've got five almond trees in my garden, which I'm pretty stoked by.
11:32And last year was the first time that we were due to get a really good harvest.
11:37But a few days before we were due to pick those nuts, they mysteriously disappeared.
11:42It turns out it was rats that got to them.
11:45So this season I'm being proactive.
11:47I'm going to show you how you can still get a harvest and get ahead of the rats.
11:51I'm going to make a simple tree collar out of aluminium flashing, which you can get from
11:55your local hardware shop.
11:56It's usually used for roofing, but it's fantastic for this purpose as well.
12:00Because you can just wrap it around your tree and it's nice and slippery, which means the
12:04rats can't get a grip, so they can't climb up it.
12:07Because this trunk's so tall, I'll put one layer here and then another above it here, just
12:12to make sure the rats can't jump over that first layer.
12:15To measure how much you need, wrap the flashing around the trunk, leaving around 15cm overlap.
12:22And then just give it a little snip so you know where to cut it later on.
12:25And it's a good idea to wear gloves when you're doing this because it's pretty sharp.
12:29Once you've got your flashing, just wrap it around the trunk.
12:41Line up the two edges.
12:45And then fold it really tightly, just once over on itself.
12:54And then place it where you want it to sit in its final position.
12:59And then fold over on itself again until it's nice and firm, but not too tight because you
13:03want to give space for this tree to grow within it, knowing that you can loosen it and expand
13:07it later on.
13:15And that's it!
13:16It's so satisfyingly easy!
13:19Yes!
13:20When you're doing two layers, make sure the top layer overlaps on the bottom layer so the
13:25rats can't climb up and get a grip on this little edge here.
13:30If you've got a shorter trunk, then you're going to have to do multiple collars on each
13:34branch to stop the rats from jumping up.
13:39And there you have it.
13:40This is how I'm going to keep the rats away from my almond trees this season.
13:44It might be actually reminding you of how large trees and parklands have those plastic collars
13:48around them to keep the possums at bay, but this is the homemade version.
13:52It's simple, affordable and hopefully effective.
14:02So many of their plants here at Kings Park are not only beautiful, but they're very well
14:07adapted to the low rainfall environments here in Western Australia.
14:13If there's one person who knows how to make a beautiful garden when rain is scarce, it's
14:19got to be Sophie Thompson.
14:21In this next story, she's sharing with us some of her perfect perennial picks.
14:26Who doesn't love the idea of soft drifts of dreamy blooms filling their gardens?
14:45That's why naturalistic perennial borders and meadows are all the rage right now.
14:51Social media is filled with a myriad of plants in an array of colours, forms and textures planted
14:57en masse.
14:58But many of these plants aren't necessarily suited to all Australian climates.
15:05Much of Australia is becoming hotter and drier, and we need to choose wisely to create gardens
15:11that are beautiful and long lasting and don't rely on a lot of water.
15:15So let's take a look at some suitable plants.
15:22Salvias are a popular choice.
15:24I've planted lots of them.
15:26They're great in a hot climate, can be easily pruned and produce lots of flowers.
15:34But one key element to natural plantings is diversity.
15:37So let's add in a variety of flower forms and aesthetics to really make your garden pop.
15:45Agustachis are similar to salvia, but have more upright, clustered clumps of colour.
15:55This sweet lily has pink to apricot flowers, and it's a particularly tough survivor as long
16:00as your soil is rich in organic matter.
16:05Another pretty flower is Heuchera maxima.
16:08It has these tall, slender stems of tiny white blooms and lush, low foliage, and it's great
16:14for a dry spot.
16:17Heucheras do come in other bold, colourful leaf varieties, but they're not as resilient
16:22in harsh, dry climates, and their flowers aren't as showy.
16:26For best effect, plant this Heuchera maxima en masse.
16:35If you're after an interesting-shaped, spiky-headed flower, then Echinops is for you.
16:42They thrive in very well-drained soils and can handle ones that are either nutrient-poor
16:48or nutrient-rich.
16:49This Beecher's blue variety is a visual stunner.
16:57For a reliable flower, you can't go past the true geranium, which is also known as cranesbill.
17:03Now, these are not to be confused with those old-fashioned favourites we often call geraniums
17:08with their brightly coloured flowers.
17:09They're actually pelargoniums.
17:14A hundred cultivars, like this rambling robin, have a classic open flower shape.
17:19They are frost and drought hardy and great for filling a ground cover layer with shades
17:24of blue or pink.
17:26Now, to add some striking foliage colour to your perennial garden, Santolina, or cotton
17:32lavender, is gorgeous.
17:34It has this bright silver foliage.
17:37They're a number of different species, and they generally have vibrant yellow flowers.
17:44But my favourite silver foliage plant is this one.
17:47It's Senecio vera vera.
17:49It has this really light white silver foliage, which remains that colour even when it's wet.
17:56And while the flowers are a little bit insignificant, they're a creamy white colour.
18:00They're beloved by beneficial bugs, from bees and hoverflies to butterflies.
18:11Now for some lush foliage.
18:14You can't beat this beautiful Bergenia crosschmidii.
18:17It makes a lovely ground cover, and it has these pretty pink flowers in springtime.
18:22It's tougher and more reliable under harsh conditions than many other Bergenia cultivars, yet it looks
18:28just the same.
18:32Now your perennial border or meadow doesn't have to be filled with just exotic plants.
18:37There are some Australian native plants that fit with that naturalistic, dreamy theme.
18:43And they work in well.
18:45Things like this beautiful Veronica perfoliata.
18:48It's called Digger's Speedwell, and it has this really interesting blue-grey foliage that
18:53looks a bit like blue gum, with these dainty sprays of tiny little blue-purple flowers.
19:00It grows really well under harsh conditions, it'll grow in sun or semi-shade, and it's quite
19:06drought tolerant once established.
19:08For the perfect wispy backdrop to your flowers, you can't go past grasses.
19:17And there are many local native species, like this poa, that are staples for many landscapers,
19:23municipal plantings, but they also work really well in the home garden.
19:28Just don't plant them too close together.
19:30You want to give them space to develop that beautiful tussocky form.
19:35There's endless perennial plant inspiration from all over the world, but a good garden tailors
19:46that inspiration to suit its own specific environmental niche by choosing the right plants for the right
19:53spot.
20:02If you're looking to create a beautiful composition in a container, well, I've got the perfect formula
20:09for you.
20:10It involves only three types of plants, the thriller, the filler, and the spiller.
20:18Start off with the thriller plant.
20:20The thriller plant means that it's the centrepiece, and in this case I've chosen agastache, and it's
20:26just going to fill up that pot and have lots of flowers on it for many, many months, and that's
20:31what you're looking for.
20:32So that'll go just nicely there.
20:35Then around it are the filler plants.
20:38Now, I've chosen scaevola.
20:39Scaevola is not going to get as tall as this one.
20:42It's a fan flower, and it has flowers for most of the seasons, certainly over spring and summer
20:48and into autumn, and it's a very tough little plant.
20:50So that's the filler plant that's going to go into various spots around the thriller plant.
20:57But for the third choice, it's got to be the spiller.
21:01And this one is a dichondra, and it's lovely because it's called silver falls, and it acts
21:06like that because it falls out.
21:08I'm going to put it on the side of the pot, and it's going to like a curtain just completely
21:12cover all of that area, and it's a really good growing plant.
21:16I'm going to put three in as spillers around the edge.
21:20That'll go just in there.
21:23Then this one will go in just there.
21:27You might choose to have something really completely different.
21:30You might have a whole contrasting pot of cacti with different foliage and different textures.
21:37It's up to you.
21:38That's why gardening is so exciting.
21:39There's such a lot of plants that you can choose from.
21:49I'm just going to top it up with a bit of potting mix.
21:57Good.
22:00Once you've got their basic idea of compatibility and composition, there's a huge range of plants
22:07that you can choose from.
22:09And just remember the thriller, the spiller, and the filler.
22:27The warm weather's here, the sun is shining, and the soil is sweet.
22:31Josh is raring to go with everything you need to make this season in the patch the most productive
22:38one yet.
22:39Take it away, Josh.
22:42Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time to get warm season crops in the ground.
22:47Today, I'm going to plant up all five of my veggie beds, starting with cucurbits.
23:02In this case, it's cucumber and zucchini.
23:06Compost and pelletised organic fertiliser have been worked through the soil before planting.
23:13Zucchinis need a bit of room and like being planted in pairs.
23:17I'm sowing two pairs of two seeds in the front of this bed.
23:22Cucumber plants are climbers and will quickly cover this A-frame trellis, keeping the fruits
23:28safely off the ground.
23:30I'm planting two seeds 50 centimetres apart along the trellis and will thin the weaker
23:36plants out as they establish to prevent crowding.
23:45Once the seedlings are up, I'll give them a little nudge along with a half strength dose
23:51of fish emulsion liquid fertiliser once a fortnight until flowers appear and then I'll wind it back.
23:58Along with the standard compost and organic fertiliser, this bed is getting a dressing of potash to
24:04encourage flower and fruiting because this will be the tomato bed.
24:19Each year, I seem to plant the same two varieties of tomato because my family just love them.
24:24The first one is this.
24:25It's Gross List.
24:26It's a great performer for Perth's climate and it's a good all-rounded tomato.
24:31Great for sandwiches and also good for sauces and soups.
24:37I'm deep-planting these advanced seedlings to encourage a strong root system that will
24:42eventually climb the full height of these stakes.
24:45The other family favourite I'm planting against this trellis is a cherry type called Tommy
24:50Toe which is great for snacking and for salads and a layer of mulch to finish.
25:02One of the key strategies behind successful veggie gardening is crop rotation.
25:07Basically, if you grow crops within the same family, in the same bed, season after season, you greatly increase the chance of pests and disease problems.
25:16Which is why here in my garden, I have five veggie beds so I can rotate crops between them.
25:23This year, this is my legume bed which has been prepped with compost and pelletised fertiliser.
25:29I'm planting blue lake-climbing beans against these teepee structures, two seeds against each stake to start with, and as they establish, I'll take out the weaker of each pair.
25:40They're sharing the bed with an existing row of bunching onions which are still growing strong, so have been left in place for now.
25:47Along with the standard combo of compost and pelletised organic fertiliser, I'm adding chicka manure ahead of planting corn.
26:01The chicka manure will get the corn off to a quick start because it's a hungry crop.
26:07I've also soaked the seeds overnight in a weak seaweed solution which will make them germinate much faster.
26:14This is a variety called early sweet, and as the name suggests, it matures early, and it is super sweet.
26:26I'm sowing in a block pattern which helps with pollination and cob development.
26:31Two seeds every 40 centimetres, and as they establish, I'll thin out each pair to retain the strongest seedling.
26:39I'm finishing with mulch, and from here, regular watering, and like the cucumbers and zucchinis, half-strength liquid fish emulsion will keep the corn crop thriving.
26:50And wire mesh over the top will stop birds from raiding the seed.
26:55Once the seedlings are up, I'll remove the mesh.
26:59This last bed has been set aside for sweet potatoes, and these runners are from last year's crop, which were grown in another bed up the end.
27:10I've had them soaking in water for the week, and they've developed roots, which means when they're planted, they'll establish quickly.
27:16This variety of sweet potato is a purple-skinned, white flesh type.
27:21I'm planting into my standard soil prep of compost and pelletised organic fertiliser, 40 to 50 centimetres apart.
27:29Mulch, as always at this time of year, and these sweet potatoes are runned away.
27:35The love needs to continue over the coming weeks.
27:38Regular watering is a must, as is liquid feeding, helping plants get up onto their trellises,
27:44and of course keeping an eye out for pests and diseases and getting onto them early.
27:49And for plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, and the zucchinis, well, they're all pollinated by insects,
27:54so make sure you've got plenty of bee-attracting flowers around your garden.
27:58Another summer spent tending to your crops, I reckon life doesn't get any better.
28:04We use the topped lavender, or Lavandula stochis, for their Mediterranean feel and distinctive scent.
28:19Topped lavender is now widely naturalised in Australia, but is originally from North Africa and the Mediterranean.
28:26In south-eastern Australia, it's an environmental weed and can form dense stands that eliminate all other ground-level plants.
28:33Now, my suggestion for an alternative is Prostantra, or the Bush Mint.
28:39It's a soft, woody, low-growing, compact plant, and there are plenty of species and cultivars available,
28:45often having purple or white flowers, with furry and muted, beautifully scented foliage.
28:52Or what about Eremwafla?
28:55It does best in Mediterranean climates and has a striking silvery foliage.
28:59And the best bets are the grafted varieties that can be grown outside their ideal climatic range.
29:05Still to come on Gardening Australia, Millie checks out a flower like no other.
29:12We meet a doctor and his partner with a potted passion project.
29:18I was growing these aroids as indoor plants, and my interest in aroids became bigger,
29:24and then the whole hobby just kind of exploded.
29:27And we give you your working orders for the weekend.
29:38What is a cultigen?
29:40This is a term for a cultivated variety of plant which is only found in gardens.
29:46The wild form has high concentrations of oxalate crystals which will burn your mouth.
30:00This one is low in oxalates, so it needs less preparation, it's safer to eat,
30:05and you won't find this in the wild.
30:08Nor will you find this pandan in the wild.
30:11This variety is grown for its aromatic foliage, it's used to flavour rice.
30:16But it's lost the ability to produce seed,
30:20so it totally depends on people to grow them in their gardens
30:23and propagate them by cuttings.
30:31If you're in a cool climate, there's a flower that tops the wish list for a lot of gardeners.
30:37Millie's visiting a professional grower to arm you with the tips
30:41to help make this dream flower a reality in your garden.
30:46The cool climate and deep mountain soil of the Macedon Ranges here in central Victoria
31:07is renowned for growing exotic plants, including the peony.
31:13It's a flower that has been celebrated and cultivated for thousands of years.
31:18And here on this property, they've been growing them to perfection.
31:28I'd had one bunch of peonies given to me,
31:30and they were the most beautiful flowers I'd ever seen.
31:32And I'd said to her, what are these? And they were peonies.
31:35So that was my first and only bunch of peonies I'd had that I hadn't grown.
31:43Little did Virginia know that she and her husband, Bernie,
31:46would go on to buy a beautiful 36 hectare property,
31:50which included a peony farm.
31:52We'd come up to check the property and they were all dying back.
31:57And we didn't know that peonies died back at that stage.
32:00So we're going, they're all dying. They're all dying.
32:02Oh, my God. Can they water them? Can they water them?
32:04We haven't even taken possession and we're sweating on how dry they're all looking.
32:08But that's sort of what they do.
32:10We know now.
32:11What a place to make a garden.
32:14This is truly a spectacular spot.
32:17Oh, it's just beautiful.
32:18It's got a real English feel
32:21because I think it's got a real English climate.
32:23It's cold in winter, sunny breaks.
32:26It's always cooler than Melbourne.
32:28It's got a house up behind us
32:30and then it's got five acres of peonies, five acres of garden
32:34and the rest is paddock and bush.
32:37What did you think when you first saw it?
32:39Did you just fall in love?
32:40We did. We both did.
32:42When we first drove into the drive and saw this place,
32:45I looked at Bernie and I said,
32:47Oh, my God, I love it.
32:49And he looked at me and he said, I do too.
32:51And that never happens.
32:52I said, I see grandchildren here.
32:54I see everything here.
32:55And he said, so do I.
33:00Whilst Virginia didn't set out to become a peony farmer,
33:03she now supplies many florists.
33:05So these are herbaceous peonies.
33:10And these are what we grow for the cut flower industry.
33:13So the stems are longer.
33:14The flowers are often larger.
33:16They're full of petals.
33:18That's pretty much what the cut flower industry want.
33:20That's what the florists want.
33:21Right.
33:22They want them big and blousy,
33:23but they come in lots of different forms.
33:24Yeah, they do.
33:25So you can get a single, semi-double, a full double.
33:29And these ones are called a bomb centre.
33:32A bomb.
33:33There's no even double to that.
33:34It's just the bomb of petals.
33:35The bomb because it's got these outside petals
33:37and then in the middle is just an explosion
33:40of these little half-formed petals.
33:42Are these particularly difficult to grow?
33:45The herbaceous peonies need a frost.
33:48So they grow well in the mountains where we are.
33:51They need the cold winter to set a flower.
33:53And by herbaceous you mean that they'll die completely back to that crown
33:57and then rock it away every year?
33:59Yeah, they do.
34:00Yeah, so they die back to the ground
34:02and then the new buds come up next to where the old ones were.
34:05Right.
34:06And how long does it take, you know,
34:07those first shoots to grow into these incredible flowers?
34:10Literally, you feel like you see them grow every day.
34:13This year they're not as tall as they can be,
34:16but they can grow from the ground to here in eight weeks.
34:20Wow.
34:21So we've done the first three.
34:23Let's do four, five, six.
34:24So there's lots of buds, but they're not already?
34:39No, they're not already.
34:40So something like that feels still quite hard.
34:43Avocado pip?
34:44Yes.
34:45It's hard.
34:46Still too hard?
34:47Feel this one because that to me looks ready.
34:49It's got give.
34:50Right.
34:51Bit springier.
34:52Yeah, a lot springier, a lot softer.
34:54They're beginning to loosen.
34:56And so that's one that we would pick.
34:59One leaf up from the bottom, bang.
35:01And that gives them longevity to pick them nice and firm.
35:04Yeah, and so that's why they're quite robust because they're still quite firm.
35:11But the red charm is not the only premium herbaceous peony that Virginia grows.
35:17They're absolutely gorgeous, aren't they?
35:19Oh, aren't they pretty?
35:20And this is another variety.
35:22These are called buckeye bell.
35:24And they're sort of a different form to the red charm that we were just looking at.
35:27So that was a bomb centre.
35:29These are a semi-double.
35:30So see how there's not as many petals, but these ones have got more stamens that you can see.
35:35It looks like a real flower, this one, with that lovely stamen on the dark centre.
35:40It's a very luscious colour.
35:42Sort of almost luminescent, I reckon.
35:44It's so gorgeous.
35:45And tell me, why have you left some flowers on the plants?
35:48If you're meant to pick them young, why do you let some stay in the field?
35:52We always leave one on the plant to leave some leaves to die back in
35:56and to leave the flower to die back in to enrich the rhizome for the following year.
36:00Well, it's nice because the flower farmer gets to enjoy a few buds as well.
36:04It's actually a lovely thing because, yeah, you get to enjoy them.
36:07So that's really nice too.
36:09Once they're picked, it's over to experienced peony buncher Meg.
36:20Oh, g'day Meg.
36:21Millie.
36:22Oh, the engine room.
36:23Wow.
36:24So what's the process here?
36:25On the table we've got markers here for the length.
36:28Right.
36:29All the heads go to one length.
36:31Yep.
36:32And there's five stems to a bunch.
36:35And you want them all to be?
36:37The same length.
36:38Yep.
36:39And what makes a good bunch of peonies?
36:42Ah, the heads, the stems, all nice and strong.
36:48And then they can go into the cool room.
36:50They'll stay in the cool room up to a good couple of weeks.
36:53Perfect.
36:54Beautiful bunch of flowers.
36:55All right.
36:58Welcome to the cool room.
36:59Feels like a little treasure chest.
37:02It's lovely, isn't it?
37:03Yeah.
37:04Ooh, gorgeous.
37:06What do you think it is about the peony that people love so much?
37:11I think they're such a showstopper flower.
37:14They've sort of got a million petals.
37:16They're enormous.
37:17They're really luxurious, I think.
37:19And they're very feminine.
37:20A lot of women just love them.
37:22And, you know, because we deal with florists and they just sort of say,
37:25when the bride wants peonies, it's great.
37:27Put five together, rub a band around it, there's your bouquet.
37:30You know, it's sort of, it's all done.
37:32But it's only a short season, isn't it?
37:33Yeah.
37:34I mean, the brides want them probably from here to here.
37:36Yeah.
37:37But they really, if you want peonies, you've got to get married.
37:39You've got to get married in November.
37:40Yeah.
37:41Yeah.
37:42Yeah.
37:43In Australia, you've got to get married in November.
37:44Yeah.
37:47But it's not all about the cut flower industry when it comes to peonies.
37:51Some are better suited to the garden.
37:54So this is a tree peony.
37:56It's almost finished flowering, but there are still some flowers on it.
37:59And so they flower earlier than the herbaceous peonies?
38:02Yeah.
38:03Yeah, they flower in October.
38:04And what makes it a tree peony?
38:06It has a structure underneath.
38:08So when these die back in autumn, there's a permanent deciduous shrub there.
38:13So that's why they're called trees, despite not really being trees.
38:17Shrubby trees.
38:18Shrubby trees.
38:19Yeah.
38:20And what do you need to do to maintain them?
38:22We prune them occasionally in autumn, but not always.
38:25Oh, look at the, that is like a sunset on a plant.
38:34I know.
38:35And they're beautiful because they vary.
38:37So these are itos or intersectionals, and they are a cross between a tree peony and a
38:42herbaceous peony.
38:43So they look quite like a tree peony.
38:45The foliage is more similar to a tree peony.
38:48The flower certainly is more similar to a tree peony, but they grow like a herbaceous.
38:53So the stems are often up and out.
38:55Most of these blooms are longer and you can see them.
38:58We let them die back because it enriches the root structure.
39:01Of course.
39:02But then we take it off so it doesn't rot.
39:04This is your particular passion, this group.
39:06Yeah, I do.
39:07I love them just because they're so successful and they don't need as much frost.
39:11They're better for a wider range of environments, a bit like the tree peony.
39:14Right.
39:15And I don't know, they've just grown so nicely for us that we love them.
39:18All right.
39:19So for home gardeners, this has got to be probably the pick of the bunch.
39:22I think so.
39:24Tough.
39:25Flowers a lot.
39:26Yeah, grows fast.
39:27Grows fast.
39:28Yeah, not fussy.
39:30Perfect.
39:41Great.
39:42Great.
39:47Were you a gardener before you came to this?
39:49Like, had you grown much?
39:50Not really.
39:51A little bit, but not really.
39:52No.
39:53Not like now.
39:54It's amazing how much you learn and all the mistakes you make.
39:57And then you get better.
39:58And I mean, I've always loved it because I love the property.
40:02and I love the crop, so I love the business of it.
40:05But the gardening, yeah, as we're getting better at it,
40:07we're getting more efficient, it's not so hard.
40:10So, yeah, I like it more and more.
40:24OK, I've got a question for you both.
40:27Jane, what's the best thing over all these years
40:31that you've learnt on GA?
40:34OK, to be a gardener and a gardening presenter,
40:37you have to be used to all sorts of weather,
40:39blazing hot, snow, hail, whatever,
40:43even possum poo falling on your shoulders,
40:45you've just got to go for it and present beautifully.
40:49Can I add to that?
40:50Go on.
40:51You also learn the art of hurry up and wait.
40:56You've got to be a very good waiter.
40:58Patience.
40:59There goes the helicopter.
41:00And someone starts the blower
41:02and the bus is going past, the street sweeper.
41:06Someone's on a motorbike.
41:08It's just non-stop.
41:10Tammy?
41:10I've learnt that when there's a will, there's a way.
41:14And gardeners always find a way,
41:16whether it's turning their homes into indoor jungles
41:18or even just moving house to find the right garden.
41:22And that's what I love about gardeners,
41:24that they're just such passionate plant people.
41:32I love how people fit plants in their lives.
41:36They may have a busy job or a challenging space,
41:39but they still find the time and inspiration
41:42to make a garden that's something special.
41:45Our next story is with a couple
41:48who are facing these challenges head-on.
41:51My name is Brendan Wong.
42:06I work as a doctor, as a general practitioner.
42:08So we live in Redfern, in the inner city of Sydney.
42:15When I come home, I love to just head out into the garden.
42:19We live in a terrace house with a small courtyard.
42:23It's a place that I can disconnect from my work,
42:27from the hustle and bustle of living in the inner city.
42:30It's my own piece of tranquillity.
42:32And it's always surprising me.
42:36So the majority of plants I'm growing here are aroids.
42:39Aroids are a type of plant
42:40that are mainly found in the tropics of the world,
42:43especially in Asia, Southeast Asia and South America.
42:50So when we first moved here in 2017,
42:53the garden was literally a concrete slab.
42:55It was a blank slate.
42:56There really was nothing here.
42:58As the years rolled on,
43:01the garden started to fill out.
43:03So I live here with my partner, Jason.
43:05It's a space that we share together.
43:07He's a landscape architect.
43:09We also have two West Highland Terriers,
43:12Jebby and Pringle.
43:16So with Brendan, he tends to collect things.
43:19And I think that whenever he does anything,
43:21he always does it, like, times 100.
43:23Oh, that's your raffis palm.
43:25And now I can barely move.
43:28And you just had to get a variegated one.
43:40I was growing these aroids as indoor plants
43:43and my interest in aroids became bigger
43:46and then the whole hobby just kind of exploded.
43:48So some of my favourite plants in here would be this plant here.
43:55I do have a likening for variegated plants.
43:58It's not always everyone's cup of tea,
44:00but I love colour.
44:01I love how each leaf looks different.
44:03This is an Alocasia watsoniana.
44:05It's a variegated watsoniana.
44:07I love the pink hues that the leaf gets,
44:11especially when it's backlit.
44:12It has a really lovely vanation,
44:15really rounded leaf,
44:16and it just looks incredible.
44:19So what happened here was
44:20the plants started outgrowing the grow tent.
44:23And I then just started experimenting
44:25with growing aroids outside,
44:27challenge their growing conditions
44:29from something that was perfect
44:30to something that was imperfect,
44:32especially with Sydney winter,
44:33and ultimately just have them out of this space
44:36where I felt it was cramped and small
44:37and something that I could sit in and enjoy.
44:48I really got stuck into the garden
44:50and I made these DIY grow poles.
44:53I bought the mesh and I used zip ties
44:55to basically fashion a grow pole together.
44:59The media that you can see here,
45:01this is made of cocoa chip and orchid bark.
45:06A lot of aroids are climbers.
45:08So as they grow up a pole,
45:10they actually start to mature.
45:11So the plant actually changes,
45:13the leaf form changes.
45:15So you can see this plant here
45:16is Monstera deliciosa Thai constellation.
45:18When it's juvenile,
45:20it kind of looks more like this.
45:21So it's still got finger-like projections
45:23and it's got these little windows,
45:25which we call fenestrations.
45:27You can see it's really, really floppy.
45:30It's just emerging.
45:31It's probably only a week or so old.
45:33There's not much support to it.
45:35But as the plant matures,
45:37it gets much thicker.
45:39It's much more robust.
45:40You know, you could serve your dinner on this leaf.
45:42It's got a lot more fenestrations,
45:45closer to the midrib of the plant.
45:47The reason for that
45:48is that as it grows up through the jungle,
45:49the leaf doesn't want to get damaged.
45:51So it produces these windows.
45:54So the wind can go through them.
45:55The rain can go through them.
45:57Yeah, it looks great.
45:58So what I love about the philodendrons and the monsteras
46:02is that they exhibit this behaviour called ontogeny,
46:04where the immature leaf changes as it matures.
46:09And I think the word really encapsulates
46:11my passion for watching things grow,
46:14like watching the life cycle of these plants
46:16go from like a small plant to a really mature plant.
46:19And I think that's the best thing about gardening
46:21is just being able to enjoy your plants as they mature.
46:33I've always been fascinated by nature,
46:34by biology, by the natural world.
46:37What I love about this garden is I don't use any chemicals.
46:39There are no sprays.
46:40The whole garden just looks after itself.
46:43We have a lot of different types of wildlife in here.
46:45We have a praying mantis that just lives in my wisteria.
46:49We've got frogs, and when the frogs appeared,
46:51they started breeding, and then the tadpoles appeared.
46:54We've got dragonflies,
46:56and I've also got a lot of outdoor fish, rice fish.
46:59I've loved breeding fish ever since I was little.
47:02That's always been part of my fascination with the natural world.
47:09So at the moment, I'm breeding Japanese rice fish.
47:12They're very, very hardy.
47:13They come from the rice fields of Japan.
47:16So these are my spawning mops,
47:19and you can see my rice fish eggs are here.
47:21The spawning mops are made out of synthetic wool
47:24and tied to float with this chopped-up pool noodle.
47:26Basically, what happens is that the eggs,
47:29they're held on the female like a bunch of grapes.
47:31She swims into the spawning mop thinking that it's a bunch of reeds,
47:35and the eggs brush off her.
47:36That's one on my finger right there.
47:38So you can see two little eyes here in this fish egg.
47:41That means that it's just about to hatch.
47:43It's probably about two weeks old.
47:45So as soon as I see any eggs,
47:47I take them out and I put them into like a little bucket like this,
47:51and I let them hatch.
47:52My rice fish are living in these water pots co-inhabited with my Colocasias.
48:00They're more of a bog aroid.
48:02They live in marshes.
48:04They live in harmony together because the Colocasias are heavy feeders.
48:08They feed off the fish poo, and in turn, the Colocasias grow.
48:13The Colocasias filter the water.
48:15So you can see the water is crystal clear.
48:17I love these plants.
48:19They have big leaves.
48:20They have bright colours.
48:22This one is probably my absolute favourite.
48:24This is Colocasia mojito.
48:26I've got Colocasia pharaoh's mask here.
48:29This is Colocasia lemon lime.
48:32And this one over here is Colocasia milky way.
48:36I pretty much just grow them in gravel.
48:38As you can see here,
48:40this is one that's just growing in a clear pot
48:43with some gravel to weight it down.
48:54Brendan did buy me a finger lime tree,
48:58which is really super cute
49:00because it attracts the blue-banded bees,
49:03and they nest in the brickwork in the wall.
49:06So I bought him a caladium from a florist,
49:09and now he's got, like, about 100 caladiums.
49:12I didn't mean to spur a whole new collection on
49:15when I bought him that caladium.
49:16I really just thought it was going to be the one.
49:18So this is the caladium that started my caladium craze.
49:23Jason bought this caladium for me about four or five years ago.
49:27I've propagated this caladium many times.
49:29I've given it away to friends and family.
49:31It's kind of become an heirloom plant in my collection now.
49:34The interesting thing about caladiums
49:37is they actually go through a period of dormancy.
49:40Caladiums grow from corms.
49:41They start to die down late autumn.
49:44Think of your bulbs that die all the way back.
49:46Caladiums do exactly the same thing.
49:48What I normally do is I just remove any spent leaves.
49:51I will take them indoors into somewhere warm.
49:53Then I stack them on top of each other,
49:55don't water them,
49:56and then bring them out early October for them to reshoot.
50:01Depending on the age of the caladium,
50:04you can get vastly different colours in their leaves.
50:07For example, these two leaves are from the exact same caladium.
50:12As you can see, on the first year when you grow the corm,
50:15you might get a leaf like this.
50:17This is rather unassuming.
50:18A little bit pink in the middle, green on the outside.
50:21As the corm matures,
50:23this is a type of leaf that you might expect in year three or four.
50:27You can see it's pink.
50:28It's transparent.
50:30It has a really nice soft hue.
50:33Very different to what you might expect on the first year of growing.
50:37This is another example of the differences you might get in caladiums
50:42depending on the maturity.
50:44I would say this is probably year one.
50:46And in year two, you get a much deeper red colour
50:50and this will get even better as the plant matures.
51:01Part of the joy of growing plants is also to share your knowledge
51:05and to share how you grow plants.
51:07You know, there's more than one way to grow aroids.
51:10When I first got into indoor plants and aroids,
51:13I didn't really know any other growers.
51:15So I created a social media account for my plants.
51:18I then joined the Aroid Society of Australia,
51:21of which I then became heavily involved.
51:23So the Aroid Society of Australia is a volunteer organisation.
51:27We hold regular meetups.
51:28We share information.
51:30We share plants.
51:31Brendan's plant collection has definitely taught me a lot about plants
51:34that I didn't know about.
51:35And his involvement with the Aroid Society and everything too
51:38has brought us so many lovely friends in the last few years.
51:42We've been meeting all these extraordinary plant people.
51:49Look at the blue ginger.
51:51So nice.
51:53With the new garden,
51:56will we be able to have all of these on this wall?
51:59I think it's going to be too sunny on that side.
52:01Too sunny.
52:02Those plants should stay there.
52:05The plan is to create a new garden space,
52:09a space that showcases some of his more spectacular plants.
52:14The challenge for me, as a landscape architect,
52:17is how do I accommodate all of these plants
52:20into some kind of design
52:22that allows Brendan to have his monsteras growing up the wall,
52:26his, you know, love of fish,
52:28his caladiums, his anthuriums.
52:31Just everything.
52:33All at once.
52:36I think Jason would say I'm a little bit over the top.
52:38He does get a little bit frustrated
52:40with the amount of plants that I have.
52:43He is a designer.
52:46He likes order and function.
52:48I like growing plants,
52:50so I like chaos and variety.
52:54He may not fully understand how my brain works,
52:58but at the end of the day, I know we love each other.
53:00It's time to get down to business.
53:16Your jobs for the weekend are here.
53:19In cool areas, start radicchio in seed trays
53:27for a long-lasting lunch crop.
53:30The summer leaves will protect crisp cabbage-like heads
53:33which form in autumn.
53:35Sow coriander now to encourage plants to set seed.
53:39When the seeds mature, they'll be ready to sow again
53:42and you can save some spice for the pantry.
53:45Soak beetroot seeds overnight with a teaspoon of boron powder.
53:50Then sow two centimetres deep at five centimetres spacing.
53:54Thin out seedlings as they emerge to give them space.
53:59In warm areas, remove all dry, dead material
54:02out of trees and gutters and collect fallen branches.
54:06Pile it up away from the house and wet down to make compost.
54:10Trim off dead leaves and spent rose flowers.
54:14Make you cut a few growing points down to encourage airflow
54:18and a new flush of blooms.
54:20Harvest blueberries and give them a light prune.
54:23Fruit is born on one-year-old wood,
54:26so remove older central branches as their production wanes.
54:31In subtropical areas, climbing beans can be pinched at the tips now.
54:37This will push their energy into flowers and pod production instead of height.
54:43Lemongrass tastes great and grows tall really quickly,
54:46so keep contained in a pot.
54:48They love full sun and will shield young seedlings from scorching heat.
54:53Bindi's Gone Bananas?
54:55Dilute two tablespoons of iron sulphate in a nine litre can
54:59and only apply to plants you want gone.
55:02Take care not to splash it around as it can cause black stains.
55:08In tropical areas, make up a mix of organic copper fungicide
55:12to prevent losing your crops.
55:14Always follow the label for dosage and repeat again in two weeks.
55:19Mature pepper vines are flourishing now.
55:23Harvest to dry or use whole stems in a range of Southeast Asian dishes.
55:29Their fragrant flavour will delight you.
55:32Fish mint is a herb that thrives in hot, wet weather.
55:36Give it a fortnightly liquid feed with seaweed or fish emulsion
55:40and enjoy it in summer stir-fries.
55:44In arid areas, set your sights on dusty miller silver lace
55:48with its yellow flowers appearing now.
55:51Shade them from hot arvo sun and tip prune after flowering.
55:55Stone fruits are in season,
55:57so keep on top of your bumper crop by preserving your harvest.
56:02Be sure to pick up any fallen fruit to avoid a fruit fly infestation.
56:07If you love buttery brussel sprouts, it's time to get planting.
56:12Plant deeply into compost-enriched soil
56:15and apply a seaweed solution to help them settle in.
56:19Yum!
56:22Remember, if you've missed any episodes of Gardening Australia,
56:25you can catch up on iview anytime.
56:35Well, that's all we have time for this week.
56:38Enjoy your birthday, WA Botanic Gardens,
56:41and here's to all the amazing work you'll do over the next 60 years.
56:48I'm visiting one of the most playful and innovative gardens
56:51that I've ever seen.
56:53It's been designed to thrive in the very beautiful
56:56but harsh climate here in central Victoria,
56:59and I cannot wait to share it with you.
57:03Join me in South Australia's beautiful Eyre Peninsula
57:06as I tour a coastal garden full of colour and whimsy.
57:11And we meet a landscape designer in horticultural heaven.
57:15tahoe.
57:16Hooray Deai.
57:17We meet in central Deborah,
57:18as we affair with a нот,
57:19and it's nice to share with you all.
57:20In fact, all over the next kind of green education
57:21is to build on people's motto
57:24to be new cities,
57:29and then there are still American cities.
57:31And when your friends are animals,
57:34this is something new to hope,
57:36and to catch up marriage,
57:38that'd be a little bit more conference in 2018,
57:40and there are still some species,
57:42which is Dlatego and Dia Bana is a place.
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