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Gardening Australia 2025 Episode 41
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00:34Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia from Heronswood on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
00:41It's our final episode of the year and we're unpacking some real treats to take you into the festive season.
00:49Now, we know it can be a hectic time, but we've got everything you need to slow down,
00:56take a breath and reconnect with nature and all that matters.
01:01Here's what's in store.
01:05I visit a garden on a steep, challenging site using native plants to hold it all in place.
01:11And all done by a first time gardener.
01:13How beautiful is this?
01:15This is the Butterfly House at Melbourne Zoo.
01:18And today I'm going to learn from the experts how we can all entice more of these absolute beauties into our gardens.
01:24Every species is important.
01:26We've got species here that are found nowhere else in the world.
01:29And the average gardener can really protect those by planting the caterpillar plants and some nectaring plants.
01:36If you go endemic, even better.
01:38They're beautiful.
01:39Why wouldn't you want flowers and butterflies in your garden?
01:43I'm making a floral ice bucket.
01:45A cool centrepiece to chill your favourite tipple at your next soiree.
01:49And I'm hanging out in a flourishing market garden that's growing traditional produce
01:55for a surprising variety of communities in south-western Sydney.
02:06Being in a good garden is like hearing good music.
02:11There's themes, movement, structure, and even a little dramatic tension.
02:18Sophie's conducting our next story, so take it away, maestro.
02:25The beautifully designed Eukeria Cultural Centre, nestled in the Adelaide Hills, has been specially designed for musical performances in an intimate setting.
02:45But for me, the real masterpiece is the garden.
02:48The carefully curated grounds not only complement the concert hall,
02:53they've been designed to take the audience on a journey
02:56as they make their way to the venue through 4,000 square metres of stunning gardens.
03:02When you're up here, it is another world.
03:05You know, it's a beautiful place.
03:08Alison Bear loves coming to work.
03:10And is it any wonder why?
03:13There is nowhere else like this.
03:15And the garden is such an essential part of that.
03:19It's kind of like a transition and then you arrive at the hall and you're ready to kind of receive these amazing musicians.
03:27The garden is thanks to one woman's love of both music and plants.
03:31Eukeria was started by Ulrika Klein, the co-founder of skincare company Jirlik.
03:39Because to grow herbs and roses especially, you need this dry heat.
03:44She bought this property in the mid-90s as a place to grow the herbs and the flowers.
03:50And where we're standing was the show gardens.
03:53And already on this property were some buildings.
03:56And she immediately commandeered one as a place that she could have concerts.
04:01And where did the name Eukeria come from?
04:04It's actually Ulrika Klein, UK, Aria.
04:08So Ulrika's song, Eukaria.
04:11Looking after the garden for the past few years is head gardener, Adam Hancock.
04:18It's a garden that embraces seasonality.
04:21There's always something of interest throughout the year.
04:23So whether people come to their first show or their fifth show, the garden always looks different.
04:28Whether it be different colours, different textures, different seed heads in flower.
04:34It really embraces the different seasons.
04:37What a riot in colour.
04:38What's this part of the garden called?
04:40We call this the crescendo garden.
04:42It's a herbaceous perennial garden with grasses, herbaceous perennials and bulbs.
04:47There's always something in flower.
04:49So right now we're in the mid-summer flush.
04:52And then we give it a cut back mid-summer.
04:55And then we get a second flush going into February, March.
04:58But then we leave a lot of the finished flowers and seed heads that sort of decay into winter to give that seasonal look.
05:05But then in winter we can cut it all to the ground and make all our changes and edits ready for the next year.
05:11So how do you choose what plants you put into this area of the garden?
05:15So we've tried to pick obviously plants that are climate suitable, but also all different types of plants that have different shapes.
05:22So whether they're tall emerging plants, low spreading plants or climbing, twining plants throughout everything.
05:29So there's a whole lot of different salvias through here.
05:32I can see catmint, drifts of that.
05:34And you've repeated a number of the plantings too.
05:37Yeah, so the repetition is particularly important in a big garden like this.
05:41So whether it's the salvia namoroses repeated through the whole garden in big drifts,
05:45or the catmints down the side here, which draws your eye through the garden.
05:49Now, as well as the perennials, I noticed that you've got some grasses.
05:53They add that beautiful, wafty, fairy feel to these natural gardens, but you've also got bulbs.
05:59Yeah, so liliums are a great one in these dense plantings because they can push through all of the dense planting down below.
06:06And then their big flowers sort of hang above everything else.
06:10We also have Dutch iris, which come out early in the season.
06:13And they've got quite easy to use foliage that don't swamp out the emerging perennials.
06:18We also try and use some annuals throughout it as well, just to add that splash of colour through the season.
06:23And the grasses you've repeated as well.
06:25So you haven't got a huge diversity of species here, but the ones that you've chosen, you've repeat planted.
06:31Yeah, particularly because the seed heads linger through the season,
06:34we've repeated it throughout the garden to add a sense of continuity to tie it all together.
06:43The suitability of these strappy plants has been used to great effect
06:47in another part of the garden.
06:49This is the grass garden.
06:51It's a combination of exotic grasses and local native grasses.
06:56Lots of diversity here.
06:58What does a grass garden bring to the garden overall?
07:02Well, it's quite different to our perennial garden, which is full of colour
07:06and it's quite over the top, whereas this is a bit more subdued in its colour palette.
07:10So we get the beautiful seed heads and the wind going through the grasses.
07:16It creates sort of a sensory experience as you walk through.
07:19It does, doesn't it?
07:20Visual and the movement is gorgeous.
07:22So what's your favourite grass in here?
07:24Well, I think it changes through the season, but the panicum here is definitely up there
07:28is one of my favourites.
07:29It just gets an amazing autumn colour, but also has these lovely fluffy seed heads that float up above the foliage.
07:35What native grasses have you got?
07:38We've got a themeter, the kangaroo grass, which creates beautiful mounds of floating seed heads.
07:44And we also have some astrostipers in here as well.
07:47Now, how do you manage them?
07:49So most of them are herbaceous grasses.
07:52So mid-winter we come through with the hedge clippers and chop them all up and drop the material down as mulch
07:57and they get cut fully to the ground.
08:04So this has got a very different feel.
08:06Yeah.
08:07So this is our heritage garden.
08:08So it's got a number of the original roses and other plants that were used in the skincare products.
08:13So you've got the larger lardii lavender here and you've also got the English variety.
08:17Yeah.
08:18So this one here is Miss Donington, a bit more compact, but amazing colour still.
08:22Wow.
08:23And I bet these roses have a beautiful scent.
08:25Yeah.
08:26They give multiple flushes through the season.
08:28And when they're in full bloom down here, the whole area smells amazing.
08:31I bet.
08:32The roses came from the original farm and then they were transplanted in here when the garden
08:38was redesigned.
08:39And how has it evolved over those 10 years?
08:42So recently we've been redeveloping some of the areas.
08:45So consolidating the different roses into groupings and then into planting it with other plants
08:50that were used in the skincare products.
08:52So Echinacea, Sambucus, Lavender, but then also adding in seasonal colour.
08:58So when the roses aren't in full bloom, we've still got colour and things of interest.
09:02So it really doesn't matter what season it is.
09:04There's always colour and interest in this garden and movement.
09:08Exactly.
09:09Even in winter we've still got, you know, shapes and forms to keep the interest when the roses
09:14are in their dormancy.
09:15And maintaining the garden is a group effort.
09:21I'm here once a week, but we have a garden team here, myself and Andrew, who does two
09:28days a week.
09:29But we also have a core group of volunteers that come once a month, who are fantastic.
09:34They come rain, hail or shine and do weeding, pruning, planting, everything with us.
09:39So it's a really great way where it becomes everyone's garden, not just ours.
09:45Since Adam has been with us, the garden has just changed and evolved.
09:50But it never stays the same.
09:52It's like a living, breathing palette.
09:54And that's exactly what Ulrika's vision was for this place.
10:07What plants thrive in a rockery?
10:10Well, lots can, including the beautiful new blue moon, which has a stunning purple flower.
10:17And then there's things like calendulas, which have an edible flower, and common herbs like
10:22thyme and oregano.
10:24All these plants work well here because they have shallow root systems and love hot and
10:28dry situations, so don't need much water.
10:31And, of course, they cascade beautifully down the wall.
10:35How many hours do I spend in the garden a week?
10:38Well, probably not enough.
10:40I've got a list of jobs to do as long as my arm.
10:42However, I'm essentially a weekend gardener.
10:45Like most people, I like to do project work over the weekends.
10:50And I can sneak in some work first thing and last thing before I go out to work.
10:55And that keeps things ticking over quite nicely.
10:58So, in essence, I would say probably 10 to 12 hours a week on average.
11:04And that's about it.
11:06That keeps me fit and healthy.
11:08You know, it's my gym.
11:09The garden is something that I do live for.
11:12And so it's not really hard work.
11:14It's mostly just routine maintenance.
11:17Do you need a lot of room to grow corn?
11:20Well, not necessarily.
11:22In this four-square-metre bed, I've got about 20 cobs coming on.
11:26The important thing is to plant them out in a block of at least one square metre
11:31for good, even pollination.
11:33Corn is wind-pollinated.
11:35The pollen's got to go from the male flower up here to the female flower below.
11:40And block planting helps with even pollination, which means full cobs.
11:45Yum.
11:55Veggies.
11:56We all love them.
11:57And they can mean more than just a meal.
12:00They can also be an important part of your cultural heritage.
12:06Hearing my family story as I grew up was one thing,
12:09but I think it really takes time and years for you to appreciate where it sits in the bigger picture.
12:16And for my grandparents, who migrated to Australia all those years ago,
12:22growing veggies they knew and loved was a really important way of feeling grounded in a new and different culture.
12:30And really, I suppose that's made me who I am today.
12:35I've come to this shiny new housing development in the south-western Sydney suburb of Austral.
12:43Because I'm told that just across the road is a thriving market garden, growing very special fruit and veg.
12:50And this morning, it's absolutely singing with vitality.
13:00It's about two hectares in all, maybe 30 suburban blocks.
13:05And I reckon one third of it is covered with one of the biggest trellises I've seen in a long time.
13:15The bloke behind it all was born in Bangladesh.
13:18He's Haroon Rashid.
13:21Hey Haroon.
13:22Hey Kosta, how are you?
13:24Good to meet you.
13:25Good to meet you.
13:26Wow.
13:27Wow.
13:28Look at this place.
13:29I was trying to find you underneath this incredible trellis.
13:33What's growing on here?
13:35On this trellis, in that section, we have got vegetables called long melon.
13:40It's something that normally we don't get in Australia.
13:43And these are the vegetables we are culturally attached, you know, back in our country like
13:48Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and all of the South Asian communities.
13:53Let's come and have a look.
13:54Yeah.
13:55In South Asian cuisine, long melon is a staple veg.
14:00Imagine a cross between a zucchini and a potato.
14:03But unless you grew it yourself, it was almost impossible to buy in Sydney.
14:08Until Haroon started his garden.
14:11This is long melon or bottle gourd.
14:14In Bangladesh, we say law.
14:16In India, they say loki.
14:19And in Nepal, they say loka, but all the same things.
14:23How difficult are they to grow?
14:25It is not very difficult.
14:27But until I grow it, it was not that common.
14:30So now people, they can get the things that they were used to have in our country.
14:35They don't miss these things anymore.
14:37Yeah.
14:38Yeah.
14:39And it's nice and fresh.
14:40That's right, yeah.
14:41Haroon has half a dozen kinds of long melon.
14:44And the traditional method of growing them on the trellis helps achieve great shape, colour,
14:50and size.
14:52Have a look at this big unit.
14:54What a bottle gourd it is.
14:55Now, Haroon doesn't grow them to this size.
14:58He's left this one because he wants to collect seed from it.
15:01But it's a beautiful example to any of us home gardeners that there is incredible strength in this stem.
15:09It's probably anywhere from seven, eight to ten kilos.
15:13And as long as your structure has strength, these can hang happily and safely.
15:20Look at that.
15:22On Haroon's farm, the gardening lessons keep coming.
15:26Stand by for a masterclass on pumpkins.
15:29This is a big area of pumpkins.
15:31Why are you growing so many?
15:33It's not only for pumpkin.
15:36It is mostly for pumpkin shoots, like the top tender tip of the plants.
15:42So this is a very traditional South Asian, especially Bangladeshi and Nepalese thing.
15:49Is it something you can eat fresh?
15:51You can, but it's ideal to cook it.
15:54You know, I mean...
15:55Oh, look, I'll give it a go.
15:57Yeah.
15:58Oh, that's sweet.
16:00That's nice.
16:02Yeah, it is.
16:03But isn't that funny?
16:05I mean, I've grown pumpkins.
16:07I've been around pumpkins all my life.
16:09But this is that cultural thing where we can learn from each other.
16:15That's right, yeah.
16:16You see that as an edible part.
16:18Someone else has this for seven months and all they wait for is a pumpkin.
16:23That's right, yeah.
16:24Whereas you can eat this, you know, across the whole time.
16:28Haroon's pumpkin edibles don't stop at the pumpkin and the pumpkin shoot.
16:33He also grows the delicious pumpkin flower.
16:36This is so rare and so, you know, so this one you eat like that.
16:41Just take off the stemmy part, give a bit of wash and then dip it into batter.
16:48And then just fry it and dip fry until it gets nice, crispy brown look.
16:54It's so crunchy and so, so good to eat.
16:57Oh, yum.
16:59Whole new way of looking at pumpkins.
17:02So Haroon, how did it all begin for you with this growing?
17:09Well, I came to Australia in 2009 to study, to study Mustards in Human Resource Management.
17:17Since then I was doing some part-time jobs in different, different area.
17:22But it did not attract me.
17:25Something else was in my heart.
17:27Since my childhood I have seen my dad, my mom growing all sort of vegetables in our country, in our home.
17:34So keeping, you know, watching this, watching and helping them, a passion build up, you know.
17:41And I had a dream, if I can, one day I will be with the soil, I will be with the plants, I will be with the nature.
17:51If I can settle here, I will try to grow some sort of vegetables that are not in Australia or difficult to find.
18:00And so it's just grown from a heartfelt connection to your childhood and homeland.
18:08That's right, yes.
18:09How many varieties are you growing here on the farm?
18:12The moment we have got, during winter and summer, we have got well over 50 varieties of vegetables we grow.
18:19That's a lot of different growing techniques and methods and seeds.
18:25Of course, it is, it is.
18:27But we have found so many of our other communities, they have been trying to ask me,
18:32can you grow this one, can you grow this one?
18:35Now Haroon grows beloved traditional veggies for other migrant communities in Western Sydney.
18:42So what are these beans that you've got growing here?
18:46This is called Bora beans.
18:48So this item actually I'm growing for our Fijian customer.
18:52So the Fijian community came and asked you to grow these?
18:57That's right, yes.
18:58Last year one of my good Fijian customer gave me some seed and gave me some idea how to grow and I did it.
19:05The customers are so happy because before I grow, no one had it.
19:09Yeah.
19:10And that's interesting, isn't it?
19:11That it wasn't a Bangladeshi bean and now you've learnt how to grow this and you're supporting the Fijian community.
19:19Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to do.
19:21Haroon's garden is a treasure trove of rare global staples.
19:27He grows taro leaves and hyacinth beans, amaranth and rosella, malabar spinach, three types of eggplant, fenugreek leaves, mustard leaves.
19:40It's a nice, it's a beautiful leaf. Look at that.
19:43It is.
19:44That's really nice. Okay.
19:45Oh, that's kicking in now. The more you chew it, the hotter it gets. That's great. I'm clearing my nostrils and eyes.
20:00So Haroon, how long have you been working this block of land?
20:05This is our second year.
20:07What?
20:08Yes.
20:09Is that all?
20:10That's right, yes.
20:11Only two years?
20:12That's right.
20:13And you've done all this?
20:14Yes.
20:15But unfortunately, we can't have this one for a long time.
20:18We don't get any long-term leaves here because there's a lot of new housing coming here.
20:23Probably this year or end of next year, this land will come for housing.
20:28So basically, all those houses here are going to march their way across the street.
20:33Exactly.
20:34And that'll all be suburb.
20:35That's right.
20:36Wow.
20:37At the moment, you're just working off land that's in limbo.
20:40That's right.
20:41Until it gets developed.
20:42That's right, yes.
20:43Yes.
20:44That's a tricky business model.
20:45Yes.
20:46And also, I'm looking for another piece of land where we can grow sort of a longer period
20:51of time.
20:52We have got two other farms.
20:53You've got two other blocks as well?
20:55Yes, yes, yes.
20:56Can we check them out?
20:57Yeah, of course we can.
20:58Let's go there.
20:59Yeah.
21:00This farm, Haruna's named after his oldest son.
21:04And it's giving me a glimpse into the deeper motivation for all his hard work.
21:10Whoa.
21:11Look at this.
21:13Wow.
21:16What a set up you've got here.
21:19Whoa.
21:20The farm looks amazing.
21:22Oh, thank you.
21:23What have we got here?
21:24Oh, we've got some vegetables from my other farm.
21:25Oh, okay.
21:26What is it?
21:27It's called snake gird.
21:28Snake gird?
21:29In Bangladesh, we call it chichinga.
21:30Chichinga.
21:31Yeah.
21:32Alright.
21:33Here we go.
21:34The box of Harun's chichinga is headed for his market garden shop front, which is stacked
21:40with all the goodies from all his farms.
21:43It looks like the place to be.
21:45See?
21:46It's called a green eggplant.
21:47Have you got tomatoes?
21:49Oh, what's that?
21:51Cauliflower.
21:52I want to represent this farm in a way that is not only coming for vegetables.
21:59It's a place to bring your kids here, have a little walk around, kiss your kids, how the
22:05force comes to your table.
22:07When I was in childhood, you know what I mean?
22:09In our childhood, in Bangladesh, in India, or Nepal, we know these things.
22:13You know, every back in household, we have those vegetables.
22:16But in here, kids born in here, they don't know.
22:19So what I'm trying to do, like, you know, bring back all those memories we had left behind,
22:25and the kids can know what we do, you know?
22:28So those memories that you're helping create for other families, what does that mean to
22:34you and your story?
22:36Look, I love this, I love what I'm doing, and the happiness, the sense of, you know, satisfaction
22:44I feel among my customers, that means a lot to me.
22:48And the kids can learn what we had back in our country.
22:52Just imagine how heartwarming it would be to find your native greens are available in your
23:02new country.
23:03Haroon's gardens and farm, and the produce that he's sharing with his communities, are making
23:09people feel welcome and at home.
23:30I'm at the Yooralla Garden, a glorious five-acre spread in a semi-rural Sydney suburb, about
23:3640 minutes from the city.
23:38And I'm here to show you how to make a cool centrepiece for entertaining at your place.
23:42A floral ice bucket.
23:44It's a stunning way to showcase your home-grown blooms and chill your celebration drinks.
23:51This DIY showpiece adds personality and charm.
23:54And best of all, it costs nothing to make.
23:57And it all starts with a garden walk.
23:59Let's see what's flowering.
24:01Gather your favourite flowers, fruit, foliage and herbs.
24:09Green leaves will help create a fresh colour contrast.
24:12Orchids, pansies and lavender are all great choices, as they are edible.
24:16But it's a good idea to ensure your home-grown blooms haven't been sprayed with chemicals.
24:21Apart from your flowers, you'll need lemon slices.
24:40You'll also need some tap water and two food-safe plastic containers.
24:46One container needs to fit inside the other, leaving a gap of a couple of centimetres.
24:50The inner container also needs to be wide enough for a regular wine, champagne or soft drink bottle.
24:56You'll also need a weight to hold the inner container in place while it's in the freezer.
25:01And a tray or stand to display your ice bucket on the table.
25:05The clarity of the ice can be affected by the temperature of the water and the impurities in it.
25:10The impurities are released when the water is cooled and frozen, which can make the ice appear cloudy.
25:15To make sure your ice bucket will be crystal clear when it freezes,
25:19you use distilled or double-boiled water instead of tap water.
25:25Start by freezing a couple of centimetres of water in the larger container.
25:30Once that's frozen, you place a smaller inner plastic container on top,
25:34weighing it down with something heavy so that it doesn't move.
25:38Carefully pour the water into the void between the two containers.
25:43As you pour the water in slowly, add the flowers, fruit and foliage.
25:49You'll need a utensil to press them into place.
26:04Place the mould in a freezer and allow it to freeze completely.
26:08This will take a full 24 hours.
26:10Once it's frozen, take it out of the freezer and fill the inner container with warm tap water.
26:16Run warm tap water along the sides of the outer container to free the ice bucket.
26:22It should then slide right out.
26:26Place the ice bucket on a tray and add your favourite summer sip.
26:30The tray will catch the water as it melts.
26:32Creating a floral ice bucket with frozen flowers adds a gardener's touch to any soiree,
26:38while keeping your drinks chilled.
26:40It serves as a unique centrepiece for a memorable event.
26:43It's celebration time.
26:50Still to come on Gardening Australia.
26:52Hannah's top tips for tomatoes.
26:55Millie meets some fluttering friends.
26:59And Gerry introduces us to royalty.
27:03Are you teetering on the edge?
27:13When you're gardening on an incline,
27:15you'll know it can feel like you're constantly pushing stuff uphill.
27:20Well, Clarence is visiting a remarkable garden that's achieving at altitude.
27:26I've been a gardener for a lot of years.
27:41There's one thing that's still daunting.
27:43The steep, sloping block.
27:48Now, it can be difficult, can be dangerous,
27:51and to do it well can cost you a bomb.
27:53I'm in the Sydney suburb of Arncliffe,
27:56and yes, the hint is in the name.
28:00Established on the craggy lands of the Bidjigal,
28:03it's a riot of steep slopes, sudden drops, and sandstone walls.
28:10None of that seemed to deter Ruby Steele
28:12when she moved into this east-facing hillside home just a few years ago.
28:17G'day, Ruby.
28:18Hey, Clarence.
28:19This isn't as steep as I thought.
28:21Come and see the backbend.
28:23Oh, all right, after you.
28:24This is a nice little spot.
28:26Yay!
28:27What Ruby has accomplished in her backyard is truly remarkable.
28:32I think this is amazing.
28:34Well, I wasn't expecting this. This is great.
28:36Thanks, yeah. Garden over three levels.
28:40Ruby's garden is in three sections.
28:43At the very top, a terrace with brilliant views.
28:48Below that is a very steeply sloping native garden,
28:53which rises from a sheer sandstone rock face.
28:57The pig face is amazing. Look, that's such a good feature.
29:00It's almost like a waterfall.
29:02It's just a really massive cascade.
29:05There's lots of things just popping out of the sandstone.
29:08Yeah, some of it we planted,
29:09and some of it the birds have planted for us,
29:11like those fig trees.
29:13Yeah, yeah.
29:16This is a great-looking bed.
29:17Thank you. You're a rain catcher.
29:19Yeah, yeah.
29:20And the seepage through the sandstone, the Melaleuca,
29:22that's going to really be a feature when it gets up there.
29:26How big do you reckon that Melaleuca's going to get, Clarence?
29:29Oh, look, most Melaleucas are fairly big trees.
29:33Perfect conditions.
29:35It's going to be at least twice that size.
29:37Eek.
29:39Let me take you up to the next level.
29:41Ruby's backyard probably averages a slope of almost one-to-one.
29:46But with some clever terracing and pocket planting,
29:48it's been transformed into a beautiful native meadow.
29:52This is a whole other look here, isn't it?
29:54Yeah, I became a bit of a plant-aholic
29:56and was going out and sourcing plants each weekend
29:59and trying to fill the slope.
30:00And so it's a bit eclectic, but I like it.
30:03Too many plants are barely enough.
30:06What are some of your favourites in this bed?
30:08Well, I really like these paper daisies.
30:11I think they're really pretty.
30:13And the kangaroo paw.
30:16The billy buttons are amazing
30:17because I love how they set off with the grass.
30:19A fairly serious slope here.
30:21This is about a 45-degree angle.
30:24Yeah, it was a big retaining wall,
30:25and that fell down,
30:26so we took out four skip-loads of dirt.
30:29All by hand, I'm assuming?
30:31Yeah, all by buckets.
30:32Us and friends.
30:34Oh, that's what friends are for, isn't it?
30:36And you've been able to use plants that hold the soil in?
30:39Yeah, that's the plan.
30:40And a bit of rocks and wood and hopefully the roots holding the soil in place.
30:47Working with a weed mat here on this slope as well?
30:50So the weed mat is also to kind of retain it.
30:52It's all clay and rock down there,
30:54so we really had to dig out pockets and cut holes in that weed mat to plant them in.
30:59It's certainly thriving.
31:00Well, I really like what you've done with the core tent,
31:02just really holding everything in place there and just giving it some beautiful form.
31:06Yeah, I really like that box,
31:07and that's a tea tree in there,
31:08so I'm hoping that will get really sculptural as it gets bigger.
31:12The sandstone, which is lovely.
31:14Great feature.
31:15Yeah, yeah.
31:16A lot of this sandstone was covered in garden beds before,
31:18so we pulled all that back so you could see the sandstone,
31:20and I love that view up there.
31:22You don't expect to see it in somebody's backyard.
31:24You're really working with what you have so well.
31:28There's more at the top?
31:29Yeah, come see the view from the top.
31:31Oh, yeah.
31:33This is the garden that just keeps giving.
31:36Although we're only about 40 metres above sea level,
31:39the views from the top are like, wow!
31:42That's incredible.
31:43Yeah, it's a good view, isn't it?
31:45I love being able to see Botany Bay.
31:47Yeah.
31:48You see through the heads,
31:49you wouldn't have expected to see this.
31:50Yeah, yeah.
31:53There's such a change of level, too.
31:55You've done really well to make it really interesting
31:58as you make your way up and then boom.
32:03Everywhere you look, there's something different.
32:05And a lot of the plant selections up here,
32:07it's a different feel from the bottom half.
32:09A couple of feature wattles that you've got in pots there.
32:12Yep.
32:13Eventually, I want to be like a little secret garden up here
32:15and block out the neighbours a bit more.
32:17You've got this lawn that's just sitting here.
32:20The texture of that is amazing.
32:22Yeah, I think it looks a bit like a guinea pig's fur.
32:24Yeah, yeah.
32:25But I love it that you don't have to mow it.
32:26It's perfect.
32:27You see, it's certainly worth the effort to get up here.
32:30Yeah, yeah.
32:31There's a fair bit of effort to get it looking like this, too, huh?
32:34Yeah.
32:35Dad and I actually built all the sandstone walls.
32:37I remember him working with stone quite a bit when I was a kid.
32:41It was a lot of kind of father-daughter bonding,
32:44so that was really lovely working with him on that.
32:47And what about your own gardening journey?
32:49Has this been a bit of an impetus?
32:51Well, this is actually my first ever garden.
32:54I've been kind of in inner city courtyards before this
32:57and really I don't think I would have taken to it
32:59except for the falling down retaining wall.
33:02But after hauling dirt and rocks for a year,
33:06the planting of the plants was the really nice reward at the end.
33:09Yeah.
33:10There's a trade-off.
33:12Yeah.
33:13So, given this is your first major garden project,
33:16what have you taken from this?
33:17Well, it's been a steep learning curve.
33:20Pun intended?
33:21Yeah.
33:23While it's been an uphill battle to bring her garden to life,
33:28Ruby has scaled new heights
33:31and must be feeling on top of the world.
33:34Steep blocks can be torture to work on,
33:37not to mention dangerous and expensive.
33:39But get them right, they can be a wonder to behold.
33:43My greenhouse is pretty new and I'm still working out the best way to grow certain plants.
33:58Lately, I've been growing my first tomato crop in the greenhouse.
34:14Tomatoes are generally determinate or indeterminate.
34:17These are indeterminate or vine-type tomatoes.
34:22I planted them from seedlings around two months ago and check them out.
34:26They're pumping along.
34:29I've also got determinate or bush-type tomatoes growing in the garden outside.
34:34These typically grow to around 50 centimetres.
34:37They don't need staking and are bred to produce a determined number of flowers and fruit,
34:42which all ripen around the same time.
34:45But here in the greenhouse, these vine tomatoes will keep growing taller and taller,
34:49flowering and fruiting throughout the season.
34:52I'm not using stakes in here.
34:54Instead, I'm using some strong garden twine,
34:56which means I can just loop the vines around the string as they grow taller.
35:02Also, as they grow, it's important I prune off any excess leaf or laterals
35:07to make sure the energy goes into fruit and not all the leaf.
35:13These tomatoes were all planted into a fresh garden bed,
35:16which I made with the no-dig garden layer method,
35:19meaning there's beautiful, rich layers of carbon and nitrogen,
35:22like manures from our goats and chickens and blood and bone.
35:25But it turns out it was too much nitrogen
35:28and our tomatoes have developed some leaf curl.
35:31It looks horrible, but I'm not too worried
35:33because we're still going to get a harvest
35:35and this soil will mature beautifully,
35:37meaning all future crops will go gangbusters.
35:40It is a curiosity, though, because meanwhile,
35:42other nightshade crops, which are the same family as the tomatoes,
35:45like eggplants and capsicum,
35:47are loving life in the same type of soil mix.
35:50So there's so much to learn from gardening
35:52and while my heart does break a little bit seeing this situation,
35:55I know it is going to be OK.
35:58The thing that you have to be really careful about in greenhouses
36:02is the reduced airflow,
36:04which can lead to some fungal diseases sometimes.
36:07And unfortunately, this is what has happened here.
36:10A few weeks ago,
36:11I noticed that we have the early signs of tomato blight.
36:15This looks like a black dot surrounded by a yellow halo
36:19and it'll start at the base of your plant.
36:21Left unchecked, it'll creep all the way up.
36:24Basically, it can kill your plant if you don't treat it.
36:27The way I look after it is I remove any impacted leaf,
36:31and you're going to bin or burn that.
36:33And then we did a one-off copper spray,
36:35and now I'm doing a weekly milk and water spray
36:38to prevent that disease from spreading.
36:43I'm using one part low-fat milk and one part water
36:46to grow beneficial microbes on the leaves.
36:50Make sure you spray both top and underside of the leaves
36:53and drench them to get a good coating.
36:56This spray can act as an antifungal to prevent blight from spreading,
36:59but it won't cure established infestations.
37:04There have definitely been a few bumps in the road
37:06to me getting my first crop of tomatoes from my new greenhouse.
37:10But I'm on my way,
37:11and the key thing will be to turn up and to turn up often
37:14to keep checking on them
37:15and respond to any problems that might come up.
37:18At the end of the day,
37:19it's also really good to remember that as gardeners,
37:21there's always going to be problems,
37:22but there will always be solutions.
37:29There's nothing better when you're gardening
37:33than to be joined by a little companion.
37:36It's why so many of us do it.
37:38It could be a bird, a lizard, a dragonfly.
37:42But some get the spotlight more than others.
37:45Millie's off to the zoo to visit an exhibit
37:48that captures the attention of us gardeners.
37:59How extraordinary is this?
38:09This is Melbourne Zoo's butterfly house,
38:11and it is the perfect conditions
38:13for all of these tropical Australian species.
38:16But there are butterflies that we can welcome
38:18into all of our gardens,
38:19and today I'm going to find out exactly how to do it.
38:25Kate Pearce is the zoo's invertebrate manager.
38:28We have between 500 and 700 tropical butterflies
38:32flying at any one time,
38:34and between 12 and 15 species.
38:36We're really fortunate.
38:37We breed everything here at Melbourne Zoo.
38:39So everything you see here
38:41has been bred on the plants
38:42that have also been grown here at Melbourne Zoo.
38:47And what makes it the perfect place
38:48for tropical butterflies?
38:49So the butterfly house is kept
38:51at around 28 degrees during the day,
38:53and then humidity is also really important
38:55for a tropical environment.
38:57So we aim for around 70% year round.
39:00So we have a beautiful waterfall that helps us with that.
39:03So a lot of thought goes into the planting in here.
39:06So some of the plants on the stands in pots,
39:09they're the egg laying plants.
39:10So they're obviously very important
39:12because we need the eggs and subsequently the caterpillars
39:15to complete the full life cycle.
39:17But we also plant the space to accommodate for these species.
39:22So we create this really open environment
39:25with lots of roosting around the perimeter.
39:32Butterflies, you know, when they're visiting flowers,
39:35are they actually doing a service?
39:36Are they pollinators?
39:37Yeah, they're definitely pollinators.
39:39We don't think of them as highly, I guess, as the bees.
39:43Moths are also amazing pollinators.
39:45There's probably 400 species of butterflies thereabouts
39:48in Australia, but they are carrying their weight
39:50when it comes to pollination for sure.
39:52Of course, they need nectar, but it must be really hard
39:59to have enough flowers to feed this many butterflies.
40:03How do you do it?
40:04There's absolutely no way we could grow enough flowers in here
40:07to be able to feed everyone.
40:09So we do supplementary feeds with an artificial nectar in there
40:12that we make here ourselves.
40:15Obviously, we all want more butterflies in our gardens.
40:18What's the simplest way to do it?
40:20The simplest way is flowers.
40:22They just love flowers.
40:24Something like this example where you've got lots of flowers
40:27in a small space, we call that a nectar trap.
40:29So they just can't resist something like that.
40:32Shallow-throated flowers are really good for butterflies.
40:35Butterflies do have long tongues,
40:37but they can't manoeuvre as much.
40:39So flowers that have shallow throats, daisies are really great.
40:43If you want to go one step forward,
40:45you could look for the caterpillar plants for the butterflies in your area
40:49and plant those as well.
40:51Lots of them are native grasses and sedges.
40:53The other thing is open spaces.
40:55So a lot of us don't think about that in our gardens for butterflies.
40:59That's for them to be able to bask and warm up in the sun.
41:02Also water is important for butterflies as well.
41:05Lots of plants, lots of space.
41:07Yeah.
41:08Also areas that they can go to retreat away from predators.
41:12So some dense plantings around.
41:15The other thing is pesticides.
41:17The pesticides...
41:18Yep.
41:19No pesticides, please.
41:20Butterflies do not like them.
41:21Yeah.
41:22Millie, this is an example of a butterfly that loves to roost under a broad leaf plant.
41:28So this is a ficus and this is the Australian lurcher.
41:32And it would do this in the forest for protection or shelter?
41:35Yeah, exactly.
41:36So in a rainforest, it's going to rain a lot.
41:39So the broad leaves will protect them from getting a lot of water on them.
41:43The beautiful thing about a plant like this is that if you look up, the more you can see.
41:49So it doesn't matter where you are in Australia, in our beautiful bushlands or forests,
41:53if you look up under leaves, you will potentially see butterflies and lots of other amazing insects.
41:58So we're coming down to the gully area where a lot of the magic happens.
42:08It's a nice open space so the butterflies can lay their eggs on their egg-laying plant.
42:13So here we've got the citta rhombifolia.
42:16And that one's for the common egg flies or blue moon butterflies.
42:20And what about the borage?
42:21Is that for nectar?
42:22Yes, this one's for nectar.
42:24Citrus is for our orchard swallowtails.
42:27So a lot of gardeners do ask us about the caterpillars on citrus.
42:31There's several papilio or swallowtail butterflies that lay on citrus.
42:36With all the predators and parasitoids that are out in the wild,
42:39they're not going to cause the gardener any kind of issue.
42:42So if you see caterpillars on your citrus, it's amazing.
42:46Let them grow through.
42:47Because you'll probably get one butterfly out of every 100 eggs.
42:52Egg-laden plants are taken to the caterpillar house next door.
42:55And it's here, behind the scenes, that we can see how plants are so central to the butterfly's life cycle.
43:02So here we are in the orchard caterpillar house.
43:05We bring the potted plant over from the butterfly house that has already got the eggs on it.
43:10From here you can see that they've hatched and they're black and white.
43:13And they're pulling off the bird poo look.
43:16The inedible bird poo look.
43:17Exactly.
43:18So birds don't want to eat their own poo.
43:21And most other species are not really interested in poo.
43:23So they pull off that look for quite a while.
43:26Until they just get too big that the poo look isn't paying off anymore as camouflage.
43:31And they molt into this green colour here.
43:34They'll start changing their behaviour as well.
43:36They'll start hugging the stems during the day so that predators can't see them as well.
43:41What happens next?
43:43So next they'll grow a little bit more and then they'll turn into a pre-pupa stage.
43:49They'll sit like that for one or two days.
43:52They'll poo out all the waste that they don't need.
43:56And then finally they'll molt into a pupa.
43:59So we produce as much of our own pupae here as we can.
44:03So we have another greenhouse that is probably ten times as large as this
44:07with thousands and thousands of caterpillars of all the different species that we have in the butterfly house.
44:15Once the caterpillars turn into pupae, they return to the butterfly house
44:19where they undergo metamorphosis and emerge from the chrysalis as an adult butterfly.
44:30Meantime, garden lovers might be wondering what happens to all the zoo's caterpillar ravaged plants.
44:36Shall I grab these? Yes, those two, thanks.
44:38Well, it's zoo horticulturist Tom Gleeson's job to revive them.
44:42Gosh, Tom, they don't leave you a lot to work with.
44:45No, the caterpillars have eaten all these leaves.
44:48How long do they go into the caterpillar house to come out looking like that?
44:53Oh, it's only been in there for like a couple of weeks.
44:55Oh.
44:56This plant will be at least ten years old and it's probably been fed off probably about a hundred times.
45:01Really? Yeah.
45:02Tom, what's the key to rejuvenating a plant like this?
45:06It's to give it a nice hard prune, basically TLC, and then like we need to fertilise it as well.
45:13And then just give it a bit of time to recover.
45:15How long will it take to be ready to go back into the caterpillar house?
45:18Well, at least three months.
45:20Citrus are fine, they can be pruned right back really hard.
45:22It's just like a bonsai and it just likes being pruned and it comes back with vigor.
45:26The caterpillars are very fussy in what they eat and so the plants that we choose are the ones obviously that the caterpillars eat, but they have to respond well to being pruned as well.
45:35And so you've found kind of a suite of species that are both edible and gardenable.
45:40Yes, that's right.
45:41I feel like this is like the caterpillars sort of version of compliments to the chef, Tom.
45:47Yeah.
45:48I look at it as being dirty dishes.
45:49It's a leftover.
45:50Yeah.
45:51Got to do the dishes.
45:52Yeah, that's right.
45:53Yep.
45:54That's right.
45:55In 2025, the butterfly house is celebrating its 40th birthday.
46:04And just as impressive as the crowd-pleasing inhabitants is the butterfly conservation work, now spreading beyond the zoo's gates.
46:13Invertebrate conservation specialist Jesse Sinclair has been working with the Indigenous nursery, Dalki Garinga, run by the Berenjigadjan Land Council.
46:22They're working to protect threatened species, including Victoria's only endemic butterfly.
46:28This is Myoporum parvifolium.
46:31I know it well.
46:32You do.
46:33It's a garden plant.
46:34It is a garden plant and it's part of our conservation work for the Golden Ray Blue butterfly.
46:39It lives in that Wimmera region of Victoria.
46:42And this is its most important plant?
46:45It's its only food plant that we know of, so it will lay its egg on the really soft leaves.
46:50It's a summer flying butterfly and the caterpillars only feed on these leaves and they look just like the leaves.
46:56Perfect camouflage.
46:57And when you say that they're associated with Myoporum, will any Myoporum do?
47:02Well, within a garden setting, any Myoporum can be amazing for encouraging invertebrates in to feed on nectar.
47:09What we're trying to do out where the Golden Ray Blue flies is to propagate plants from that region, plants that in the wild the butterflies are using.
47:18So we are using a very specific Wimmera form of plant when we're doing our restoration works.
47:24The Wimmera is a very fragmented landscape for wild places.
47:27When you drive through the area, it's kilometres of cropping land.
47:33And so these butterflies, they're only small.
47:36They can't get across multiple fields of wheat.
47:40So these little pockets of habitat are great for the butterfly.
47:43But what we hope to do is create links across the landscape so the butterflies can move between the lake systems and be more secure for the future.
47:53That would always be our hope is that the Golden Ray Blue will be around for a long time to come.
47:57Every species is important. We've got species here that are found nowhere else in the world.
48:03And the average gardener can really protect those by planting the caterpillar plants and some nectarine plants.
48:10If you go endemic, even better.
48:12They're beautiful. Why wouldn't you want flowers and butterflies in your garden?
48:16This is Queen of the Night.
48:27It's a tropical rainforest climbing cactus from Central America and the Caribbean.
48:33Most people grow it because it has the most amazing night blooms.
48:38Each flower is as large as a bread and butter plate and only lasts for one night.
48:45In spring, this is a spectacular plant.
48:49It fills my garden with fragrance.
48:52The vanilla scent is just unbelievable.
48:55I'll put on the floodlights and sit down on a bench and just watch it bloom.
49:00It's such a spectacle.
49:01And for most people, that's as good as it gets.
49:05You see, the ones you find in cultivation are generally cloned.
49:09They're grown from cuttings.
49:10So they're all genetically identical.
49:13And this particular cactus can recognise and reject its own pollen.
49:19And to get fruit, they need to have a different plant, which they don't recognise the pollen from.
49:26I lucked out.
49:28I've got two genetically different plants, which I acquired just by chance.
49:34And they cross-pollinate.
49:36And so while these flowers have finished, you can see this one was successfully pollinated.
49:43The fruit tastes exactly like dragon fruit.
49:47Sweet, juicy and delicious.
49:49And I've been able to produce seed to grow my own seedlings to further diversify the genetic base of this plant.
49:59So I can offer it to people for its flower and fragrance and you can get fruit from it.
50:06It's growing here on this archway for a specific reason.
50:10This is a yam and it's winter deciduous.
50:14So there's no sign of this during winter.
50:17And that's perfect because the winter sun ripens the stems of this cactus and gets them primed for flowering.
50:25In summer, when the leaves of the yam shade the plant, this cactus benefits a second time because it doesn't like the direct intense summer sunshine.
50:36So they're actually a good partnership in the garden.
50:46Now, just because it's the holidays doesn't mean you can kick back and put your feet up.
50:51Your jobs for the weekend are ready and waiting.
50:54In cool areas, keep your broccoli pumping.
51:03Scatter seeds on free draining mix, cover with vermiculite and keep well watered as they grow.
51:10Annual weeds like chickweed, milk thistle and dock should be tackled now,
51:15before they have time to develop roots, set seed and take over.
51:20It's the last chance to get your capsicums in.
51:23Plant seedlings into fluffy soil with manure mixed through.
51:27Pick a sunny spot and space them about 30 centimetres apart.
51:32In warm areas, prepare your irrigation for the summer holidays.
51:38Flush out drip lines to dislodge any grit and check sprinkler heads are in good working order.
51:44Get crafty and make your own seed tape or infused gift cards.
51:48It's a great way to give the gift of gardening.
51:51Find all the details on our website.
51:53Take your garden with you in a portable herb basket.
51:57Line a basket with plastic with holes for drainage.
52:01Then plant mint, thyme and basil to enjoy on the road.
52:05In subtropical areas, varaya rhododendrons are in the spotlight.
52:11Protect from drying sun and wind and feed with a dilute fertiliser now.
52:16Prune back trees by a third to help prevent wind damage.
52:20Smaller plants are less likely to snap and they'll have fewer leaves to keep hydrated.
52:26Bergamot or bee balm attracts beneficial bees and hoverflies.
52:31Cut flowering stems to one pair of leaves at the base to encourage new blossoming stems.
52:37In tropical areas, take advantage of the warm weather and bump out some leaf mould.
52:43It's made entirely of composted leaves and is perfect for homemade potting mixes or mulches.
52:50Keep an eye on your plants for signs of fungal disease that can be more common during the wet season.
52:57Remove infected foliage and treat with organic fungicides.
53:01Take your cooking to the next level and track down an edible pandanus.
53:06Famed for the nutty fragrance it brings to dishes, the leaves can also be used to bundle food.
53:13In arid areas, basil grows fast in the heat.
53:17To ensure a tasty harvest, prune off flower heads and steep them in tea.
53:22Apply liquid feed for some more leafy growth.
53:26Kangaroo apples are hopping into season.
53:29Green fruit is not edible, so allow the fruits to drop and ripen off the tree.
53:34Enjoy fresh or stewed.
53:37Sea holly is sending up spectacular flowers, attracting bees and butterflies.
53:43Deadhead regularly and mulch well to keep their shallow roots cool.
53:48That should have you set for the months ahead.
53:52Remember, we've got all your favourite episodes on iview to make sure you have a cracker of a summer.
53:58Well, that is our offering for 2025.
54:08Done, dusted and delivered.
54:11With a bow.
54:13From all of us here at Gardening Australia, a massive thanks to everyone who has so generously opened their gardens for us.
54:21And, of course, to all of you who have tuned in each week for the show and engaged with us on our socials.
54:30We love hearing from you.
54:32We'll be back again next year.
54:34And as the holidays kick in, make sure you find time and spend it with the people and, of course, the plants you love.
54:43See ya!
54:46This year, I'm hoping for some really good quality gardening gloves for my little Chrissy present.
54:53A really good set of gloves.
54:55Something I can really sink my hands into.
54:58That's a terrible joke.
55:00This year, I'm hoping for time in the garden.
55:03I became a new mum this year and I've had very little time to spend just pottering about, so I would love some time.
55:09As a compulsive gardener, the best present for me this Christmas would be to spend a day gardening doing the things I want to do rather than the things I have to do.
55:21I'm looking forward to the gift of time.
55:23Firstly, time to watch five days of the Boxing Day Test Match, followed by a good session of gardening each afternoon when it's cool and the light's perfect.
55:33I'm hoping my tribe will help me make a pergola so that I can decorate it with glory vine and we'll have shade for summers to come.
55:41Happy Christmas to you all.
55:43I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends.
55:45And don't forget to compost your scraps.
55:47Happy Christmas, everybody.
55:49Tis the season to be jolly, so really enjoy yourselves.
55:53Stay safe.
55:54Have fun with friends and family.
55:56Be mindful of how much liquid you imbibe and make sure your plants get some as well.
56:04I hope your holidays are full of love and life in and out of the garden and you get your hands dirty and your hearts happy.
56:12I'd like to wish everybody a happy festive season and most of all, peace on earth.
56:19So beautiful.
56:23Have a great summer, everybody.
56:25I hope you get a few days off to absolutely soak up this beautiful country.
56:29There is so much to see.
56:30You never know who you'll meet.
56:32Happy summer.
56:33Merry Christmas, everyone.
56:34Have a wonderful festive season.
56:36Lots of love and joy.
56:38Take care and we'll see you next year.
56:40I hope you get time to spend in your garden with the people you love doing what you love.
56:46Have a great break, everyone.
56:48And if you're still working during that time, thanks for keeping the world ticking over.
56:53We'll see you next year.
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