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Gardening Australia 2026 Episode 1
Transcript
00:00Hey!
00:06Hey! Hi!
00:12Whoa!
00:18Hey!
00:20Hey, buddy.
00:22Hey!
00:24Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37The GA team is so happy to be back.
00:41We're ready for another year connecting, growing and sharing with you all.
00:47Today I'm on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Victoria
00:51with a group of locals who have turned a vacant veggie patch
00:56into a thriving community hub.
00:59I'll introduce you shortly, but first here's what else is coming up.
01:06I'm meeting a couple that have created a classic cool climate garden
01:10in the Adelaide Hills.
01:11It's taken them five decades and it's still evolving.
01:15There's a saying in life that the future is now
01:18and that is no more true than talking about planting
01:21and protecting our beautiful native species.
01:24And today I get to meet an amazing gardener
01:27who is doing both of those things and spreading the word.
01:31We've all heard of a sea change, even a tree change.
01:35But have you heard about a berry change?
01:38Today I'm meeting a couple who've traded suburbia
01:41for a regenerative berry farm.
01:44And we meet a man who's passionate about conserving cockatoos.
01:48I'm on Bunurong Country at Cool Art Wetlands and Homestead,
02:09a large public property on Western Port Bay,
02:13about an hour's drive from Melbourne.
02:15This was once a private family estate,
02:20but now the 35 hectares of gardens, bushland and wetlands
02:26are managed by Parks Victoria.
02:30Not far from the old homestead,
02:33a group of enthusiastic volunteers have poured their energy
02:37into revitalising the historic kitchen garden,
02:41turning it into a communal food-growing area fit for the future.
02:46It's something about this place.
02:48It's just so calm and relaxed and we just have a great time.
02:54Diane Otto is the president of the Cool Art Community Garden
02:59and she says it's a pretty easy group to lead.
03:02There's such an atmosphere between everyone, the energy,
03:07the volume of conversation.
03:09We're very good friends.
03:10We've developed deeper friendships.
03:12We go hiking together,
03:13doing all sorts of other things outside the garden as well.
03:16The best part is that there's an enormous mix
03:19because we have at one end someone with horticultural expertise,
03:23then we have people who've been gardening all their lives
03:26and know lots about it.
03:28And then we have people down the other end who've come
03:30because they really want to learn.
03:31They want to join in.
03:32They want to learn how to do everything.
03:34So we learn off each other every week.
03:39For me, I just love it.
03:40It's like all my cares disappear.
03:43It is so tranquil here and it's nestled in beautifully.
03:47We seem to have perfect weather every Thursday that we're here
03:50and it's just, it's a gem.
03:53So there was a garden here originally
03:55but you've gone along and upgraded the garden beds?
03:59That's right.
04:00It was a herb garden.
04:02I think it was done in the 1980s
04:05where they put down all the bricks.
04:06But because it was low to the ground
04:08we wanted to make it more accessible to anyone and everyone
04:11and we were lucky enough to get a grant
04:13and the group designed and made all of these wicking beds.
04:17They are brilliant.
04:18It means we don't have to be down here on a daily basis watering,
04:22particularly when you've got new seedlings planted.
04:25The new group has strategically removed a few extra bricks
04:29from around the raised beds
04:31to create little pockets for their companion flower plantings to grow.
04:36Such a simple idea but really effective
04:40and it frees up the precious space in the raised beds for their productive crops.
04:47So I notice you've got some really sound infrastructure.
04:52Yes, not something we planned to have at all
04:55but little four-legged friends came along and started eating all the produce.
05:00They managed to climb up corrugated iron beds that are about eight or nine hundred high
05:05and eat everything.
05:06So we had to do something quite serious.
05:09And again, our group engineered and made all these covers to keep them out.
05:13And I mean, it makes a big difference
05:15because if people are putting in all these volunteer hours
05:18and then you turn up and it's shredded.
05:20You come back and find that all the brassicas have been eaten by rats.
05:24It is devastating, yes.
05:26Now I notice there's a few beds outside of the garden.
05:31Is there expansion plants?
05:33There are indeed.
05:34We wanted to grow more produce
05:36and in particular we wanted to be able to grow taller produce.
05:39So we needed room for sweet corn, tall tomatoes, broad beans, all of those sort of things.
05:46We don't run it like other community gardens.
05:49People don't rent or own a patch.
05:53We all do our own thing.
05:54There's no this is what we're doing dit dit dit
05:57said by me or anyone else.
05:59People come in and say,
06:00I'd like to plant raspberries.
06:02So they're allowed to.
06:03I'd like to plant potatoes.
06:04Someone wants to try edamame.
06:06So we're allowed to do what we like really.
06:08And it seems to work really well.
06:11Now I've noticed there is a hive of harvesting activity going on.
06:16What's all the produce being picked for?
06:20The majority of the produce we donate to Western Port Community Support Centre
06:25for those people who need the food.
06:28This week I'm going along for the ride.
06:31We're heading about 15 minutes down the road to the coastal town of Hastings,
06:41where another group of volunteers from the Western Port Community Support Centre
06:46are sorting donations for Fresh Food Tuesday,
06:50a weekly fresh food drive for people experiencing food insecurity.
06:55Wow.
06:56There's quite a selection here.
06:57Yeah.
06:58Beautiful capsicum.
06:59Yeah.
07:00Herbs.
07:01It's great.
07:02Georgie, you're the manager here.
07:03How many people are coming in and participating in the market
07:14and taking home some fresh produce each week?
07:17So every week we're seeing around 100 to 120 people coming in to pick up fresh produce.
07:24That's the presenting adult.
07:25That goes home to feed children and partners.
07:29So that equates to around 300 people that we're feeding just from the one week of fresh food market.
07:36Now I had the privilege of seeing all of that beautiful produce being grown at the Coolark Community Garden.
07:44Where is the other produce coming from?
07:47So the bulk of the produce that we give out comes from our food rescue agencies,
07:52Second Bite and OzHarvest.
07:54And those agencies pick up food that the supermarkets are no longer willing to sell
07:59but is still perfectly viable for consumption.
08:02So it gets donated to agencies such as ours.
08:06How important are the volunteers and the community groups in helping this program exist?
08:15Without the volunteers we wouldn't have a program.
08:17They're sorting food, they're unloading trucks, they're getting it ready,
08:22they're dealing with the clients.
08:24It's crucial that we have our volunteers.
08:26They are key to the program continuing.
08:28What's it like to have the food grown by the volunteers at Coolark?
08:32Oh, it's amazing.
08:34They come in every week.
08:35We have, you know, two or three crates of beautifully fresh produce.
08:40There's nothing better.
08:41It's basically been picked that morning.
08:43It's wonderful.
08:44And everyone, you know, who comes in really notices the stuff that we get from our community partners
08:49and local farms is always the most popular stuff.
08:52It's super fresh.
08:53How important is this for people?
08:57It is so important.
08:58We've seen the cost of living crisis has really impacted our local community.
09:03More and more people are coming in every week.
09:05And it's crucial to keeping food on the table for so many of our families
09:09who are experiencing food insecurity.
09:12Everyone deserves fresh produce and that's at the heart of the program
09:15and that's why we do what we do to make sure that we're feeding our local community
09:20and they have access to free, healthy produce.
09:26Coffee, tea, muffins, everybody.
09:29What do you think it means to everyone to be contributing to community wellbeing?
09:35Look, we feel, I feel really proud about it.
09:39I just think it's a great thing to do.
09:41We all are learning and sharing here, but to share even further with those we know are in need
09:47makes us all feel pretty good, really.
09:50Community gardens all around the country play so many roles.
09:54I mean, think about it.
09:56They're knowledge banks.
09:58They're unofficial tea rooms.
10:00They're debrief spaces.
10:02They're a place to grow and sustain, not just ourselves, but all those people around us.
10:19One of the easiest ways to tell if you're over-watering your indoor plants
10:23is to check if the soil is too wet or soggy.
10:26When the soil is too damp, you may see yellowing and wilting leaves.
10:29These are signs that roots may be in trouble.
10:32Plants should never sit in water.
10:34My remedy is to keep plants in black plastic nursery pots,
10:38which I drop into decorative pots.
10:40That way I can easily lift them out to make sure they're not drowning
10:43and also water if necessary.
10:46Plants will need a bit more watering in the warmer weather
10:49when they're actively growing, but less in the drier seasons.
10:53Where's the best spot to plant mint in the garden?
10:56Well, it's a really hardy plant.
10:58It'll take full sun to part shade.
11:00It does like regular watering but can also take drier conditions.
11:04It'll always bounce back.
11:05The most important thing is don't plant it in your garden beds.
11:09Have a look at this.
11:10Somehow some got in there and I'm still battling to get it out.
11:14The best thing to do is plant it in a container or a pot well off the ground
11:18and that way it's safe and contained and it won't get away from you.
11:23Are snails native to Australia?
11:26There's about 65 species of freshwater and land snails and slugs
11:31which have been introduced into Australia
11:34and only a few of these have become pests.
11:37The common garden snail is the most common of the whole lot
11:41and they were introduced from the Mediterranean about 120 years ago.
11:46And interestingly, it doesn't occur in my garden
11:49because I don't have enough lime in my soil for them to form their shells.
11:53But I do have three other introduced species that keep me busy.
11:58There's at least a thousand known native snails in Australia.
12:03They're part of our natural inheritance
12:05and there's probably two or three times more waiting to be formally described.
12:11In the wild, they're recyclers.
12:14They help to make compost.
12:16So they're a virtue and not a vice.
12:24Cool climate gardens can really stop you in your tracks when they're done well.
12:29Sophie's found a classic with an old school plant
12:33whose flowers have never really gone out of fashion.
12:37So often gardens come to life through trial and error,
12:50like this beautiful backyard haven in Stirling in the Adelaide Hills,
12:54which has been five decades in the making.
12:57The garden has evolved with many makeovers and lessons learned along the way
13:03by Jenny and Ted Zietz.
13:05So how did you go about setting up the garden?
13:08Very haphazard.
13:09We just planted things wherever we saw a spot.
13:13Went from there.
13:14But hydrangeas definitely takes interstate.
13:16Yes.
13:17Why is that?
13:18Mainly because we had so much shade to start with
13:21and they were easy to grow.
13:23So you've propagated them?
13:24Yes.
13:25Yes.
13:26Almost all of them.
13:28Have you ever counted how many you've got?
13:30No.
13:31No.
13:32I'd started once but I didn't bother after about a hundred or so.
13:35Two hundred.
13:36Wow.
13:39There's an assortment of large established trees,
13:42densely underplanted with shrubbery and ferns,
13:45creating a lovely cooling and calm space.
13:48You've created this from scratch.
13:50That must have been a lot of work.
13:53But don't forget that's over 50 odd years.
13:57Yes.
13:58But it was a lot of work.
13:59Yes.
14:00So what was here when you came here?
14:01Nothing.
14:02Literally nothing.
14:03There were a couple of bushes.
14:05We thought they were bushes and they grew into huge basket willows.
14:09They started by planting lots of large native trees
14:12that were all the rage in the 70s.
14:15We always thought big is best.
14:18And so we planted so many big trees,
14:22but not the right sorts of course.
14:24And we had them all through the garden where it was too wet for them.
14:28Then they'd fall over?
14:29Fell over.
14:30So that's been our problem.
14:31We just lurched from one thing to another.
14:34Eventually we cut most of them down.
14:37We were just so naive and we just fell into it really.
14:41And then we had to deal with it.
14:43We had no choice.
14:45But I don't know what I'd do differently now.
14:49I think I'd buy a smaller block.
15:00Now we're at the bottom of a valley.
15:02Was that a problem?
15:03Yes.
15:04The water, we're at the bottom of the water table really
15:10and all the little creeks running and collecting.
15:13And it was a marsh.
15:14So it was a bog.
15:15Yes.
15:16So how did you go about starting to transform it into what we see today?
15:20Digging channels.
15:21Rolled up the grass and then dug channels all the way down to this lower area
15:26and it just drained over one summer really.
15:30And the plants that we're looking at that look spectacular at the moment are hydrangeas.
15:35Yes.
15:36Did you always love them or was it just they'll grow?
15:39They'll grow.
15:40Wow!
15:42Well I discovered they grew pretty easily and we had so much shade.
15:46They didn't take much water then because there was so much water underground.
15:49Now of course it's different.
15:51Now they require water, water, water constantly.
15:54So it's gone from being boggy and now it's actually dry.
15:58Dry.
15:59Yes.
16:00Too dry.
16:01Yes.
16:02So now we have to bring water in.
16:06Jenny and Ted were school teachers but retirement means more time in the garden.
16:12While Jenny's the main gardener, Ted has played a huge part in landscaping and building.
16:19Now I'm seeing lots of rocks and edging and all that.
16:23How did that come in?
16:24By hand.
16:25We did everything on the cheap really I suppose at the beginning because we didn't have a
16:32lot of money.
16:33So we chose the cheapest option, the easiest option and that became really what we did right
16:40throughout.
16:41And I am a cheapskate.
16:42That's why we did it on the cheap.
16:43Now you've got so many hydrangeas but you've also got different types here.
16:55Yes we have.
16:56I've got the mop heads, the double, I've got the Japanese type.
17:01I love those.
17:02They're in the garden I grew up with so I'm very fond of them.
17:05So they have that sort of rolled lip on the edge of the petal and to me their petals are
17:09a little bit more leathery and they last better as a cut flower.
17:13Yes.
17:14Paniculata.
17:15And lace caps too.
17:16And lace caps.
17:17Yes that's right.
17:18Yes.
17:19And what's your favourite?
17:20Oh the mop heads.
17:21I mean that is ginormous.
17:23It's almost hat size.
17:25Yes.
17:26Yes.
17:27Yes.
17:28I have quite a few big ones now.
17:31After the sea of blue hydrangeas now I see this beautiful drift of pinks.
17:36Yes.
17:37It's unusual that I've had such a change in colour this year.
17:41Really?
17:42So they're usually all?
17:43Pink.
17:44Wow.
17:45And a lot stronger pink too.
17:47More along these lines.
17:49Whereas they're a little bit pale this year.
17:51Okay.
17:52So they're pink in alkaline soil and blue in acid soil.
17:55So we'd have to presume that because it's been a dry year and the blue ones are growing
18:00under the cypress.
18:01Yes.
18:02That's affecting the pH.
18:03I think you're probably right.
18:04But see I love also as the hydrangea flower ages it gets that greenish hue.
18:10Which I particularly like but I don't think it's your favourite.
18:13No.
18:14No.
18:15Normally I would be deadheading that in a flash.
18:17Because then it shows up all the other colours you see.
18:20Cut it off.
18:21Moult it.
18:22Well see I think that colour in a vase looks beautiful.
18:25It's got this beautiful aged patina to it.
18:27Okay.
18:29She's not convinced.
18:30Well we go in and she'll be cutting them off.
18:35Now there are many different opinions on how and when you should prune your hydrangeas.
18:39Some people do it in autumn, some in late winter.
18:42When do you do yours?
18:43I do mine mainly in late August, even into September.
18:48And I prune the non-flowering stalks lightly down to the third double bud from the top.
18:56And the flowering ones I go right down to the bottom, the bottom double or maybe sometimes the second double from the bottom.
19:04Wow.
19:05Well it obviously works.
19:07Mostly.
19:08But it's not only hydrangeas, there's camellias, hellebores, Japanese windflowers.
19:20Hostas.
19:21Oh yes, they must be gorgeous.
19:23Yes they are.
19:24Not so much the flowers of course.
19:26No.
19:27Just the leaves.
19:28But I like those, yes.
19:29And you've even got amazing bromeliads.
19:31Yes, I love bromeliads.
19:33They are very easy to propagate.
19:35Take a bit off and stick them in the ground and they go.
19:39I can actually look at it now and be pleased.
19:42Whereas once upon a time I'd come down and think, oh that's got to be done.
19:45There's work there, I've got to fill that space.
19:48But now I can actually appreciate it and that makes me feel really good.
19:52I don't think about it.
19:54I just accept it as it is and I like it.
19:57And that's about as far as I would go, I guess.
20:05Frangipanis are so hot right now and they come in a range of colours.
20:18But the ones I'm really interested in are the dwarf frangipanis.
20:22They're perfect for pots and you can create a great look by dressing them up with some colourful ground covers.
20:27Of all the frangipanis available, there are only a few true dwarf varieties that are small in size.
20:37A dwarf frangipanis grows to about two metres, unlike the five to eight metre giants you see growing out in gardens on the street.
20:44Dwarf frangipanis have small root systems, making them perfect for pots.
20:49And like all frangipanis, they're sun lovers.
20:52So they're happy on a north facing balcony or in a sunny courtyard.
20:57I'm planting up the frangipanis with some colourful ground covers.
21:01So I'll need to start with a decent sized pot, at least 40 centimetres.
21:05This one's also lightweight so I can move it around easily.
21:08A couple of dwarf varieties that you can find at your local nursery include,
21:12lulu, petite pink, petite white and everlasting love.
21:19I'm using a succulent and cactus mix because frangipanis are kind of like succulents with their thick fleshy stems.
21:27They also come from the coastal tropics of Mexico, so they're used to growing in sandy soils.
21:34Now that I've got enough potty mix, it's time to pop my frangipani in its pot.
21:39When choosing plants to go with your frangipani, look for plants with similar needs and you'll get a better result.
21:50Any succulent that loves the sun will do.
21:55I've chosen portulaca, also known as sun jewels.
21:59They have bright tropical colours that will hang over the pot and flower at the same time.
22:04Now I'm adding Tradescantia, also known as spiderwort.
22:09This Tradescantia would add that little extra sparkle and it's got a really interesting leaf form.
22:14The good news is that these plants have the same feeding regime and will do well with a controlled release fertiliser.
22:22A dream tropical combo featuring a dwarf frangipani.
22:28They are long-lived small trees and they are perfect in pots and love sunny spots.
22:33Yep, frangipanis are so hot right now.
22:37One of the real privileges of this job is travelling around the country and seeing what people get out of the show.
22:54The little tips or the big aspirations that they pick up and take with them on their gardening journey.
23:02Millie's visiting an avid Gardening Australia viewer in WA who's flying the flag just about as high as it gets for the next generation.
23:13When you think of escapees, you probably wouldn't think about plants, but some plants are escapees.
23:18I'm talking about weeds.
23:20It's always so exciting to see new people embrace gardening.
23:24And many of the next generation of Green Thumbs are also pretty good at documenting their gardening talents.
23:31Breaking news. I'm here with an escapee. What have you got to say?
23:35This is Millie Rose.
23:38And my name is Millie Ross.
23:40It's uncanny, isn't it?
23:42And I knew it was so special that the next time I was in my hometown, I had to pop in for a visit.
23:47We first met at the Kalamunda Garden Show.
23:50But today I'm on Millie's turf to find out a little bit more about her gardening and presenting journey.
23:56Millie!
23:57Oh, hey Millie! How are you?
23:58Oh, I'm so good!
23:59Is this the garden you've been making all the videos about?
24:01Yes, so this is my Nan's garden, which I've actually rewilded into a native garden.
24:05Wow! Oh, I love this hibiscus.
24:07Yes, that's a cottonwood hibiscus and then an exotic one as well.
24:11What's happening here?
24:12This is Eremophila Crazy Mac. They've got lots and lots of pink flowers.
24:15And then down here we've got a Leshenaltia biloba, which I got inspired to plant because of Shannon Murphy from the Kings Park Gardening Australia story.
24:24Right.
24:25So then I was determined to plant one and see if it would survive.
24:28And it's absolutely thriving. It's got flowers everywhere.
24:30That colour is just like the sky.
24:33Yes! Blue is very rare in nature, which is why it makes it even more special.
24:37Let's go and have a look down the back.
24:39Okay!
24:42So here is the birdbath. The birds actually weren't very attracted to it.
24:46But then we realised the birds needed a restaurant.
24:48So we decided to plant some local native plants around the birdbath.
24:53So over here, this is a beautiful Grevillea John Evans.
24:56Connor Stylus Kandikens. Grevillea Molly.
25:00Harderbergia violaceae.
25:02Here's a Grevillea Gin Gin Gem.
25:05That's beautiful!
25:06Yes! It's a ground...
25:07It was a tiny little tube stock when we first got it.
25:10We actually got it from a Council Free Trees event.
25:12And then we just gingerly planted this little tube stock and then it was just like...
25:17And when you put in the restaurant, did that mean the birds started to come to the bath?
25:22Definitely! We've been seeing all kinds of birds like wattlebirds, willywagtails, all sorts of different birds attracted to the birdbath and sucking nectar out of the Grevillea.
25:34Is it rolling? Yeah.
25:36Millie's a Gardening Australia purist, but she does tell me she doesn't love the music.
25:42So, for her story, she's putting me straight to work.
25:45What's all of this stuff? Like, you're making videos, but what, are we going to mulch a garden bed here?
25:49No! So, these things are here so you can do foley, which is like sound effects.
25:55So then we can do this to kind of create a library of sounds that we could use for this Gardening Australia segment.
26:00Alright.
26:11What is this?
26:12This is my Uncle's Seed collection.
26:14Oh! Good sounds?
26:15Yes, definitely!
26:16So, I was thinking maybe brassicas?
26:20Oh, yeah.
26:21They rattle?
26:22Yes.
26:23So, in here, this was a neglected patch. We thought this could be more real estate for some natives. So, this is a beautiful Grevillea spirit of Anzac. I love its colours and the texture of its leaves.
26:46Oh, this has got a good species name.
26:48Califamnus hirsutus.
26:49Califamnus hirsutus.
26:50Califamnus hirsutus.
26:51Califamnus hirsutus.
26:52Califamnus hirsutus. Do you know what hirsutus might mean?
26:53What?
26:54Califamnus hirsutus. Do you know what hirsutus might mean?
26:55What?
26:56Harry!
26:57Oh my gosh!
26:58Oh yes, it does look like costa.
26:59I just planted the Eremophila nivea.
27:04I made a little well around the plant so that it kind of captures the water. So now I'm going to plant this Myoporum parvifolium. Now let's plant him.
27:16Hey Millie, I hear that your love of gardening has grown well outside your grandmother's garden.
27:21Yes, definitely. I actually joined the Friends of Lake Wella. I've been coming down on the third Saturday of every month watering, weeding and planting and other things as well.
27:31And why did you start making videos?
27:33Well, I've kind of been making videos ever since I was a very little kid. I got inspired by shows such as BTN and Gardening Australia and David Attenborough and lots of conservation shows and then I got an action camera.
27:45Yes! And it's really kind of accelerated my filmmaking.
27:55So we've got them all in the ground. What do we need to do now?
27:57Okay, so I need to do something.
27:59What?
28:00The Josh Byrne effect.
28:01What?
28:02So Josh Byrne, I've noticed in lots of his stories, he puts the camera on the ground and then like either like waters the camera.
28:12And I've been doing that in lots and lots of my videos. So I thought why not do one right now?
28:27You're talking about a camera maneuver, not a planting maneuver.
28:30Yes!
28:31I love it. All right, let's go. Show me how it's done.
28:33So I put my action camera down next to the plant and then I water it. It's waterproof, by the way.
28:40You'd want to hope so.
28:42Millie's videos have been a great platform for encouraging others to support a project that's been instrumental in restoring and revegetating a local bushland area.
28:55And what do you do to look after these plants?
28:56So we do three main things at the Bush Care Mornings. We do watering things.
28:57Oh, how beautiful is this Millie?
28:58Yes, this is a beautiful anegosanthus specimen or red and green kangaroo pork.
29:03It's iconic, isn't it?
29:04Yes, it's like one of the symbols of Australia.
29:06Right, I can see them all the way out through the bush and lots of other things here.
29:10Yes, like there's eucalyptus and hardened burges and kinetias and all sorts of different species because they're revegetating the local bushland and bringing it back to its glory.
29:19And what do you do to look after these plants?
29:21So we do three main things at the Bush Care Mornings. We do watering, weeding and planting.
29:26And then this year we planted 1,500 native plants.
29:29Wow!
29:30Yes!
29:31That must feel good.
29:33Yes, and it's the only spray-free site in the reserve so that means that there's lots of weeding needs to be done.
29:39Well, I'm happy to give you a hand.
29:41Oh, yeah, let's get weeding.
29:43Let's do it.
29:48What do you like about being part of that big group of gardeners?
29:52It's really satisfying. I have actually made a change.
29:55Like, I have planted a plant and I've helped to revegetate this patch of bushland.
30:01You're into plants, you're into science.
30:03Yeah.
30:04And you're into conservation.
30:05And filmmaking.
30:06And filmmaking.
30:07Why does it matter?
30:08Firstly, science communication is very important because we need to educate the public and the work the friends are doing benefits the wildlife and the whole ecosystem and as well as humans because we're very reliant on the environment for survival.
30:22It's true, isn't it?
30:23Yes.
30:24And it's pretty good fun.
30:25Yes, definitely.
30:27Being part of the Gardening Australia family is such a privilege.
30:33We get to share the stories of so many amazing people and spending today with Millie has filled me with so much excitement for all of those voices that we're yet to hear.
30:45I reckon our future is green.
30:48Still to come on Gardening Australia, Jerry's creating life from dust, we meet a Carnaby's crusader and we get you working on the jobs for the weekend.
31:03Imagine spending your days on a regenerative berry farm in Tassie, surrounded by the literal fruits of your labour.
31:19Sounds like a little slice of heaven to me and Hannah is checking it out.
31:38Today I'm taking you for a look around a beautiful farm in Hobart's north where they're combining two of my favourite things, caring for the land and berries.
31:51And I've timed my visit perfectly because blueberry season is on.
31:58So in Tasmania we grow cool climate berries, so they're called Canadian highbush berries.
32:02They're deciduous, whereas a lot of the ones in the mainland would be evergreens.
32:06And our berries need what's called chill hours, so our berries need up to 700 chill hours to get good fruit set, which means very low temperatures across winter.
32:15At this time of the year, casual workers are busy harvesting blueberries.
32:19And farm owners David and Catherine make the most of the long daylight hours too, scaling back their day jobs in allied health so they can focus on the farm while it's at its peak.
32:32So have you folks always been berry farmers?
32:35We haven't.
32:37So we had a quarter acre block at Glenorkey, so we had veggie garden and the chickens there.
32:42And then we were looking to expand a little bit and get some acreage, but ideally close to town for our other jobs.
32:49And then in our research, we found a blueberry farm and got a little bit excited at the possibilities.
32:55Yeah.
32:56They decided to take the massive plunge and purchase the 18 acre farm around six years ago.
33:02Was it a steep learning curve taking on a farm like this?
33:05Yes.
33:06Very steep.
33:07Yeah.
33:08Yeah.
33:09It's like shooting for the moon.
33:10No, it is very steep and the lining is continuous.
33:13Yeah.
33:14And you do the foundations by mistakes, I think, trial and error.
33:18What do you love about growing berries?
33:20I like the smoothies in the morning.
33:22Half a kilo at a time.
33:25Yeah, so it's good.
33:27With a clear taste for them, David is well qualified to show me how to pick the perfect blueberry.
33:34On this side, we've got the Brigitte's and on the other side, we've got the Elliott's.
33:39Elliott's.
33:40Okay.
33:41If you take one, the Elliott's are...
33:43I'll try one, yeah.
33:44The Elliott's are quite a tarty.
33:45I find them tarty.
33:46Some people love them, call them sweet.
33:47Yeah, I find them tarty.
33:49Yeah, definitely got that edge, don't they?
33:51I love it.
33:52Beautiful.
33:53Oh, should I try this one now?
33:54Oh, yeah, yeah.
33:55Have a go.
33:56Have a pick.
33:57Yeah.
33:58It's like pow.
33:59Love it.
34:00Love it.
34:01Yes.
34:02And the other...
34:03I'll have another one.
34:04And the other secret is when you're doing your pick your own, they go blue.
34:08Then it's two weeks before the sugars come through.
34:10Yeah, so you have to wait.
34:12Like, don't trust your eyes.
34:14Don't trust your eyes.
34:15Trust your taste buds.
34:16You actually pick them and you taste them.
34:18And if you like them, you keep on picking.
34:20If you don't, you move on.
34:21Yeah.
34:22Okay, I'll just take one more for the right.
34:23Yep.
34:24Yeah.
34:25Now, do you have any favourite picking techniques?
34:27Oh, look.
34:28Why don't we have a look over here?
34:29Yeah.
34:30This is Elliott.
34:32Look, there's two things about this bush.
34:35Yeah.
34:36So what we do, the first pick that we do is the selected pick.
34:39So what you do, you find the biggest, bluest berry that you can and you pick it.
34:43You taste it, then you put it in your bucket.
34:44So just one by one.
34:45One by one.
34:46One by one.
34:47You might get two blueberries a bunch, but later on in the season when they're all blue,
34:50say once again, you hold it and you tickle the berries.
34:53Yeah.
34:54And then what will happen is the right ones will fall.
34:56Great.
34:57So you're not pulling.
34:58You're just like giving it gentle little tickle.
35:00Gentle little tickle.
35:01Nice.
35:02And the only thing that you've got to watch out for in our bushes are the frogs.
35:05Oh, the little frogs.
35:07That's a wonderful thing to have to look out for.
35:10I reckon having frogs around the farm is a big deal.
35:14And the biodiversity here is something Catherine says they've worked hard to create.
35:19So we wandered down some different paths with that and we've settled on calling it a regenerative
35:24agriculture approach, which is soil first, basically looking after that soil microbiology,
35:30trying to build the life under the soil as well as biodiversity in the field as well.
35:36Because some people might look at this and go, look, it's a monoculture of blueberries.
35:40But if you look closer, it's actually incredibly diverse in terms of the plants that you're growing here, but also around the farm.
35:47Yes.
35:48Yeah.
35:49And that's all part of it is biodiversity, which then brings in biodiversity of animals.
35:53So we do, when we bring people in for pick your own, I'll say that it might look messy to some people.
35:58But that's what we want to see is lots of different things.
36:01And then we see different pollinators, different bugs, different frogs, different birds.
36:13What do you love about working here?
36:15I love blueberries, so that's number one.
36:18Tick.
36:19One of the farmhands, Dylan, has become a champion for native wildlife on the farm, documenting species that visit and planning ways to increase diversity.
36:29Hey Dylan, how did you come to be working at this berry farm?
36:33I did picking for about a month and I found out that wasn't my thing.
36:38So I went to TAFE and did all the relevant things and I'm back here kind of dealing with plants.
36:44After learning about native seed saving, Dylan's role has now evolved to include propagating seeds from the remnant bushland around the edges of the property.
36:53So we have a variety of eucalypts here.
36:55We have one that is down at the end of the driveway, which is eucalyptus cordata, which is nearing its way to the endangered list, currently listed as threatened.
37:04So we're hoping to collect seed, propagate that and spread it a bit more and hopefully bring it back from that line.
37:11And then we have the more general sort of eucalypts just to kind of bring back some of the diversity that was out there.
37:18This is all part of increasing biodiversity and whole ecosystem health for the farm.
37:23Yeah.
37:24So it kind of helps giving a home for our moths and all them type of things outside the netting so they can help us inside the netting.
37:30I definitely think that's the way farming should be heading, to kind of look after the land instead of kind of bend it to what we want.
37:38What kind of practical things, when you say soil first, like you came into a working farm, did you have to make some really big changes?
37:51We did, yeah.
37:52So this farm was managed what we would call conventionally, so it was sprayed with weed killers every couple of weeks at this time of year.
38:00There was a bare patch of soil probably about that wide along each row where just nothing grew.
38:05That was dead because of the weed killer.
38:07So the principles that we operate by are having living things in every bit of soil, having the mulch, which helps with the water retention so we don't have to water as much.
38:16So having mulch cover, having living cover, so you can see we've got some clover here.
38:21And we're chemical free, which means for us we don't use any herbicides or pesticides or fungicides, even organic ones.
38:29So if you use organic herbicides it still kills that microbiology in the soil, even temporarily, so we choose not to use any.
38:36Spray free, chemical free.
38:38And do you have to feed these blueberry bushes at all?
38:41We do, so we use organic fertilisers.
38:44David does that through the irrigation system.
38:46But we're doing less and less and less of that.
38:49And less water, we're using less water too.
38:51So it's significantly less this year than what it would have been four years ago.
38:55Yeah, five years ago.
38:56Production of fertilisers isn't good for the planet, so the less reliant we are on that, and that's that resilience, that system resilience.
39:03We don't need fertiliser because look, we can do it ourselves.
39:06Healthy soil where you've got all that rich life underneath, it's amazing what it does for us.
39:11Yeah, the saying, healthy soil equals healthy plants equals healthy humans.
39:15Healthy humans, yeah.
39:17It's directly linked.
39:26Ferns.
39:27They're one of those groups of plants you can easily get carried away with.
39:32And I should know because I've had to grow at plenty of them in my time and I've killed more than my fair share.
39:39Now this next story I'm very excited about because Jerry's going to show us how we can all grow our fern collection that little bit more and, you know, a little bit of fresh rainwater.
39:53They love it.
39:54Who doesn't love a fern?
40:01These foliage plants offer a soft, delicate touch of green and can thrive in a variety of environments, from cool, damp, shady corners to bright, sunny spots.
40:12We have more than 400 species in Australia, including some iconic, world-famous plants like tree ferns, maidenhair, bird's nest, elk horn, fish bone and rabbit's foot.
40:27You name it.
40:29Propagating ferns from spores is an inexpensive way of producing masses of plants for very little effort.
40:37As long as you know what to do and you have a little patience.
40:42Firstly, you have to identify the fern and collect the spores.
40:47This is the frond of a bird's nest fern.
40:51Ferns reproduce by a fascinating process using spores rather than seed.
40:58At maturity, fern fronds will produce raised bumps called sori, which release fine dust-like spores.
41:07You'll need to remove the sori, cutting them off.
41:17Because this is so big, I'm going to fold this in half so I can fit it into a paper bag.
41:27And then you can hang this up somewhere cool, dry and well ventilated for a couple of days.
41:34During that time, the sori will burst open and release the spores into the bag.
41:43The next step is to prepare a planting medium.
41:47You'll need a clean, sterilised jar, and this is a spaghetti jar, and some growing medium.
41:54I never use seed-raising mix or potting mix because they invariably contain nutrients.
42:01And nutrients encourage algal growth, which can overwhelm and swamp the germinating fern spores.
42:09Instead, I use coir peat.
42:12It holds moisture well, and most importantly, it's nutrient-free.
42:17Place a layer of moist coir into your container.
42:22I also want to show you another method that my grandfather showed me, which uses the surface of an old brick to germinate the spores.
42:32So look at the cracks and grooves on this brick.
42:35They're the perfect surface for a fern spore to germinate on.
42:39And then look at this side, covered in moss.
42:43And this moss is a perfect seed bed for fern spores to germinate on.
42:49So this brick is sitting in a shallow tray of water.
42:53I'm going to cover it with this dome to keep everything inside moist and humid.
43:00And the brick will wick up water, keeping it constantly moist as the fern spores germinate.
43:07This is a Victorian-era wicking bed.
43:12Now we need to sew the spores.
43:15Gently tap the spores onto both the surfaces.
43:22Do this on a still day or indoors to prevent the spores from blowing away.
43:31To help the spores settle in, I'm misting and replacing the lids.
43:35I'll then place them in a spot with bright, indirect light.
43:42Next, you have to watch and wait.
43:47You'll have to wait a few weeks or maybe a few months before fern spoilings emerge.
43:53And the reason for this is that fern reproduction involves two stages known as the alternation of generations.
44:02First, you'll notice a flush of tiny green, almost translucent, scale-like structures on the surface,
44:10which won't grow much bigger.
44:13These are called prophthali.
44:15And that's the first generation and they reproduce sexually.
44:20And that will produce what is a recognisable fern.
44:24To do that, they need a film of moisture over their surface.
44:28So it's important to occasionally mist the surface to keep that moisture content high.
44:35Now this whole process can take months.
44:39So patience is important.
44:41But if you've never done this before, it's fascinating to watch.
44:46As soon as these spoilings are big enough for you to handle,
44:50you can prick them out, put them into pots and grow them on.
44:54During the whole of this process, they should remain in bright but indirect light and sheltered from the wind.
45:02And moisture, constant moisture, is really important.
45:07Once they reach seedling stage, that's the time that you can introduce nutrients to help boost their growth.
45:15And seaweed solution is absolutely perfect.
45:19Now, you can never have too many ferns.
45:22And when your ferns are loaded with spores, that's your cue to get propagating.
45:27Cool art is an absolute twitch's paradise.
45:43You don't need to look very far to see all those elements of nature that birds and, of course, us gardeners love.
45:52Lots of plants, trees, shelter and water.
45:58In our next story, we meet someone devoted to safeguarding one of WA's most iconic bird species.
46:07They are simply the most beautiful bird on the planet.
46:19They are spectacular.
46:24Not only visually, but their soft coos, the noises that they make.
46:32They are so romantic and chanting and, as you can tell, I'm absolutely besotted with them.
46:40I'm Dean Arthrell.
46:41I'm the director at Carnaby's Crusaders, which is a not-for-profit dedicated to all things black cockatoos in Western Australia.
46:48We have three species of black cockatoos in south-west of Western Australia.
46:52The one that we focus on here are the carnabies.
46:55They are found from north of Kalbarri to east of Esperance.
46:58They breed in certain areas, which we are in one of them.
47:01We are surrounded by breeding pairs of carnabies at the moment.
47:04They're a large black and white cockatoo.
47:07They're loud, gregarious and they are just beautiful.
47:11These birds are a semi-migratory species.
47:16So they move into the wheat belt and other breeding areas.
47:19And then they move back into wintering areas, which is the Swan Coastal Plain and largely Perth.
47:25That landscape has changed dramatically over the last 200 years.
47:29So what used to be their food bowl is now suburbia.
47:32So they're finding it harder and harder every day to basically scratch out a living and survive.
47:37The main driver of population decline is essentially lack of habitat through land clearing and deforestation.
47:44We've seen Bankshire woodland disappear across the Perth landscape quicker than ever before,
47:49despite the fact that Bankshire woodland is a federally protected ecological habitat.
47:54We are in Bindoon, which is in the Shire of Chittering.
48:05We're about 45 minutes north of Perth.
48:07Our property sits on what was part of an old sheep station.
48:10Today it's a bit of beautiful Wondoo woodland.
48:13When we moved out, unfortunately, one of the first things that I did was hit a galah,
48:17and I needed to find somewhere to take it.
48:19So I joined the local wildlife club as a result of that interaction
48:23and became fairly entrenched in kind of wildlife rescue from therein.
48:28Within the wildlife club, there was a gentleman there
48:30that was fabricating these strange black artificial hollows.
48:33So I was like a moss of the flame.
48:36I really wanted to understand what he was doing.
48:38I knew that we had black cockatoos active in the area,
48:41so of course I took one home
48:43and started tinkering with artificial cockatoo hollows.
48:51I placed the cockatoo tube in the single largest tree that we had on the property
48:55and learnt over the course of two years
48:57that every creature under the sun came and looked at it,
49:00went inside it, checked it out, but nothing bred in it.
49:03So I then relocated that artificial tube into a more secluded location
49:10and found that we had a pair of carnivies within six weeks.
49:13And that particular hollow has actually produced, I think, five carnivies
49:18over the course of the last seven or eight years.
49:20Our first success back in 2018 obviously really lit the fire.
49:23We started adding more artificials every year onto our home property,
49:27literally to the point where we were asked by several other wildlife members
49:31to install on their property.
49:34We were that busy that we decided to take a leap of faith
49:37and leave work full-time
49:38and basically pursue this as a full-time operation.
49:43And then it snowballed and grew from there to the point now
49:45where we actually have about 550 artificials up across Western Australia.
49:50Their bread and butter is marri, carimbia callifilla,
49:53honky nut as we know as kids,
49:55banksia, haikia and grevillea,
49:57all very important food species for these guys.
49:59They're a bird with a large beak
50:01and they're capable of getting into hard-capsuled fruit
50:04and they largely don't have to compete with many other species
50:07because of that beak.
50:10We've planted several food species across our property,
50:13some of which are more notable, probably haikia francisiana,
50:18which the birds arrive for every year and devour.
50:22What's interesting about the haikia francisiana
50:24is the seed pods are very, very hard.
50:27When they crack them open, it sounds like a clicking noise.
50:30So it sounds like there's a whole bunch of people
50:32with Spanish canisters in the firebreak
50:35because when 20 or 30 birds arrive and eat at the same time,
50:38it's just click, click, click, click, click.
50:40So, yeah, it's quite magic to watch and listen to.
50:43Over the last kind of four or five years,
50:48our role within that conservation landscape
50:50has changed quite dramatically
50:52and it's largely been driven
50:53by the general public's thirst for information.
50:56So along with the artificial hollow installation,
50:58we do lots of school visits.
50:59We talk to lots of students across Western Australia.
51:02We visit land care centres and any other groups
51:04that are really willing to learn about what they can do
51:06to improve outcomes for black cockatoos.
51:08Whether it's becoming an advocate, planting food in their garden
51:12or putting up artificial hollows on their property
51:14to support black cockatoos.
51:16Doing what I do, people are aware of obviously the fact
51:20that we look after cockatoos as well.
51:22In that pet keepers landscape, they are quite accessible.
51:25So from time to time when people realise
51:28that these birds are very high needs, they're high maintenance,
51:32that they don't make great pets,
51:34they don't have the skill set to be rehabbed and released,
51:37we are sometimes asked to take on those birds
51:40as free homes or rescues, if you like.
51:44Our infrastructure has grown quite significantly
51:46and it's taking up more and more space.
51:50We obviously want to provide the optimum accommodation
51:53for our beautiful birds,
51:54of which we have about 110 currently.
51:56There you go, Jandy.
51:58There you go.
51:59So they started arriving five or six years ago
52:02and they haven't stopped.
52:04Come on.
52:05Good boy. There you go.
52:07Some of our tame and interactive birds
52:09serve as our educational birds.
52:11They are ambassadors for the species
52:13and their capacity to drag people in and captivate them
52:17and make them aware of the plight of these birds
52:19is really key and critical to what we do.
52:24People fall in love with them at the drop of the hat.
52:26When they see them up close, the first comment is,
52:28oh my God, I didn't realise how big they are,
52:31but how beautiful they are as well.
52:33So we like to harness the power of these beautiful birds
52:36and they're a great way of recruiting people to the cause.
52:39So Jeddah is a forest red-tailed black cockatoo,
52:43native to the south-west of WA.
52:45Jeddah is about two and a half years old
52:48and Jeddah is probably my main educational bird.
52:51As you see, it is very comfortable with the limelight
52:54and being handled.
52:56He's probably visited a hundred schools
53:00in the last couple of years.
53:02A few years ago I lost my brother to depression.
53:07I didn't realise that at the time,
53:09but ever since I've been trying to save
53:11every other thing in my life
53:13and this has been a really positive way
53:15to kind of channel that.
53:17I've learnt a lot from other people
53:19that have been willing to share their knowledge
53:21in the black cockatoo space.
53:23I'm also a studying arborist at the moment,
53:25but yeah, anything that I can learn
53:27about these beautiful birds is fuel for me.
53:32Having 15 pairs of endangered carnabies arrive
53:37and breed on your property,
53:39that's certainly success as far as I'm concerned.
53:42In a very small footprint,
53:44we're having a dramatic impact.
53:46And if we extrapolate that out to the landscape
53:48across Western Australia
53:50and we look at the regions that we're working across,
53:53over the last four years we've actually fledged
53:55200 endangered carnabies out of our artificials,
53:58which I think is a pretty good result
54:00for a little not-for-profit.
54:02We work for the birds.
54:03The birds don't pay much, but we love what we do.
54:06And that role, as far as keeping
54:08the Western Australian public informed,
54:09is really, really important.
54:11People want to know what they can do,
54:12how they can contribute,
54:14and this is a great way that we can keep people engaged,
54:16keep people informed,
54:18and have an impact and make a real difference.
54:20In cool temperate gardens, it's time to manage some of those wild and whippy branches
54:32on your apple and pear trees.
54:34Prune summer growth back to leaf nodes with cuts on an angle.
54:38Who doesn't love a good leek?
54:40These delicious oniony alliums are easily grown from seedlings.
54:44Make a shallow trench, lay down the leeks, and cover the roots with soil.
54:49They'll straighten up in no time.
54:51What's not to love about Grevillea Australis?
54:55Tasmania's only native Grevillea.
54:58Tough foliage and terrific spring flowers, this is a high country must-have.
55:03Warm temperate gardeners, make sure your water is working well for you.
55:08Water plants deeply, but less often.
55:11Water in the morning, and put your water where it's needed the most, the soil.
55:16Carrot seeds can be slow to grow, so now's the time to give them a go.
55:21Sow seeds direct in soft, fluffy soil,
55:24and keep them moist until they've germinated with a hessian or shade cloth cover.
55:29Sun-loving Stunner, the silver foliage of the Santalina, is a showstopper.
55:35A hardy perennial growing to around 60 centimetres,
55:39this plant makes an excellent low border around garden beds or paths.
55:44Bring some bling to your subtropical garden
55:47with the showy Brazilian plume flower.
55:50These shade lovers have stunning showy spikes of bright pink flowers,
55:54and they're blooming now.
55:56Why not whack in some radishes, the original fast food,
56:00ready to pick, pickle or plate in just four to six weeks?
56:04Now that morea are coming to the end of their flowering,
56:07it's time to give them a tidy up and tip prune.
56:10This will keep them from setting seeds,
56:12which are easily spread into bushland by birds.
56:16In the tropics, the yellowing and dying down of taro foliage
56:20means it's time to harvest the tubers.
56:23Lift them from the ground only as you need them.
56:26They store heaps better in the soil.
56:28Scale up your cooking with the fish herb.
56:31This amazing plant is dead easy to grow in the tropics
56:34and tastes just like fish sauce,
56:37so it's perfect in Vietnamese and Thai dishes.
56:41Love your bananas? Your garden loves them too.
56:44Banana skins are a tremendous source of potassium
56:47for fruiting and flowering plants,
56:49so chop up the peel and add to your soil.
56:52Yum yum!
56:54Sow the seeds for Swedes in arid zones.
56:57These butte brassicas need full sun and planted now,
57:01they'll be ready to harvest in winter.
57:03Eat them fried, mashed or roasted.
57:06Ripening now are fruits of the billy goat plum,
57:09a small tree native to the Northern Territory
57:12and said to be one of the richest sources of vitamin C in the world.
57:17Bring some summer colour to your pots or patch
57:20with some vivacious verbenas.
57:23Pretty perennials providing bright, long-lasting blooms
57:26for much of the year,
57:28verbenas are perfect in hanging baskets.
57:31Get out there, gardeners, and have a great one this weekend.
57:35If you haven't already, head to our website
57:37and sign up for our regular Gardening Australia newsletter.
57:47Well, that's the first cab off the rank for the year ahead.
57:51And it feels so good to be back.
57:53We've missed you.
57:55But we're only just getting started.
57:57Here's what's in store for next week.
58:02It's summer, and it's time to prune your fruit trees
58:04to keep them healthy and productive.
58:06We all love spending time in the garden,
58:08but there's one thing we don't necessarily want to come across,
58:13and it's one of these fellas, a snake.
58:17But with a little bit of care and understanding,
58:20there's no reason why we all can't coexist together happily.
58:25And we meet a horticulturist
58:27dishing up some menu inspiration.
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