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00:04Hey!
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00:33Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:36There's always something to do in the veggie patch
00:40and it's this time of the year
00:42when we get to enjoy the fruits of our labour.
00:45Picking, eating, preserving and storing.
00:49It's showtime and to lend a hand
00:52we've got some stories to keep you fired up.
00:56Take a look at what's coming your way.
01:01These colourful little characters
01:03are the unsung heroes of my garden and my kitchen.
01:07I'm going to show you the many ways
01:10I put seed to use at my place.
01:13What happens when two doctors set their mind
01:16to creating a water-wise productive patch in the Adelaide Hills?
01:19Well, this, an extremely fruitful and beautiful garden.
01:25How many tomato varieties do you think there are in the world?
01:29Hundreds? Thousands?
01:31What about 10,000?
01:33Well, today I'm going to try and eat as many as I can
01:37and meet a grower who is passionate about the perfect tomato.
01:41And we take in some stunning arid scenery.
01:45Dawn is my favourite time of the day here
01:48at the Australian Aridlands Botanical Garden.
01:51This is where the desert meets the sea.
01:59As the weather heats up,
02:01a lot of flowering perennial plants put on a show.
02:05Hannah's visiting a nursery
02:06that's an absolute feast for the eyes.
02:13Perennials are certainly having their moment.
02:15People can't seem to get enough of them.
02:18Here in Granton, in the northern suburbs of Hobart,
02:21I'm in a gorgeous perennial nursery
02:24where I'm going to meet avid perennial grower
02:26and manager Richard Hull.
02:28In the last, say, five to ten years,
02:30there's been a huge interest from the general public,
02:33whereas before, it just wasn't in people's front of mind
02:38sort of thing,
02:38but they're certainly becoming a lot more popular now.
02:40Richard, what is a perennial?
02:42A perennial is a plant that will live more than one year.
02:45It can be either hermbaceous perennial,
02:48like what we grow here,
02:49or it could be a woody perennial,
02:50like a shrub or a tree.
02:52And which perennials are just so popular,
02:54people just reach for them all the time?
02:56Certainly the more drought-tolerant ones,
02:58things like the agastache, like this one here,
03:01similar to a salvia, very easy to grow,
03:04loves it hot and sunny,
03:05it'll take it cold in winter,
03:06it'll be dormant then anyway,
03:08it doesn't need a lot of water.
03:10And also the grasses, the ornamental grasses,
03:12in recent years have become very, very popular.
03:14The true ornamental grasses that we grow,
03:17they do need to be cut back, most of them, once a year,
03:20but they're really nice for softening up the garden
03:22and they can be used in lots of different styles.
03:24Do you think perennials play an important role
03:27in building climate-resilient landscapes?
03:29Oh, definitely, without a doubt,
03:30because the fertiliser requirement is very low
03:34and it's actually, in many cases,
03:35a benefit not to use chemical fertilisers on them.
03:38And also, once they're established,
03:39they need very little water,
03:40so there's much less opportunity for runoff
03:42to become a problem in the environment.
03:44So you're having more stable and healthy ecosystems?
03:47Definitely, and they attract insects,
03:48which is a good thing,
03:49and so these insects may be in to feed on the plants
03:51and at the same time,
03:52they're going to benefit other plants in your garden.
03:54And Richard has some sound advice
03:56for customers first meeting a perennial at a nursery.
04:00The perennials can often look quite underwhelming in a small pot,
04:04but once they get in the ground,
04:06the rapid growth they'll establish pretty quickly.
04:09And especially if you're planting them in groups,
04:12multiples, which really is the best way to show them off,
04:15you won't be worried about them
04:18not looking particularly impressive in a pot.
04:21When Richard's not at the nursery,
04:23he's tending to his one-hectare property in Dromedary,
04:26just 15 minutes down the road along the River Derwent.
04:31I can see some gorgeous perennials around the house,
04:34but I'm curious to see the rest of the block first.
04:38So, Hannah, we bought this property about 20 years ago,
04:41and the original plan was I was going to plant lots and lots
04:46of silver birches and liquid ambers,
04:47lots of deciduous trees in this area.
04:50And then over time, I started to realise
04:52that we just didn't have the rainfall to support
04:54a lot of these plants that I wanted to grow.
04:56So rather than waste time babying them, I suppose,
04:59I just let them take their natural course.
05:02So after a year or so, it was pretty obvious
05:05that I wasn't going to be successful
05:06with some of these choices.
05:08So I switched my thinking over
05:10to putting a lot of native trees in, and that's what I did.
05:12So, well, I've got the benefit of maybe a little bit
05:14of a bush block as well as a reasonable garden
05:17up near the house as well.
05:18So it's a little bit of both, really.
05:22Time to check out the perennials around the house.
05:30Oh, this garden is pretty beautiful, Richard.
05:34Oh, thanks, Hannah. Thank you.
05:36Yeah, I'm loving the diversity.
05:37You've got these grasses that really hold the space
05:39with these colourful herbaceous plants
05:41running through the whole lot.
05:42That's right. That's what we tried to do here
05:44was really soften the front of the building,
05:46especially when you come in through the driveway to start with.
05:48And I think the grasses especially,
05:51combined with the perennials,
05:52has created a nice soft area effect.
05:54And looking around here, it's pretty crowded.
05:57There's maybe no bare space.
05:59Yeah, that's right. That's a good observation.
06:01That's a deliberate thing.
06:02I think the more bare space, the more space for weeds,
06:05and also I think having it packed in quite tightly
06:07tends to conserve a bit of moisture in there as well.
06:10Some people might think,
06:12oh, I guess you just throw different plants in
06:13that are perennial,
06:15but you've got a really clear strategy here.
06:17There's a pattern I can see.
06:19Yeah.
06:19How do you determine that?
06:20Well, there is a pattern,
06:21and the grasses are used predominantly
06:23to give it a little bit of height,
06:25not necessarily just at the back,
06:27but they create a bit of punctuation
06:29through the rest of the plants.
06:31With the things like the different shapes,
06:34that's quite important as well.
06:35I think we've got flat shapes
06:36of things like the Achilles,
06:38and we've got uprights from the salvias,
06:40and then we've got round shapes
06:41from the Echinaceas and the other daisies.
06:43So that's what we've tried to do there,
06:44is just repeat patterns of shapes, really.
06:47Why do you love grasses so much?
06:49Oh, I think I really like grasses
06:51because they move, first of all.
06:53The garden gets movement instead of having shrubs.
06:56As you can see,
06:57they move at the slightest breath of wind.
07:00And I also like, again,
07:01that they grow so quickly throughout the season
07:03so that you do get a change going on in the garden.
07:06You're not waiting a long time
07:07as you might be for a shrub or a tree.
07:10What are some of your top grass species
07:12that you turn to again and again?
07:14Yeah, well, these three here,
07:16you've got Callum agrostis,
07:17Carlforster at the back.
07:19We've got Steepa itchu here,
07:20and we've also got the Anamantheli
07:22or the New Zealand windgrass.
07:23They're my three favourites,
07:25and they offer different shapes
07:27and they offer different things to the garden.
07:29The Steepa itchu really gives movement
07:31at the slightest puff of breeze,
07:33where the Carlforster's just so upright,
07:35it's really, really nice to use
07:37at the back of the border.
07:39And then the windgrass over here,
07:42that's a really nice rounded shape.
07:43And it gives a nice hazy effect
07:45when it's in flower like that.
07:46Oh, it's beautiful.
07:48I want to see more.
07:49Sure.
07:50I love the yellow arrow.
07:52Yes.
07:52Trying to create a bit of rhythm and repetition
07:54as we go through the garden.
07:55I want everything to flow
07:57because, especially at the back,
07:58you can see everything relatively easily
08:00as you drive in,
08:01so I don't want a sudden dramatic change
08:03in what people are looking at.
08:04And that way, I think,
08:05you get quite a restful effect.
08:07Along with rhythm and repetition,
08:09there's a third R in Richard's approach.
08:11Restraint seems to be the hardest part
08:14for a lot of people,
08:14especially gardener lovers.
08:17But if you can adhere to those principles
08:19to some degree,
08:20it certainly makes a difference, in my opinion.
08:22Yeah, I'm going to have to learn
08:23a bit more restraint, I think.
08:25I think we all are.
08:27When it comes down to picking a good flower,
08:29this type of garden,
08:30what is it that you're looking for?
08:31Well, I'm basically looking for
08:32as simple as possible.
08:33And what I mean by that,
08:35we're trying to look in this garden
08:37to get away from double flowers
08:39and hybridised plants
08:40that the modern nursery industry
08:42really pushes these days.
08:43I like more simple flowers,
08:45and so do the insects.
08:46They find it a lot easier
08:47to access the pollen,
08:49which is part of the reason
08:50that we have this garden.
08:51So simple is really
08:53what we're looking for.
08:54When it comes to selecting plants,
08:56Richard is all-inclusive.
08:58Originally, it was all Australian native plants,
09:00and I enjoyed that for a time.
09:02But I was looking for something
09:04a little bit more dynamic,
09:05because it's something that would change
09:06as the seasons change.
09:08So we decided to go
09:10with the herbaceous perennials.
09:11I tend to look at plant selection
09:13similar to the United Nations.
09:15It doesn't really matter to me
09:16where the plants come from,
09:18as long as they all get together well
09:19and they all want the same things
09:21and play well together.
09:22I think that's more important
09:23than the actual origin, in my opinion.
09:26Much like this Scotsman
09:28who has made Australia home,
09:29his diverse range of perennials
09:31are also thriving in their home.
09:34Every day you come into the garden
09:35that looks different.
09:36There's always a new flower to look at
09:37or something's emerging out of the ground.
09:40So it's never boring.
09:41It's continually changing,
09:42and that's what I love.
09:51Will Hardenbergia grow vertically?
09:53Purple coral pea, Hardenbergia,
09:56is a native garden favourite.
09:58In the wild, it will carpet the bush,
10:00tumbling over the ground.
10:02But if you give it the right support,
10:04it will also climb.
10:06Just a year ago,
10:07we planted it at the base of a bamboo pyramid
10:09and look at it go!
10:11These poles are four metres tall!
10:14Hardenbergia's climbing secret
10:16is called stem twining.
10:17It spirals up something relatively slim,
10:20like these poles.
10:21So it won't climb a wall like Bougainvillea,
10:23but if you can help it up the wall
10:25with a pole or trellis,
10:26you might tempt it to run along the top.
10:29I've now planted this white variety of Hardenbergia.
10:32It's called whiteout,
10:33and it's going to weave its way up
10:35and join its purple cousin,
10:37and it's going to form a beautiful colour contrast
10:39next season.
10:40I can't wait.
10:43Can I coppice a mallee?
10:45Mallee's are small eucalypt trees
10:47that produce multiple stems
10:49off a woody base called a lignotuber.
10:52For an example is this eucalyptus caesia.
10:55I cut it back hard,
10:56but it re-established,
10:57it's got multiple trunks,
10:59and it's presenting beautifully.
11:01What are cotyledons?
11:03Well, they're those first leaves you see
11:05that come out of a seed.
11:07They are actually stored within that seed,
11:09and when they come out of the ground,
11:10they unfurl,
11:11they hit the sunlight,
11:12start to photosynthesise
11:13and fuel the growth of that little plant.
11:16Now, we have monocots.
11:18Monocotyledons have a single,
11:19single seed leaf,
11:20things like grasses and corn.
11:21And then you've got many dicotts,
11:24and they have two seed leaves.
11:26They come out of the ground,
11:27and they are interesting to look at,
11:29but they're also really useful.
11:30You can use them to hold the seedling
11:32without doing any damage.
11:34And it's a great little fact
11:35to have in your pocket too.
11:43As summer draws to a close,
11:45a gardener's mind turns to
11:48seed.
11:49Those tiny,
11:51unassuming,
11:52little packages
11:53that carry the promise
11:55of next year's garden.
11:57But that's not the only role they play.
12:00They also star when you move
12:02from the garden to the kitchen.
12:04Jerry knows exactly what I mean,
12:07and he's here to show us
12:09how to get the most
12:10out of your seed.
12:28As a passionate gardener,
12:30I never underestimate
12:32the power of seed.
12:33Of course,
12:34every plant's life
12:35begins as seed,
12:37and today I'm going to show you
12:39the various ways
12:40I work
12:41with these tiny
12:42little wonders.
12:51That sounds a little
12:52seedy.
12:53You've probably
12:54saved seed
12:55to propagate plants
12:56in your own garden.
12:58And for the more than
12:59500 species
13:00I have in my garden,
13:02propagation by seed
13:04is probably
13:04the most cost-effective
13:06and efficient way
13:07of growing plants.
13:09Here in subtropical Brisbane,
13:11it can be hot
13:12and dry in spring,
13:14and I use this time
13:15to let my winter crops
13:17go to seed.
13:18And rather than watering,
13:19which can be really hard work,
13:22I use the conditions
13:23to help ripen my seed.
13:25So I use spring
13:27to create my primary seed crop.
13:31This is my Ethiopian cabbage,
13:33and to save the seed
13:35you just harvest
13:36a few pods.
13:43And then it's simply
13:44a matter
13:45of pressing the seed
13:47along the seam,
13:48and that liberates
13:50the seed,
13:52and I can save them
13:53and sow them again
13:54next year.
13:57Don't they look cute?
13:58Like peas in a pod,
14:00except they're cabbage.
14:04For really small seed,
14:06like this Nicotiana,
14:08you need to use pantyhose.
14:11The seed from this plant
14:12make the cabbage seed
14:14look like footballs.
14:16And the problem is
14:18they disperse so easily.
14:19But pantyhose
14:21is just brilliant.
14:22You put this over
14:24the end of the plant,
14:25and all of the seed
14:27are captured.
14:28You just tie it up
14:29at the end.
14:30Now the brilliant thing
14:32about this
14:33is that if it rains,
14:35the seed will dry
14:36very quickly.
14:38They won't get spoiled
14:39by moisture.
14:41My top tips
14:42for successful seed storage
14:44are to always dry the seed
14:46before storing it.
14:47Use silica gel packs
14:49to help remove
14:50excess moisture.
14:51Use an airtight jar
14:53and label it clearly,
14:54store the seed in the fridge,
14:57and common seed
14:58like peas, beans,
14:59tomato and capsicum
15:01will last for up to 10 years.
15:04Of course,
15:05a lot of seeds
15:06aren't just used
15:07to grow food-producing plants.
15:09They are food
15:11in their own right.
15:13Rice, lentils,
15:15peas feed billions,
15:16but I've got a few
15:19which you can get
15:20a good crop out of
15:21and you don't need
15:22acreage.
15:24And these
15:25are my much-loved
15:26sword beans.
15:27These are the seed
15:28and these are the plants.
15:29They've just started growing.
15:31I'll harvest these
15:32in winter
15:33and they're a heavy cropper.
15:35You peel the fresh seed
15:37and boil them
15:38and as far as
15:39protein content goes,
15:41they're every bit
15:42as nutritious as steak.
15:45Another favourite
15:46edible seed of mine
15:47is sesame.
15:49It's a heat-tolerant,
15:50quick-growing crop
15:52and these seedlings here
15:53are just ready
15:55for thinning.
15:56I find the flavour
15:58of black sesame
15:59is far richer
16:00than the shop-bought
16:01white sesame seed
16:02and it's far more
16:04nutritious as well.
16:09Many spices
16:11are made from seeds
16:12such as cumin,
16:13coriander
16:14and mustard.
16:15I've got a few
16:17spicy numbers
16:18growing in my garden
16:19including this
16:20black pepper
16:21which is happily
16:21climbing a fruit tree.
16:23It's more commonly
16:24grown on palm tree
16:26trunks because it
16:27accepts quite a lot
16:28of sunshine.
16:29The seed
16:30is black peppercorns
16:32and this
16:33is a distinct
16:34before and after
16:35moment in your life
16:36because once
16:38you've grown your own
16:39and you've smelled
16:40the aroma
16:41and the flavour
16:42of homegrown
16:43peppercorns
16:44there's no going back.
16:47My black cumin
16:48has just started flowering.
16:50It's an easy ornamental
16:51that produces seed
16:52with ease
16:53and the seed
16:54are slightly bitter
16:55and peppery
16:56and they're amazing
16:57for breads,
16:58curries and pickles.
17:00Take a gander
17:02at my coriander.
17:03This spice
17:04is absolutely essential
17:06and look how easy
17:07it is to harvest.
17:08It's just so simple
17:10you just rub the seed
17:12off using your fingertips.
17:14People complain
17:16that coriander
17:16goes to seed
17:17but that's the second crop.
17:20My curries
17:20wouldn't be the same
17:21without it.
17:27Seed can also be turned
17:28into fresh tasty sprouts
17:30in a matter of days.
17:32The process of sprouting
17:34is so simple.
17:36Sprouts are essentially
17:37germinating seeds
17:38so most things work.
17:40Think beans,
17:41radish,
17:42mustard seed
17:42and pumpkin.
17:43So why not experiment?
17:45You don't need a garden
17:47to grow sprouts.
17:49All you need
17:49is a well-lit
17:50windowsill.
17:52To get them going
17:53you use a sterilised jar.
17:55I put a tablespoonful
17:56of mung bean seed in.
17:58Soak them in water
17:59overnight.
18:01The following morning
18:02you put a little bit
18:03of shade cloth
18:03over the top
18:04use a rubber band
18:05to hold it in position
18:06and then you turn it
18:07upside down
18:08to drain off
18:09all the surplus water.
18:11Every morning,
18:12every evening
18:13you fill it with water
18:14rinse it around
18:16and then drain off
18:17the water
18:17and in days
18:18you've got
18:19nutritionally dense food
18:20which is at its best
18:22before the seedlings
18:24produce their first pair
18:25of true leaves.
18:27I think seeds
18:29are absolutely wonderful
18:30in particular
18:31the way they give
18:33a gardener agency.
18:34They give you
18:35a real sense of power
18:37and they're portable.
18:39This is half
18:40of my garden.
18:41If you exploit
18:43their potential
18:43to the max
18:44your garden
18:45and your kitchen
18:46are going to flourish.
18:56At this time
18:58of the year
18:58productive gardens
19:00really come
19:01into their own
19:01and Sophie's
19:02visiting one
19:03in the Adelaide Hills
19:05that's mixing up
19:06plenty of produce
19:07with some
19:08interesting
19:09plant choices.
19:13This lovely
19:14Adelaide Hills
19:15garden
19:15is the
19:16meticulously planned
19:17waterwise creation
19:19of two doctors
19:20Cathy and David
19:21Sprott.
19:22They've designed
19:23a garden
19:24featuring
19:24an abundance
19:25of productive plants
19:26on their
19:272,000 square metre
19:28property
19:29in Mount Barker.
19:30Cathy, David
19:32I can see
19:32there's so much
19:33going on here.
19:34Look at the produce
19:35in the front yard
19:35the pistachios.
19:36Yes, they're fabulous.
19:38Welcome to our habitat.
19:40We live in our garden
19:41we've got vegetables
19:42we've got nuts
19:43we've got
19:44shady garden
19:46shady in summer
19:47sunny in winter
19:49it's
19:50our habitat
19:51and a habitat
19:52for the birds
19:53and the lizards
19:54and the possums.
19:56There's a lot more
19:56to see
19:56why don't you
19:57come through
19:57and have a look.
19:58Oh please.
20:05Wow, look at this.
20:07What a view.
20:09Look at that
20:10stunning
20:11weeping
20:11Japanese
20:11maple.
20:12This is probably
20:13the hardest
20:14part of the
20:16block
20:16because it's
20:17the northwest
20:18corner
20:18so it gets
20:20intense sun
20:21and heat.
20:22This plant
20:23would not survive
20:24if we didn't
20:25create a microclimate.
20:26Manage that
20:27by putting
20:27a nice
20:28pergola
20:28with a glory line
20:29on it
20:30which creates
20:30shade
20:31all through summer
20:32and then in winter
20:33they all lose
20:34their leaves
20:34and you get
20:35a totally
20:35different view
20:36out into the
20:36whole garden.
20:39Out the back
20:40there's a
20:40veggie patch
20:41lots of
20:42lovely native
20:43and exotic
20:43plants
20:44carefully chosen
20:45to suit the
20:45conditions
20:46including at least
20:47a hundred fruit
20:48and nut
20:49trees
20:49providing
20:50bountiful
20:50crops.
20:52Wow, look at
20:52this beautiful
20:53lawn area.
20:55So the lawn
20:56is on top
20:56of the
20:57rainwater tank.
20:58It's 115,000
20:59litres.
21:00Wow.
21:01And it
21:01supplies the
21:02whole house.
21:03The house only
21:04needs about
21:0450,000 litres
21:05but that
21:05leaves us
21:0665,000
21:07to drought
21:08proof us
21:08for the garden.
21:09How amazing.
21:10And how much
21:11soil is on
21:12top then?
21:13About 400
21:13mills which is
21:14not a lot.
21:15That's not much
21:16at all.
21:16So we've got to
21:17be careful
21:17while we plant
21:18on top.
21:19So that
21:19grevillea, the
21:20standard grevillea
21:21is growing in
21:22400 mills of
21:23soil.
21:24And the only
21:24reason it can
21:25do that is
21:26that it's
21:26grafted onto
21:27grevillea
21:28robusta and
21:29that is such
21:30a tough
21:31plant.
21:32It's actually
21:33thriving.
21:33David has to
21:34keep cutting it
21:35back because it
21:36wants to take
21:36over the lawn.
21:38Wow, and it's
21:38just about to
21:39come into
21:39flower?
21:40Yes, yes.
21:41We're very
21:42excited about
21:42that.
21:43What colour
21:43flowers does
21:44this cultivar
21:44have?
21:45Golden
21:45yellow.
21:46Beautiful.
21:48And someone
21:49said to us,
21:50why have you
21:51got your
21:51clothesline
21:52right in
21:53your view?
21:53It's because
21:54it's iconic.
21:55And it's
21:56beautiful.
21:56Look at the
21:57water stains
21:57on it.
21:58It's so
21:58functional.
21:59It's so
21:59beautiful.
22:01Absolutely.
22:02So you've
22:02got ponytail
22:03palms over
22:04there.
22:04I bought
22:04those when I
22:05was at
22:05university more
22:06than 40
22:06years ago.
22:07And I
22:08also love
22:08the
22:09Kasonia,
22:09the South
22:10African
22:11cabbage tree.
22:12They're
22:12gorgeous and
22:12they have
22:13that similar
22:13interesting bulbous
22:14root system.
22:15I really
22:16like architectural
22:17plants and it
22:18just makes this
22:20artistic approach
22:21to the garden.
22:25Kathy and David
22:26have lived here
22:27for 30 years,
22:28but in 2017,
22:30a fire,
22:31thought to have
22:31been sparked by
22:32a power fault,
22:33destroyed their
22:34house.
22:37It was very
22:38devastating.
22:39And you
22:40already had a
22:41beautiful garden
22:42around your
22:43home.
22:44What then?
22:45Well, we
22:46were essentially
22:48in no man's
22:48land for quite a
22:49while trying to
22:50work out what
22:50we were going
22:51to do.
22:51It was a very,
22:52very difficult
22:53time.
22:54But the fire
22:55did come with a
22:56silver lining.
22:57It allowed Kathy
22:58and David to
22:58start again from
22:59scratch.
23:00They built their
23:01dream house,
23:02an eco-friendly
23:03north-facing home
23:05where the garden
23:05is central.
23:06There are a
23:07variety of
23:08beautiful views
23:09of the garden
23:09from every room
23:10in the house.
23:12The garden
23:13informs the house
23:14and the house
23:15informs the garden.
23:16We were really
23:17keen to
23:18minimise the
23:20barrier between
23:21the inside and
23:22out.
23:22It's not planned
23:24on a piece of
23:24paper, but it
23:26is very planned,
23:27it is very
23:27intentional, but
23:28it's also
23:29aiming to be
23:31natural.
23:32Following the
23:32fire, we were
23:34able to build
23:36the garden, but
23:38we still had the
23:39bare bones of
23:40the previous
23:40garden with the
23:41big trees like
23:42this one and
23:43the gum trees.
23:45We love our gum
23:45trees.
23:46They were all
23:47still present and
23:48allowed us to
23:50have these mature
23:51trees incorporated
23:53into what we
23:54wanted to do.
23:56So what are your
23:58roles in the
23:58garden?
23:59We've learnt to
24:00work together.
24:02This is our
24:0340th year of
24:03marriage.
24:04I've trained him.
24:06He's just about
24:07right now.
24:08And I've finally
24:09learnt as well.
24:11But we work
24:12together and we
24:13respect each other
24:15and we have lots of
24:16discussions and
24:17those discussions
24:18don't always have
24:19words.
24:20David has an
24:21incredible artistic
24:22eye.
24:23my thing is I
24:24like shade so I
24:26like big trees to
24:27be able to go into
24:28the garden and
24:29under the garden.
24:30I also like space.
24:31I like the empty
24:33space between the
24:34plants.
24:35I feel that's just
24:38as important, if not
24:39more important than
24:39the actual plants.
24:40We learn from each
24:42other and David says
24:43he likes the space
24:44between.
24:44It's very tempting
24:45for me to go,
24:46oh, there's a
24:47space.
24:47Oh.
24:51Now you've got a
24:52fabulous looking
24:53veggie patch with
24:54corn and beans and
24:56cake gooseberries and
24:57zucchinis.
24:58And the tomatoes
25:00and self-seeded
25:01and tomito.
25:03Would you like to
25:03pinch one?
25:04Please do.
25:05Please do.
25:06Let me try.
25:06Nothing beats the
25:07flavour.
25:09Mmm.
25:10Mmm.
25:13Heaven.
25:15Sun-ripened,
25:16warmed and
25:18flavour-rich.
25:19Absolutely.
25:21So you produce a
25:23lot of food.
25:24Oh, yeah.
25:24What do you do
25:25with all that?
25:26We share with
25:26neighbours.
25:27We share with
25:28our children.
25:29We share around
25:30our community.
25:32So Kathy also
25:33preserves and
25:35so we usually
25:37can preserve
25:37enough to last
25:40a year.
25:41How much has
25:42your work as
25:43doctors affected
25:45your garden?
25:47I think it's
25:48actually had a
25:49very significant
25:51effect working
25:52as a doctor.
25:53You are looking
25:54after people's
25:55well-being and
25:56the garden,
25:58it's not designed
25:59for well-being but
26:01it's certainly
26:02turned out that
26:03way.
26:04We both feel
26:05really happy when
26:07we're out in the
26:07garden, sort of
26:08just to recharge
26:10and move around,
26:12do things,
26:14basically, yeah,
26:15live life and
26:16live a very
26:19contented and
26:19well life.
26:20We get
26:21regenerated when
26:22we come out.
26:23Fatigue tends to
26:24fall away.
26:25Come out to
26:26look at something,
26:28just check something
26:28out and see how
26:30it's going and
26:31hours later David
26:32says, dinner's
26:34ready, come on
26:35in, I've just
26:36got to do one
26:37more thing.
26:39It's on the
26:40table, come on.
26:42It's our happy
26:43place.
26:46Well it's been a
26:47delight to tour this
26:48carefully thought out
26:49garden and see the
26:50productive plants that
26:51are thriving.
26:52A little later in the
26:53program we're going to
26:55take a look at several
26:56special fruit trees that
26:57are growing here that
26:58you may not have
26:59tasted before or
27:00even heard of.
27:05Still to come on
27:06Gardening Australia,
27:08Josh's fig tree feels
27:10the heat.
27:11We sample the
27:12delicacies of some
27:14unusual fruit trees in
27:16an Adelaide home
27:17orchard and we're off
27:20to a botanic gardens
27:21that will take your
27:22breath away.
27:29If you're gardening
27:30down south this season
27:32chances are you're up
27:34to your earlobes in
27:35tomatoes.
27:36But if you're anything
27:37like me, you're
27:39already thinking ahead
27:40to next season.
27:42What worked, what
27:43didn't, what varieties
27:44can I experiment with?
27:46Well, Millie's
27:48visiting a tomato
27:49farmer who's got the
27:50scoop on what's hot.
28:03I reckon it doesn't
28:04matter what country
28:06road you go down in
28:07Australia, you're bound
28:09to find an interesting
28:10grower.
28:11And there are not
28:13many growers more
28:14interesting than
28:15Florian Hoffinger.
28:17On his property at
28:18Mount Franklin, north of
28:19Dalesford in Victoria,
28:20he grows an incredible
28:22variety of beautiful
28:23heritage tomatoes.
28:29So, in the interests
28:31of research and
28:32journalistic integrity,
28:34I'm more than willing
28:35to make the ultimate
28:36sacrifice and sample as
28:38many of these varieties
28:39as I can.
28:42How many different
28:43varieties have you got
28:44in the paddock here,
28:45Florian?
28:46Roughly about 60.
28:48Wow.
28:4860 plus.
28:50And do you keep
28:51track of them?
28:51Like, do you know
28:52what's where or are
28:53they all planted in
28:55together?
28:55No, I keep track of
28:57it usually inside my
28:58head, but I do have a
28:59little sort of a farm
29:01map where I do write it
29:03down for crop rotation
29:04purposes and also just
29:07to see, you know,
29:10what's good enough and
29:11what isn't.
29:17in here we've got another
29:1850 varieties of tomatoes
29:20undercover.
29:22What makes these
29:23varieties need to come
29:24undercover, Florian?
29:26Two purposes.
29:27One, to extend my
29:28growing season, because we
29:30can get very cold
29:31summer nights.
29:33And second, to keep the
29:35rosellas out, which are
29:38great lovers of tomatoes.
29:40Who isn't?
29:41Who isn't?
29:42Yes.
29:42We've got a beautiful
29:43variety here, Millie.
29:45It's called Black Beauty,
29:45and I believe it's the
29:47darkest of all tomatoes.
29:49And totally midnight
29:50black.
29:51Red inside, super sweet.
29:53Time to try.
29:55Oh, beautiful.
29:58Go your halves.
30:04Oh, yum.
30:06It's sweet, but it's still
30:07got that acid, isn't it?
30:08Like, it's a really bright
30:11flavour, not that real
30:13honey sweet.
30:13And here we've got a
30:15variety called Chocolate
30:19Stripes, which is another
30:21super sweet beefsteak
30:22variety.
30:23Also red inside, but a
30:24beautiful, bronzy-looking
30:26colour with green stripes.
30:28Does it go even more
30:29chocolate colour as it gets
30:31riper and riper?
30:31It will get darker and
30:32softer as well, and
30:34sweeter.
30:36Oh, delicious.
30:38Nice.
30:39Mmm.
30:40See, that's much sweeter
30:43sweet, like almost a bit
30:45richer in flavour than some
30:46of the really high-acid
30:47tomatoes.
30:48Yeah, great snack.
30:50This is a variety called
30:51Cosmic, which is a small
30:53size heirloom tomato.
30:55Red inside, very sweet.
30:57This one is still a bit
30:58under-right, but if you look
30:59at the colours.
31:02Really delicious.
31:04I feel like with all those
31:05colours, it's like all the
31:06food groups in one.
31:08This variety here merely is
31:09called Helsing.
31:11Helsing?
31:12Helsing, and I'll show you
31:14away.
31:15Oh, wow.
31:17It's Dracula's killer.
31:19Pitch black with a red star
31:20on top and red inside.
31:22It's absolutely spectacular.
31:24Super sweet.
31:25Well, it looks absolutely
31:26beautiful.
31:28Try the taste.
31:30Mmm.
31:33Oh, sweet, isn't it?
31:35You could eat a lot of
31:36those.
31:37Florian, you grow heirloom
31:39tomatoes.
31:40What's the definition of
31:41that?
31:42Well, heirloom tomatoes,
31:43the definition is true to
31:44type.
31:45So, in theory, if you save
31:48the seed, you can grow the
31:50same tomato again the
31:52following year.
31:53Even in a mixed situation
31:54like this?
31:55Only occasionally, things
31:57go wrong, which happened
31:58last year, where these two
32:00varieties, this is a black
32:02tree fell, and these are
32:04tagarellas, had a bit of a
32:07hanky-panky and produce a
32:09tomato variety, which I
32:11named a triferella.
32:13What is it that makes you
32:14think that it's these two
32:16that have crossed?
32:17Because I grew them next to
32:18each other last year, the
32:20stripes look like a bit
32:22tagarellarish, and the size
32:24a bit like the trifle, you
32:26know?
32:26I'm going to grow some in
32:27another polytunnel next
32:28year, see to isolate them
32:30and see what happens.
32:32This is a beautiful little
32:33variety known as blueberry.
32:35It's a truss type, and you
32:37can see it's named after
32:38these gorgeous little berries.
32:39But it has this beautiful
32:40soft skin, lovely to eat, but
32:42for a market gardener, hard
32:44to put in a box and take to
32:45market.
32:45So this is one that's great
32:46for the home gardener, but
32:48not as much for someone
32:49commercially growing, but
32:51perfect for you to eat.
32:57Has anyone checked the
32:57science on how many
32:58tomatoes you can eat before
33:00it goes wrong?
33:05I really do marvel at the
33:07variety of tomatoes Florian
33:09grows, the shapes, the
33:11colours, the sizes, and of
33:13course, the taste.
33:14But surprisingly, Florian
33:16hasn't always been a grower.
33:18In fact, for many years, he
33:20had an entirely different
33:21career.
33:22I was a chef for 29 years,
33:25that's right, yeah.
33:26So it was still a food-related
33:28profession, of course, but I
33:29took the produce, you know,
33:32from the grower, for now I'm
33:34on the other end, you know.
33:36I always wanted to have a
33:37veggie garden.
33:38That was one of the main
33:39reasons to move to the
33:40country.
33:41And, yeah, it's just sort of
33:44got out of control and taken
33:46over my whole life.
33:48So what's the key for growing a
33:50really good tomato?
33:51Well, for starters, you need
33:53the right soil acidity, like
33:55pH, about 6.5 pH is pretty
33:59good.
34:00You want reasonable good
34:01drainage in your beds.
34:03What I basically do as soon as
34:04my growing season finishes, I
34:06grow a cover crop of fiber
34:08beans for nitrogen and mustard
34:10to fumigate the soil.
34:12Then that gets turned into the
34:15ground in spring.
34:17And then I apply compost,
34:21potash, a little bit of
34:23pelletized fertilizer, not too
34:25much.
34:27And I mulch with straw.
34:29I only use strippers because you
34:31don't want to get water on your
34:32leaves for, you know, disease
34:35spread.
34:36Then I raise my seedlings in a
34:38hothouse and plant them after the
34:41last frost.
34:43How do you know when that is?
34:44Yeah, well, farming is just another
34:47form of gambling half the time.
34:50And then really the only other
34:52thing I do, I suppose, is I spray
34:54them with a sulfur solution to keep
34:58milieus at bay.
35:04And as if I hadn't eaten my fill of
35:06tomatoes already today, Florian's
35:08promised to pull out some of his old
35:10chefing skills and prepare a special
35:18treat.
35:19Here you go, milie.
35:20My favorite tomato.
35:22Rainbow.
35:23That is beautiful.
35:24I love it when chefs do good things
35:26with good produce, which is often
35:28nothing.
35:29Less is more.
35:30Less is more.
35:31All right.
35:31Well, it does have my friend
35:33Beata's olive oil on it, basil from the
35:36garden and a drizzle of salt and some
35:38burrata cheese.
35:39That's all it really needs.
35:40All it needs.
35:41All right.
35:42So we slide a slice out.
35:43Oh, my gosh, that cheese.
35:48It's incredible.
35:49It's so fresh, yeah?
35:50Cheers.
35:51Cheers.
35:52Enjoy.
35:52Sorry.
35:53You're going to watch me eat one more.
35:56Oh, that's beautiful.
36:01It's amazing you get so much flavour still in
36:03such a big tomato.
36:05It's hard not to feel smug sometimes when
36:07you're eating your vegetables that you've
36:08grown yourself in that.
36:12It's always such a treat to get to spend
36:14time with someone who's really thought so
36:17deeply about growing something we love.
36:19The tomato.
36:20It's a humble vegetable, some say, but it
36:22is also one of the most joyful things you
36:25can grow.
36:26And I love also when that person is as
36:30passionate about eating them as the rest of
36:32us.
36:34Delicious.
36:35It's been a pleasure.
36:36Mmm.
36:45Check out the bark on this fig.
36:47See how it's rough and scaly?
36:51Last summer here in Perth was one of the
36:53hottest on record with the number of
36:55scorching days, which resulted in this
36:58tree getting sunburnt.
37:00The bark has dried out and cracked, damaging
37:03the vascular tissue underneath and making the
37:06tree vulnerable to rot.
37:08Now, in a healthy tree with a strong canopy, the
37:10leaves protect the branches.
37:12But when the tree gets moist distress and loses its
37:15leaves, which is what happened here, the
37:18branches are exposed.
37:20And the same thing can happen if you heavily
37:22prune a tree.
37:23Now, one response is to coat the sun-facing
37:27side of the branches with a water-based lime
37:30paint, or make sure the tree is properly fed and
37:34watered to get a really vigorous canopy, which is
37:37going to be my focus here.
37:39I'm applying pelletised manure, compost, and mulch.
37:47And making sure the irrigation is working properly.
37:53This combination will encourage healthy leaf growth and
37:57keep the branches well protected.
38:06Earlier in the program, I caught up with doctors Kathy and
38:09David Sprott in their amazing Adelaide Hills garden.
38:12Now I'm going to have a look at some of the more unusual fruit
38:15trees they're growing here.
38:19Look at these fascinating fruits.
38:21They're called meddlers, and in medieval times, they were all but essential in a royal orchard
38:27or a monastery.
38:28Don't be put off by their appearance.
38:31They have rough brown skin and talon-like sepals because they're a member of the rose family.
38:36And here's a cheeky fact.
38:37It's impossible to ignore that open centre they have, and the French actually call them
38:43cul de chien, which means dog's backside.
38:46They're mentioned in literary classics by Chaucer and Shakespeare, but they've been
38:51outdated by their cousins, which are apples and pears, that you can eat straight off a tree.
38:57While I don't actually like the flavour of the fruit raw, I love it when you take the time to
39:03cook it to
39:03make paste or jelly. With meddlers, you actually have to pick the fruit towards autumn, and then
39:10you let them ripen inside, and you actually have to wait till they blet or go mushy before you can
39:16cook them or eat them. So why would you grow them? Well, I've always grown them because I love their
39:22autumn colour. Their leaves turn the most beautiful tones in autumn, and actually they're holding fruit
39:29at the same time. So if you want to, you can pick stems with fruit on them and enjoy the
39:34autumn colour
39:35and the fruits in a vase.
39:39Another fruit that's closely related to the meddlers, that's not as commonly grown as it once was,
39:44is the quince. They also enjoy many historical references, as the so-called golden apples from
39:51literature in the Middle Ages. These days they've fallen out of favour, compared to their apple and
39:58pear cousins, that have been highly cultivated to be more palatable and transportable, and can be eaten
40:03straight off the tree. However, the quince has a distinct flavour, and is a beautiful long-lived tree.
40:11They're remarkably hardy to grow in many areas of Australia, and they're drought, heat and frost
40:17tolerant. Now as far as eating them raw goes, their texture's a bit tough, and they're extra tart,
40:24like an extra tart apple. So many people don't like them raw, but cooked, they're amazing. You can use
40:31them to make jellies or paste, but they can also be steamed or poached, they could be baked or roasted,
40:37and that way the flavour becomes really sweet and delicious, and they get that beautiful ruby red colour
40:43to them. So quinces are a great tree to grow for their produce, but also they're highly attractive in your
40:50garden.
40:53These are jujubes, although some people call them jujubies. They're like tiny little apples,
40:59but they're rather under-appreciated here in Australia. Native to China, Mongolia and Korea,
41:05jujubes are one of the oldest known cultivated fruits in the world, dating back 7,000 years.
41:12They're hugely popular in parts of Asia, but jujubes have only recently been gaining attention in
41:18Australia. And because they are tolerant of salinity, alkalinity and dry conditions,
41:25they are one to consider if you need a robust fruiting plant for a tricky spot.
41:30They grow 7 to 10 metres high, but can be pruned lower if necessary, and they also can be espalliate.
41:38Most are self-fertile, although multiple pollinators will give you better fruiting.
41:42Most jujubes you'll find in Australia are grafted onto a hardy rootstock so that the trees grow better.
41:49There are a number of different cultivars, and they vary in size, from small fruits like this,
41:54to ones that are about that size, almost small passion fruit size. They can be eaten fresh when
42:00they're ripe, and they have a crisp, sweet taste, a bit apple-like, absolutely delicious. Or they can be
42:07dried and they go brown, which gives them the name, the Chinese date. It's fun to try your hand at
42:14fruit
42:14growing, and we all love the usual suspects like apples and pears, but why not branch out and try
42:20your hand at some fruits favoured in ancient times.
42:50So,
42:51I'm
42:51a
42:52a
42:52a
42:52a
42:52a
42:58a
43:01a
43:02a
43:20a
43:21a
43:26huge parts of Australia are arid, and I know from all of my travels, that it's
43:32some of the most beautiful and precious country you'll see anywhere. There's a botanic gardens
43:38in South Australia that really champions the plants that grow in these areas, and today, we're taking a tour.
44:02Dawn is my favourite time of the day here
44:06at the Australian Narrowlands Botanic Garden.
44:10I really like the early morning light.
44:13It's cooler and the birds are just magic.
44:18We are looking across Spencer Gulf to the wonderful Flinders Ranges.
44:23This is where the desert meets the sea,
44:26and below we see the beautiful grey mangroves,
44:29which are a unique part of our botanic garden.
44:33I'm Brian Drykilt from the Friends of the Australian Narrowlands Botanic Garden,
44:37and I'm absolutely passionate about this garden.
44:42We're in Port Augusta, South Australia.
44:44We're on Bangalore and Nookuna land.
44:48This area is the entrance to Eyre Peninsula,
44:51and it's also known as the Crossroads of Australia
44:54because you can move north, south, east and west across our corridors.
45:00The garden is 250 hectares.
45:04All of the plants that are grown here are known as low rainfall,
45:08under 250 mil of rainfall, so they're all desert species
45:12and they cover approximately 70% of Australia.
45:17We are an arc for the plants that will be grown across Australia
45:22in the future with climate change.
45:27We're on the keenopod plains of the arid zone of Australia.
45:32These plains support many, many different species of salt bushes,
45:37blue bushes, mariana species, all of those different types of plants.
45:41It's a haven for reptiles, small bird life and insects.
45:47It covers a very wide portion of the arid zone of Australia.
45:52As people drive past keenopod country,
45:55right across Australia in the arid zones,
45:57they treat it as, oh, it's just another dry, lifeless area.
46:01But when you get out of your car and take a stroll,
46:04and depending on the seasons, the variety and the things that you see,
46:08they're such beautiful plants,
46:09but unless you get out of the car and take a walk through it,
46:12you're not going to see it.
46:16It's amazing to see these marvellous little lichens and fungi
46:21which are growing in this arid zone.
46:24They are amazing.
46:25They survive right through the hot, dry summers.
46:27The first little bit of rain, they come back to life.
46:31You see here, we have an example of black bush,
46:34which is really a great home for our birds and insects.
46:38It's also an excellent garden plant
46:40because you can prune it to whatever shape you'd like to have.
46:43It's one of those plants that, once you put in the garden,
46:45it needs minimal amount of water.
46:48Another great example is the pearl salt bush, Marianna cetifolia.
46:53It has this very unusual bead-like leaf in a soft grey
46:57and it has very, like, fine little hairs on it.
46:59It's actually a beautiful plant,
47:01very nice in a native garden setting.
47:05In this sort of region, you're going to see birds of prey,
47:08in particular the little nankeen kestrel
47:10because it's much easier for it to hunt for its prey.
47:13We also have lots of little wrens, fairy wrens,
47:17mainly the white-winged fairy wren in the open country,
47:19but also we have a little rufous-filled wren
47:22which are very secretive
47:23and occasionally rise to the top of a salt bush and sing
47:26so that you get an opportunity to see it.
47:27But unless you take the time in this type of country to look,
47:31you're going to think it's lifeless and barren.
47:38Bird-watching is a passion of mine along with the garden.
47:42There is something about the birds
47:44that if you have the interest to take and look,
47:46you'll find little different variations within birds,
47:49their calls, their songs.
47:51Everything is just brilliant and exciting to think about.
47:56I've been watching birds since I was about 12 years old,
47:59so that's about 55 years now.
48:01Original studies showed that we had around 49 species recorded here,
48:06and we're now recording around 160 species in total
48:09that come and go from the garden.
48:12It's a good sign that we are acting as a home for birds,
48:16in particular in the bad times out in the bush.
48:18They know they can migrate into this region
48:21and there is a safe place with food and water.
48:32We're now in the sandhill country of the Aridlands Botanic Garden,
48:35and we're in the home of the iconic Western Mile.
48:38It's a tree that has long lived, up to 100 years,
48:42some of the specimens that you're seeing here at the moment.
48:45It's so dry here that you can see the roots
48:48that are sitting above the surface,
48:50which have been eroded by the wind.
48:52However, there are still minute rootlets
48:55that move out from the bottom
48:56to sustain moisture for the plant in the dry seasons.
48:59You can see the silver foliage that we have here
49:02compared to the green.
49:03This is a change in the foliage.
49:06It acts as a reflector of the heat
49:08and reduces its moisture loss.
49:11It's been recorded that this lowers the temperature beneath the tree
49:16by up to 15 degrees during the hot 45, 50-degree days.
49:20They are extremely tough.
49:23They can go for up to five, six years without any decent rainfall
49:27and so therefore they have to be hardy.
49:30You get a nice rainfall
49:31and they seem to come back automatically to full life.
49:41We have this beautiful splash of yellow from Eucalyptus pimpiniana,
49:46very useful to birds and insects for pollination and food sources.
49:51This is a dwarf eucalypt, which would be excellent for home gardeners.
49:58This is another one of our beautiful lemon yellow flowering plants.
50:03It's the desert melaleuca.
50:05It's a plant that grows in the northern areas of South Australia
50:09towards the Northern Territory border.
50:11Such an exquisite flower
50:13and it has these tiny little capsules which contain the seed
50:16which are very much like a nut off of a casuarina or some other species.
50:22A true desert plant.
50:24This plant would be quite frost tolerant
50:26because of the type of foliage that it has
50:27and I would suggest that you could probably grow this
50:30in a lot of gardens across Australia.
50:40The plants that are grown through all of the arid zones of Australia
50:44run in temperature gradients of at night down minus three, minus five
50:49to as high as up to 49, 50 degrees
50:52and maybe in some days even higher than that
50:55when we get into some of the northern regions of the arid zone.
51:00We have some very rare trees in the botanic garden
51:03and this is one of them.
51:05It's the wadi wood, which is an extremely rare plant
51:08that grows around the edge of the Simpson Desert region of Australia.
51:12The wood is the hardest wood known in the world
51:15and these trees can live to be around 500 years old
51:20and I absolutely love them.
51:23This is another one of our rare trees.
51:25This is the leopard wood.
51:27This is an extremely rare tree
51:29which grows from white cliffs in New South Wales
51:33north into Queensland.
51:35This tree is about 30 years old
51:37and once it loses all of its lower foliage
51:40and the trunk enlarges, it will blotch out in white,
51:43hence its name leopard wood.
51:55This is our arimophila garden
51:56and we have 200 types of arimophila within the garden.
51:59We think that it is probably one of the biggest collections
52:02of arimophila in a botanic garden in the world.
52:05They all vary in shape, colour, size and colour of flower.
52:09This arimophila is arimophila bigniflora
52:12and you can see it has fruit and flower on it at the moment
52:15and it's a very popular garden plant
52:18and a nice shade tree within your garden.
52:22These plants are ideal for growing
52:25in many different environments across Australia,
52:28cool and temperate climates as well.
52:30However, must be careful about whether they are frost tolerant
52:33and secondly that the soil type is important.
52:37Most of these plants tend to grow
52:39in more sandy, aloamier soils
52:41so they require free drainage, moisture but not wet feed.
52:52The idea of us having a garden in Port Augusta
52:55commenced approximately 40 years ago
52:57with the friends and council staff.
53:00Eventually we were able to convince council
53:03and the state government to be involved
53:05and that was the beginning of our garden.
53:07We live on a very low budget
53:09and rely heavily on donations.
53:12The Botanic Garden here is free admission
53:15which is really great.
53:16The garden itself is very, very popular.
53:19We're averaging just over 120,000 visitors a year now
53:23to the garden which makes all of us extremely proud
53:26of the achievements this garden has.
53:28And it's the highest regional botanic garden numbers
53:32of anywhere in Australia.
53:46My love for these plants is not only the beauty of the plants,
53:50but their ability to withstand such huge changes in climate
53:55because as we warm,
53:57these plants are already able to tolerate those hotter, drier climates.
54:12It's time to roll your sleeves up.
54:14Your jobs for the weekend are knocking at the door.
54:23Cool temperate gardeners, it's time to pop in your parsnips.
54:26Sowing now allows them to settle in and get cranking
54:30before the cooler weather hits.
54:32Sow fresh seeds into fluffy soil about three centimetres apart.
54:36If some of your foliage is looking furry and funky,
54:40reach for the full cream milk.
54:41One part milk into nine parts water is a fantastic fungus fighter
54:46and will make short work of powdery mildew.
54:49Add colour to your cottage garden with wallflowers.
54:53Plant in a sunny spot where their showy flowers and clove scent
54:57can be appreciated from autumn right through to spring.
55:02In warm temperate gardens, wisterias are romping away,
55:06so it's time to tame them.
55:08Prune back young, whippy growth
55:09and cut side shoots back to within ten centimetres
55:13of the main lateral stem.
55:15Prep for autumn plantings is underway,
55:18so it's time to turn to your compost, literally.
55:21Aerate and turn your heat.
55:23The more love you show it now,
55:25the better it'll be come planting time.
55:28Lift and divide old clumps of daffodils
55:31which failed to flower last season.
55:33Shake off the loose soil and store in a cool, airy spot
55:37like the shed or garage for replanting in April.
55:42Subtropical gardeners, if your camellias are producing
55:44bucket loads of buds but few flowers,
55:47thin them out by twisting off some of the buds,
55:50leaving one to two at the tip and two along the stem.
55:54If you're a lover of lawn, summer in the subtropics can be tough.
55:58To keep your turf tip top and lawn luscious,
56:01mow as high as possible to conserve moisture
56:03and prevent weed infestation.
56:06With autumn on the doorstep,
56:07take time to plan your patch before you plant.
56:10Nurseries and public gardens are great places
56:13for ideas and inspiration on trees, shrubs and plants
56:17perfect for your place.
56:19Amaranth is an amazing addition to tropical veggie gardens
56:23that can be sown now.
56:25The leaves are edible when cooked
56:27and are a super spinach substitute.
56:29Plus, they're great companion plants.
56:31Get a green manure crop going and add life and nutrients
56:36to fallow beds before autumn planting.
56:39Sow barley, lucen, peas and beans,
56:41cutting and turning into the soil before seed set.
56:45It's a very good time to prune your mulberry tree,
56:49cutting it right back to around waist height.
56:52Mulberries fruit on new wood,
56:53so pruning hard now means more fruit
56:56that are easier for you to pick next season.
57:00Arid gardeners, aphids are active,
57:03but spraying with white oil can do more harm than good in the heat.
57:07Instead, squash them with your fingers or blast with the hose.
57:11While we're talking pests, set up some molasses traps
57:14to catch hungry grasshoppers.
57:16Add 500ml of molasses to a bucket of water and pop it in the patch.
57:20You'll catch handfuls of hoppers in no time.
57:24Native hibiscus is a tough, tidy shrub for a sunny spot.
57:28Growing two metres by two metres,
57:30this stunner will reward you with masses of showy purple flowers
57:35from spring through autumn.
57:37With autumn around the corner,
57:39now's the time to get prepping and planning
57:41before some serious planting.
57:44Let us know what you get up to on the GA socials.
57:53Well, that's everything we have on the roster this time,
57:57but there's plenty more coming your way next week.
58:02Some gardeners have that extra special something,
58:05and Dolores Melak is one of them.
58:07Wow, you've trained these figs into archers.
58:10The garden is a celebration of her Maltese culture,
58:13family and friendship.
58:15When it comes to form, structure, privacy and creating space in gardens,
58:19our gardening minds often turn to thinking about hedging and screening.
58:24I've got some top tips on the perfect natives to use.
58:27And can pools be a safe space for humans and wildlife?
58:32Well, I'll be finding out how to make both things possible.
58:37for our students and our students.
58:39we still have a publicized church.
58:40We still have a publicized church for humans.
58:41The garden is Saint-Manage.
58:41We're in St. S. S.
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