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Gardening Australia Season 37 Episode 7
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00:34Surrounded by plants, where else would we rather be?
00:38We've got a garden bed full of goodness for you this week, so let's dig in.
00:44Welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:46Here's what's coming up.
00:50Guest presenter Tan checks out a fruit with a taste like no other.
00:55They definitely have a sour tang and a lot of sweetness.
00:58I love them.
01:00I'm reconnecting with a bush food expert who we've featured before.
01:03Now, always make sure that, you know, the information is shared before you start eating and picking things in the
01:08bush, just to make sure that we can actually eat it.
01:11Her life has changed dramatically and her garden has never been more important to her.
01:17Autumn is such a great time to get busy in the garden.
01:21And I'm going to give you my top jobs to do this weekend to ensure that your future is delicious.
01:27And Wollongong Botanic Garden is home to a recently donated collection of cycads.
01:32I'll be finding out what it takes to transplant these endangered prehistoric masterpieces to their new home and how to
01:39look after them.
01:46As gardeners, we all know how refreshing it can be to take a breather in the shade of a tree
01:53on a hot day.
01:54Well, Adelaide certainly has its fair share of hot days, so Sophie's checking out a garden that's got it made
02:03in the shade.
02:10I love a plant-filled cottage-style garden, and this one, in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, is a real
02:18haven.
02:22It doesn't just look good.
02:24Owner Deb Worthley's house and garden have been designed to deal with Adelaide's harsh heat.
02:29For her, it's all about sustainability.
02:33I lived in a house before that couldn't be made sustainable, and I wanted to build a straw bough house.
02:39So the walls are 500 millimetres thick, and the good thing about it is that when I'm dead and gone,
02:47and the house is being knocked down, the walls can be put onto the garden and just composted.
02:54Truly recyclable.
02:55Truly recyclable.
02:56Compostable.
02:57Yes, compostable, absolutely.
02:59People often build a sustainable house, as in the building, but they forget that the garden helps with the house's
03:07sustainability.
03:08Yes.
03:09Well, obviously, the trees shade the house, so that is going to lead to a cooler inside of the house
03:17as well.
03:17So when I first came here, there weren't any trees at all, so it was gradual, but gradually the shade
03:25came, and it's made a lot of difference to living in the house.
03:36You've got your beautiful crabapple.
03:37You call this Crabapple Cottage.
03:39Yes.
03:39But these magnificent weeping elms.
03:42Yes, they are lovely.
03:43They are lovely.
03:44Great for shade, and I just love the shade.
03:46In fact, I like them better in winter.
03:48Really?
03:49Yeah, because of the architectural.
03:51They look very graceful and pretty.
03:54They do, and you've got a beautiful weeping mulberry too.
03:57Yes, that's a bit harder to look after.
03:59It wants to grow so much.
04:05Tell me about this tree.
04:07Oh, my lovely southward dancer, pear tree.
04:11Yeah, it's fantastic.
04:12It gives beautiful shade.
04:15And you can feel the temperature drop once we get here.
04:17Yes, you can.
04:18This is the north side of your house, so it could be quite hot.
04:21It's got wide eaves and this is a tree.
04:23Yes, exactly, and it was a lot warmer before the trees grew,
04:28and they offer beauty as well.
04:30And this area of the garden has a lovely, tranquil feel.
04:34It has.
04:35I'm glad you feel that way because I definitely feel that way,
04:38and I think it's possibly the shade and the colour scheme I've chosen,
04:42of the green and white, so it's very restful, I feel.
04:46And you've got the beautiful water feature too that you look out onto.
04:49Yeah.
04:50Yeah.
04:50Yeah.
05:00The shade features continue into the backyard.
05:04Wow.
05:05I just love the way you've trained your weeping elms over your pergola.
05:10I know.
05:10It's worked out really well, actually.
05:12And I thought, well, why not have that instead of any vines
05:14that you have to keep pruning?
05:16Why not just train the branches over the top?
05:18And it's really half covered it in a season.
05:21So it's done well.
05:23And, of course, these are deciduous again.
05:26Yes.
05:26So they let winter sun in.
05:28Yes.
05:28But summer shade.
05:29Yeah.
05:30Don't we all want that?
05:31Shade in the baking heat and lovely warming sun in the winter.
05:35And a big part of Deb living sustainably is growing her own food, which includes an abundance
05:42of fruit trees, providing both shade and produce.
05:46Yeah, I've got 13 fruit trees.
05:49It's really nice having all the different fruit to pop out and get a lemon when you need one
05:53and share with the neighbours and have an orange a day.
05:58It's got to keep me healthy.
05:59Absolutely.
06:00And definitely, you know, if we're talking about sustainability, growing at least part of your own fruit.
06:05Yeah.
06:05Well, it saves the petrol going down the shops and getting them.
06:09Let alone the food miles in the produce.
06:11Yes.
06:11Yes, absolutely.
06:12Now tell me about this one.
06:14I'll start with my mother.
06:16She used to make poor man's orange marmalade.
06:18So when I moved here, I really wanted to get a poor man's orange tree.
06:22And they're quite difficult to find because not many people make marmalade these days.
06:27It's got quite a lot of pith, doesn't it?
06:30Yes, it has, which is great for making marmalade because pith has a lot of pectin in it and that's
06:35the setting agent.
06:36It was explained to me that it's actually a New Zealand grapefruit.
06:39It grows in New Zealand where it's a lot colder.
06:42So I found one and planted it and it's going really well and I make marmalade every winter.
06:50You're actually an award-winning preserver.
06:53Yes, I am.
06:55Well, I used to enter the Australian marmalade competition.
06:58I didn't become grand champion, but I became a runner-up or third or something.
07:04I was really happy with that.
07:05That's fantastic.
07:07Yeah, yeah.
07:07But you don't just grow fruit trees, do you?
07:10Oh, no, I grow vegetables too.
07:12Various types depending on the season.
07:15But I put in a few strawberry plants one year and they've actually grown like triffids and
07:22they're taking over the veggie garden.
07:25I've managed to pick 23 kilos this year.
07:29Wow.
07:31And made lots of strawberry jam, which is really nice and they're beautiful to eat.
07:35They're soft and they're not like boiled ones.
07:38No, with real flavour.
07:39Yeah, with real flavour.
07:49Every available corner is cultivated, including the front verge.
07:54The roses were the first to go in because I couldn't have any roses at my old house.
07:59So I was really looking forward to having a bit more sun and it's enjoyable and the neighbours
08:04seem to love it.
08:05They like looking at it as they're walking past.
08:07I also have comments sometimes, which is really nice to make other people happy.
08:12And you've planted in front of your neighbour's house too?
08:15Yeah, just to save them having to do it because they're a busy young couple.
08:19And you found out they love lavender, so you encourage them?
08:23Yes, yes, yes.
08:24I have lavender coming up in my footpath all the time.
08:26So I said, please come and help yourself if you want any more.
08:30It's good to have freebies from the garden that you don't have to buy.
08:34And I love the vincas.
08:35Now, vincas are an old-fashioned annual.
08:37They're sort of like an impatience, but they're really hardy and they love the heat.
08:42And that's exactly why I chose them.
08:44Set and forget.
08:45I mean, they do get watered, don't worry.
08:46And I do mulch everything, so.
08:55Deb's pretty and productive patch proves that even in the heart of suburbia,
08:59you can cultivate a cooling, sustainable life.
09:11I get so much joy being out in the garden.
09:14Even just seeing the occasional frog or some interesting insect.
09:19If you're not out in the garden all the time, you don't see those sort of things.
09:32I'd like to introduce you to naranjia.
09:36This is a relative of the tomato and it comes from northern South America.
09:42Now, the fruit look lovely and they're delicious and juicy but very tart.
09:48So, what I like to do is to use the juice with things like beetroot and celery and apple
09:54and it gives it a little bit of an extra zing.
09:57It's an easy-to-grow plant.
09:59Fruits when it's in its first year.
10:02And it loves growing in a warm climate.
10:05But it must have good drainage and compost-rich soil.
10:09Bees love it.
10:11It's a lovely, fresh vegetable to try in a garden.
10:15Why do trees seem to grow taller in some places than others?
10:20To get this tall, this black butt needed light, water and nutrients.
10:24But to reach its full potential, it needed something else.
10:28Soil depth.
10:29Here in Sydney's Pennant Hills are some of the deepest soils on the eastern seaboard.
10:35These deep, fertile clay soils have plenty of water and nutrients
10:39and also allow better root stability.
10:43So, what's created these deep, fertile soils?
10:46It's geology and topography.
10:48Gullies tend to have greater soil depth than ridges.
10:51But some places have greater soil depth because of millions and millions of years of slow geological forces.
11:00What's a good structure to prune your backyard fruit trees into?
11:03I'm a big fan of the open vase shape, which means you get good sun access, air circulation and
11:10it's easier to harvest your fruit later on.
11:12You need a minimum of three litre branches for this and a maximum of around five.
11:18I also like to make sure there's around half a metre between the ground and the first litre branch.
11:22This gives good air circulation and allows the space to grow a low-growing ground cover if you like.
11:37Tarn the fruit nerd Truong has been taking us on a tour of tasty treasures to help us expand our
11:45fruit horizons.
11:46Today, he's giving us the inside scoop on a fruit that's definitely got its own thing going on.
11:54It's been a childhood favourite of mine and, pomegranate, it's not you.
12:09I'm at the foot of the picturesque Glasshouse Mountains, about an hour north of Brisbane.
12:14It's not only a beautiful part of the world, but it's home to a variety of gorgeous locally grown produce.
12:22Coffee, tea, macadamias and, of course, pineapples are all farmed commercially in this little slice of sub-tropical paradise.
12:30But today, we're here to find out more about a lesser-known crop, the custard apple.
12:37Daniel Jackson bought this farm ten years ago with his wife Angela, despite having no farming background.
12:44Yeah, so I was originally a Sparky, but I'd always wanted to farm.
12:48We had intentions of buying a macadamia farm.
12:51We'd come across this one a couple of days before auction.
12:53It had macadamias on it.
12:54And, yeah, lo and behold, we got it at auction and here we are.
12:58While the 100-acre property certainly does have a macadamia plantation,
13:03Daniel discovered after purchase that the majority of the farm is dedicated to a fruit he'd never heard of.
13:09We had no experience in custard apples.
13:11I didn't know what they looked like, I didn't know what flavour they had, I didn't know how to grow
13:15them.
13:16So it wasn't until we moved in and we started pruning for the first year that I actually had an
13:21idea of what a custard apple even looked like.
13:24Wow.
13:24Yeah.
13:25And how did you learn how to farm custard apples?
13:27Look, we joined the Industry Association, who were fantastic and provided support the whole time.
13:34There was a farmer just down the road from us that had been farming for nearly 40 years.
13:37He came over and showed us how to pick and when fruit was ready.
13:41It was a steep learning curve, but it was learning on the run.
13:44And the student has become the master.
13:46We won't go there.
13:47Maybe not.
13:51So how much of your land is dedicated to custard apples?
13:54We have approximately eight hectares planted to custard apples across a variety of vase and trellis trees.
13:59It's equivalent of two and a half thousand trees, which we produce about 80 tonne of fruit per season.
14:05That'll keep you busy.
14:06It does, yeah.
14:07That's for sure.
14:10Custard apple trees are fast growing, woody, dense and semi-deciduous with a spreading form,
14:16or can grow into a large shrub around six metres tall.
14:20And their edible fruit is like no other.
14:23They're a sweet, tropical flavour.
14:26They have a creamy flesh, soft and mushy.
14:29Yeah.
14:30The famous American writer Mark Twain did say that custard apples are the most delicious fruit in the world.
14:35Let's give them a try.
14:39Mmm.
14:40Texturally, they're such a unique fruit.
14:42But in terms of flavour, they definitely have a sour tang and a lot of sweetness.
14:47I love them.
14:53What Australians know as a custard apple is a unique cross between two species, the cherry moya and the sweet
15:00sop, or sugar apple.
15:01Both of these separate species are widely grown overseas, and the fruit is prized in Southeast Asia.
15:11And so tell me what's involved with harvesting custard apples.
15:14They're very labour intensive, extremely.
15:17So we pick the farm twice a week, which means you go around and inspect every tree, all 2,500
15:22of them.
15:22You're looking for the right colour fruit or ripeness of fruit, and you hand pick, put it in the trailer,
15:29hand wash, hand grate, hand pack.
15:30So it's, yeah, very labour intensive.
15:31For a gardener, that's probably a really good thing, because they're not going to want to eat fruit all in
15:36one or two weeks, right?
15:38No, that's exactly right.
15:39You might go back for eight to ten weeks and pick two or three bits of fruit a week, yeah,
15:44as they ripen on the tree.
15:45If you pick them too early, they'll never ripen.
15:47They'll just go black and hard.
15:49We process them daily, so they come in, we wash and grade them, get the core temperature down to around
15:5410 degrees to maintain shelf life.
15:57They're packed the next day onto a truck and truck to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, even Adelaide and Perth.
16:04So what takes most of your time with these trees?
16:06Pruning takes most of the time, trying to control the vigour.
16:09We like to keep them at about two metres, just so we don't have to pick from ladders, we can
16:13pick from the ground.
16:14Gotcha.
16:15But we'll continuously prune, we'll find water shoots, and you're taking out water shoots to open up the centre of
16:20the tree.
16:22We also come and strip and tip throughout the season to promote more, so you'll take leaves off, that promotes
16:28flowering.
16:29But yeah, pruning is our biggest job, you know, it's eight people for, you know, four to six weeks a
16:35year.
16:36Wow.
16:36Once they're pruned, we rake them out, all the prunings, to the middle of the row and mulch them up,
16:41just trying to prevent disease.
16:43Yeah, so it's a massive job.
16:44Wow, that's a lot of work.
16:47How do you deal with pests and disease?
16:49They have perfect hidey holes for pests to sit in.
16:52So they're prone to fungal diseases like anthracnose, we get root rot if it's a wet season or bacterial wilt.
17:00But yeah, those little crevices are perfect for citrus mealybug to hide, which is one of the biggest pests in
17:05the industry.
17:05We've had some problems with them in the past, but we now introduce beneficial bugs, so we actually buy farmed
17:11bugs and release them to control the bad bugs.
17:13So we buy green lacewings and cryptolemus.
17:16And through that, we've managed to reduce all of our pesticide sprays for that insect.
17:23Custard apple is a common name that can refer to six different species of plant, most of which are in
17:29the Anona genus, hailing from Central and South America.
17:32In Australia, there are two main cultivars in production.
17:36The first is African pride, and the second is Pink's Mammoth variety.
17:41Pink's Mammoth variety probably makes up the majority of the industry.
17:45Within the Pink's Mammoth, you have KJ Pink's, which is an industry standard, and you have the Hillary White.
17:51The main difference between the two is the KJ Pink is a self-pollinating fruit, which means you don't have
17:57to go and hand-pollinate.
17:59Sets a consistent crop year on year.
18:02The Hillary White, you have to hand-pollinate.
18:04You will get some self-pollination, but it is hit and miss.
18:07The payoff for that, though, is you get this much bigger, beautiful fruit, specifically made for an export market.
18:13I would definitely recommend the KJ for a backyard grower.
18:17If you're a person who loves fiddling with plants and seeing an end result, you could go with a Hillary
18:23White or Pink's Mammoth variety.
18:24Fantastic.
18:25If you want to enjoy some tropical-flavoured custard at your place, Daniel says growing them at home is fairly
18:31easy, provided you're in the right climate.
18:34They're a subtropical tree, so they won't fruit or flower below four degrees, but there is small pockets grown in
18:40the South Australian-Victorian border, just north of Perth as well.
18:44So you could expect to grow them in places like Sydney as a backyard tree, as long as it's sunny,
18:51well-protected, north-facing.
18:53But it's important to remember they're a subtropical tree.
18:56And so how do you manage the tree as a home gardener?
18:59Look, they're a very vigorous tree, so you want to manage height.
19:03So we give them three good prunes a year, a major one in autumn, in which we'll take the tops
19:09out and we'll cut some big major branches out of them.
19:12We do another one in November, which we'll do the skirts.
19:16You want to keep the skirts off the ground to prevent pests and disease.
19:19And you'll probably come back through in late December, January and be cutting water shoots.
19:24You might have water shoots coming up through the centre of the tree just to keep the vase open.
19:28So you'd spend quite a bit of time every session.
19:30So if you're a backyarder, you'd expect about two hours to prune this whole tree.
19:34And so what about fertiliser use?
19:36You don't want to give them too much, so it's a lot of micro feeds.
19:39I'd probably recommend a good compost and then even just a couple of small doses of chook poo throughout the
19:45year.
19:48So you're also trialling some new varieties with really interesting attributes on your farm.
19:53Yeah, so this is a red one that's been in the program for a few years now.
19:56It's still a couple of years away from commercial release.
19:59It's a self-pollinator as well, which makes it easier to grow.
20:03In saying it's a self-pollinator, it definitely doesn't set as much fruit as a KJ would.
20:08It's a bit of a different flavour profile to a KJ.
20:11It's less sweet, which we think might appeal to a broader base.
20:14Well, I can't wait to try it when it comes out, but that colour is visually stunning.
20:19It's beautiful.
20:20Now, as the fruit nerd, the most important thing for me is to ensure that Australians are eating great-tasting
20:25fruit.
20:26Now, as a gardener or as a consumer, how can they identify a good-eating custard apple?
20:32You're looking for the same thing on the tree and into the supermarket.
20:35Firstly, you look for a change in colour.
20:37We've got a lightness of the skin here, so it's going to a lighter shade of green and some yellowing.
20:43We're looking for the carpels, which are these lumpy parts, to have smoothed out.
20:47And you can even look for, like, sort of stretch marks here in the fruit.
20:50And how do we know when to eat it?
20:52You definitely don't want to put them in the fridge.
20:54You don't want them under 8 degrees because they will get chill injury.
20:57Three to five days at room temperature.
20:59They'll become soft to touch.
21:00You can literally tear them apart and scoop them out.
21:03Fantastic tips.
21:05Daniel is very keen to get the word out about this relatively niche fruit, which he's grown to love.
21:12From having no experience with them whatsoever, I've just enjoyed growing them.
21:16The journey of learning how to grow a good piece of fruit.
21:18And I'd just like other Australians to experience them, enjoy them as I have.
21:24I don't think I've ever worked so hard in my life.
21:27It's through the heat, through the rain, my wife keeps reminding me, we thought you bought this place for the
21:33lifestyle.
21:33We're still waiting to see what that lifestyle is.
21:49When it comes to growing herbs, I basically want to grow all of them all the time.
21:53But sometimes you have to preserve them so you can eat them year round.
21:58Often I'll dry them and store them in a nice glass jar, but I love mixing it up, including using
22:04your ice trays and freezing them.
22:09The kitchen smells incredible from the mint that I've just harvested.
22:12So I'm going to lock in as much of that delicious flavour as possible.
22:18Chop or whiz the mint up until you're happy with the consistency and then fill the trays with it.
22:28Fill it up with some water.
22:33And now, that one's done, it's time for the basil.
22:39I'm chopping it up, but I reckon by whizzing it up, you could probably cram in more into the ice
22:44trays, so keep that in mind.
22:47This time round, I'm actually going to fill up the ice trays with olive oil.
22:51So when it comes time to making a pizza sauce or a pasta sauce, you can just pop out your
22:57little basil olive oil flavour bomb and have a quick head start into your cooking.
23:03This method is also great for other kinds of seasonal herbs, including coriander and chives.
23:11I've got some that I've already frozen, and I just store them in a glass jar in the freezer.
23:18For herbs that are frozen in water, you can thaw them as needed and drain off the melted water.
23:23Or pop the whole cube into a drink or soup.
23:28I always love having my minty ice cubes on hand so I can have summer goodness any time, including winter.
23:42Josh is catching up with an old friend who's been on a healing journey since they last met.
23:49And plants are playing a vital role in helping her overcome some huge challenges.
24:05I met bush food expert Marissa Verma during a previous Gardening Australia story.
24:11I wanted to show you one of my faves, which is actually wonal, which is the peppermint tree.
24:15Marissa shared some of the knowledge of her people, the Noongar Nation, with us.
24:20Particularly how fauna and flora of the Perth region changes across the six seasons of the local calendar.
24:27So if you're inhaling that, it actually clears the sinuses and the sore throat.
24:32Yeah, and you can put this in your pillow slip today and have a really good sleep.
24:37But since then, Marissa's circumstances have changed in a way that, quite frankly, is staggering.
24:51It was about June 2023, I wasn't feeling the best.
24:55I didn't really know about what happened to me until when I got out of ICU.
25:01They told me I had necrotising fasciitis, which is a flesh-eating disease.
25:07The main concern was actually trying to stop it before it got to my organs.
25:12While I was under, it had started to affect my body parts.
25:16So my hands started to turn black.
25:20I had to get my hands amputated to save my life.
25:26With the medical profession looking after Marissa's physical recovery,
25:31restoring her spirit was something her old friend, Carol Innes, took on.
25:39I've known Marissa a couple of decades now.
25:42She set out on her business in promoting cultural tourism.
25:46So she's had a huge influence in that period of time.
25:51Our journey has always been together and supporting her.
25:56What did you anticipate her needs would be as part of her recovery?
26:00The recovery was a long time, nearly a year for the hospital.
26:05And then we realised she was going to be losing her tools,
26:10her hands for her business and her livelihood.
26:13She loved being on country and she needed a place to heal
26:17that can bring that back.
26:18And I think knowing her and her love of country
26:22is that we needed to bring something back for her here.
26:30A Nulau cultural consultant
26:31who has worked on a number of Perth's civil construction projects,
26:36Carol looked to her network for ideas and support.
26:40And one of her clients stepped up.
26:43Landscape architect, Natalie Bush.
26:46Looking really good, so...
26:47And this one's perhaps this one over here.
26:49You've got the macadamia tree.
26:51That's the macadamia.
26:51Well, Carol called and said,
26:55Nat, we need to build Marissa a garden.
26:57Here's her address.
26:59And I had never had the pleasure of meeting Marissa,
27:03but I've worked with Carol for a really long time.
27:05And I knew when Carol asked for something,
27:07we had to make it happen.
27:08We have a Design for Good program
27:12inbuilt into our work,
27:15which means that we can volunteer time and resources
27:18to design places that align with our values
27:23and what our people want to do.
27:25We created the vision,
27:27but we put the call out to paving contractors,
27:31plant suppliers,
27:32and they were the ones that really brought the labour
27:36and the materials and made it happen.
27:40We were just project managers.
27:41What are some of the key design features
27:44that you feel are so important
27:45to support Marissa in her recovery?
27:48So it was really important to create easy pathways
27:52for her to navigate around the garden
27:54and seeing her come out
27:56and zip around so confidently with her walker
27:59once we had new paths was quite fundamental.
28:02And then we just filled it with bush foods,
28:05which we knew were so important to her healing
28:08and, yeah, really were led by Marissa
28:13as to what would make her feel better.
28:18What was it like to have so much support rally around you?
28:23Oh, just phenomenal.
28:24I was pinching myself all the time thinking,
28:28wow, there's like really good-hearted people
28:31that want to do good things.
28:33One of the things I think I am unable to do
28:36is get to the bush until I'm ready.
28:38So I think the idea was to get the bush to me.
28:46I wanted to focus on bush healing plants and bush foods,
28:50so that was the thing that I wanted.
28:52And I wanted plants that I'll be able to show my friends and family
28:57and actually use as well.
28:58So we've got like a little bit of a herb garden
29:00where we're going to be using some of those herbs
29:03for, you know, cooking and things like that as well.
29:05I've got lemon myrtle, which is one of my favourites.
29:10I've got river mint.
29:13I've got samphire.
29:16I've got these beautiful grass trees,
29:20balgers, and the kangaroo paws just give colour to the garden.
29:28I love it.
29:29I'm in the garden every day.
29:31And then they're smiling at me, you know,
29:33these beautiful colours as I walk through the garden.
29:35So, you know, all my senses come alive when I'm in the garden.
29:42Do you think it's part of the healing process?
29:44Oh, definitely.
29:44I think with everything, the birds chirping
29:47and I'm listening to them, the air that I'm breathing,
29:51I'm smelling the air from the flowers.
29:53So it's definitely healing.
29:56Yeah.
30:00Still to come on Gardening Australia,
30:03Clarence meets some ancient plants in a new home.
30:07We meet an academic transforming urban green spaces
30:13and all the gardening jobs you need this weekend.
30:23Don't let the dropping temperatures fool you.
30:26It's go time in the garden.
30:29And Millie's here with her seasonal set list.
30:36Autumn really is one of the most beautiful times to be out in the garden,
30:41but it's also one of the most important.
30:43The work you do now will pay dividends for months to come.
30:47And one of the most important jobs that I do at this time of the year
30:50is save seed.
30:52Now, this tomato was gifted to me,
30:54and it has been such a winner for the garden.
30:56You can see these are actually small fruit.
30:59They get absolutely huge.
31:01And even though it's looking a bit ratty,
31:02it is still producing when all the other tomato varieties are finished.
31:06So I know that this is one that I want to grow again.
31:09I need to save seed, and I'm going to show you how.
31:13You can see how beautiful this fruit is.
31:16It is absolutely delicious.
31:18I picked this one a few days ago.
31:20It's not fully ripe yet,
31:21so I'm not going to use this to save seed.
31:23I'm going to use this ripe one.
31:24And it's a really simple process to do,
31:27and you could just squish it out onto a piece of paper,
31:29but I've had a lot of diseases in my tomatoes over the last few years,
31:33and so I'm going to take this extra step.
31:37First thing you need to do, open the tomato up.
31:39You can see this one doesn't actually have a lot of seed,
31:41but I'm going to chase it all and scoop it out into the bowl.
31:50And cut that again.
31:52You can still use the flesh for pizza.
31:59Once you've got your pulp, you add a little bit of water.
32:02I go about twice as much.
32:04And then you need to take this, put it in a warm spot,
32:07anywhere from a few days to about a week.
32:10You want it to ferment.
32:11It doesn't matter if it actually gets quite discoloured,
32:14because that process, that fermenting,
32:17is much like what would happen in the forest.
32:19When the fruit falls from a plant and starts to rot down,
32:23it goes through that natural fermentation,
32:25and that helps to break down that little sack of gel
32:28that's around a tomato seed,
32:30which can contain a lot of inhibitors to germination,
32:33but it can also carry a bit of disease.
32:35So by doing this, you're able to really clean that seed.
32:38So I'm going to pop that in a warm spot,
32:40and I'll show you one I prepared earlier.
32:48Now, you can see this is a little bit worse for where it's really cloudy.
32:52It's been fermenting away on a windowsill.
32:55It's been doing it for a few days.
32:56You actually need to clean the seed further,
32:58and you just do that with a sieve.
33:02A little bit of water.
33:06You really want to get all of that flesh off, all of the sacks off,
33:09and strip it back to pure seed.
33:16Just gently...
33:22..just spreading them out to make sure
33:25they'll dry nice and evenly,
33:27and don't forget to label them.
33:37I'm going to pop them in a nice warm spot
33:39to fully dry on the paper,
33:41put it in your seed store,
33:42and they'll be ready to sow next spring.
33:47Another seed that I really want to save
33:50is this beautiful paper daisy.
33:52It's been so strong and flowering its head off,
33:55and it's a total bug magnet,
33:57so I really want to plant hundreds of them next year.
33:59You can see, like all daisies,
34:02they have a really simple little structure,
34:04and they're easy to save.
34:05This one here, you can see that central area,
34:07that's where the actual flower is.
34:09There's hundreds, if not thousands, of them in that little disc.
34:12As they get pollinated and start to form seed,
34:15they start to swell.
34:16You can hear it's not quite ready, this one,
34:18but this disc here,
34:21as those seeds form,
34:23they get these great little dispersal devices.
34:26They're called a pappus,
34:27like a parachute,
34:29and the seed is at the base of it.
34:31That whole head is nearly ripe.
34:33You can snip that whole thing
34:35and just put it straight into your bag,
34:38and those seeds will ripen and dry in there.
34:41And in this one,
34:42you can see they're all about to lift off.
34:44You can just scrape it
34:46and put it straight in the bag,
34:47and that's going to give you heaps of seed
34:49for the next season.
34:54One thing about autumn,
34:56it's really a great time to prepare soil.
35:00Over summer, as that soil dries out,
35:02you find that the life in the soil
35:03can disappear a little bit as well.
35:05They need moisture to thrive.
35:06So as soon as you get that autumn rain,
35:08it's a great time to put a light top dressing
35:11of compost on your garden beds
35:12or start to prepare a new garden bed completely.
35:16Now, you can see here
35:17I'm working my way out across the lawn
35:19and I'm doing it with a really simple method.
35:22This is just big sheets,
35:24big thick sheets of cardboard
35:25on top of the lawn
35:27with fertiliser,
35:28some chook manure.
35:29I've got some straw.
35:31I've got lots of garden waste
35:32and wood chips.
35:33And essentially,
35:34I'm just building a compost
35:35on top of the lawn.
35:36It'll help to weaken
35:38and smother the grass below
35:39and all of those soil organisms
35:42can access it
35:43and help to break it down.
35:44It's a really simple way
35:45to improve the ground below
35:47and make a new garden bed on top.
35:52Like any compost,
35:54keep the pile moist
35:55and a regular liquid feed
35:57will help push things along.
36:06One of the jobs
36:07that you've got to get done
36:09at this time of the year
36:10is planting.
36:11And it's a great time
36:12to get garlic in the ground.
36:14Don't wait until winter.
36:16Autumn is perfect.
36:17And so I've already prepared
36:18these cloves for planting.
36:20I broke apart the bulb last night
36:21and I've soaked them in water.
36:23You can see
36:24the roots are already
36:26starting to shoot
36:27out of this clove.
36:28It's absolutely raring
36:29to get in the ground.
36:30Planting them,
36:31it's super simple.
36:33You just poke a hole
36:33in the ground
36:34about a couple of knuckles deep,
36:36drop them in,
36:37cover them up
36:37and watch them grow.
36:41You know,
36:42rain, hail, snow,
36:44I'm out here in the garden.
36:46But this time of the year
36:47is absolute perfection.
36:50A little bit of work now
36:51means you will have
36:52a beautiful and bountiful patch
36:54for months to come.
36:55So get out there
36:56and enjoy autumn.
37:06Well, we're off
37:08to the Wollongong Botanic Gardens now
37:10where Clarence is checking out
37:12a new collection of plants
37:13that confirms the old adage
37:16some things just get better
37:18as they age,
37:19including you, Clarence.
37:26Cicads are great survivors.
37:29They're one of the earliest
37:30seed-bearing plants
37:31dating back to the Jurassic.
37:33They can live for hundreds of years,
37:35if not up to a thousand years.
37:37Now, here at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens,
37:40they've been creating
37:41their own Cicad display
37:42for all to see,
37:43thanks to the donations
37:45from Aussie collectors.
37:48It's a project
37:49that's taken two years
37:50and I'm meeting curator
37:51Felicity Scoburn
37:52to find out what it takes
37:54to make these ancient beauties
37:55a new home.
37:56Look, the plants
37:57are architectural marvels.
37:59They're so beautiful to look at
38:00and who wouldn't want them
38:01in their space, right?
38:02But they also have
38:03a unique set of
38:04horticultural requirements
38:06to make sure
38:06that they stay healthy.
38:08So drainage being a key one,
38:10they really need to be
38:11in a really free-draining,
38:13sunny spot
38:13in order to live
38:14and thrive.
38:15Like any garden,
38:16preparation is key.
38:18Absolutely.
38:18The engineering involved
38:20for this
38:20was quite significant
38:22just in terms of making sure
38:24the water moved away
38:25from the site.
38:25So we put a curb
38:26at the front
38:26of the garden
38:27and then we put in
38:28a 300mm drainage layer,
38:30your geotextile fabric layer,
38:32your soil layer,
38:33then we put the Cicad root ball
38:35onto the soil layer
38:36and built up
38:37around the root ball.
38:38So that's where you can see
38:39that beautiful undulation occurring
38:41is actually the root balls
38:43you can actually see
38:44above ground.
38:45And the only water they get
38:46is from the sky.
38:47They take what they need
38:48and then the water moves on.
38:50Getting these guys into place
38:52was really interesting.
38:53We had about a team of eight
38:56using predominantly forklifts,
38:59was manoeuvred into place,
39:01positioned facing
39:03the right direction.
39:04And not only will these Cicads
39:06look good in the short term,
39:07but in the long term
39:08that they'll have the space
39:09to grow that they need
39:10because most of them
39:11are going to at least
39:12triple in size
39:13in their lifetime.
39:15These particular Cicads,
39:16these were part
39:16of a personal collection?
39:18Yes, the main part
39:19of the collection
39:20was from a lovely family,
39:22the Edwards family.
39:23They really wanted
39:24their Cicads
39:24to go somewhere special.
39:26We had the space,
39:27we had the capability
39:28to look after them
39:29and make sure
39:29that they were going to survive.
39:31Colin's director
39:32of the International Palm Society.
39:34Knowing the Edwards family
39:36for years,
39:36he was keen
39:37to bring their collection
39:38to the botanic gardens.
39:39A lot of them
39:40are 40, 50 years old.
39:41A lot of them
39:42are critically endangered
39:42and being wiped out
39:44in the habitat.
39:45So they're disappearing quickly.
39:47So this is
39:47an extremely important collection.
39:49We've got about 35 species
39:50here from the Edwards collection.
39:52They travelled
39:52all over Asia,
39:54South America,
39:55so they would get
39:57stuff sent to them
39:58because people like
39:59to share seed
40:00with people they know
40:01can grow them
40:02so that these things
40:03can survive.
40:04And Cicads
40:05are quite ancient.
40:06They've been around
40:07for a long time.
40:08They certainly are.
40:08About 330 million years.
40:10All the African Cicads
40:12evolved from
40:13the Cicads
40:13that are in Australia,
40:15the original ones.
40:16And so did all the ones
40:17in Asia
40:17and South America.
40:19Shall we take a closer
40:20look at the collection?
40:21That's a good idea.
40:22Nice.
40:25This is a fantastic specimen.
40:27It certainly is.
40:28An cephalos clavoid
40:29from Tanzania.
40:31It's a fantastic
40:32architectural looking plant
40:33but more importantly,
40:34why it's important
40:35to be in this collection,
40:36there's only 30 left
40:37in the wild
40:38and we never know
40:40whether they're going
40:40to be male or female.
40:42They'll require male
40:43or female to reproduce
40:44all Cicads of dioecious.
40:46It's listed
40:46on the international database
40:47so that the pollen
40:49can be shared
40:50with other botanic institutions
40:51for its survival
40:52long term.
40:53So 30 in the wild,
40:54that'd be critically endangered.
40:56That's right at the top, yeah?
40:57Yeah, it could disappear
40:58altogether
40:58and become extinct
40:59in the wild any time.
41:01And with only 30 of these
41:02in the wild,
41:03there's no guarantee
41:03that you're always
41:04going to have a mix
41:05of male and female?
41:06Well, sometimes you can
41:07just have all female
41:07or all male
41:08and it's all over.
41:09Yeah, well.
41:10So that's what's happened
41:11with other plants
41:11and that's what happens.
41:13And the form
41:14as you walk through
41:15this collection,
41:16there's so much
41:18difference between
41:19species and genus.
41:21There's some really
41:22interesting form here.
41:23This thing looks like
41:23a date palm.
41:24It's a Sycas titanensis.
41:26It's from Taiwan
41:27and this one's
41:2843 years old.
41:30This particular
41:32cycad's creating
41:33new leaves.
41:33That's why you see
41:34one side of it
41:34with the leaves
41:35hanging down,
41:35the others
41:36have still got
41:36leaves that are erect.
41:38But as the new leaves
41:39come out,
41:40the other ones
41:40sag down to create room.
41:41What is the difference
41:43between a palm
41:43and a cycad?
41:44Well, cycads
41:45leaves unfurled
41:47like a fern
41:47because they evolve
41:48from ferns.
41:49Whereas a palm
41:50has a spike
41:51and it comes
41:51just one spike.
41:53And this one beside it,
41:55again,
41:56you'd be mistaken
41:57for thinking
41:57that's a fern.
41:58Well, that's
41:58a Ceratizamia
42:00Robusta
42:00from Mexico.
42:02Ceratizamia genus
42:04is the toughest
42:04of all cycad species.
42:06So this particular
42:07genus
42:08is the world's
42:09greatest survivor
42:10just about.
42:11It is amazing.
42:12They've survived
42:13ice ages,
42:14they've survived
42:15volcanoes,
42:15they've fought
42:16for black winters.
42:17They even survived
42:17the meteor showers
42:18that killed the dinosaurs.
42:19They survive everything.
42:27This is a nice
42:27little patch.
42:28There's a few
42:28different species
42:29in here.
42:29Yeah, there's
42:30three different
42:30types of species
42:31and they're all
42:31really good.
42:32This one here
42:33is a Stangeria
42:34aeroperas.
42:35It's from Natal
42:37in South Africa.
42:38It's the only
42:39one in its
42:40genus group.
42:41It can never
42:42cross-pollinate.
42:43It can always
42:44stay pure.
42:45They're extremely
42:46important to the
42:47Zulus for their
42:48medicinal qualities.
42:50They actually
42:51use it for
42:52to purge
42:53themselves
42:54or they use
42:55it for headaches.
42:56They use it
42:57for infections
42:58on the teeth
42:58of their cattle
42:59to cure them.
43:00So really
43:01culturally important
43:02match?
43:02It's very culturally
43:03important to the
43:03Zulus.
43:04Really low-growing?
43:05Always low-growing.
43:07They grow in grasslands
43:08in full sun.
43:09Most of it's
43:09underground.
43:10It's a subterranean
43:11species.
43:13The one behind it
43:14is a Sycas
43:15thesauriae
43:16from Madagascar.
43:17What I really like
43:18about this plant
43:18is it hasn't
43:20changed in
43:20130 million years.
43:22Wow.
43:22No other
43:23Sycas has done it.
43:24130 million years
43:25without change?
43:26Without change.
43:27Wow.
43:27So obviously
43:28the conditions
43:29are just right
43:30for it to do
43:31whatever it just
43:31keeps doing.
43:32Well, it got it
43:33right the first time.
43:34A bit like crocodiles
43:35so they're supposed
43:35to have lasted
43:36a long time.
43:37Hard not to notice
43:38the blue-green
43:39amongst the green
43:40foliage.
43:40Certainly.
43:41This is
43:41Encephalitis
43:42trisposus.
43:43It's from East
43:43Cape in South
43:44Africa and it's
43:46from a very
43:46desert area.
43:47It's blue because
43:48it stops
43:49transpiration and
43:50allows the plants
43:50to survive in the
43:51very low rainfall.
43:53It's nature's
43:54sunscreen that's
43:54blue.
43:55It's wax.
43:56It's actually a
43:56thick wax that
43:57goes over.
43:57If you scrape it
43:58it's green underneath.
44:00It actually protects
44:01it from the elements
44:01and that's why
44:02it looks harder.
44:03You can tell by
44:04the shape of it.
44:05We're very lucky
44:05because all the
44:06cycads here are
44:07in the international
44:08database so that
44:10if any botanic
44:11institution is
44:12looking for pollen
44:13they'll know what
44:14we have here so
44:16that it can be
44:17shared and ensure
44:17their survival.
44:22Cycads have been
44:23around for millions
44:24of years.
44:24The rapid pace of
44:25modern life is
44:26making their lives
44:27really difficult.
44:28So spaces like this
44:30one at the Wollongong
44:31Botanic Garden
44:31really help conserve
44:33these ancient
44:33beauties.
44:43As our cities
44:44grow there's more
44:45and more pressure
44:46on every piece
44:47of greenery to
44:49perform at the
44:50highest level.
44:51Our next story is
44:53with a researcher
44:54who's developing an
44:55approach that's set
44:57to transform dull
44:59and neglected
45:00public landscapes.
45:07I'm Claire Farrell
45:08and I'm a plant
45:09scientist and my
45:10work focuses on
45:11how to use plants
45:12to make cities
45:13more liveable.
45:18We're here at the
45:19University of Melbourne's
45:20Burnley campus
45:21on the banks
45:22of the Yarra River
45:23and on the lands
45:24of the Wurundjeri
45:25Wurrung people
45:26and this is where
45:27I teach and research
45:28horticulture.
45:30And excitingly
45:31at the entrance
45:32we have a woody
45:33meadow and woody
45:34meadows have been
45:35a real passion
45:36of mine.
45:37They're about
45:37transforming low
45:38maintenance landscapes
45:39from monocultures
45:41of boring
45:41lamandra or saltbush
45:43to these beautiful
45:44diverse plantings
45:45full of flowers
45:46yet with the
45:47same inputs.
45:48And this
45:49Aramophila glabra
45:50is just looking
45:51fabulous.
45:52All the plants
45:53in a woody
45:53meadow are
45:54Australian native
45:55trees and shrubs
45:56and we pick
45:57them based
45:58on their ability
45:58to recover
45:59from stresses
46:00like fire
46:01or drought
46:01disturbance
46:02and they've
46:03really taken
46:03off.
46:04We have them
46:05not only
46:05in Melbourne
46:06which of course
46:06is where I'm
46:07based but we
46:08have them
46:08in Perth
46:09and Sydney
46:09and Canberra
46:10as well.
46:11They are low
46:12maintenance plantings
46:13and key to
46:14their success
46:14is high
46:16species diversity
46:16planting really
46:17really close
46:18together
46:18and then managing
46:19them through
46:20coppicing.
46:21So woody
46:22meadows are
46:22really part
46:23of my career
46:24at Burnley
46:24where I've
46:25focused on
46:25plants for
46:26cities and
46:27really focusing
46:28on plants
46:28to fix
46:29problems.
46:30So for woody
46:30meadows it's
46:31like how can
46:31we get more
46:32vegetation, more
46:34diversity, more
46:34flowers in those
46:35areas where
46:36they're almost
46:37forgotten.
46:41Burnley I would
46:43say is the home
46:43of horticulture
46:44in Australia.
46:45It's been teaching
46:46horticulture education
46:47for about 128 years
46:49and really has been
46:51the focus of
46:52outreach into
46:53improving cities
46:54with plants
46:55and also has a
46:56long legacy of
46:57graduates going out
46:58there and changing
46:59landscapes.
47:00I've been at Burnley
47:01for about 15 years.
47:03Recently I also
47:04became the first
47:05woman director of the
47:06campus and I'm really
47:08proud to be part of
47:09the legacy of urban
47:10horticultural teaching
47:11and research at this
47:12place.
47:16So we're on the
47:17Burnley rooftop.
47:18When I started as a
47:20researcher working on
47:20green roofs here
47:21they were really
47:22untested in Australia
47:23and so my work was to
47:25find what plants and
47:26substrates would work
47:27and it wasn't a case of
47:29taking what worked
47:30internationally in
47:31temperate climates
47:32places like Germany
47:33and America and
47:33England and transferring
47:35it here because the
47:36plants that work best
47:37for those environments
47:39can't cope with our
47:40drought.
47:41Unlike woody meadows
47:42which are all just
47:43Australian natives this
47:45green roof has plants
47:46from all over the
47:47world.
47:47So there's succulents
47:48from Africa, there's
47:49Mediterranean herbs and
47:51there are Australian
47:52plants that come from
47:53those habitats which are
47:54similar to green roofs.
47:55So those rocky
47:56outcrops or the
47:57grasslands that have
47:58drought in the summer.
48:00And green roofs are a
48:01really great way of
48:03helping to improve some
48:04of the problems we have
48:05in cities.
48:06So they capture rainfall
48:07to prevent it going into
48:08stormwater runoff and
48:10creating damage to our
48:11waterways.
48:12They also cool buildings
48:14and they provide
48:15biodiversity and I don't
48:17know if you can see but
48:18there's bees all around
48:19me today.
48:23Dormancy can be
48:25alleviated sometimes by
48:26water.
48:27So in their natural
48:28habitats they might come
48:29from a climate where
48:30rainfall is sporadic.
48:33I really enjoy teaching
48:35and I enjoy the diverse
48:36cohort that is at Burnley.
48:38Are they still up taking
48:40nutrients?
48:41They might be converting
48:42stored resources.
48:44We have career changes and
48:46we have recent grads as
48:47well that come into our
48:48programs and it's nice to
48:50help them carve a path
48:51forward that might build on
48:53their expertise because
48:54there's not one way of
48:56studying and having a career
48:58in horticulture.
49:01So I was born in Zimbabwe and
49:03my parents left there when I
49:05was really little and we
49:07moved around a lot in
49:08Australia and as a result I
49:10saw many different types of
49:11native ecosystems and
49:13different gardens.
49:14And so while my parents
49:15weren't gardeners we watched
49:17Gardening Australia every
49:18week and so that I guess is
49:20where I was exposed to
49:21gardening and thinking about
49:23the science of growing plants
49:24and how to treat them.
49:27I studied botany in
49:29Queensland and then I went to
49:31do my PhD on dryland salinity
49:33in Western Australia and I
49:35really enjoyed working with
49:36the challenge of what plants
49:37could grow in salt affected
49:38soils but I found it quite
49:41depressing that you couldn't
49:43see a solution to the problem
49:44I guess in maybe my lifetime.
49:46I got really interested in how
49:48I could apply my skills and my
49:50expertise to solving problems
49:52in non saline land and urban
49:55systems seemed a really good
49:56match for me because I was
49:57fascinated by places like rock
49:59outcrops where plants did it
50:01tough and essentially that's a
50:02green roof and so that's really
50:04where I started and how I ended
50:06up at Burnley.
50:15Hi.
50:16How's it going?
50:17I'm glad you're doing that job
50:18today.
50:19Absolutely.
50:20How's your day?
50:21You're good.
50:21We've recently moved to this
50:23house in Hawthorne and I live
50:25here with my husband Chris
50:26Soda who's also a plant
50:28scientist at Burnley.
50:29Bit of a jungle but a nice
50:32one.
50:32But a nice one.
50:33So it's been so great to just
50:35play in this garden, put in
50:36plants and see what happens.
50:38See there's just so many
50:39pollinators already and they
50:41just love all the blue flowers.
50:43So we've only been here a
50:44couple of months and before we
50:46got here it was pretty sad.
50:48Lots of white coarse gravel,
50:49rotting camellias and standard
50:52roses and nothing really
50:53salvageable.
50:54So we just started completely
50:56from scratch.
50:57It's pretty different from what
50:58I'm doing at work.
50:59It's more about play and
51:01experimenting with plants that I
51:02don't get to work with day to
51:03day.
51:04So it's quick growing annuals and
51:07perennials and just thinking
51:08about flowers and colour and
51:11covering the ground.
51:12In the backyard it was pretty
51:14much a brick paved courtyard so
51:16we've just emphasised greenery
51:18around the back since.
51:20The green wall was really a way
51:22of solving the issue that we
51:23looked into the neighbours'
51:25bedroom.
51:25But it's pretty simple.
51:27It's a bunch of half hanging
51:28baskets with plants just
51:29arranged so you've got a
51:30combination of plants going
51:32upwards and those cascading
51:33down.
51:34So hopefully in a year's time you
51:35don't see any of the underlying
51:36structure.
51:40So this little garden bed in the
51:41backyard is not very big.
51:43It's about one metre wide by four
51:44metres long and we put it in
51:46pretty much two weeks after
51:48moving in.
51:48It's a lot of plants from the
51:50old place so just jamming them
51:51in.
51:52They're probably only 20
51:53centimetres apart.
51:54At the moment there's lots of
51:56purples and magenta but it will
51:59shift to a lot more oranges when
52:01we go forward.
52:02So the plants like this geum,
52:04tangerine and there's some
52:05Leonodes lenuris to come up
52:07through the back as well.
52:08And we do also have natives like
52:11this scovola here which provide
52:14a really good ground cover and
52:16they're just a beautiful colour.
52:18We should have more native plants
52:19in our urban landscapes but for
52:22me my garden's not about that
52:24and for it to be a place of play
52:26it really needs to stretch my
52:28boundaries of plants that I don't
52:30know a lot about because I don't
52:31work on them day to day and to
52:33just be playing with colour and
52:35texture.
52:37And it is my belief that we will in
52:39future merge to a much more blurry
52:43boundary between the native exotic
52:45divide and we'll be accepting
52:47plantings because it's the right
52:49plant for the right place and
52:51designing mixtures around that
52:53rather than plant origin.
52:56So I've got lots of pots here and I
52:58really love growing dahlias.
53:00They're just super super generous and
53:03easy to grow and I actually take a lot
53:06of joy in deadheading them in an
53:09afternoon when I come home from work.
53:11And look at this beautiful gorgeous
53:13colour.
53:14She is a beaut.
53:16This garden's pretty magic to me.
53:19I just feel like it's grown so fast,
53:22so rapidly.
53:23It's like the plants know I want them
53:25to be here and it just makes me feel
53:27so serene.
53:28It's a real retreat and you come in
53:30through the gate, you just see all
53:32that beauty and joy and you leave the
53:33day behind.
53:36As well as gardening, in my downtime,
53:38I also like to paint plants.
53:40Most people think there's a big
53:41disconnect between art and science.
53:43You know, one is left brain, one is
53:45right brain.
53:46But the more I do both, the more I see
53:48similarities.
53:49They're both about experimenting,
53:51asking questions like what if, and
53:53then going to the next step.
53:55When I'm painting and drawing, I'm
53:57looking at that plant really closely.
53:59I'm interpreting the arrangement of the
54:01leaves, the way the flowers sit, and
54:04it's just another way of taking
54:05observations or measurements of plants.
54:09So when I think about my career in
54:11plants, it wasn't a straightforward
54:14path, but I could not have imagined I
54:16would have got to where I am now.
54:19When I came to Burnley, I really
54:20relished the chance to be involved
54:23with design, with urban horticulture,
54:25urban plantings, and just helping
54:27making cities more liveable.
54:29Having a beautiful house in our own
54:31garden is such a blessing, and
54:34really, I can't imagine a better life,
54:36but I didn't think it would pan out
54:38like this.
54:39Cheers.
54:48Cool temperate gardeners clear out spent
54:50summer crops this weekend and compost any
54:53final fruits or foliage, clearing the decks
54:56for soil preparation and sowing of
54:58wonderful winter crops.
55:00If you have pumpkins to be picked, get onto it
55:03before the first frosts hit.
55:04Sit them somewhere sunny and protected for a
55:07few days to help the skin cure, and then store
55:10in a cool dry spot.
55:13Australia's native cobra, the cobra greenhood orchid,
55:16is coming into flower now.
55:18This rare ground orchid has striking white flower heads
55:21with green stripes, said to look like the head of a snake.
55:26In warm temperate gardens, it's bold planting time.
55:30In well-prepared soil or pots, plant your stunning spring flower
55:33faves, including jonquils, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths.
55:38Give empty veggie beds some love this weekend.
55:42Top up levels with aged composts and manures, mulch with straw,
55:46and sow quick-growing green manure seeds to improve tired summer soils.
55:53Spend time in your garden as the seasons change,
55:55and notice where the sun sits as it shifts
55:58towards its winter position.
56:00This will help you plan your winter patch
56:02and make the most of the toasty sun traps that remain.
56:06Plant the perfect perennial, the winged bean.
56:10Fast-growing climbers that love the subtropics,
56:13all plant parts can be eaten.
56:15As citrus trees start to slow down going into winter,
56:19now's the time to give them their last supper,
56:21a good feed of aged chook manure or blood and bone
56:24to see them through till spring.
56:27As the weather cools down, so does your compost.
56:30So give it a good turn, a little water,
56:32and whack in some comfrey, borage or chook poo
56:35to keep your heaps hot and happening.
56:38Tropical gardeners, as the season changes from wet to dry,
56:42the weather can catch us by surprise.
56:45Sow seeds and young plants under cover
56:47to avoid them being drowned or destroyed by the weather.
56:51Flowering now is the lovely lemon myrtle.
56:54Its fragrant, creamy white flowers are a beacon for butterflies and bees.
56:59Tip prune after flowering to prevent seed setting.
57:03Get down, get dirty and show your soil some love.
57:07Feed well with trace elements,
57:09treat to some aged compost,
57:11lavish with a liquid seaweed
57:12and replace those nutrients lost over the wet season.
57:17In arid zones, April is a cracking month in the garden.
57:21Get rolling this weekend with a round of winter veg.
57:24Both broccoli and cauliflower can be sown now
57:27and they'll rocket away in the mid-autumn weather.
57:30Plant everlasting daisies now for a stunning spring display.
57:34Scattering seeds over cultivated garden beds
57:37will create swathes of colour
57:39and a wonderful wild meadow in a few months.
57:43Herbalicious perennial favourites marjoram and oregano
57:46are perfect to plant now.
57:48Both thrive in full sun,
57:50are great between pavers or in pots,
57:52planters, hanging baskets and pasta.
57:55Get into the garden this weekend
57:57and as always,
57:58connect with the Gardening Australia family
58:00on our social pages at Facebook and Instagram.
58:11Well, that's it for another week.
58:13But we're already lining up the dominoes for next time.
58:17Take a look.
58:19I'm going to create the perfect low-maintenance pot
58:22of unusual succulent beauties for shady indoor spaces.
58:26Around two and a half years ago,
58:28we visited my dad's place,
58:30shortly after he moved to Nipaluna Hobart.
58:32Well, these days you can hardly recognise the place
58:35and I can't wait to show you around.
58:38And how beautiful are these?
58:41I'm learning everything there is to know
58:42about growing and preparing this ancient aromatic fruit.
58:46It's a quince and you get to smell along with me.
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