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Gardening Australia - Season 37 Episode 12
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00:05Hey!
00:06Hi!
00:11Whoa!
00:16Hey!
00:19Hey, buddy!
00:22Hey!
00:24Hey!
00:25Hey!
00:27Hey!
00:33Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:37Our wheelbarrow is overflowing with stories this week
00:40and we've got the pick of the crop.
00:43Take a look.
00:46This week I am getting down and dirty
00:49and learning everything there is to know
00:51about growing one of the world's most popular vegetables.
00:57I'm checking out some more unusual native plants
01:01that you may not be familiar with,
01:03but they're all perfect for creating a beautiful layered urban garden.
01:09Locals call this place the hedge house,
01:11but within these hedges is a dreamy cottage garden.
01:14Ultimately I would say it's a perennial garden,
01:17trying to keep away from annuals in this space.
01:20And we meet a gardener killing the competition.
01:24Everyone say yes!
01:26Gardening for me is therapeutic.
01:29It's aesthetic.
01:30It's, you know, allows me to just be alone and relax.
01:40When you start growing food in your garden,
01:43you realise there's a whole world of choice out there
01:46that you just can't get at the shops.
01:49Josh is visiting a collector in Perth
01:52who's gone further down that rabbit hole than most.
02:02You're watching Gardening Australia right now,
02:04so that suggests you have, at the very least,
02:08a passing interest in plants.
02:12What if that interest developed into a hobby
02:15that spawned a niche collection,
02:18that fuelled a passion to share plants with other people,
02:22that then evolved into a full-blown obsession?
02:28This is exactly what happened to Cyrus Rossill.
02:31He lives in the suburbs of Perth,
02:33about a half-hour drive south of the city centre.
02:37Since moving to this property in 2008,
02:40he has planted hundreds of trees
02:43in this 350 square metres of garden,
02:46many of them exotic fruit trees from all over the globe.
02:50It's an interest that has literally taken over his home.
02:58So, Cyrus, what happened?
03:00Well, you know, all of a sudden,
03:02I found myself pretty much collecting fruit trees.
03:07It does not go by one month
03:10without one, two, three new varieties.
03:12It's crazy.
03:13I just can't help myself finding new things, really.
03:15What draws you to this interesting collection of plants?
03:18Everything, really.
03:19If it's fruiting, if you can eat part of the plant,
03:23I'm interested.
03:24Like, even what some people would call a B-grade fruit,
03:27you know, the ones that don't taste as good as,
03:29I don't know, a mangosteen.
03:31An example would be this one here, the dwarf tamarillo.
03:34You know, people love tamarillo,
03:36especially if you're from, let's say, New Zealand.
03:38This is a different species.
03:39This is called the dwarf orange tamarillo.
03:42The size of the fruit,
03:43it's literally the size of a small blueberry or pea,
03:46and it's sweet.
03:48It's a dwarf, obviously.
03:49This is the maximum size,
03:50easy to grow from cutting.
03:52I've also got a fruiting fujoa.
03:54This is the Australian cultivar called the duffy.
03:58You can see some fruits right here.
04:00Fujoa is pretty extraordinary.
04:02They're incredibly drought-tolerant.
04:03A lot of people think they're from New Zealand
04:05when they're actually from a cool part of Brazil.
04:09And the flower petals are absolutely delicious.
04:12They taste like vanilla.
04:14Yeah, black apple here, the natal plum, if you want.
04:16Here's a cool example of a kind of a rare spinach-type tree.
04:21It's actually called chaya or tree spinach.
04:23You've got to have some caution around it
04:25because it's got things like cyanide in it and oxalates.
04:29So you do need to cook it, but it's very popular in Asian cuisine.
04:33I've got a fruit on the pineapple over there.
04:36And above the pineapple is a really cool tree from the US.
04:40It can get quite large.
04:42Mine's around two and a half metres.
04:44Sugarberry or hackberry.
04:45A little berries are as sweet as chocolate, actually.
04:48Oh, yeah.
04:49Yeah.
04:54I can see you're obviously chopping and dropping all of the material.
04:58All the time, almost daily.
04:59Yeah, why not?
05:00Why pay for fertiliser, seriously?
05:01When you can chop and drop, keep things low.
05:05And just like us getting hair cut, plants love a good prune.
05:11Hey, Josh, check this out.
05:13Have a smell of this.
05:14What's this one?
05:15Kind of savoury, almost brothy.
05:17Yeah, have a taste.
05:19It's almost like a broth soup or something.
05:21Yeah, yeah.
05:22A meaty smell.
05:22That's what the Chinese do with it.
05:24Yeah, it's called beef and onion plant.
05:26Is that right?
05:26Yeah.
05:27Yeah.
05:27I can see why.
05:28Yeah.
05:29And what, you just put it in soups or...?
05:31Yeah, soup, you know, stir fry, whatever you want, really.
05:33Hmm.
05:38Oh, my goodness.
05:42I know I'm stating the obvious, Cyrus, but you've squeezed a lot of plants in here.
05:47Oh, yeah.
05:47What's your approach?
05:48Well, I am not a planner, Josh.
05:51I'm not a planner.
05:52I am spontaneous.
05:53You know, plants can be moved.
05:54I've got two massive five-minute plants.
05:57Literally, the bark is like 15 centimetres apart.
06:00Nature adapts.
06:01All I need is a path to walk.
06:03That's it.
06:04All I need is a path.
06:05And you've got layered planting.
06:06Oh, yes.
06:07So shrubs or small trees under the big trees.
06:09Yeah, so like a coffee tree needs shade.
06:10So there's a lot of shade here, and it's growing really well.
06:14It's a 15-year-old dwarf, perfectly adapted to the slightly alkaline soils of Perth.
06:19And lots of fruit.
06:21You should see it when it's flowering, too.
06:23I eat the berries.
06:25There's a bit of sweet flesh.
06:26When they're red, obviously.
06:27Yeah, when they're red.
06:28And they ripen at different times.
06:30And what few people know is that the leaf makes an incredible tea.
06:35So what's that big tree in the back?
06:37That looks like it's going to get huge.
06:38Oh, yeah.
06:39The java plum, in fact, it's actually just started to fruit.
06:4320 kilos this year.
06:44It's a juvenile.
06:45It's only like 12, 13 years old.
06:47It's 4 metres now, but it'll get to, I don't know, 25 metres.
06:52Well, I'm looking around, mate.
06:54You're going to get short of space.
06:56Never.
06:57Never.
07:01I see you also do a lot of growing in pots.
07:03Why is that?
07:04Well, pots are easy.
07:05I can bring them inside if it gets too hot or cold.
07:08Also, I can put pots under trees and water the pots and the ground gets watered.
07:14I find that fruits fruit quicker in pots as well.
07:17There's quite a lot that will grow better in pots.
07:21When they fill up the roots, then they grow up the shoots and they push out fruits.
07:26Now, I have to say, what you're doing here is pretty intense.
07:29I mean, it would blow most people away, the number of plants that you've squeezed in.
07:33Oh, yeah.
07:34I've got to ask, you know, why?
07:38What's driving you to do all this?
07:39Well, it's the passion, you know.
07:41I want to be able to grow as many types of fruit trees as possible, the biodiversity.
07:46People tell me, oh, you've got to buy a bigger property, go on a farm.
07:49But I always find room to plant another plant.
07:52You cannot run out of room.
07:54It's just not possible.
07:58Later in the program, we'll be back at Cyrus' place
08:01to take a closer look at his collection of South American chapotocabas and eugenias
08:06and what it takes to grow them in pots here in Perth.
08:14Is it best to sow seed into punnets and trays or individual pots?
08:18Well, I use both methods depending on what plant I'm trying to grow.
08:23Things like vegetables, annuals and even some little perennials, I go into a big tray.
08:27I put lots of seed in.
08:28As they germinate, I prick them out into pots and I get lots of plants that way.
08:33But when it comes to things like trees and shrubs, I don't want their roots disturbed by pricking out.
08:38So instead, I sow into these cells.
08:42As they germinate, I can thin with my scissors to a few plants
08:45and then over time I choose the strongest.
08:47That's the plant that gets potted up into its individual pot
08:51and it'll be really happy and healthy.
08:54Is lichen bad for my frangipani?
08:58A backyard frangipani is an Aussie classic.
09:01They're actually from Mexico, but we've taken to their crazy sculptural form
09:05and the flowers have become a scent of summer.
09:08In the cooler months when they lose all their leaves, you might notice that your frangipani has started to play
09:13host to lichen.
09:15Frangipanis do suffer from diseases, but lichen is not a problem for them at all.
09:20In fact, its little roots, called rhizines, don't even penetrate through the bark.
09:26Lichens are pretty amazing.
09:28Some grow less than a millimetre a year and they can live for centuries.
09:33They're not one creature, but a symbiotic relationship between an alga or cyanobacteria and a fungus.
09:39In fact, lichens only like to grow in a nice, clean environment, so take it as a compliment.
09:46Here's lichen, your frangipani.
09:49What are chenopods?
09:50Chenopod is a term used to describe a group of plants often found in arid or semi-arid areas of
09:57the world.
09:57They're mostly herbaceous or shrubby, have reduced succulent and silvery leaves
10:03and have adapted to soils that are often dry, saline and or alkaline where other plants like big trees don't
10:11thrive.
10:12We have lots of native chenopods such as saltbush, atriplex or rugodia, chenopodium, mariana or bluebush and samphires.
10:22Some valuable food plants are chenopods too, like spinach and amaranth.
10:33Few gardening moments give me more of a thrill than the little treasure hunt of plunging your hands into the
10:42soil
10:42to unearth a delicious homegrown tuber.
10:46And the tastiest tuber of them all has its own festival.
10:49Millie went along to see what happens when an entire town decides that the potato deserves a party.
11:02Here in the central highlands of Victoria, sitting atop the Great Dividing Range, is Jarrah Country.
11:09It's at one of the highest elevations in the state.
11:12And since the 1860s, when much of the tall forest was converted into fields,
11:17the humble spud has been at the heart of the farming landscape.
11:22I do about 50 or 60 acres a year, so that converts to a bit over 600 tonne of seed.
11:27If you break that down in that 600 tonne of how many individual tubers there are,
11:32you'd be into the millions.
11:33All eventually end up in a chip packet or on a plate.
11:38Rob Lockhart is a generational spud grower,
11:41who's farmed potatoes across central Victoria for about 30 years.
11:44He now produces certified seed potatoes for other growers.
11:50That is just the most beautiful soil I've seen.
11:53I don't think I'd eat the potatoes. I feel like I didn't eat the soil.
11:56It's an amazing piece of dirt, Millie.
11:58What we've got is basically a straight volcanic ash.
12:02Little lice, little great texture.
12:04Right, so there's nothing holding that together.
12:06No, no, no. It doesn't stick at all.
12:07It just falls apart.
12:08Wow.
12:09Just gently press those little bits and it just falls apart.
12:12And so that's great for spuds?
12:13It's tremendous for spuds because it's a volcanic-based soil.
12:16It's got a high iron content.
12:19It's inherently strong just in its very self.
12:21We don't actually have to top it up with a hell of a lot of additional furt.
12:26And it's that rich soil and favourable climate
12:29that attracted the vast number of Irish immigrants who came to farm.
12:34They brought with them a very good knowledge of potato growing.
12:37So they cleared the timber, blew up the boulders
12:40and turned it into potato farms.
12:42I imagine that was quite a big workforce that would come through the region.
12:46Oh, it was.
12:47And part of the deal was is you'd provide accommodation for them
12:50and nearly every spud farm had a little spud hut.
12:53Spud hut for people to live in?
12:54Spud hut for people to live in.
12:55Pretty basic, but chimney, watertight bed, table.
13:04And with a history of potatoes in this region, the nearby town of Trentham is the perfect location to celebrate
13:11the spud.
13:14And every year in autumn as the harvest season hits its peak, the town puts on a party to celebrate
13:20the diversity and deliciousness of the spud.
13:23And it's a colourful, competitive and culinary event.
13:35Tell me where spud first began.
13:38It started 18 years ago as a celebration of Trentham just to lift people's spirits after the big drought at
13:45the start of the 2000s.
13:47But obviously since then it's just continued to grow and grow.
13:50So who comes here to bring the spuds?
13:54We have some significant farming families who've been here for generations.
13:59This is the day where they're here to shine.
14:01They get to meet the people themselves and you get to buy directly from the farmers.
14:05You know, the diversity here on display is actually quite amazing.
14:08It is.
14:09At the supermarket, I joke, you either get the variety of spuds is washed or unwashed.
14:14Here you have 27 on display right in front of your face.
14:20Currently we've got 23 varieties for sale today.
14:2323?
14:24So, yeah, there's something like over 6,000 different varieties of potatoes in the world.
14:29And everything from purples and pinks and reds and beautiful cream coloured potatoes that we're really used to.
14:36But these vibrant colour ones are just amazing.
14:39So we've got a whole lot of those for sale today as well.
14:42Louisa is from the local Dunn family who've been growing potatoes for five generations.
14:47So who better to ask for some growing tips?
14:52First thing is that potatoes, you've got to be really careful because if you don't get them out,
14:56they actually then self-seed for the next year.
14:59So what starts as one potato plant going in will then turn into 20 potato plants.
15:04So just be careful because they're really good at setting off.
15:07And wait until the plant fully dies off.
15:10So when the plant fully dies off, that's when you know that the potatoes, the skin has set and it's
15:14ready to be harvested.
15:15If you're going to grow one potato, is there one that you think is healthy, productive and really easy to
15:23grow?
15:24I think the King Edwards for me.
15:26So the King Edward is a good all-rounder.
15:28It's an English variety, beautiful skin with pink flecks through it.
15:33But the thing is, it's the one potato you can use for boiling.
15:37It doesn't disintegrate when you boil it.
15:39You can also use it for a roast and a lot of people love them as the roast.
15:44And also you've got to do, you know, oven-fried chips.
15:47So use the King Edward, give it a crack.
15:50So what did you buy?
15:51I bought Nicola, Kennebec, I bought some Sebago and Kipfla potatoes.
15:57All classics?
15:58Yeah.
15:59I find it really hard to go to the supermarket and find a green potato.
16:04That really pisses me off.
16:06That's true.
16:07You need the nice dirty ones like this.
16:09It's good to see you here supporting the local Spudfest.
16:12Yeah, I am local, so it's great.
16:14Yeah.
16:17All of this Spud talk is making me hungry.
16:20And there is no such thing as an Australian country festival
16:24without a CWA scone.
16:26But this is Spudfest.
16:28And these are a little bit different.
16:30There are potatoes in the scone mix.
16:32Yep.
16:33Right.
16:33Mashed potato or...?
16:34Mashed potato, very gently, mixed in with the flour,
16:37rubbed in a little bit like you would rub in butter.
16:44Oh, it's light, but it's got a nice density to it.
16:47Mm.
16:48To find out about matching the right potato for the dish,
16:51third-generation farmers, sisters, Kerry and Catherine,
16:55are the ones to ask.
16:57The main thing that Spud Sisters is trying to educate everyone
17:00is about the difference between waxy potatoes
17:03and floury potatoes or starchy potatoes.
17:06Starchy potatoes are the ones that you need to roast
17:09and fry and make a fluffy mash.
17:12And then there's a waxy potato, which is denser
17:15and it's more creamy.
17:17Creamy.
17:18If you are going to make a potato and leek soup,
17:20you need a potato to break down
17:22because you want it to blend and to thicken.
17:24And that would be one of the starchy potatoes.
17:27If you want to make a vegetable soup,
17:29you've got to have a waxy potato
17:31because you want it to stay in its pieces.
17:33And once you understand that,
17:35it makes a huge difference the way that you cook.
17:39If you want to learn 101 ways to use potatoes,
17:43this is the place.
17:52Thank you!
17:54Oh, yum!
17:57On your mark, get set, go!
18:01But it's not all about eating.
18:03This small community festival
18:04really aims to have something for everyone,
18:07including the competitive Spud Olympics,
18:10where punters carry, race and even peel the spud.
18:15There's a lot of competition here today
18:17and I can't leave without entering something,
18:19so I've just been handed a peeler.
18:21Don't know if my chances are going to beat the record,
18:23120 centimetres,
18:25but I'm going to give it a go.
18:27Three, two, one, peel!
18:30You've got to watch the eyes.
18:33I'm going to try a little wriggle technique
18:35to see if I can move through some of that difficult...
18:43You're still going.
18:45Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:46Tough Summoners.
18:47No!
18:50No!
18:51You've got a nice one of those in there.
18:52It's going round the corner.
18:53Oh!
18:54Going back up the blank side.
18:56Last year's winner.
18:58Watch out your pillows, please.
18:59Why don't everybody?
19:01Anyone got something to make?
19:02Oh!
19:03It's really good!
19:05It's very good.
19:06Okay.
19:07David's a tug.
19:08No, mine's a great deal.
19:09So close!
19:10Did you...
19:11You'll meet a 20.
19:12There we go.
19:14Oh no, she beat me!
19:15Oh!
19:16So close!
19:19There is no doubting that the potato is one of the world's most powerful plants.
19:25Over the thousands of years of their cultivation, they've travelled all over the world and influenced
19:30landscapes, societies and economies.
19:33But here, in the red dirt, on the other side of the world, they are absolutely bringing
19:38this community together.
19:40And I think that's pretty delicious.
19:47If you like Carpobrotus pig face, you'll love this.
19:52You see, this is related.
19:54It's a member of the Mesembryanthemum family.
19:57And it comes from South Africa.
19:59And it's a succulent.
20:01It's not easy to see, but all of this growth comes from one base which stores moisture.
20:08And these leaves sprout in response to winter rain.
20:13They do lose their leaves quite dramatically as they go into dormancy.
20:19And this can be a bit of a shock if you've never grown one of these beautiful things before.
20:24But it's just a normal phase when they rest during drought.
20:28But in winter, they start to flower.
20:32And these flowers are absolutely gorgeous.
20:35And what makes them look even better is the detail.
20:38If you're looking close at these leaves, they're covered in little crystalline structures
20:44which help to capture sunlight in order to help this plant produce energy to get it through the next drought.
20:53This plant can be propagated by cuttings during the cool season period of growth.
20:59And it forms a beautiful little clump.
21:03It doesn't need deep soil.
21:04So as they get bigger, you can grow them in a shallow pot.
21:08But as a specimen plant, I think this is something which I aspire to grow.
21:14It's a lovely little member of the Mesembryanthemum family.
21:37This place is absolutely brimming with exquisite native plants.
21:43It's the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne in Melbourne's southeast.
21:47And today, I'm on a mission to show you some less familiar plants that can combine perfectly
21:54to create layers in an urban garden.
21:57Of course, there's a massive and marvellous array of Aussie plants.
22:02We're all familiar with many, like weeping gums, eye-popping kangaroo paws,
22:08and westringes clipped into neat balls.
22:10But today, let's head a bit off the beaten track to find some underused but very adaptable
22:18and appealing native species.
22:22Canopy layers can be tricky to achieve in an urban space.
22:25But having just one tree to look up at and sit under creates that sense of immersion.
22:32And of course, trees are a vital stepping stone for birds to fly from one garden to another.
22:47This is the Weeping Mile.
22:50I love its delicate, cascading silver foliage when it catches the sun,
22:55but more importantly, when it catches the breeze.
22:59Now, it's threatened in the wild and it grows from southeast Queensland to northern New South Wales.
23:06It normally reaches a height of about 12 metres, but for small gardens,
23:12you can prune it and keep it down to about four or five metres
23:16and get this beautiful form and movement.
23:19I love this tree.
23:23For something a little taller but still contained,
23:27this deep yellow wood here catches my fancy.
23:30What I like about it is that the branches are quite clear up to about two metres,
23:37meaning that it gives you views through to the rest of the garden.
23:42But equally, there's space here to put a table and chairs
23:47and enjoy the shade that you're putting the tree in for.
23:51In its native subtropical dry rainforest, it can reach 20 metres high,
23:56but rarely grows more than 12 metres in home gardens and cooler climates.
24:02It's got these bright pinkish-red flowers that are a real treat.
24:07They turn to hard brown fruits that hang a bit like a cluster of grapes for months.
24:13And they act as a great mini habitat for insects, which, of course, attract the birds.
24:19And you know what?
24:20With a little bit of selective pruning early on,
24:23I could see the deep yellow wood growing in urban streets.
24:28It's got that nice form.
24:33The celery wood is another tree that stays smaller in cool climates.
24:38It can handle the sun, but will also do OK if it's overshadowed by a building,
24:44or in this case, the large acacia that's towering behind it.
24:51It has big, glossy leaves, giving it a tropical vibe that form an umbrella-shaped crown.
24:58It's reasonably fast-growing,
24:59and it's found in a wide range of ecosystems along the coast.
25:04Now, the leaves and form of this tree alone make it an attractive feature,
25:09but as for the flowers, well, they're a bonus.
25:16Creating a lush backdrop helps to give depth to a garden.
25:20And that's when the mid-layer comes to the fore.
25:24Screening plants are a common priority in urban gardens,
25:28helping to create privacy.
25:30And I've got a couple of lesser-known options to show you.
25:36Lyonema green screen is a great alternative to buxus or morea.
25:41Have a look at those gorgeous white flowers.
25:44It has small, dense foliage that grows right to the ground.
25:49Here's another great mid-layer plant.
25:52It's called Calistomon Packers Selection.
25:55Now, this bottle brush, look at it.
25:58It's just about to flower with these beautiful wispy flowers
26:03that are going to cover this.
26:05It's going to be ablaze with red.
26:06It's a manageable, narrow form of the shrub.
26:10And what they've done here is plant it quite closely together
26:14so that it's created this beautiful, curving, screen-like effect
26:20that works well.
26:23Of course, you can't go past climbers if your space is limited.
26:28This is gum vine.
26:30And it's got this beautiful, lush, dense foliage.
26:34And here it's been trained into a big wall of greenery
26:39around the boundary of the garden.
26:41A lovely alternative to more traditional plants
26:45such as ivy and jasmine.
26:47It's evergreen and reliable with these prolific, creamy flowers
26:53that last a long time,
26:55as the showy part is the sepals rather than the petals.
27:00No garden layering is complete without some understorey stars.
27:05In a sunny spot, Grevillea levis is perfect.
27:09It has this wonderful gradient of colour
27:12that starts at white and then moves through pink
27:16and then onto red.
27:17And when it's planted en masse like this,
27:20it absolutely shines.
27:22It looks soft and fluffy,
27:25but the foliage is really quite spiky,
27:28which makes it a perfect haven for small birds seeking shelter.
27:33It's from Western Australia
27:35and usually grows on sandy soils,
27:38but can be found grafted to suit a wider range of soils
27:41and doesn't mind some extra moisture in the heat.
27:47Zyria littoralis can be grown as a dense ground cover
27:51or more open shrub with gorgeous grey, velvety leaves.
27:56It thrives in dappled shade.
27:58It looks delicate,
28:00but it's actually a really tough and useful plant.
28:05In Victoria, it's a threatened species
28:08and it's a great genus to look into if you haven't heard of it before.
28:12Similar in look and care to things like the Philothecas
28:17and the Corriers, which are all from the Rutaceae family.
28:21One point to make about them is that they're ideal
28:24for those really tricky places to grow under trees
28:28where there's not a lot of moisture.
28:29They love those conditions.
28:33You'd be forgiven for thinking
28:35this is some kind of hybrid Godinia or Scavola,
28:39but it's Coupinookia georgii.
28:41It's from the south coast of WA,
28:43but look at it thriving here with excellent drainage.
28:47It's perfect for a cottage or natural perennial-style garden
28:51in pots, rockeries or well-drained beds in part shade.
28:58So it's great to keep in mind
29:00that there's a huge range of appealing native plants
29:03and not just the usual suspects.
29:06I hope you've been inspired to branch out,
29:09visit your local botanic gardens and native plant nurseries
29:13and get layering.
29:15Still to come on Gardening Australia,
29:18we visit a cottage garden dreamscape,
29:22meet the queen of the urban jungle,
29:25and get you working in the garden this weekend.
29:35Earlier in the show, plant collector Cyrus Ross Hill
29:39showed us some of the more exotic, productive plants
29:42growing in his Perth suburban garden.
29:45With such a diverse and interesting collection,
29:48are there any particular groups of plants that you're drawn to?
29:52Yeah, absolutely, Josh. Eugenia's and Jabodicaba's my favourite.
29:55They're really good because they can fruit in pots.
29:58They only occupy a one metre space, most of them.
30:01There's like 1,200 Eugenia species around the world.
30:04I have 26, for example, the Patangatuba.
30:08Imagine a fruit that is yellow and ribbed
30:12and smells like mango, passion fruit and pineapple,
30:16and it tastes the same.
30:17Another example is the Eugenia and Candoliana,
30:21which is the rainforest plum, a delicious sweet fruit.
30:24This one's been flowering for the first time only recently.
30:29We have here lots of flower buds on the Eugenia observa.
30:35I am very excited to be able to taste this fruit soon.
30:39All the famous rare Eugenia here, like the savannah cherry.
30:44Check out all these fruits on the grimmel.
30:47A grimmel's called large-leaf Jabodicaba in Australia,
30:51a grimmel in the rest of the world.
30:52And it's actually surprising me.
30:54It's fruiting for a third time this year.
30:56Another testament to why Jabodicaba especially
30:59do really well in pots.
31:01They do turn from green to purple kind of quick.
31:05In fact, I would not be surprised to see some tomorrow.
31:09That quickly?
31:10That quickly, yeah.
31:11And that's why it gets the name Brazilian Grape Tree.
31:13Absolutely.
31:14Because they look like little bunches of grapes down the stem.
31:16The fact that it's firming on the bark,
31:18it's called coliforming.
31:20I'm gutted, I'm just a bit early.
31:21Oh, yeah.
31:22Come tomorrow.
31:23Here's another totally different Jabodicaba,
31:28which some people call the false Jabodicaba
31:30because it's in a different genus, not the Plinia genus.
31:34This is called roxa blue.
31:36It likes extra sun.
31:38Most Jabodicaba, you know, especially in Perth,
31:41need a bit of protection from the sun.
31:43And here we have a really cool hybridised Jabodicaba created in the Midwest of WA.
31:50This is a cross between the highly regarded red Jabodicaba with the giant red crystal.
31:57And it's a world first.
31:59So given this was growing in, you know, Midwest WA,
32:04and, you know, they originally come from South America,
32:06clearly they're very adaptable given how tough the conditions are in WA.
32:11Yeah, absolutely.
32:11Yeah, absolutely.
32:12So obviously in some shade, close to Geraldton.
32:16However, a lot of Jabodicabas like the Sabara, the Grimmel,
32:20the yellow Jabodicaba can survive minus three Celsius.
32:29Cyrus, this Jabodicaba is looking a bit crook. What's up?
32:32Well, you know, the leaves are telling me that there could be root rot.
32:35It wasn't a good idea to put it in such a big pot as well,
32:39especially a self-watering pot.
32:41It needs really good drainage.
32:43So I suspect that we might have to repot this.
32:47Jabodicaba love good drainage.
32:49So anything that sand, peat moss is pretty good, perlite,
32:54all these things make really good potting mix for Jabodicaba.
32:58And so what I want to do is just get rid of as much as this before I tip it
33:03out
33:04because it's kind of a delicate operation.
33:06This is a Scarlet Jabodicaba, which is a dwarf and potentially fruits five times a year.
33:12Wow.
33:13So it's one of the most productive and the sweetest.
33:16So you think it's just been too boggy?
33:18It's been too boggy.
33:19And the roots aren't well established.
33:20Yeah, I think what we can do is give it a little shake.
33:23Shake, yeah, I'll hold it for you.
33:24Great, watch out. There might be some water.
33:27There we go. Oh, whoa, there we go.
33:29Gee, the roots are really compromised.
33:30Yeah, I was suspecting this.
33:32Now, is that going to be okay still?
33:33It's totally fine.
33:34All right.
33:34These guys bounce back.
33:35Look at the fine roots.
33:37They're almost eaten away.
33:39A very unusual shape.
33:41Is that common?
33:42It can be.
33:42A kind of contorted root like that or has it been root bound?
33:45It's a sign the previous owner hasn't really had good potting mix in the past.
33:51So now what I'm going to do, put a layer of premium potting mix down,
33:56just as a good base, press it in a bit.
33:58And as I put the potting mix in, I lift it up so that the roots can stay deeper.
34:04Let's use the cocoa peat and perlite mix.
34:08It's fluffy.
34:09It's got excellent air in the soil, in the potting mix.
34:14And it's got excellent drainage as well.
34:17And I'll just tap in the sides.
34:20There you go.
34:20I kind of liked how the roots are coming out a bit.
34:23Really?
34:24Yeah.
34:24Well, you know, Jabodicaba are coliforming.
34:27They will fruit on the roots as well.
34:29If the roots are a tiny bit exposed in the air, you'll have some really cool fruits on the base.
34:34Is that going to have the stability you need?
34:36I reckon a steak would help.
34:39Let's get this guy in.
34:41Yeah, so I reckon it's done.
34:44Put on a bit of good mulch and I reckon just a little soak and that's it.
34:49Okay.
34:49And how long will you leave it in this pot before repotting?
34:54Oh yeah, even five years.
34:56Really?
34:56Yeah.
34:57However, if everything goes well, it'll be fruiting in only two.
35:00And how big will it get in this size pot?
35:02Scarlet is a dwarf, so we're talking 1.5 metres, even in a large pot.
35:07And you're happy for it to grow almost to that size in this pot or will it be stunted?
35:11Totally fine.
35:12Totally fine.
35:12Jabodicaba are very, very adaptable in small pots.
35:16Okay.
35:18It's hard not to be drawn in by Cyrus' interest in edible plants that are not yet mainstream in Australia.
35:24So why not think about planting something a little different in your garden this weekend?
35:29If you're looking for a touch of the exotic.
35:38Gardens are places to live your vision, to carve out a little slice of how you see the world.
35:45Hannah's visiting a garden insignet that's one woman's dream come to life.
36:02Once again, Tassie turns on the charm. This time I'm in the idyllic waterside
36:07town of Cygnet. While this picturesque town is home to the region's free-growing
36:13heritage, it's not hard to find pockets of beauty at every turn.
36:21Locals call this place the Hedge House, and you can see why.
36:31This pretty cottage garden is home to retired teacher Jo, who's created incredible beauty
36:37with an emphasis on colour.
36:51Hi Jo. Hi Hannah. How are you?
36:54I'm so happy to be here. Nice to see you.
36:56What an amazing garden to walk into Jo. Thank you Hannah.
37:01Wow. Ultimately I would say it's a perennial garden, trying to keep away from annuals in
37:05this space. Bit of colour coordination going on.
37:09Yes there is. We're in the blue zone over here.
37:12We are in the blue zone. Bit more yellow coming through later in the season.
37:16Sure. Then we go through reds and purples, maroons, and then down into hot pink and orange.
37:22Love that. Still moving a few things around.
37:24Always. You know, it's not quite right.
37:27So you've got some really interesting looking plants here Jo. What's this little beast?
37:31Oh this beast, this beast is called Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nine. Yeah.
37:34And there are variations of it. There's one with a really dark blue flower.
37:39Oh. And I only just read the label actually of this one and it says it was a seedling from
37:43a white one. Yeah.
37:44So I think that's why it's a little bit lighter.
37:46And what's this purple flower in front of us?
37:47The purple flower here, that's Allium Purple Rain.
37:50Yeah I love that. So that's a late spring flowering bulb.
37:52Sure. And the whole thing is hugged by this beautiful old hedge.
37:56What kind of hedge is that? I call it Honeysuckle Box. And it does have a teeny, tiny, weeny
38:01honeysuckle flower, which the bees love. It's probably just about finished that.
38:05Yeah. And you know, imitates the hills beyond it.
38:07That's right. Exactly. It's very beautiful. It is a frame.
38:09So you've got quite a lot of low plantings, but you've also placed in some trees I've noticed.
38:15What's your thinking there? Well, I mean you've got to have height. Yeah.
38:18And you've got to have shade and trees and shrubs give a perennial garden like this some structure.
38:24And then pleaching them means that underneath can still get light and you can see everything,
38:30but you're still getting there. And listen to the sound. That sound is just gorgeous.
38:34You wouldn't get that if you didn't have those trees there.
38:49There's not an inch of the property that Jo hasn't splashed with colour.
38:55So here we have the corals and the light pinks moving into a section of foliage plants.
39:01Beautiful. And then we're moving into this lovely eccentric eclectic lime green bronze.
39:09Fun. And a little bit of variegation. Yeah.
39:11Yeah. Just to have them in one spot.
39:14And then this is the sort of browns, bronzes, a little bit of this kind of blight, bright,
39:21bright, pinky, purpley, bluey colour. Yeah.
39:23And what's your thinking behind having like colour blocks throughout the garden?
39:27So really, I think it's a creative artistic kind of expression.
39:32And it's also a bit of that control freaky thing, which I'm happy to own.
39:38I don't think I've ever not loved gardening.
39:40I've always looked at things and imagined and Beatrix Potter and all that kind of, you know, fantasy sort of
39:46stuff.
39:47But we've always as a family had gardens or produce or farming or, you know, hands in the earth kind
39:55of stuff.
39:55So it's just part of who I and we are.
39:59And probably now I'm really most inspired by my grandchildren and children of that age,
40:04because they just throw a ban into the wind and they love it and they just do it.
40:08They don't overthink things. They don't wait for the right time.
40:11They just take a packet of seed and sprinkle it around and they grow or they don't grow one or
40:17the other.
40:18And in the backyard, fruit and veggies take centre stage.
40:24Oh, Jo, you've crowned in so many things in this small space.
40:28Yes, I tend to overcrowd a little bit.
40:30No, no, no, I love it.
40:31You know, that's okay, because things will be happy.
40:33And this beautiful lemon has just decided to go crazy and actually have some fruit and some flowers.
40:39And you've got lots of apple trees here as well.
40:42Yeah.
40:42Every season I would plant apples, you know, you had to buy a fruit tree.
40:46And now I think I've kind of done it because there's more in the chook pen.
40:49There's some down here.
40:50We've got quinces, a plum that's never done anything.
40:53And every year I threaten to take it out.
40:55But it's, you know, it's got a few flowers this year, so you know.
40:58I know.
40:59Do you know what?
40:59It's worth waiting because sometimes it takes time and it kicks in.
41:02Exactly. I know.
41:03And this is another beautiful plum.
41:04And the same thing, one year I thought, oh, you're never going to have anything.
41:07And then I looked in and there are all these amazing plums.
41:11All right, you can have another year.
41:13So on our way past, there's a few black currants and white currants.
41:17There's actually a few coming there.
41:19Ooh, coming on.
41:19And big berry patch.
41:20Especially with grandchildren, you've got to have a few berries, surplus everything.
41:24Yeah, absolutely.
41:24Absolutely.
41:25And then through here, we have the veggie garden.
41:28Wow.
41:28It's more like a market garden.
41:30Well, it's sort of, yes, it has expanded a tad.
41:33Oh, look at this soil.
41:34It's so healthy.
41:35The soil is beautiful.
41:36I mean, we still feed it up even though it's nice soil.
41:39Yeah.
41:39So much on the go here, Jo.
41:40I know, I know.
41:41I tend to just put lots of things in, lots of different places.
41:45And lots of flowers as well amongst the veggies.
41:47Yeah, lots of flowers.
41:48Flowers, well, you know, they just bring joy and they bring biodiversity.
41:52And the beneficial bugs.
41:53The beneficial bugs.
41:54All of that stuff.
41:55This purple sprouting broccoli is so productive.
41:57So productive.
41:58Love it.
41:59Love it.
41:59So Jo, what's your secret?
42:01Just feeding the soil with compost from the tip shop.
42:05Sheet manure, horse manure, covering with something that will break down.
42:10And vigilance, just looking, looking, looking all the time.
42:13Maybe some of these might get a bit aphidy.
42:15Yeah.
42:15So I just pick them off, give them to the chooks.
42:17Yeah.
42:17A few bugs is not a problem.
42:18As long as they don't eat everything down to ground.
42:20Yeah.
42:21Absolutely.
42:21And you've got a big crop of garlic down there.
42:23What kind of variety are you growing?
42:24Big crop of garlic.
42:25We just grow the Tassie purple.
42:27And it looks like you're about to extend your veggie garden.
42:30Is that right?
42:30That's right.
42:31Because you haven't got enough money.
42:32No, I haven't got enough already.
42:34I was just finding that things that take a long time to mature and take up a lot of
42:38space, like corn, potatoes, that kind of stuff, just needed to be somewhere where I could
42:44sit and forget.
42:45Now, it's just you and your husband here.
42:47Is this too much food being produced?
42:49No, no, not at all.
42:51I mean, it looks like a lot, but you know, there's enough for us.
42:53There's enough for me to give away to friends who don't have gardens and to our kids.
42:58Are you out in the garden every day?
43:00Because there are no weeds.
43:01No.
43:01There are no weeds.
43:02No, I know.
43:03No.
43:04We have had a bit of a blitz, but yes, I am in the garden every day.
43:07Yeah.
43:07At some point.
43:08Yeah.
43:09Whether it's after dinner or there is a bit of pyjama gardening.
43:13Oh, I should hope so.
43:15But that's fine.
43:15Come out in the morning and have a little, oh, just go and pick something out here in
43:19pyjamas, which are probably only, you know, leggings and a t-shirt.
43:22Yeah, no shame, mate.
43:23So no, it's fine.
43:24I love that.
43:26Despite two new knees in the past decade, Jo's love of gardening continues.
43:31It's slowed it down.
43:33It's definitely slowed it down and it's made me readjust a few things.
43:35I thought I might get, you know, ten really good years of going hard still, but I've had
43:40five and that's pretty good.
43:42Because I have to rest during the day.
43:44I have to take little snippets.
43:45But we're always learning.
43:47Yeah.
43:48We're always learning.
43:49It's a brilliant way of living.
43:52I feel amazingly blessed that I can have this time here and get the pleasure from something
43:59so simple.
44:17Everyone's path to gardening is different and everyone gets something different out
44:21of it.
44:22That's what I love.
44:23It's for everyone.
44:25But some gardening journeys involve a little more sequins than others.
44:43For as long as I can remember, I've always been very outdoorsy.
44:52I'm originally from the Gold Coast, so I'm very comfortable around the beaches, the water,
44:56the estuaries.
44:57And now that I live a very metro urban life, gardening has sort of been my escape.
45:04My new thing that has allowed me to relax.
45:09I am a stereotypical Gen Z that if I'm not consuming content on my phone, I've got my
45:15headphones in.
45:15Or if I'm not at work, I'm in a meeting or at this.
45:19Gardening is the only time where I can purely, purely, purely, purely switch off in full silence
45:24and I completely forget that time is moving.
45:27I'm just very present in what I'm doing and it allows me to just feel like I have ownership
45:33over something and I've created something as well.
45:37My name is Rhys Jackson.
45:39I am 24 years old.
45:41And yes, I am an amateur gardener.
45:48But by night, I am a professional drag queen by the name of Beverly Kills.
45:57To become Beverly, it takes me around three hours.
46:00I can do a lot of magic in three hours.
46:02I kind of feel like Beverly Kills is everything that I was not allowed to be before I became
46:10Beverly Kills.
46:11Before I started doing costumes, performances, hair, makeup.
46:15I think a lot of those things were sort of kept away from me in my youth.
46:20I had two incredibly supportive parents, but that wasn't enough to get me through a world
46:27that sort of kept really flamboyant, eccentric boys like me down.
46:33And as soon as I sort of got that freedom of adulthood, which is for some people incredibly overwhelming, that
46:40wasn't overwhelming for me.
46:41That was the easiest part because then I feel like I could finally sort of be who I wanted to
46:46be.
46:47Any good drag queen has a slight, slight, slight narcissistic disorder.
46:52I am definitely one of them, but I think it's what makes it interesting.
46:57I think the key differences between Rhys and Beverly is that I sort of need each other to survive.
47:05We sort of are constantly in a cycle.
47:07We're sort of like two really, really different housemates.
47:11Rhys is always cleaning up after Beverly's messes, but Beverly's always the one making the house interesting.
47:16So I can't have one without the other.
47:18So while Beverly is creative and intense and fabulous,
47:23you sort of need Rhys on the other side to be organised, protective and calm.
47:31Most people would probably have been introduced to me through RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.
47:36I was a baby. I was 20 years old when they first gave me the call.
47:40I had only done drag for two years at that point.
47:43I was on the second season and the first from Queensland.
47:46So I was very proud to represent my state.
47:49I am an incredibly patriotic Queenslander.
47:52I dressed up as a meter maid. I dressed up as a mosquito.
47:56I had all these references to my hometown.
48:00Drag is on stage, live, raw entertainment.
48:05For those of you who do not know me, my name is Beverly Hills.
48:09I am your MC and host!
48:11I am an incredibly high-strung competitive drag queen and I am really passionate about what I do.
48:16Everyone say yes!
48:19Yes!
48:20When I was 17, I went through a break-up that definitely really hit me emotionally
48:27and I needed a way to get my feelings out.
48:30And drag just sort of fell into my lap almost.
48:35And I guess Beverly Hills was born.
48:38I want to hear you scream!
48:40Three, two, one!
48:43The biggest parallel I see between being a drag performer and gardening is sort of that constant ongoing development.
48:53Nothing's ever fully done.
48:57Nothing is ever finished.
48:59And I almost don't believe in art that's fully finished.
49:02I've never, like, finished a costume and been like, that's it, no more rhinestones.
49:06I will constantly change that costume.
49:08I will add more rhinestones, I'll add a glove, I'll change the wig, I will do this, I'll do this.
49:12And my garden is the exact same.
49:14From the first, you know, plant that I planted, I've slowly sort of grouped them together.
49:19It's constantly changing.
49:21When I was a kid, my dad made gardening into the biggest pain in my life.
49:27Gardening was hot.
49:29It was itchy.
49:30It was a chore.
49:31It was so boring.
49:33It was just horrible.
49:36And, I don't know, I think he thinks it's pretty ironic that I'm on a gardening program at the moment.
49:41And especially that I have a balcony garden of my own.
49:44But I think the biggest difference is that when gardening back then was a chore, gardening for me is therapeutic.
49:51It's aesthetic.
49:52It's, you know, it allows me to just be alone and relax.
49:57I have no shame in admitting that I am a hobbyist gardener, but a professional drag queen.
50:03I think it's all about allowing yourself to try new things and not be afraid of making mistakes as you
50:09go.
50:10Like, learning is part of the process.
50:12Any gardener with a huge, big, beautiful garden had to start with just a couple of seeds, some dirt, soil
50:18and water.
50:21Whether it's an extravagant garden or an extravagant drag queen, both of them had to start from very, very small,
50:26humble beginnings.
50:28And I think that's what's given me the confidence to sort of start my own balcony garden.
50:32Because I can start with the knowledge that one day I'll understand how these plants work.
50:36I'll understand how they grow, how to care for them and what I want them to look like.
50:42When I first got this place, it was by no means to have a huge balcony garden, but I think
50:48the space just called for it.
50:50Something about seeing a completely bare balcony was so sad.
50:54And then I bought my first two plants.
50:58I bought a broken elephant ear plant that was on discount.
51:03It was $15 from the garden shop.
51:05One of the leaves was snapped off and the other was a baby leaf, maybe about this big.
51:11But I had a dream and I knew that that elephant ear was going to grow into something special.
51:16And now it is the star of the balcony.
51:20And then the ficus vine is really special to me.
51:24I really admire that it's slow and consistent and steady, which is a lot of things that I naturally am
51:30not.
51:31I have a little tattoo of it just on my shoulder as well.
51:34We used to plant them in my old house with my family.
51:37And I remember planting them when we first moved in.
51:39I had to have maybe been like five or six.
51:42But I have a very, very clear memory of the last day in that house when I moved out.
51:47And I went, oh my God, I remember I planted this.
51:52I think the vine sort of reminds me to take a seat, slow down, hold onto your roots, remember where
51:58your feet are,
51:59and everything will just naturally grow.
52:03My balcony is filled with glass and it's quite low down.
52:07So it gets a fair amount of wind through there.
52:09And it's also very, very warm and humid.
52:12So our tropical plants are loving life.
52:15And it's a beautiful space because even though you're surrounded by noise and cars and lights and traffic,
52:21sort of being around that greenery brings everyone into that sort of level of comfort.
52:25It feels very quintessentially Brisbane, but I am too.
52:29So I love that.
52:31I'm the first to admit that I burn out incredibly easily.
52:34You know, being on your feet and in huge heels for hours on end, speaking to people.
52:39Number three!
52:42You need to be vibrant and loud.
52:44And that's incredibly exhausting.
52:49Gardening is sort of my religion because I have ownership over it.
52:52Instead of feeling like it's a chore, I feel so at peace, caring for my plants and learning about how
52:58they grow and what they need.
53:00And I think that's a really gratifying experience.
53:03My life is just so chaotic and colourful and quick.
53:07And it's the only time I can bring the speed all the way back.
53:12And it's incredibly therapeutic.
53:22A rolling stone gathers no moss.
53:25And that's a shame.
53:27Because I love moss.
53:29But we've got to keep rolling anyway.
53:31So here's your jobs for the weekend.
53:39Cool temperate gardeners, it's apple harvest.
53:41This time.
53:42To check for ripeness, slice an apple in half horizontally and stick the two halves back together.
53:48If they hold, the fruit is ripe and you can keep on picking.
53:52Planning on planting some bare root roses in July?
53:55Prepare the soil now by digging through well-rotted manure and compost
53:59and planting a green manure crop of mustard greens.
54:03Garlic in the Creole group, including Rojo de Castro and Dynamite Purple, can go in now.
54:09Cracking in cool climates, these delicious varieties will store for at least 12 months after harvest.
54:17In warm temperate gardens, pick pumpkins before they fall foul of frost.
54:21Leave a little stalk attached to the fruit and store in a cool dry spot until they're needed for soup
54:27or scones.
54:29Don't have much room? Grow some mushrooms.
54:32Grab an inoculated kit from your local nursery, keep it moist, and in no time you'll be harvesting fistfuls of
54:38fab fungi.
54:40As you clear summer crops, be sure to turn spent mulch into the soil or collect it and put in
54:46the compost.
54:47This will help diminish winter habitat and hidey holes for slugs and snails.
54:53In the subtropics, fuchsias are finishing their flowering period, so it's time for a chop.
54:58They bloom on new woods, so a haircut now will prime them for future flowering come spring.
55:04Whack in warrigal greens, a native spinach alternative whose foliage is delicious once blanched.
55:11Tops for tricky spots, they're as happy growing in the shade as they are the sun.
55:16It's time to plant certified seed potatoes.
55:19Spuds need sunshine, space and rich fertile soil.
55:23So pop potatoes into a bed, bag or bin, eyes up, and continuously cover foliage with soil as it appears.
55:33You can't go past zinnias for bright, outrageous flower colour.
55:37And in tropical gardens, their seed can be sown now in sunny spots.
55:41Growing to a metre, they make a stunning statement.
55:45Frangipanis can be propagated from cuttings now.
55:48Take a piece of hardwood about 30 centimetres long, leave it in a protected spot for a couple of weeks
55:54to dry,
55:54and then plant out. Too easy.
55:57Have a red-hot go at growing chillies hydroponically.
56:00Grab a 10 litre bucket with a lid, pop a pot filled with scoria in the top,
56:05chuck in a chilli seedling and keep the nutrients topped up.
56:09In arid gardens, show your citrus some love.
56:13Prune now to remove dead, diseased or damaged wood.
56:16While you're at it, thin heavy crops to improve the quality of fruit.
56:20Keep the secateurs out and tip prune passion fruit to promote fruiting and improved yields.
56:26But don't bin the young leaves.
56:28They're edible and truly delicious in salads or stir fries.
56:33Head out to the compost heap and move prepared compost onto garden beds,
56:37making space in the bin for fresh prunings and fallen leaves.
56:43Autumn's an amazing time to get stuck into truckloads of jobs in the garden.
56:48So let us know what you get up to this weekend on our Gardening Australia social pages.
56:58Well, that's everything that germinated this week.
57:02But plenty more will pop up next time.
57:05Here's what's in store.
57:08I'm playing with a technique that is literally as old as the hills,
57:12but it can be contained enough to fit on a balcony.
57:16I've had a lifelong love for begonias.
57:19And the reason is obvious.
57:21They're drop-deck gorgeous and they're easy to propagate.
57:25I'm hoping to infect you with a similar love for these wonderful plants.
57:31And I'm joining a volunteer crew to help harvest tons of fruit
57:35from orchards and gardens that would otherwise go to waste.
57:38And all this fresh produce is going directly to people in need.
57:42Great. Beautiful.
57:43Thanks, Ashley.
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