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