- 2 hours ago
Gardening Australia - Season 37 Episode 16
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:05Hey!
00:06Hey! Hi!
00:11Whoa!
00:17Hey!
00:20Hey, mate!
00:22Hey!
00:24Hey!
00:33Hello.
00:34Wanna see some great gardens?
00:37Hear some horticultural advice?
00:39Gain some great garden know-how?
00:42Well, I reckon you've come to the right place.
00:45Welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:47Here's what's coming up.
00:50For an eye-catching display of foliage,
00:52I'm planting up brilliant begonias.
00:55I'm visiting a fairytale garden,
00:57complete with mosaic walls
00:59and an actual DIY castle.
01:02It's a passion project
01:03of two ex-Queenslanders
01:05who now call Huon Valley Tasmania home.
01:08Australian plants are absolutely amazing
01:11and today I'm in Western Victoria
01:13to visit one of our most passionate propagators
01:16and growers of Australian species.
01:19And I'm meeting a couple
01:20whose combined skills
01:21have created a garden
01:23that's beautiful and practical
01:25and inspires artistic expression.
01:28Ravens and red tails.
01:45So, imagine, you're a government authority
01:48when an old industrial site comes up for grabs.
01:52It's filled with ageing infrastructure
01:56and contaminated with who knows what.
02:00Developers want to flip it for luxury apartments.
02:03The local community, well, they want a new park.
02:11A new park on the most spectacular harbour in the world.
02:21It was a big ask.
02:24But when a community has a purpose and a plan,
02:27things can happen.
02:31This is Ballast Point Park.
02:35Established in 2009.
02:38At just two and a half hectares,
02:41it's not a big place.
02:42About 25 suburban quarter acre blocks.
02:46It's on Wongal country,
02:48the suburb of Birch Grove.
02:50In Darug language,
02:51the park was named Wallamar,
02:53which means to return.
02:57I came soon after the park opened.
03:00This is Ballast Point Park,
03:02on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour.
03:05I've changed and, wow, so has this place.
03:10I promised myself I'd return to see
03:13how the park had put down roots
03:15and bonded with the community that brought it to life.
03:21Local resident Diana was a part of the community push
03:24to get the site returned.
03:26The park here is 15 years old.
03:29How long before that did the community start rallying
03:34to get the site back?
03:36Well, it was really 20 years before that,
03:39in the mid-'80s.
03:41It was a long, heavy haul for the community.
03:44But when people really understand a project
03:48and they become passionate about it,
03:50the strength of community is enormous.
03:53And you can never get it back once it's developed,
03:56the land is gone.
03:58This was an opportunity that would be never repeated.
04:02I want to show you this.
04:03Yes.
04:04So I've got a little bit of footage here from the archive.
04:07Oh, wow.
04:09Look at the number of tanks and buildings.
04:12And the other thing I love is how they kept
04:15a number of the industrial elements
04:18so that you're not left wondering, you know, what are things.
04:23This is footage from 2002.
04:26The site had been a petrochemical refinery for almost 80 years
04:31and was chock-a-block with concrete and steel infrastructure.
04:36The way it's been reimagined is a beautiful thing.
04:44From these massive industrial artefacts,
04:46the park has somehow established a wonderful human scale.
04:53There's all these paths and hidden places.
04:57And for its modest size, so many different spaces.
05:03These five-metre-high walls once formed a barrier
05:07around petrochemical tanks which churned out lubricants and fuels.
05:12Why get rid of these?
05:14You don't get close to that sort of architecture in your life.
05:22What's so unique about this park is that the way it's been designed,
05:27it's taking and making advantage of all of the different spaces.
05:32So this was a huge tank and it's at a certain level
05:35and you've got some of the existing stone that's been cut
05:38and it creates this little microclimate.
05:41But then you go through there and you're closer to the water,
05:44but walk around here and there's like a paper-barred forest
05:48going through where the other tanks were.
05:50Levels, changes, mixed views, mystery.
05:54Oh, there's... It's far out. It's unreal.
05:59Rather than bulldoze the past and cart it to landfill,
06:03this landscape retains strong memories of what came before.
06:09It's part of a landscape design strategy called adaptive reuse.
06:14Adrian led the design team.
06:17The principle of adaptive reuse is right at the heart of Ballast Point Park.
06:23How did that become part of the design process?
06:27Ballast Point's got an incredible backstory.
06:30So the ships would come in from Europe,
06:33they would unload all of their goods
06:35and Australia didn't have anything to export to go back.
06:39So what they would do is cut the rock out here, the sandstone,
06:42put it back on the ship as ballast and off it would sail back to London or Manchester.
06:48So when we began the project, that idea of ballast was crucial.
06:54And what we didn't want to do was go and cut up another site
06:58in order to repair and repatriate this site.
07:01So the principle was, let's try and reuse as much material as we can, recycle,
07:07to actually build the park.
07:09So if you look at this material, this is construction waste.
07:13It's bricks, concrete and all of this modern ballast.
07:18And it's been very successful in terms of lowering the carbon footprint
07:21and then creating this incredible aesthetic.
07:25Looking around at the park now,
07:27how do you feel about nature's response
07:29to everything that you've done in the design process
07:34and then the installation?
07:36So we wanted to regenerate these sites
07:39and return them to a pre-colonial state.
07:44So the species were all selected as locally endemic.
07:48Seed was sourced.
07:50So that we could regenerate a gene pool here of species
07:53that were originally on the site.
07:55And that is what brings back insects, birds
07:58and has recreated this incredible ecology and environment
08:02that we're standing in today.
08:04How do you feel about where it's arrived at?
08:06We think it's amazing.
08:09And every year it changes.
08:11Every year it gets a little bit more diverse.
08:14What we wanted to do was provide the canvas
08:17by which nature could re-occupy this site
08:20and basically take control of it again
08:22and then regenerate itself
08:25so that we get this incredibly rich environment.
08:31While the park design references the past,
08:34it left plenty of space for plants to inhabit its future.
08:39Framing the views, taking over the nooks and crannies,
08:43are natives that evoke the pre-industrial landscape
08:47and reflect Sydney's rugged coastal palette.
08:51Figs and tree ferns, banksia, lomandra, casuarina and westringia,
08:56a grove of melaleuca.
08:58With them have returned the insects, the birds, the skinks and the geckos.
09:0580 years of heavy industry can't keep nature down.
09:11This is the original sandstone that would have run down to the harbour.
09:18But you can see where they've drilled holes and blown it away
09:23so that they could have this flat area to put cylinders and big storage tanks.
09:30But look at what's gone on in a short period of time.
09:34Now that it's a park again, nature's saying, I'm taking you back.
09:38This fig has run its roots into the cracks, sucking out all the moisture.
09:44It's creating a microclimate and this fern is coming back
09:48and we've got maidenhair ferns and all sorts of lichen and moss.
09:52This entire rock-face wall is coming back to life.
09:58Nature's saying, you're mine, I'm moving back in.
10:06Anita is Chief Executive with Placemaking New South Wales.
10:11What does the future of this park look like
10:14and what are the details around looking after a park like this?
10:20It's about almost urban acupuncture as we call it
10:24because it's already got a beautiful design.
10:26It's not about playing around with the design too much.
10:29It's about caring for it and maintaining it
10:32in a way that is very light touch.
10:36The community are very engaged about this particular part of Sydney.
10:40It's one of the most loved parks in the inner west
10:43and the people around it see it as their own backyard.
10:46We get feedback on a weekly basis
10:48about every little thing that's happening
10:50and that's great because we have eyes and ears all over the park
10:53about what they would like to see improved
10:55and if there's any issues that we need to resolve.
10:57It's an inspirational tale of what can be achieved
11:00when people actually say to government,
11:03this is so sacrosanct to us,
11:05we want it preserved for future recreation
11:08and for the people to use in perpetuity.
11:12This place is a generous gift for all the senses
11:16because that's what a great park does.
11:20It encourages us to open our senses and our hearts
11:24and experience the natural world around us
11:27and share that experience with those we love.
11:31Couldn't we all use a bit more of that?
11:37When I came back to Ballast Point Park,
11:40I wanted to see where it was at
11:41and immediately, the moment I walked in,
11:44I could feel the spirit of the place.
11:47At the end of the day, what this park represents is
11:51when we open the door for nature,
11:54it will come back in with that same spirit as the locals
12:01and say, yeah, this is my place.
12:14When do I prune my roses?
12:17Well, there's two main groups of roses.
12:19There are what we call spring flowering roses.
12:22It includes things like Banksia roses
12:24and many of the old-fashioned varieties.
12:26They only flower in spring,
12:28so you prune them hard immediately after flowering
12:31because if you left it till wintertime to prune them,
12:34you'd be cutting off the wood that would produce your flowers.
12:37Then there are repeat flowering roses,
12:39like these gorgeous standard bonikers.
12:41They bloom on and off from spring till autumn,
12:44so we prune them in mid to late winter
12:46and then they're going to respond
12:49and give you flowers for the next season.
12:51If you're in a really cold, frosty area,
12:54you might prune in mid-August onwards
12:56and that's so that the new growth that appears
12:59doesn't get frosted by bad weather.
13:02Can I grow jackfruit in Sydney?
13:05Jackfruit is a true tropical tree,
13:07so it loves heat, humidity and frost-free conditions.
13:10In Sydney, it can be a little touch-and-go,
13:13especially in the cooler suburbs,
13:15but it can be done.
13:17Young jackfruit trees need protection from cold snaps.
13:20This one's about 20 years old.
13:22If you want to try it,
13:24pick the warmest microclimate you have in a north-facing spot
13:27so it gets plenty of summer warmth.
13:29It's also protected by the winds from this shed
13:32and it has excellent drainage too.
13:35Even a bee tree like this may not produce the huge crops
13:38they do in the tropics,
13:39but with the right position and care,
13:42it's possible to grow a healthy jackfruit tree in Sydney.
13:44Now, to harvest this one.
13:48What can I do with excess stone fruit?
13:50We have been happily inundated with lots of plums and nectarines this season,
13:54and while we've given away heaps to friends and family,
13:57we've also been turning a whole lot into...
14:01fruit leather.
14:02You wash the fruit, remove the pits and whizz it in a blender.
14:08Smear the mix around five millimetres onto waxed baking paper
14:11or silicon baking sheets.
14:14Pop into a dehydrator set to 60 degrees for up to 12 hours.
14:18Or you can do it in the oven if you don't have a dehydrator.
14:22And just like that, you've got these delicious chewy snacks
14:25that can tide you over to the next harvest season.
14:37Just when you thought you couldn't get anything more in at your place,
14:42Tammy's here to show us how to get a range of plants
14:46with beautiful, intricate foliage
14:48into something lightweight and portable.
14:52Hmm. Count me in.
14:59Today I'm taking inspiration from a perennial favourite,
15:03beautiful begonias.
15:05This is a huge genus
15:07native to subtropical and tropical climates.
15:10And they're popular garden plants.
15:13Having adapted to a wide range of conditions,
15:15just be sure to keep them out of frost.
15:17That will kill them.
15:19At the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney,
15:21there's a collection of begonias in a protected spot under trees.
15:27They're growing well in the shade and dappled light.
15:30The foliage is definitely the draw card on these rhizomatous begonias.
15:35And they have a compact mounding growth habit,
15:37which makes them perfect for hanging baskets.
15:41To source the begonias,
15:42I'm dropping by the Growing Friends Nursery.
15:45Open to the public,
15:46the nursery is run by passionate volunteers
15:48who propagate and sell plants from the Botanic Garden's living collection.
15:58Hello.
16:00Wonderful.
16:01Wonderful.
16:02Lovely choice.
16:03Oh, thank you.
16:04And the idea is to put them all in one basket?
16:08Yeah, just one.
16:09Oh.
16:10It'll be stunning.
16:11You get to see all the different colours and textures.
16:14Yep.
16:14They don't get too big.
16:16Enjoy.
16:22I love this begonia lisata.
16:25It's got these velvety leaves.
16:27And if you look closely, the hair's sort of pinkish.
16:30And I love that it's got this contrasting sort of lime green,
16:34kind of lightning strike through the leaf.
16:37A great colour contrast is begonia burgundy lime.
16:41And you can see it's got these splashes of lime all along the edge.
16:44It's got also these fluffy little hairs along the edge that just stick up.
16:50I think this one is definitely a favourite.
16:52It's think pink and you can clearly see I like pink.
16:55It's got this wonderful sheen to it.
16:58Silvery or pinkish depending on the light.
17:01And the red undersides are really quite attractive too.
17:06This one's begonia limbo rock.
17:09Quite an interesting name.
17:11The leaves are a bit thicker.
17:13They're a bit curled like the begonia escargot, the snail begonia.
17:17It also has these cute little hairs that stand up on the edges of the leaf.
17:21And the colours, they're a little bit dark and mysterious.
17:24Like they've got this sort of chocolate edge and these sort of muted green centres.
17:29But then underneath it really pops.
17:31It becomes a sort of burgundy red.
17:33Nice little surprise.
17:35This one's quite hypnotising.
17:37It's got these sort of bright white yellowish centres that's kind of drawing you in.
17:43This one's begonia mosaic.
17:45The leaves are quite thick and leathery.
17:47There's also a lovely colour contrasting underside.
17:52This begonia has a fitting name.
17:54It's called opalescent.
17:55And you can see why.
17:57The leaves are pretty much all silver and they really shimmer and shine in the light.
18:02It's a great addition to the hanging basket.
18:05The name rhizomatous simply means that they grow from a specialised stem called a rhizome.
18:12Underneath the pretty foliage is a thickened stem that stores water and nutrients.
18:16So these plants can tolerate some neglect.
18:19Such as inconsistent watering and variation in temperature.
18:23Like if they got exposed to the hot sun.
18:27That's good news if you're like me and time poor.
18:29These beauties are pretty resilient and don't require a lot of pampering.
18:34What they will appreciate is a free draining mix.
18:37And a basket as wide as you can get.
18:39And shallow.
18:40And I've lined mine with coir fibre.
18:42In goes a layer of good quality potting mix.
18:45Combined with pre-dampened perlite.
18:47For added drainage around the roots.
18:51Five or six rhizomatous begonias would be the maximum for this basket.
18:54That's 45 centimetres wide.
18:57As they slowly fill out and bring that wow factor.
18:59I can prune any overcrowding.
19:03I'm just going with gut feel here.
19:05There's really no right or wrong in where you choose to place them.
19:08It's just what you like the look of.
19:12I'm gently firming them in and giving them a drink.
19:15Try to aim the water down at the roots.
19:18As splashing water on the leaves may cause unsightly marks.
19:23In the warmer months begonias are actively growing.
19:25So you will need to keep up the water to them.
19:28Water when the soil is just dry to touch.
19:30If you're unsure it's better to underwater.
19:33They do not like soggy roots.
19:34In the cooler months you can water sparingly.
19:38When they are actively growing you can give them a weak liquid feed every two weeks.
19:43To polish the look I'm mulching lightly with fine bark.
19:47Protect from wind and heavy rain.
19:49It's perfect for under eaves, verandas, balconies or courtyards in a bright indirect light spot.
19:56And you can rotate the basket occasionally for even growth.
20:00I'm so happy with my begonias.
20:02All that colour and texture at eye level.
20:04It's sure to be a talking point when friends drop over.
20:16Sometimes when inspiration knocks you've got to stop, open the door and listen.
20:22Even if you don't quite know what's coming your way.
20:26It could be putting in a garden part.
20:29Starting that raised bed.
20:32Or building the greenhouse of your own.
20:36Hannah is in Tasmania with a couple who opened the door to something a little more regal.
20:52You've heard the saying, a man's home is his castle.
20:56Well in this case, it quite literally is.
21:05Once upon a time, ex-Queensland couple Francis and Christina decided to move to the Huon Valley in Tasmania
21:11to live happily ever after.
21:15But the only thing missing in their picturesque new village was a castle to live in.
21:20So, they built their own.
21:23Welcome to Castle Phoenix.
21:26We feel this is more an art project.
21:30Our biggest art project that we've ever undertaken.
21:33We're building it to last.
21:35We really are building it as best to our engineering capability.
21:41How long have you been at this so far?
21:43It's 15 and a half years.
21:45Yes.
21:45So, we started the actual front wave wall the same year that we were waiting for our plans to be
21:51finalised.
21:52So, we got quite a few months worth of work on those walls.
21:56Oh, and they're not just walls too.
21:58They're all double as garden beds.
21:59So again, it's an art garden thing happening, you know.
22:06Wow, what do we call this space?
22:09Entering the property, the curved edges of the garden beds wind their way to a courtyard.
22:14The wibbly wobbly courtyard.
22:15Yeah.
22:16Flanked with a cat's claw sculpture and gothic arches.
22:20We're actually going to put a dragon on top of that.
22:22Of course you are.
22:23Yeah.
22:28And what about all the plants?
22:29The plants are quite an eclectic choice.
22:31You've got a crab apple here as well.
22:33I love our crab apples.
22:34Yeah.
22:35It's got gorgeous dark pink blossoms and the fruit makes a wonderful jelly.
22:40And it was just supposed to be a flowering tree.
22:42It was.
22:43Yeah.
22:43Why have you chosen certain things?
22:46Oh, we're dreadful.
22:47We go into a nursery and we just go towards colour and shape.
22:52We just love our flowers.
22:54Yeah.
22:54We just love plants.
22:56We found a Tigridia flower, which is a beautiful hot red flower.
23:01Didn't even know what it was until we actually had one flower.
23:04And then gladioli.
23:06We just love anything with colour.
23:08Liliums.
23:09Liliums.
23:10Liliums.
23:10I mean, coming from Mackay, you couldn't grow anything like that.
23:13So all these cold weather plants, we just adore them.
23:18This love of flowers comes in all shapes and forms.
23:21Around the corner, 30,000 handmade pansies adorn a Gaudie-esque garden bed.
23:30The whole thing started as a garden with hundreds of yellow pansies in it.
23:35Oh.
23:35And so it looked beautiful for a year.
23:38Yeah.
23:38Until Sorrel took over.
23:41Okay.
23:41And then Frances says, well, I can make that more permanent for you.
23:45Wow.
23:45Yeah.
23:46So it's been 10 years in the making that.
23:48Wow.
23:48And we were making the pansies for about five years before we even thought of starting putting
23:55them on.
23:55Yeah.
23:56That's like a project we can say is actually finished.
23:59We finished something.
24:00Good.
24:00So these two certainly love their projects.
24:04And interestingly, they actually started as somebody else's project when they first met
24:08in a motel in Mackay.
24:10It was a coincidence that I was a tiler and Christina.
24:14And I was an art teacher.
24:15And we both worked for the same person.
24:19So I was there tiling the motel.
24:21And I was there giving her private art lessons.
24:24Oh.
24:24She was doing a portrait of her dad and then she sort of decided that she thought we would
24:30fit together.
24:31Oh, did she matchmate you?
24:32She matchmate us, yeah.
24:33Oh, well done.
24:34Yeah.
24:35Three weeks after we met, he asked me to marry him.
24:38Oh.
24:38What did you say?
24:40I said, oh, for heaven's sake.
24:44Because I knew there was an age difference.
24:46Because, I mean, we match wonderfully with everything but age.
24:50So it's worked.
24:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:54So did you get married?
24:55No.
24:56We're still engaged.
24:58I've got three rings.
25:00None of them fit me.
25:02I love this.
25:02It's funny.
25:03She's got three rings but she ended up with a three ring circus.
25:06I did.
25:09Oh, this is the best.
25:14Yeah.
25:15Oh, anything, anything, anything.
25:18Christina also wound up with a four-storey, 17-metre-high castle made of solid brick with
25:24eight conical rooftops.
25:29The couple couldn't resist bringing their love of flowers indoors.
25:35Wow, this is amazing.
25:36What do you call this area?
25:38Well, this is our foyer, the entry to the castle.
25:40And we've decided to make this room the only room covered in flowers.
25:46Right down to the floor.
25:47Right down to the floor.
25:48And all over the ceiling.
25:49We couldn't get anything like this.
25:51Can't buy it.
25:52Yeah.
25:52So we decided to make them all ourselves.
25:54So...
25:55Every single one.
25:56Every single one.
25:57Yeah, from scratch.
25:58Christina paints them.
25:59I make them.
26:00And we fire them in our killin.
26:02And yeah, then we have to figure out how we're going to put them on the wall.
26:05Yeah.
26:06Piece them all together.
26:07It's going to be a nightmare to grow out.
26:08I know.
26:09We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
26:11That's your problem.
26:11That's your problem.
26:12I love it.
26:14But of course, there's more to see.
26:18So, um, here's our special dunny.
26:23What?
26:24Toilet.
26:25This is so beautiful.
26:27Wow.
26:28The throne room of the girls.
26:29This is the best throne room I've ever been in.
26:32This is so gorgeous.
26:34There's going to be around about 15,000 odd tiles in there.
26:38Each handmade, hand pressed.
26:40Wow.
26:41The botanical themes continue all the way to the basement.
26:45I just love, I love all the shapes and shadows.
26:49Yeah.
26:49Like everything is a sculpture.
26:51Yes.
26:51Look at these ceilings.
26:52They're absolutely beautiful.
26:54I love them.
26:54And then come and look at our maple tree.
27:00What is this?
27:03This is insane.
27:05Oh my gosh.
27:07This is, okay.
27:08This is obviously inspired by your love.
27:12The October.
27:12The October glory.
27:13Amazing.
27:16This is incredible.
27:18So that's a, that's the size of a real leaf.
27:21There's five different sizes that we got off the tree.
27:24We actually imprinted a real leaf into a plasticine to make the mould.
27:29So that's a direct copy of five different leaves.
27:32Here's the baby one.
27:34The baby leaf.
27:34I just love the amount of thought that you've put into everything.
27:38Yeah.
27:39Everything.
27:40It was incredible.
27:41Like they're, they're different colours too.
27:43Like they're, they're five different glazes and different sorts of thickness so that they're
27:48all different.
27:49They've all got a personality.
27:51One idea we had was to call this the Roman bathroom because we thought we could actually
27:56make some steps here and then have a water level here.
28:00And the tree would still work because you'd have a lovely reflection then.
28:10Where does the love for plants come from for both of you?
28:14As a young boy, my mum was always gardening.
28:18She.
28:18My mum was a great gardener.
28:20Yeah.
28:21And I'd go out and help, you know, as soon as I was old enough to help.
28:24My mum would be taking cuttings off things and just shoving them in the ground where they
28:29were and they would grow, you know, just, just had real green thumbs.
28:34Yeah, we do.
28:35We had green thumbs in our family.
28:36Yeah.
28:37Yeah.
28:39In addition to all the trees they've planted on the property, it's hard to miss the water
28:44features.
28:45There was a stream crossing the block and we thought, well, we'll take advantage of that.
28:50And dig a dam out.
28:52And then we thought, well, that's an ordinary dam.
28:56Let's make a special, a really special dam, which we now call a lake.
29:00And we found these water irises and fell in love with the water irises.
29:06And started collecting.
29:07Started collecting every colour.
29:08All the colours.
29:10Yeah.
29:10And the place has gone from ordinary to extraordinary.
29:14Extraordinary.
29:14Yeah.
29:15100% agree.
29:19This place is certainly a work of art on so many levels.
29:24I mean, check out these tiles.
29:25And while there is still a lot more work to go, there is no stopping Christina and Francis.
29:37Still to come on Gardening Australia, Gerry tells us how to clone some little monsters.
29:45Josh visits a garden that inspires creativity in more ways than one.
29:50And we meet a support worker and gardener, helping people build better lives.
30:03When someone has spent a lifetime learning how to grow rare and unusual native plants,
30:10I'm putting the kettle on, pouring a cuppa and listening carefully.
30:15Millie's in Western Victoria with one of the best.
30:19And I guarantee, after this, you're going to be adding plenty to your garden wishlist.
30:33Western Victoria is home to the spectacular Garrowerd, also known as the Grampians National Park,
30:39just near the small town of Pomona.
30:43And it's also home to an incredible garden and nursery filled with Australian species.
30:51It's the work of passionate plant propagator, Phil Vaughan.
30:56It's all about inspiring people and showing them what we've got in this country.
31:02For the last 40 years, Phil has gained a reputation for growing rare and unusual Australian native plant species,
31:09and getting them into home gardens.
31:14Phil, I'm always amazed at just the diversity of material that you grow and how beautiful it is.
31:21You've got to change the perception of people who are not native plant people.
31:26There is beauty and variety and lots of colour.
31:30That's true. And that's why you've got a garden planted of them too.
31:33You've got to show them what they'll do.
31:34Well, the garden is, there's a whole lot of things that we use the garden for.
31:39A, it's a source of material that we can cut and take grafting material or cutting material from.
31:44And for people who are coming to buy things, often our plants are not mainstream,
31:48so we can show them in the garden here, here it is here,
31:52and they can make an informed choice with their own eyes as to whether they like something.
32:00Phil, how many different things do you think you've got growing in here?
32:04I've lost count, thousands and thousands.
32:07It's a bit of a scattergun approach to growing things.
32:11I once got told, you do not have a garden, you have a collection of plants.
32:16The collet bell, it's an iconic thing that you've managed to bring into cultivation.
32:21It's one of the things that it flowers through the downtime of the year
32:25when gardens can be pretty bland and not at their peak.
32:28Where does this plant come from?
32:30It's from the south-west of WA, and in the wild it's just a few little bells on the top.
32:35You never see a big, dense plant.
32:37And it's one of the things that grafting has done to it.
32:40The vigour from the rootstock has really pushed the growth into the top half,
32:44and you can get quite large, dense plants.
32:48Phil is skilled at grafting, with each plant taking years to create.
32:54It's not like grafting roses where there's a thousand years of history that you can relate to.
33:00We're starting from a clean slate, and so once something's grafted,
33:04we trial it for about five years to see that the combination is long-term compatible.
33:10Another West Australian grafted plant that Phil is proud of is the Gelisnauia.
33:15How can that be something that people say don't sell?
33:19Wow!
33:20This is a form that grows a little taller, and so it has longer stems and bigger heads
33:25for the cut flower trade, whereas there's another species there,
33:29and that's one that just makes a little dome and is a sensational garden plant.
33:34It's top-to-bottom flower, and that's fully grown, that one.
33:37But they're very, very hard to strike from cuttings.
33:40Germination from seed is going to give you all sorts of variations.
33:45So if you can graft them, yeah, you're on a winner.
33:50He also wants to debunk the myth that once you've planted an Australian native,
33:54you just leave it.
33:56I often ask the question, how many people here grow native plants?
33:59Why don't you grow native plants?
34:01You are a lot.
34:02And they say, because native plants are scratchy and prickly and open and short-lived.
34:07Why would we want to have those?
34:09What do you grow? Roses.
34:11Okay, if you didn't prune your roses, what would they become?
34:14Scratchy, prickly, open, short-lived.
34:16And I've got nothing against roses.
34:19Roses are fantastic plants.
34:21You slip the trowel under them, put them through the mulcher,
34:23and use them for mulch under your native plants.
34:27Time to venture into the nursery for some more eye-popping colour.
34:48You've got things from everywhere, Phil.
34:50This is like East Coast.
34:52This is Tasmania.
34:54A few food plants.
34:55Loads of stuff from WA.
34:57We do probably grow 50% of our stuff would be WA, and a lot of that's grafted.
35:02But we still grow fantastic things from all over the country.
35:06One thing about Pomona, it is a place where you can grow just about anything.
35:10I went to the Pomona wildflower show one year and was just amazed by the diversity of things that were
35:17growing in local gardens and on display at that flower show and thought, wow, here's where I'm going to live.
35:23Really?
35:23And so we up stumps and moved to the Grampians and here we are back again.
35:29Why is Pomona a great place to grow Australian plants?
35:32The three most important things for growing the widest range of native plants.
35:37Good drainage, good drainage, good drainage.
35:40And so sand over gravel gives us that ability to grow all those plants that love that sort of free
35:47draining soil.
35:48Labels are like a broken record.
35:50Yeah, full sun, good drainage.
35:53What does that mean? I mean, that's the big question, isn't it?
35:56Like, how do you actually interpret that in a garden?
35:59Well, drainage, I always explain to people, is they don't want water laying on the surface around the collar of
36:04the plant.
36:0690% of plants that die, die from operator error.
36:10And it's usually people over-watering and killing plants with kindness.
36:21In here, there's a whole range of bits and bobs.
36:25Oh, wow.
36:26There's a lot of Grevillea guys.
36:28There are a lot of Grevillea guys.
36:30I mean, I understand. They're such a gardenable and beautiful group of plants.
36:34And they're so diverse. That's the other thing, is that...
36:37Yeah, you never stop.
36:38It's the first time I saw a Diplolina.
36:41No.
36:41At Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, I just could not stop looking at it.
36:45It is something...
36:46No.
36:46...absolutely else.
36:47The grey foliage, and this one flowers most of the year.
36:50Again, it's Rutaceae on that same Correa glabra rootstock.
36:53The only difficulty, I guess, is that they're not all necessarily compatible with the Correa.
37:00So this is Diplolina angustifolia.
37:03Originally, we grafted that onto the Correa.
37:05It would grow away really nicely, but it would break in the wind,
37:08or if you brushed against it, it would snap, and it's just a form of incompatibility.
37:12So now we have the Correa here.
37:15The interstock is this plant here, which is compatible with the Correa
37:20and also compatible with the angustifolia, as a bridge, if you like.
37:24So an interstock between this and the Correa.
37:28Right.
37:28So it allows this to be easily grown.
37:34But it's more than just a love of plants and running a nursery.
37:38It just gets into your psyche, I guess.
37:42It's a challenge to keep coming up with new things.
37:46I get told all the time, you're racing too far ahead.
37:48We've got plenty of plants in your nursery there.
37:52Do justice to those and do them properly.
37:54But it's the excitement of trying, finding new combinations of plants
37:59that people thought were not able to be grown in the garden.
38:02Why is it that you're compelled to keep trying new things?
38:06Like, it seems to me you already know a fair bit.
38:08And you know how to grow a lot of plants.
38:10I'm frightened at the rate that things are disappearing in the wild.
38:15It's very, very sad.
38:17I want my kids to be able to see the wildflowers that I've been able to see.
38:22And if we keep going at the rate we are, that's not going to happen.
38:34When we propagate plants, we have two main options, seed and cuttings.
38:41If I want to propagate this cactus, and this is the powder puff cactus from Mexico,
38:46I would use seed to propagate many plants very quickly.
38:52And while they'll all resemble the parent, they will be slightly different genetically.
38:57But they'll definitely be the same plant.
39:01If I want to propagate something which is a variation on this,
39:05you would normally just take cuttings.
39:08And that would ensure every single plant is genetically identical to the other.
39:14They are all clones.
39:16But this is a variety of this.
39:20It's hard to believe, but it's a sport.
39:23Now, a sport is a slight change in the genetic makeup of a plant.
39:28If you look around at camellias, mazaleas and sometimes roses,
39:32you'll see different flowers and different foliage appearing on those plants.
39:37And they are all genetic mutations, sports of the original.
39:42Now, if I want to propagate this, seed is no good.
39:46I'll have to use cuttings to clone it.
39:50Now, this is a rather interesting plant because it's very unstable.
39:56This is a sport of this.
39:58This has sported into this.
40:01And that is varying within itself.
40:04This has sported into that.
40:07That has become this, which is a crested form.
40:10And this is another result.
40:12And it just doesn't stop.
40:14You see, the original clone has sported again.
40:17Isn't gardening fantastic?
40:20And I love the way that it defeats the rules.
40:24The propagation by cuttings means identical clones.
40:29Sports completely changed the game.
40:38You know that feeling when you're out in the garden and the creativity starts flowing.
40:44There's something about getting your hands in the earth that really fires up the imagination.
40:51Josh is on the trail of some artists who know exactly what I'm talking about.
41:05Gardens can inspire art.
41:08Gardens can incorporate pieces of art.
41:11And, of course, garden design is a form of artistic expression.
41:15But what happens when a gardener and an artist decide to build a home on a bush block?
41:21Well, dare I say it, it's a blank canvas for both of them.
41:35When artist Yvonne Wadley and her husband Ken fell in love with this one hectare parcel in Perth's hills back
41:43in 2010,
41:45Yvonne had some very clear ideas on how best to shape the garden in relation to the house,
41:51so that she could draw maximum inspiration from these tranquil surroundings as part of her creative process.
41:58I'm actually into beauty.
42:00That's probably the thing that drives my art as well as my way of understanding the garden and designing the
42:05garden.
42:06And I had clear ideas about wanting space that is flat and is a foil for the bush.
42:13And so, hence, we put in a bit of lawn.
42:15I think that foil really makes it restful and creates that sense of beauty and calmness.
42:21It's sort of flat lines and then you've got the tall trees.
42:23And the trees sort of cower over you a little bit and make you feel cosy.
42:26And you've got to have garden paths, just like in paintings, that take your eye in.
42:31We wanted to create zones, so we've got a native section, which is where we're standing now.
42:36And then at the front of the house, we use that as a space for exotics.
42:39With the zoning too, we were thinking about the whole issue of fire and keeping the trees and bushes a
42:46bit away from the house.
42:52After 15 years, this garden's had plenty of time to settle in.
42:55What's working well? What's really special to you?
42:58Well, this garden behind me is my garden.
43:01And I just love the fact that it's full of colour at this time of year, but it has seasons,
43:06so the autumn colour is really important later.
43:12Do you have other favourite parts of the garden, Ken?
43:14Yeah, I've got my veggie patch, which is a passion for me.
43:17So, working out a rotation, I've got about seven or eight raised beds.
43:22The native section of the garden is probably my long-term passion.
43:26The ones at work are the good old haecchias and grevilleas and petrophili and verticordias.
43:33One of the other pleasures that's happened is we're starting to get some orchids coming back.
43:39And some of them are actually now spreading and self-sowing.
43:42We've got pink fairy orchid and we've got cowslips and blue lady orchid and so on.
43:49And so, seeing these emerge from the litter layer is a bit of a joy really.
44:02What role does this garden play as a source of inspiration for your artwork?
44:06I use it in different ways. I'm always taking photos of it.
44:09You know, I'm constantly picking things and trying to use it in my work and being inspired by the shapes.
44:15There are lots of things that you would enjoy, you know, like the greens and looking at textures or patterns.
44:20All of those things end up in your artwork.
44:26What mediums do you prefer to work with?
44:28I mix it up and I quite like moving from one to the other.
44:32I just find the break quite nice and refreshing.
44:34I started off in watercolour and that's my first love.
44:38I still love it because of the air that comes in with watercolour.
44:41I find it light and more natural and more atmospheric, if you like.
44:46Then I went into pastels. I've enjoyed working in pastels.
44:50Pastels, they are better for certain types of environments.
44:53They give you a grainy texture and a heaviness, which is quite good in some environmental situations.
44:59And I've done botanical work recently and I'm going into charcoal and really enjoying the charcoal.
45:05I'm finding it really refreshing to just work in one colour and not have to worry about colour.
45:10It's quite nice.
45:11Are these pieces your work also?
45:13Yeah, this is irises. When we had lots of irises in the garden, I used them.
45:17I dried them and used them. And this is pennisetum, which is what I've got in the garden at the
45:20moment.
45:22This one is called birdsong and I've picked up the colours of the bush here.
45:27And I've tried to capture the birdsong's sound onto a two-dimensional thing, which is a bit of a challenge.
45:35Are these the sound waves?
45:36No, they're actually the flight paths. So I've picked up the flight paths and like you've got pigeons and so
45:42on down here and you've got your 28s up here.
45:44And as you can see, I've picked up the colours of the birds as well in the lines and I've
45:48tried to pick up the sounds in the stitches.
45:50And so, you know, the intonation.
45:53How amazing.
45:53Yeah. So if the sound goes up, then the stitch goes up sort of thing.
45:57Multidimensional.
45:58Yeah.
45:58And a bit of an experiment.
46:00Is it a similar style to what you're wearing in your work as well?
46:03Yes.
46:03Yep.
46:04Offcuts or...?
46:05Josh, these are very carefully colour-coded.
46:15I just love this space. It's very calming, it's very restful, it just feeds your spirit and it's that calmness
46:21that you take into your artwork and just gives you a sense of, this is what I'm after, this is
46:26what I want, because I think it blesses people, beauty.
46:39Plants give us so much. They feed us, they shelter us, they even give us the clothes on our back.
46:46For some, plants provide a way to get back on track, a path to heal. Our next story is with
46:54a support worker connecting people to gardens on their journey.
47:13I see every client who comes in here as a new connection to life because I learn so much from
47:21each individual here.
47:23My name is Bettina Hockey and I'm working as a support worker and garden manager at a residential rehab centre
47:31called Missiondale.
47:33It's close to Avondale in Tasmania and it is run by Launceston City Mission.
47:39To have anything small and that is quick to harvest, spring onions would be okay.
47:45Yeah, they don't take up much root space.
47:48The clients that we have here, they come into the program after they have detoxed and they can stay up
47:55here for up to six months, but some just come here for a few weeks.
48:00To connect them with the garden and with the chances that the garden has to offer is always a challenge
48:07that I love to take on again.
48:10And it's so rewarding when I see that it works.
48:13It's very involved, the program. So they have lots of groups during the day and have their psychologists, have their
48:21case workers.
48:22And part of it is the skills development in the garden or on the grounds. It's basically learning day to
48:30day living and work skills.
48:32Okay, morning team.
48:34Good morning.
48:35We have a big harvest in front of us today. If you would like to help with the raspberries, that
48:40would be great.
48:40And we also get some apples and some Nashies. Okay, let's go.
48:47Tina's really great. She keeps us motivated and checks in on us. She always gives us things to do.
48:52She makes sure we're on task and, you know, she'll let us do jobs that we enjoy.
49:00She's very patient and she gives guidance where needed. And she likes you to learn things and do them yourself,
49:08which is great.
49:09She gives you room to plan your own plot, decide what you want to grow. She keeps this garden going,
49:16really.
49:17I was looking for a change in my career. I was a teacher beforehand. And then I thought, I don't
49:24want to have the teaching career anymore, but maybe use the skills that I have from there.
49:31So I just applied and the garden was bare. Basically, there was not much happening in it, but some very
49:39keen clients who were weeding the beds,
49:42knowing that there would be a person coming for the first time just for the garden.
49:48And I mean, what better spot you can be in than outside here. This is my office. This is where
49:54I work. So it's perfect.
49:56Been here six months now. And when I got here, I was very weak. I had very little motivation, very,
50:03very little, very little hope for the future.
50:06I didn't know where I was going, what I was doing. For now, well, I've regained my emotional regulation skills
50:13are up to scratch.
50:15My energy levels, my motivation's really good. I'm planning now for my future and I feel a much better, you
50:23know, happier person.
50:32I really appreciate being able to do this sort of thing. It sort of helps me build up my own
50:37skills, gives me something to do, something to be proud of, helps establish a routine.
50:42Yeah, I just enjoy being in the garden.
50:46When I first arrived, there were garden beds there. There was a structure there, but the beds were quite simple.
50:53So a clean slate with one hothouse that was already there, that was functioning well.
50:59So we slowly started to build it up, put an orchard in, put more beds in, polytunnels and yeah, it
51:05grew from there.
51:08So I got volunteers in that helped me, even if it's just one, one day a week.
51:15Today we're going to plant some seeds, some broccoli.
51:19Yep.
51:20So we put two or three seeds in each.
51:22Yep.
51:23And that makes it really easy when we transplant them in the garden.
51:27Greg came on board, who has been with us now over five years and he's here twice a day and
51:34it makes a huge difference.
51:36It's so good to work with people together who are as passionate about gardening as I am.
51:41And water away.
51:46I started very late to get into gardening. Like I grew up with a garden in my family and with
51:53preserving jars full of beans and fruit always in the pantry.
51:58But my mum never taught me how to garden because I never showed an interest in it.
52:03So when I started a garden at home, she was happy about it, a little bit surprised.
52:10It just developed by seeing just at home, how much more beautiful it is to own your little patch of
52:18land and to grow your own tomatoes,
52:21that they're so much tastier, that your silverbeet, your lettuce are just so much better for you when you grow
52:28them yourself.
52:29How's the property in your garden?
52:31It's going great.
52:33I was just amazed how much you can get out of a garden like this with continuously putting in crops
52:40in every season.
52:41So it is around 2,000 square metres, so just half an acre.
52:48And we had some harvest steps for the first years and it was around three tonnes every year that we
52:57get out of the garden and produce.
53:05We know that we've grown the vegetables and then we wash them clean, then they go to the kitchen and
53:10we eat them for lunch and dinner.
53:12You can't get fresher than that.
53:15I work closely together with our chef Catherine and we discuss what she would like to have on her menu
53:22and what I might be able to produce.
53:26This is my dream job.
53:29I've been a chef for over 40 years and I just love coming to work.
53:35They just put their heart and soul into the kitchen. They love working in the kitchen. It's just a dream
53:43job.
53:48It's really important to learn this responsibility again and what it means to look after your plans, like looking after
53:59your friends, looking after your family.
54:01It's amazing, rewarding and it just keeps you going because you see what you can do and every day and
54:09every year you want to do it even better.
54:22Now's the time to put those plans into action. Your jobs for the weekend are here and ready to go.
54:34In cool temperate gardens, prune dead sticks and stems from Japanese maples. Give the bark a scratch with your fingernail
54:42and if it's brown underneath, it needs the chop.
54:45Tube stock are perennials or trees sold in smaller tubes and they're good to go in now.
54:51Easier to plant and quicker to establish than larger equivalents. They're perfect for big landscape jobs.
54:59Find a sunny spot, prepare some rich well-drained soil and sow strawberry runners.
55:04Perfect in a pot or the patch, ensure you mulch well with straw to keep fruits off the soil.
55:11In warm temperate areas, have a crack at hydrangea cuttings. Take 15 centimetre pieces of woody stem, strip off lower
55:19leaves, pop in a pot and wait.
55:21They should have roots by spring. While you've got the secateurs out, give your roses a good prune.
55:27Cut roses back by a third to a half, remove damaged or dead wood, snip off suckers and follow this
55:33up with a feed.
55:35In bright pink bloom now is Crowia exalta, a native shrub found along the east coast.
55:41Perfect for containers, courtyards, cottage gardens and coastal spots, this beauty is a bee magnet.
55:49Subtropical gardeners, give your herbs a haircut as we head into winter.
55:53Prune Moroccan and common mint to the ground, saving the foliage to be used fresh in teas or dried for
55:59later.
55:59Why not grab some galangal? Using a shovel, dig at the side of a growing clump and harvest fresh young
56:07pink rhizomes.
56:08It's a wonderful alternative to ginger in hot drinks and savoury dishes.
56:13Lawn lovers, give your mower some maintenance. Clean filters, sharpen blades and raise the mower height until spring, which will
56:21keep your turf happy and humming over winter.
56:25In the tropics, pop in Plectranthus ambionicus, a tough, tasty oregano alternative.
56:31This fast growing perennial is perfect in pots and the foliage used to flavour pastas, pizzas and more.
56:38For a smashing show of out there colour, sow some celosia seeds.
56:43With their furry, freaky flower heads in reds, pinks, yellows and oranges, these annuals will brighten up any patch.
56:52Bung together a bee hotel to encourage precious native bees.
56:56Use different diameter materials like terracotta pipe, bamboo stalks, pine cones and timber bundled together.
57:04Arid gardeners give your wattles a tip prune when they've finished flowering.
57:08This will maximise their growth so they become dense and bushy and reduce seed set.
57:14Flowering now is the native hibiscus, aliogony hugelite.
57:19A stunning plant from Central Australia, the perfect purple flowers are a tremendous addition to any style of garden.
57:27Celtus or stem lettuce is an unusual Chinese veggie ready to plant in full sun now.
57:32Half lettuce, half celery, Celtus gives you the best of both worlds
57:36and is as easy to grow as it is to eat.
57:39This weekend, get out there and plant something, harvest something and enjoy the great outdoors.
57:52Well, I hope you've had your fill of gardening glory.
57:55Because we're blowing the whistle on this week.
57:59But don't worry, we've got plenty in the works for next time.
58:02Here's what's in store.
58:06I'm visiting a small town with a big reputation for celebrating some of the most underrated species in our gardens.
58:13They're amazing, they're beautiful and they are absolutely diverse.
58:17The insects.
58:21Lawn mowing has come a long way since the old side.
58:24I'm going to show you how to get your mower into tip top shape with razor sharp blades and a
58:29smooth running engine.
58:31Purrs like a kitten.
58:33And I'm visiting a gardener who's bringing the iconic plants of South America's rocky peaks to Hobart's northern suburbs.
58:42Take out.
58:44Take out.
58:45Take out.
58:48Take out.
Comments