Gardening Australia 2024 episode 27

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Gardening Australia 2024 episode 27
Transcript
00:00Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
00:06Hey!
00:12Ooh!
00:16Ha-ha-ha!
00:18Hey!
00:20Hey, buddy.
00:22Hey!
00:27Oh!
00:30Ooh!
00:34Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.
00:36Grab the whistle and...
00:38...blow time on
00:40because we've got everything you need
00:42to get out there and
00:44into it this week.
00:46Here's what's coming up.
00:48Tammy gets an orchid
00:50back to its best.
00:52I feel like I can breathe again.
00:54I have a seedy garden
00:56and I also believe that weed should be
00:58kept firmly in their place.
01:00I'll show you how to keep
01:02discipline so that your garden
01:04doesn't become a nuisance in the neighbourhood.
01:06Our new guest presenter
01:08Jack Semler shows us
01:10how to plan a garden.
01:12I really want all the flowers, all the
01:14foliage to really pick up the golden
01:16hour light as the sun sets.
01:18And we meet an artist
01:20and photographer showcasing
01:22nature's rich tapestry.
01:24Probably 80% of
01:26elements that I'm working with in an artwork
01:28are from the bush and they're still
01:30in the bush.
01:36Jane
01:38has uncovered a grand garden
01:40with stunning views,
01:42cottage flowers, water features
01:44and of course lots
01:46and lots of plants.
01:48Take me there now.
01:50Here
01:54in the beautiful upper Yarra
01:56Valley, about an hour east
01:58of Melbourne, the stunning Yarra
02:00ranges provide the perfect
02:02backdrop to this five
02:04acre garden.
02:06For almost 20
02:08years it's been home to gardener
02:10and broadcaster Virginia Haywood.
02:12I love being outside.
02:14I love experimenting
02:16and I love
02:18here bringing the birds, bringing
02:20nature, keeping the dogs
02:22away from the blue tongues.
02:24So how would you describe
02:26your garden? I suppose
02:28it's a cottage garden gone topsy
02:30turvy.
02:32A cottage garden is meant to be small
02:34and it's not.
02:38Making the most of the large
02:40space, Virginia has also
02:42included some water features.
02:44So this is a smaller pond.
02:46So I put this in first and it
02:48was to bring the frogs. I wanted
02:50frogs and now I've got at least
02:52four different sorts, which of a
02:54night time you can hear is absolutely
02:56wonderful. Well I tell you what, the
02:58viminary there, that loves a watery
03:00spot. It's very happy and it
03:02gets into the view and so we
03:04have this constant fight with it. I cut it,
03:06let it grow up, let it flower
03:08and then think it's ruining the view.
03:10Cut it off with the socks again.
03:12But I have a lot of yellow in here
03:14and I was just having yellow
03:16and pink and I've got a
03:18complete mix of natives
03:20and exotics. And you like
03:22that, don't you, mixing up the two? People say to me, have you got
03:24a native garden? I say no. Oh, you've
03:26got an exotic garden? No.
03:28You know, I have heaps of both.
03:32When I get a plant, I don't
03:34actually read its passport.
03:36If it's beautiful, I want it. If it's
03:38unusual or rare, I want it.
03:40My first question when I plant a plant,
03:42how will it take the north wind?
03:44That's my first question. Oh.
03:46My second question is, does it want sun or shade?
03:48You know, but my first question
03:50is the north wind.
04:04We have come on the best day
04:06to see this beautiful dogwood.
04:08Oh.
04:10It is rather stunning, isn't it?
04:12I've got three of them in here
04:14and I planted all these trees
04:16because it's the south side of the house
04:18and I could get some woodland plants in.
04:20There was nothing here except grass
04:22and weeds. But during
04:24the drought, I did have trouble with the dogwoods
04:26and if it really comes back,
04:28I'm not sure whether they'll last.
04:30They're definitely not a tree to plant
04:32for 2090.
04:34Because they don't like the heat and they
04:36hate the dry. But at the moment,
04:38this one is beautiful.
04:40These flowers of the dogwood are quite
04:42extraordinary, aren't they? They're different.
04:44Yes, of course. We forget
04:46that some of our best flowers
04:48are actually bracts. They're not
04:50flowers. The flowers are much, much smaller
04:52and these develop around the flowers.
04:54And yes, these are bracts.
05:00In this section of the garden, I've got
05:02lots of smokebush. This one
05:04was actually here before I came,
05:06which was fabulous.
05:08Probably the best tree in the garden,
05:10aside from, of course, the eucalypts.
05:12But I have since planted another
05:14six or seven. Yes, I can
05:16see them over there. Yes, over here
05:18and there's some down the driveway. Now, the
05:20beauty of the smokebush is that the
05:22flower looks smoky as it sort of
05:24flowers like that. It's stunning. But look at those
05:26leaves. And they
05:28change colour in autumn and then
05:30they disappear over winter. And I like
05:32the sun to come through in winter.
05:34I want a lot of my trees to give me summer
05:36shade and winter sun. Well, these are very
05:38spectacular. Really as
05:40a contrast, this is where you're using
05:42the colour combinations really well.
05:44So I'm really trying for orange
05:46and purple here, whereas the next
05:48garden bed is orange and pink.
05:50And it's in layers too.
05:52This is a tall one, then you've got the
05:54medium shrubs and then the low ones.
05:56And the low tends to be blue and purple,
05:58which is excellent because it's
06:00cooling.
06:04Look at that clematis
06:06up there. That's pretty cool. That clematis is
06:08absolutely fabulous, isn't it?
06:10It's beautiful. Very dark purple, just
06:12the colour for in this bed. Oh, it's lovely.
06:18The mix of
06:20plants reflect well-travelled Virginia
06:22who left Melbourne for London
06:24in the mid-1970s.
06:26I went
06:28on holidays and just stayed. I didn't intend
06:30to. The last ten years I worked
06:32at the House of Commons. So that was
06:34really good fun. And then I came
06:36back to look after my father, who
06:38used to broadcast on the ABC.
06:40A tennis commentator.
06:42And footy. Yes, he did the
06:44footy. Doug Hayward, he did the footy
06:46for years. And I
06:48think probably because I brought my daughter,
06:50he lived longer than I expected
06:52and by the time he died, she'd turned into
06:54an Australian. So here you are. So here I am.
06:56When she's not
06:58gardening, Virginia is a broadcaster
07:00on Community Radio's
07:023CR's long-running
07:04gardening show. Because
07:06we have a different group on every week, we
07:08have different experts every week. Makes it
07:10a very good radio show.
07:12I'm a guide at the Botanic Gardens, which I've been
07:14doing for 20 years now. We have
07:16a small organisation called Plant Trust,
07:18which is about conserving garden plants
07:20because we can't bring them in like we used to.
07:22We don't want them to disappear.
07:24So people who've got an ornamental
07:26collection of plants
07:28can put that onto the register. Yes.
07:30We try and get people to be
07:32conscious of what they're growing and if they're growing
07:34a whole lot in one genus, to protect
07:36it. And you've got a good climate
07:38to grow things in the Yarra Valley.
07:40I have got red soil.
07:42So it's clay,
07:44it's got goodness in it.
07:46So yes, and I have a higher
07:48rainfall than Melbourne, and I'm
07:50higher than Melbourne. Yes. So
07:52all these things work in my favour.
07:58What's the most
08:00unusual plant you've got in your garden?
08:02I know there's a lot to choose from. There are so many.
08:04One thing we happen
08:06just to be walking towards now
08:08is the Asafoetida.
08:10Asafoetida is a
08:12herb, spice
08:14that you use all the time
08:16in both Middle Eastern and Indian cooking.
08:18I use it a lot when I'm making coffee.
08:20I use it a lot when I'm making curries.
08:22Do you? Exactly. Yes, I do.
08:24And it's because it has a garlic,
08:26onions type flavour.
08:28It's called Ferula.
08:30It's first cousin to fennel. But it's perfect
08:32isn't it? And it's got a funny smell.
08:34Fertida meaning funny smell.
08:36Yes. But I love those
08:38umbel flowers.
08:40I'm glad to see it in your garden though.
08:42It's wonderful. Oh, thank you.
08:46The other thing I think is
08:48important is I've got lots of grass,
08:50which is really boring in terms of the lawn mowing.
08:52But you need the
08:54void. Why? Is that design
08:56feature you need? I think you need your mass.
08:58You know, there's big garden beds
09:00all around us. But you need also
09:02it's like the view.
09:04You need it framed. You need the garden beds
09:06framed by water or by
09:08grass. So that
09:10the eye can rest while it moves.
09:18I
09:20had to somehow end the garden.
09:22Fence? Absolutely not.
09:24Hedge? Block the view.
09:26What am I going to do? There
09:28had been a dam here a long time ago
09:30so I reinstituted it.
09:32And it's lovely having the
09:34reflection of the clouds and the mountains
09:36in the background. Absolutely.
09:38Now you've got a good mixture. You've got the kangaroo
09:40paw and the native
09:42mint. So most of what's planted around
09:44here is native but the
09:46exotics have just crept in.
09:56Virginia may have
09:58given up her professional career
10:00as a political advisor in the UK
10:02but she has embraced
10:04all aspects of her current
10:06plant life.
10:08That big move from politics to plants
10:10means that I'm surrounded by plants people.
10:12Friends around here that I connect through
10:14the plants. I'm close to the Dandenongs.
10:16I've got very good friends up there.
10:18A number of whom are on the radio show with me.
10:20We swap plants, we help
10:22each other. It just is a
10:24whole dialogue, a whole way of
10:26talking to people that is just fabulous.
10:28So it's just all
10:30those different elements. It's the quiet,
10:32the peace.
10:34I love it. I want to go out of here
10:36in a box.
10:44What a garden.
10:46Well, it's a big weekend
10:48for footy and as you heard
10:50in that story, Virginia's
10:52father, Doug Haywood,
10:54not only called Grand
10:56Finals as a broadcaster
10:58for the ABC but he
11:00also played in one
11:02back in 1948
11:04for the Melbourne Demons.
11:06Enjoy
11:08the footy everyone.
11:10I'll see you soon.
11:14And may the best team win.
11:20Is it OK to mulch
11:22over recently sown seed?
11:24Well, it depends on the type of
11:26seed. Large seeds
11:28like these beans, you can put the thinnest
11:30veneer of mulch over the top
11:32because they have enough stored energy inside
11:34them to punch through.
11:36But with smaller seeds like these
11:38brassicas, it's best to wait till they
11:40germinate and then carefully apply
11:42mulch around them.
11:44Now, you can prevent weeds from sprouting
11:46through mulching, so apply it thickly
11:48if that's your goal.
11:50Are there any edible plants that
11:52chooks will leave alone?
11:54Chooks are great, but they're like
11:56fluffy little tractors and pretty
11:58destructive. There's not much
12:00they won't have a go at, but as a
12:02general rule, they'll avoid
12:04leathery plants like rosemary and
12:06oregano. If you want to grow food
12:08in an area that chooks have access
12:10to, it's a better bet to set up
12:12some portable exclusion closures that
12:14you can drop over individual plants
12:16to protect them.
12:18Why doesn't my mountain pepper produce
12:20any fruit? Well,
12:22that's a question to savour.
12:24The mountain pepper is one of the very
12:26best bush food flavours,
12:28at least in my opinion, and they're called
12:30Tasmania lanceolata, and
12:32that might make you think they're only from
12:34Tasmania, but they are
12:36across much of South East Australia.
12:38The foliage, well, it's
12:40peppery and can be used as a flavour,
12:42but to ensure you also get the
12:44edible berries, you need to grow two
12:46plants. That's because they're
12:48dioecious, meaning they
12:50have separate male and female
12:52plants, so you need a
12:54male and a female for pollination.
12:56And I promise,
12:58you'll get some pepper.
13:04Orchids like this don't mind being
13:06pot-bound, but they do benefit
13:08from repotting, and this can be necessary
13:10to help them thrive over time.
13:14The best time to do it is after
13:16they've finished flowering.
13:18Repotting can be done every two to three years,
13:20especially if the plant has
13:22outgrown the pot or the potting medium has
13:24broken down.
13:26And it's a good opportunity to remove
13:28any insects, like ants, that may
13:30have taken up residence, and
13:32inspect the roots.
13:34No insects here,
13:36but I'm snipping off the roots that are well past it,
13:38and those that are a knotty tangle.
13:46I feel like I can breathe again.
13:48Check the bulbs.
13:50Now these ones may look a bit sad and dead,
13:52but they're actually really firm,
13:54so we're going to keep them.
13:56I'm repotting into fresh orchid
13:58bark.
14:04And giving it
14:06a tap
14:08to settle the mix.
14:10Be warned, repotting
14:12your orchid can cause it to go into shock,
14:14so you may need to wait another year
14:16or so before it flowers.
14:26To finish off, I'm
14:28feeding with a premium orchid fertilizer.
14:30A little bit of a
14:32tidy makes for a happy plant.
14:44If there's one thing I know about Gerry,
14:46he runs a tight ship.
14:48Not much gets past him, and he's not
14:50afraid to show his plants
14:52a little bit of tough love
14:54and keep them in line.
14:56But he's also a responsible
14:58gardener. And today he's
15:00going to show us how in the garden
15:02a stitch in time
15:04can save nine.
15:12I have a very
15:14seedy garden. The majority
15:16of the crops I grow come from
15:18seed I've saved myself.
15:20I also make my own compost,
15:22which contains seed,
15:24and I use that to improve my soil.
15:26That's a lot of seeds
15:28circling around in my garden,
15:30which begs the questions,
15:32is my garden an uncontrolled
15:34weed patch, or
15:36am I a slave to my garden,
15:38or am I just a little bit
15:40nutty? Well, I'm hoping
15:42to disprove two of these things.
15:44Many of the
15:46crop plants that we depend upon
15:48for food have certain commonalities.
15:50They're dependable,
15:52easily grown from seed
15:54or division or cuttings.
15:56Next to me is one great
15:58example. It's the pigeon pea.
16:00Now, this produces really protein
16:02rich seed. The young pods
16:04can be eaten green like snow peas.
16:06The flowers are powerfully
16:08attractive to native bees,
16:10and if there's a famine,
16:12then the leaves can be used like spinach.
16:14In certain parts of the
16:16world, it can grow
16:18almost like a weed. But I
16:20didn't sow this. It sowed
16:22itself from a plant I grew elsewhere
16:24in the garden. It's growing
16:26right next to the fence, so if
16:28I don't maintain this, the next
16:30stop could be my neighbour's garden.
16:34Most of our dependable and favourite
16:36food plants need to be
16:38managed. If you ask me
16:40what my worst weed is, I'd
16:42have to say the tomato,
16:44closely followed by eggplant.
16:46One of the earliest lessons
16:48I learned when I moved to the
16:50subtropics was that every
16:52single seed of eggplant and tomato
16:54that get put into the compost heap
16:56survive. And at one stage
16:58my back garden was a
17:00forest of their seedlings.
17:02And that was a lesson I've never
17:04forgotten. Much so I love my
17:06compost, these fruits
17:08stay out of it.
17:12In terms of weediness,
17:14there's a complete
17:16spectrum with plants.
17:18Starting with corn.
17:20This has been so modified
17:22by farmers, it looks nothing
17:24like its wild ancestors.
17:26And this wrapping that
17:28we take for granted, in fact
17:30prevents the seed from
17:32self-seeding. So in terms
17:34of weediness, this
17:36has zero risk
17:38to the environment.
17:40And this is sesame.
17:42And the only reason you grow
17:44sesame is as a seed
17:46crop. But
17:48here in the subtropics, I've
17:50only got one window where I
17:52can grow this. I sow it in
17:54spring and harvest before
17:56the summer rains. Because it
17:58doesn't like our warm, wet,
18:00humid summers.
18:02It can survive as seed. If I
18:04miss any, they'll come up the next year.
18:06But they need a gardener
18:08to intervene by tilling
18:10the soil, turning it over,
18:12exposing the seed. So this
18:14could be classified as a
18:16weed of cultivation.
18:18Without cultivation, it
18:20disappears.
18:22Anybody who's grown basil
18:24will know that they can
18:26self-seed in the garden.
18:28But it too is a weed of
18:30cultivation. It doesn't
18:32like shade. It needs the
18:34soil to be disturbed in
18:36order for it to be able to spread.
18:38These are really
18:40easy to control.
18:42And growing next to the basil
18:44is bitter melon.
18:46Now this is a different
18:48character. And it has
18:50the potential to be an environmental
18:52weed. The seed will
18:54germinate without the assistance
18:56of a gardener.
18:58So, if you're going to grow
19:00this plant, you really
19:02need to harvest all the
19:04fruit. And
19:06have a few good recipes for using
19:08them. Well firstly, I'm just
19:10going to snip one off and show you why I grow it.
19:14Bitter melon is a summer
19:16annual. And the fruit are
19:18delightfully bitter.
19:20This fruit is not full
19:22sized. But you do need to eat
19:24them when they're green because
19:26they become toxic when they turn
19:28yellow. You prepare
19:30the fruit by scooping out
19:32the seed. And at this stage,
19:34when they're green, you can put that
19:36into the compost heap and they won't
19:38germinate. But once they turn
19:40yellow, don't compost them.
19:42Because mature seeds of the
19:44yellow fruit will most definitely
19:46germinate and, via the
19:48compost, could spread all over
19:50my garden. The take-home
19:52message is, you need to
19:54understand this plant.
19:56Its growth cycle, its potential
19:58to grow quickly and large,
20:00and its ability to
20:02grow in bushland, if it's allowed
20:04to. So,
20:06if you're not going to put in the
20:08effort to grow this plant,
20:10don't grow it.
20:12This is
20:14Lagos spinach.
20:16In Australia, it tends
20:18to be grown as an old favourite in
20:20cottage gardens. I grow
20:22it, as it was originally intended,
20:24as a spinach, a leafy
20:26green. I harvest
20:28the plant's whole before even the
20:30first flower, before they
20:32become fibrous. I never
20:34let it go to seed.
20:36Each plant is capable
20:38of producing between 1
20:40and 2,000 seed, so
20:42it's definitely a seedy plant.
20:44Grown like this
20:46in my garden, it presents
20:48absolutely no weed threat
20:50whatsoever. But, left
20:52to its own devices in a cottage
20:54garden, it could indeed
20:56become a local weed.
20:58Lemongrass is familiar
21:00in many food and herb gardens.
21:02This one is
21:04East Indian lemongrass, and it's
21:0620 years old. We've come
21:08to an arrangement. In
21:10winter, it produces very tall
21:12seed heads, and I'll collect a
21:14couple for seed for myself.
21:16The rest I'll cut off to prevent
21:18them self-seeding here.
21:20A few have escaped. I'll put them
21:22in the compost heap where they can rot
21:24without causing any further concern.
21:26Now, this is
21:28a rhythmic, cyclical
21:30effort that I do to contain
21:32what could become a local
21:34bushland weed. Now, if that
21:36sounds like too much work, then
21:38you could go for West Indian
21:40lemongrass, which is a different species.
21:42It's sterile, and you have
21:44to multiply it by division.
21:46So, by substitution,
21:48you can avoid growing a weed in the
21:50first place and save some labour.
21:54This is my curry
21:56leaf tree, and it's a
21:58labour of love. It supplies
22:00all I need and the needs
22:02of two restaurants.
22:04The problem with this plant is it's a
22:06potential environmental weed, particularly
22:08in certain climate zones like the
22:10subtropics. And birds love
22:12to eat the fruit,
22:14and they spread the seed far and
22:16wide. So, what you
22:18would normally think about doing
22:20is to remove the flowers to prevent
22:22the seed. And for a while,
22:24I struggled with this until I realised
22:26that when
22:28they produce the fruit,
22:30they send a chemical signal back
22:32to the tree. No need to flower
22:34anymore. So, you only need
22:36to trim the fruit off once.
22:38And that was a labour-saving
22:40discovery which I've never read about
22:42in books.
22:44I trim the fruit off once a season.
22:46To maintain the height and spread,
22:48I prune it all over
22:50twice a year, making sure
22:52nothing enters my neighbour's garden.
22:56Every plant you bring back into your garden
22:58requires some sort of
23:00labour. So, do your due diligence.
23:02Every local
23:04council maintains a
23:06list of undesirable,
23:08unwanted weeds. Check
23:10there. What is a weed in
23:12my climate zone may not be a weed
23:14in your climate zone.
23:20The big question each of us must ask
23:22is whether I'm prepared to put in
23:24the time or the effort to
23:26maintain a plant. In this garden,
23:28I maintain 140
23:30different seedy crops.
23:32And so far, I think I'm winning.
23:34The future is not
23:36a predetermined destination.
23:38It's a consequence of the small,
23:40everyday decisions
23:42each of us gardeners make.
23:44And that will determine whether
23:46the future of Australia is
23:48weedier or less weedy.
23:56Keeping goats is great
23:58for the resources they provide,
24:00including milk, manure
24:02and, of course, love.
24:04But they also take lots of
24:06time and effort to make sure they're kept
24:08happy and content, which was a
24:10challenge with my busy work schedule.
24:12And so, I had to find a new
24:14home for my girls, Jilly and Gertie.
24:18But after six goat-free months,
24:20I was ready to introduce more goats
24:22to my family.
24:24After six goat-free months, I was ready to introduce
24:26more goaty goodness into my life.
24:28So, I started asking around
24:30and established a goat share
24:32with two other households who live nearby.
24:34And now, we have
24:36the beautiful Clary
24:38and Flo, her daughter, in our lives.
24:40The goats are
24:42permanently based here.
24:44So, our goat share system works with an online
24:46calendar to work out who does the feeding
24:48and milking on which day.
24:50Not only do we all save time,
24:52we also save money, as we share
24:54all the costs.
24:56But the best thing is, we all get to enjoy
24:58the many benefits of having local
25:00and ethical dairy in our lives.
25:02So, if you haven't got time
25:04to have your own goats, or even
25:06chickens, maybe try to reach out
25:08and find someone in your neighbourhood
25:10who is also super keen.
25:12It could be a win-win for everybody.
25:16Still to come on
25:18Gardening Australia,
25:20Millie gives an old favourite
25:22a new look.
25:24I think this is going to enjoy being potted up
25:26and it's going to give me great results.
25:28Clarence is making big moves.
25:30A lot of them go into new builds
25:32and it gives that big impact from day one.
25:34And we meet an artist
25:36capturing nature's bounty.
25:38I wanted to celebrate what we do have
25:40and protect
25:42what we're losing.
25:44Over the next few weeks,
25:46our new guest presenter, Jack Semler,
25:48is going to show us how to create
25:50a beautiful, showy garden.
25:52And because success
25:54is all in the planning,
25:56that's exactly where she's going
25:58to start today.
26:08Over the next few weeks,
26:10we're going to cover everything
26:12about planting design.
26:14How to select plants,
26:16how to propagate a whole mass of them,
26:18and how you can even create beauty
26:20in small spaces
26:22so everyone can have a year of wonder
26:24no matter what kind of garden you're growing in.
26:26But today, it's all about planning.
26:28I'm a maximalist.
26:30We want to cram
26:32all different kinds of plants,
26:34all different kinds of forms of plants
26:36so that we can have this
26:38amazing kind of
26:40schedule of different flowers
26:42and interests throughout the whole year.
26:46When I first planted out my front yard,
26:48it was filled with perennials.
26:50They mainly flowered in the summer.
26:54This time, I want to experiment
26:56so much more.
26:58Add more bulbs,
27:00more Australian wildflowers,
27:02different kinds of annuals and succulents
27:04to really have much more wonder
27:06throughout the whole year.
27:08And I started
27:10by ripping it all up.
27:14Now, it looks drastic,
27:16but don't be alarmed.
27:18All these plants were lifted.
27:20They're going to elsewhere in the garden,
27:22to projects, to friends.
27:24We've collected seeds and cuttings,
27:26and so everything's going to be used.
27:28When you're first thinking about
27:30a planting design,
27:32it's great to really
27:34observe the garden,
27:36to spend some time
27:38in the space, to consider
27:40some of the natural parameters,
27:42some of the things that you want to
27:44keep in the space,
27:46and also thinking about how you're going
27:48to see it and use the space.
27:50Now, when I ripped everything
27:52out, there are some things
27:54that I left. I've left the
27:56magnolias, which are an incredible
27:58backdrop to the garden,
28:00the hedges that create some
28:02formal lines for all the wild planting
28:04that happens in between.
28:06There's an existing gravel pathway,
28:08and I marked out all of
28:10these bulbs with some bamboo
28:12stakes, so I can see where they are
28:14when we do the planting.
28:16And there's some gorgeous grasses.
28:18They're really nice and established.
28:20They have lovely texture on the
28:22outskirts of the garden, so we've kept them.
28:24The other important thing
28:26to consider is the lines
28:28of beauty, so how you
28:30see across the garden,
28:32different perspectives and views that
28:34you have on the garden, what will greet you
28:36when you come up the driveway.
28:38The conditions and size are
28:40also something you need to think about.
28:42So, this is a typical garden
28:44front yard, about 6 by
28:4610 metres. It's also important
28:48to think about your aspect, so
28:50how much sun the garden actually
28:52gets throughout the day.
28:54This garden is predominantly south-facing,
28:56but I still get a lot of sunlight
28:58because the garden's far enough away
29:00from the house. Once you've
29:02got a handle on the conditions, the next
29:04step is to really start developing
29:06that idea. For me,
29:08with this particular planting design,
29:10I really want to create something
29:12that is full of flowers, that's
29:14really complex, but that it's
29:16got a real softness to it as well.
29:18I really want, you know,
29:20all the flowers, all the foliage
29:22to really pick up the golden hour
29:24light as the sun sets
29:26and as the sun rises in the morning.
29:28There's particular colours that I really
29:30love and particular shapes
29:32of flowers that I want to use a lot of
29:34so that it really feels like
29:36an immersive space where I'm just
29:38surrounded by all these floating
29:40flowers.
29:42When I'm doing planting design,
29:44I consider colour, I consider
29:46shape, and I consider
29:48the phenology of the plant, so when it's
29:50flowering, when it's growing,
29:52I consider all of
29:54those things at the same time.
29:56But I think it might be a bit more simpler
29:58if we just think about colour first
30:00and then shape and how
30:02we can combine them together.
30:06When I think about colour,
30:08I really feel like it's one of the most
30:10important things in a garden.
30:12For me, colour
30:14is something that just brings everything
30:16to life. You can use
30:18colour in so many different ways
30:20and it brings vibrancy
30:22or it brings softness,
30:24it can bring a whole planting together,
30:26it can create contrast.
30:28When it comes
30:30to developing your colour experience
30:32for your garden, I think it's
30:34really fun to create like a
30:36visual tool. Sometimes we
30:38call these mood boards, but there's different
30:40ways of going about them.
30:42I really like taking screenshots
30:44from my camera roll.
30:46I find that when I'm out in
30:48nature or in gardens, I've been drawn
30:50to particular colours, and so
30:52I can see those different themes
30:54come through in what I've documented
30:56on my phone. There's other
30:58ways as well. You can create like
31:00a physical mood board, where you
31:02clip out all different kinds of
31:04colours and textures and
31:06things that you really feel drawn to,
31:08the things that you really, really love,
31:10and it's possible to also create
31:12like a digital pin board as
31:14well, where you get a whole collection
31:16of images and you really
31:18start seeing kind of an idea
31:20of colour come through it.
31:24I really love
31:26beautiful kind of autumnal
31:28colours. You know, the oranges,
31:30the burgundies, but also the lime
31:32greens, and I really love
31:34like mauves as well,
31:36and it's something that we see in the Australian bush
31:38a lot, together with yellows,
31:40and so I always think about
31:42the colours that I want to see at particular
31:44points in time, and there
31:46is a really lovely combination
31:48that I really want to explore
31:50in the garden this year.
31:52I got so inspired
31:54by this image, in
31:56looking at all of the gorgeous
31:58Echinacea paletta, and it's
32:00fun to use some of your favourite plants,
32:02and Echinaceas are definitely one of mine,
32:04but how it just pairs so
32:06beautifully with this soft
32:08mauve in the background,
32:10and so I'm really taking a lot of inspiration
32:12from this kind of colour,
32:14and how I can have a moment of that in my
32:16garden, but potentially, instead
32:18of using just these
32:20plants, use some Australian
32:22wildflowers to really make it happen.
32:24So, to make it simple,
32:26for this planting in my
32:28front garden, I'm going to work
32:30with three main shapes.
32:32So, larger things
32:34like the larger perennials,
32:36like Sedum atrona, that form
32:38lots of big mouths,
32:40and then I'm going to use a lot of
32:42plants that have a lot of
32:44floating flowers, they might be strappy,
32:46upright, those flowers
32:48will come up through, and
32:50they'll float above the remaining
32:52foliage, and then I'm going to
32:54have like a lot of filler as well,
32:56so lower grasses,
32:58ground covers,
33:00that will use all the
33:02space in between these two different
33:04shapes.
33:06Now I've got a really clear
33:08idea of colour, I'm going to use
33:10shape and form to start building a
33:12plant list of those favourite plants,
33:14and other plants that are really going to
33:16complement them, and as I do so,
33:18I'm also going to think about
33:20who else this garden is for.
33:22So those pollinators, the bees, the
33:24birds, all the other creatures
33:26that are going to live in my garden, I'm going to
33:28think about them, and the kind of plants
33:30that they love too.
33:32So don't hesitate if you want to have
33:34a bit of a crack, rip something
33:36up, and start your planting design
33:38again. Gardening and
33:40plants, it's all about fun,
33:42experimenting, really maximising
33:44all the delight and the wonder
33:46that you can fit into a space.
33:48So it doesn't matter whether you've got
33:50a really big front yard,
33:52something in the backyard,
33:54some pots, a little small corner,
33:56why don't you explore
33:58what you can achieve with some beautiful
34:00plants all together
34:02in your home garden.
34:04Next time in my
34:06Designing with Plants series, I'll
34:08show you how to pick plants that will fill
34:10your garden year-round with
34:12colour, texture, and of course
34:14beauty.
34:20You can't get more long-term
34:22than a tree, and that's exactly what this
34:24is. It's the bay tree, Loris nobilis,
34:26which we use as
34:28a fragrant herb
34:30to put into things like soups and stews. It's the
34:32leaves that you use, and they can be
34:34ginormous. In fact, I often walk the block,
34:36there's a few trees near here that are two or
34:38three storeys high. I don't have
34:40space for that, but I do want the convenience
34:42of this flavour
34:44in the veggie patch. So what I'm going to do is
34:46actually pot up a tree.
34:48I've got this kind of wayward specimen, which
34:50I must admit, when I went to the nursery, I could have
34:52picked a nice compact plant, but I
34:54think this is going to enjoy being
34:56potted up, and it's going to give me great results.
34:58So it's a fantastic time
35:00to pot almost anything
35:02up, and if it's as pot bound
35:04as this is, you've got to take a few steps.
35:06One is to root prune.
35:18So you can see I've
35:20got that pot already filled about
35:22just over a third, and
35:24I'm just going to check the depth
35:26of my plant.
35:28A little bit more.
35:30Just get
35:32that height right. It's really
35:34important when you pot something up
35:36that you don't fill it right to that top
35:38surface, because when you water it, it'll just
35:40run off the edge. So you want to leave
35:42about, I don't know, 50mm
35:44between the finished surface of the
35:46soil and the pot edge.
35:48I'm not worrying too much
35:50about this. It's not straight, obviously,
35:52because I'm going to remove
35:54most of that.
35:56You can see
35:58how misshapen this plant
36:00is, but I'm going to use that
36:02to my advantage, actually. I'm going to prune off
36:04these two larger limbs. Pruning
36:06particularly at this time will actually
36:08stimulate more growth, and I can
36:10dry these, use them in the kitchen,
36:12and by the time I've run out of this lot,
36:14these fresh ones will be ready to harvest.
36:16So I'm going to be quite
36:18brutal, I think. Come right in here.
36:22The second one is just going to come in again
36:24quite tough.
36:26I reckon I'll just take this tip out
36:28to even
36:30it up and encourage lots more
36:32new growth.
36:38Got to find a sunny
36:40spot for this. I hope you have
36:42a sunny few days in your garden.
36:50Growing plants takes time
36:52and patience. It's a
36:54rewarding process, but
36:56do you ever wish you could
36:58wave a magic wand and
37:00speed things up a bit?
37:02Well, Clarence has uncovered a way
37:04to turn that dream
37:06into a big reality.
37:12If you were going to do one thing
37:14to completely change the nature of your
37:16garden, what would it be?
37:20Maybe a chicken coop
37:22or a water feature.
37:24That sounds like a lot of work
37:26and maybe you're a little bit too impatient.
37:28How about
37:30something
37:32like this? What an absolute
37:34beauty. This is
37:36a mature olive tree
37:38and in amazingly good
37:40shape, especially considering it
37:42lives in a bag.
37:44To learn more,
37:46I'm meeting third generation nurseryman
37:48Paul Tachi from
37:50Nurseries and Landscaping. Paul, g'day.
37:52G'day, Clarence. How you doing? I've been checking out this
37:54olive tree. Where'd that come from? Mate, it's from an
37:56old olive farm. It's about 25 years
37:58old and it's got some nice age and character
38:00to it. We save that and then we get into
38:02a new garden.
38:04Let's jump in the car and I'll show you around.
38:06I've come to meet Paul
38:08because I'm on the hunt for feature trees.
38:10Trees
38:12that would make an instant impact in the right
38:14garden.
38:16And because Paul's nursery specialises in
38:18just that kind of thing, I reckon
38:20I'm going to find them.
38:22Look at the size of this
38:24place.
38:26And I'm just so impressed
38:28with the quality of the stock. The plants
38:30are just absolutely gorgeous. Yeah,
38:32quality's our main sort of priority.
38:38I'm going to pick my top five feature trees
38:40that you could put in your garden tomorrow.
38:42And here's my first.
38:44The European fan palm,
38:46Shamarops humilis,
38:48also known as the Mediterranean fan palm.
38:50Now this is a cold, hardy
38:52palm that is ideal for use
38:54in a temperate landscape.
38:56Will handle the cool conditions
38:58and look fantastic.
39:00This specimen's over
39:02four metres tall. It's in
39:04tremendous shape and it's
39:06another rescue.
39:08It's one thing to see
39:10so many large feature trees in the one
39:12place, but to know so many are
39:14rescued says a lot about the
39:16devotion of Paul's team.
39:18Rather than
39:20seeing those older trees get
39:22mulched up and taken
39:24out, you're able to actually keep them.
39:26No, it's always good saving trees.
39:28You know, a lot of them go into new builds
39:30and it gives that big impact
39:32from day one, which is good.
39:34And despite the fact there's so many
39:36to choose from, some of these are just
39:38so impressive. I've just spotted
39:40my next
39:42top five tree.
39:44Dracaena draco, the dragon's blood
39:46tree. Straight out of the desert
39:48landscapes of western Morocco, this
39:50resilient plant will handle the
39:52harshest conditions, including
39:54salt-laden coastal areas.
39:56Now it's perfect for that clifftop getaway
39:58environment. Maybe one day.
40:02We've got some amazing
40:04specimens here.
40:06Some of these more mature trees, they've
40:08got to start at least 10km
40:10up from there. Yeah, mate,
40:12every bit of it. With the more mature stuff,
40:14sometimes they can be a lot more.
40:16But it depends on the first
40:18impact you want. Especially with the dragon trees
40:20and that sort of gear, they can increase
40:22the value of your home. It's always good to invest
40:24in good landscape and good plants.
40:26Especially if you want to resell the home
40:28or put it on the market, it's a good
40:30first impression.
40:32That's it, I suppose.
40:34If you're going to spend
40:36$10,000, $20,000, $30,000 on an established
40:38tree, it is going to be a focal point
40:40if you're coming into a new space.
40:42Definitely.
40:44Next on the list is a dead-set
40:46cracker.
40:48This incredible 2m giant is a native
40:50of Mexico. Blue Nolina.
40:52Nolina nelsonii.
40:54And for me, it is the epitome
40:56of botanical grandeur.
40:58Absolutely eye-catching. Particularly
41:00if you get too close. So be careful.
41:02Now, it will be beautifully
41:04offset if you use some rounded form
41:06on the bottom, things like kazanits or
41:08cardboard palms, or even any rounded
41:10hedge. It is a stunning
41:12example of what you can do
41:14with a feature tree in your garden.
41:18If you're going to pot big plants,
41:20you're going to need big pots.
41:22Mate, look at the size of this thing.
41:24She's big, isn't she?
41:26I'll just step in like this.
41:28That's the way we go.
41:30Do they come much bigger than this?
41:32Oh, they do, but this is 1,000 litre.
41:34We generally put our features
41:36in this size. Getting the feature trees
41:38into them is part of the battle,
41:40but then keeping them in here and keeping them alive,
41:42there's a lot to it, I'm guessing.
41:44Yeah, so we've got to, one, keep them upright,
41:46and two, we've got to keep them
41:48well watered, fed, and that sort of thing.
41:50And shaving that root ball to
41:52make it fit, you probably
41:54still need a little bit of space around the outside
41:56for some new growing media? Yeah, so
41:58you always need to put new soil around
42:00the root ball, put some new fertiliser
42:02in that, so yeah. But other than that,
42:04you know, they can survive in a pot for
42:06a long time. Worst comes to worst,
42:08you can always just convert it into a
42:10little hot tub out the back. Yeah, why not? I'll grab you a beer.
42:12That's perfect. Yeah, that's it.
42:16Speaking of relaxing,
42:18next, one of my personal
42:20tropical favourites.
42:22Dwarf date palm, Phoenix
42:24robalenii.
42:26Revered for its size and its tropical
42:28feel. These
42:30guys get up around two metres tall
42:32and they look absolutely lush
42:34from every angle.
42:36It's a native to Southeastern Asia
42:38and it's just perfect for
42:40laying back in a banana lounge,
42:42speedos on, sipping cocktails.
42:44Oh, I can just picture it
42:46now.
42:48The dwarf date palm.
42:50So from dream
42:52to reality,
42:54how does one of these massive trees
42:56get into your backyard?
42:58Given the investment
43:00and the cost of these trees, the last thing you
43:02want is to damage them or break a limb off.
43:04What does it take to get one of these feature trees out of
43:06the nursery and into somebody's garden?
43:08Look, it all comes down to access.
43:10Tight access, streets, neighbours,
43:12power poles, it just depends.
43:14And you don't want to damage it of course.
43:16So it's a bit of a challenge sometimes.
43:18Some of these pots may not be able to,
43:20not a simple method of just tapping
43:22them out. No, not at all.
43:24It takes a good landscape
43:26and it's important to use a landscape professional
43:28to do it.
43:30My biggest problem is I have
43:32to find my final tree for my
43:34top five.
43:36And now it's getting really difficult.
43:40Is it this magnificent
43:42allegendron barbarae or tree
43:44aloe with its spectacular
43:46silhouette and smooth grey
43:48trunk? Africa's
43:50largest aloe?
43:52Or will it be this?
43:54Andanus pedunculatus, also
43:56known as coastal screw pine.
43:58Both
44:00impressive and easy to look
44:02after.
44:04In the end,
44:06I couldn't go past
44:08this native stunner.
44:10This is a Queensland bottle
44:12tree, Brachycyton rupestris.
44:14This majestic native looks
44:16great with an understory of cacti
44:18or succulents. Now,
44:20as the name suggests, it does
44:22form the shape of a bottle as it matures
44:24and, like a camel, will store water.
44:26It's a native from Queensland,
44:28although it does handle up to
44:30minus eight degrees. This is
44:32definitely in my top five.
44:38A mature feature tree is a big
44:40investment. But for
44:42instant gratification, a tree
44:44can completely change how
44:46you use your garden.
44:48It also makes you think about
44:50your established trees and the value
44:52they bring to your quality of life.
45:04My favourite plant
45:06is probably silver birches.
45:08Just the bark and the
45:10colouring of it. And I like
45:12seeing it change through the seasons,
45:14which is really nice. My favourite
45:16tree, Stenocarpus sinuatus,
45:18the Queensland fire wheel tree.
45:20Well, it's just a fabulous wheel
45:22flower. It flowers very
45:24prolifically. Not that long,
45:26I suppose, but it's just a wonderful tree.
45:28Jade plant, they call it
45:30money plant. Yeah, they said,
45:32if you have that at your home, it's a
45:34blessing. At the moment,
45:36my favourite is the tomato plant
45:38because I haven't perfected
45:40growing one and I haven't
45:42beaten the wildlife yet to
45:44an actual tomato. I love
45:46Sansevierias, sort of like
45:48the mother-in-law's tongue ones. They're
45:50really sculptural and architectural
45:52and I just love how hardy they are.
45:54Just really resilient, great
45:56indoor plants. I've got a new favourite
45:58and it's the nude shock coria
46:00that we have, so native.
46:02It's got a purply foliage colour but
46:04still got that very authentic Australian
46:06coria look and it's stunning.
46:08I've got a nice Jacaranda
46:10tree in the corner of the backyard.
46:12In the afternoon, it's nice to sit
46:14underneath the
46:16canopy and have a
46:18cup of tea and read my garden
46:20magazines. It gives me immense pleasure.
46:28I love artists who work with plants,
46:30observing and interpreting
46:32the beauty of the natural
46:34world around them.
46:36Our next story is with an artist
46:38putting things together with serious
46:40visual impact.
46:44Music
46:48Almost every element
46:50is a separate photograph that I've taken.
46:56When I capture these elements in the bush,
46:58I come back, I load them onto my
47:00computer.
47:04I will de-patch, which means getting rid
47:06of all the background
47:08and just
47:10save the bit of the image that I want to keep.
47:14I layer, I rearrange,
47:16I create the shadows.
47:18Some of my artworks will have
47:20over 300 layers.
47:24When people first see my work, they assume
47:26that it is a painting.
47:30But then when they get up really close,
47:32they realise that it would be very difficult
47:34to paint in such detail.
47:38I really wanted to focus on strictly Australian
47:40natives. I wanted to celebrate
47:42what we do have
47:44and protect what we're losing.
47:54My name is Pamela Pauline,
47:56and I'm a photographic artist.
48:00I'm originally from Wyoming
48:02in the United States, a small town called Laramie.
48:06I grew up in a high, dry
48:08climate.
48:10I love the wildflowers in Wyoming.
48:12Incredibly beautiful mountains
48:14and beautiful trees and that sort of thing.
48:18I live on the northern beaches
48:20of Sydney. I absolutely
48:22love this area.
48:26I've had people tell me that they find
48:28bushwalking in Australia really boring
48:30because there aren't as many big
48:32glamorous flowers.
48:34I find it so not boring because I think
48:36I love the challenge of
48:38these little species.
48:42The homoranthus
48:44variety of plants really
48:46took me by surprise because they're absolutely
48:48miniscule.
48:50You know, we've got
48:52the flannel flower that's so furry
48:54like flannel.
48:56The Grevillea scapaguerra
48:58is from Western Australia.
49:02I use that word awe and almost disbelief
49:04that it could be so beautiful and so
49:06gorgeous sometimes.
49:08We've got over
49:1024,000 species in Australia
49:12and about 1,400 of them
49:14are actually threatened with extinction so that's quite
49:16a big percentage.
49:18The idea sort of developed in my mind,
49:20how could I photograph these species,
49:22draw awareness and then create something
49:24that was actually beautiful to look at.
49:26So it really made
49:28sense for me to look back at some of the old
49:30master artists and see
49:32what did they do with their floral bouquets.
49:36For me it didn't feel complete with just
49:38the flora so I thought well I'm going to
49:40incorporate threatened birds as well.
49:42And then I thought well
49:44people just looking at it initially
49:46won't recognize that these are
49:48threatened so I incorporated some books.
49:50I've got an hourglass in a lot of my works
49:52that sort of shows that time could be running out
49:54if we don't all do our
49:56collective responsibility to save
49:58these plants and animals.
50:00I really wanted to use
50:02soft and quite dark
50:04for these pictures because I wanted them to be quite dramatic.
50:06Having said that I
50:08wanted other work to not be
50:10quite so daunting.
50:12So I thought let me start working on
50:14some pieces that are a bit more
50:16uplifting, maybe with
50:18flora and birds that are
50:20more everyday, more extraordinary things that we do see.
50:22So that's why the newer ones
50:24are brighter. It might be that just
50:26the birds are threatened amongst the other beautiful flora.
50:34It's very important in my work
50:36that I tread lightly.
50:38So I spend a lot of time in the bush photographing
50:40and I would say probably 80%
50:42of elements that I'm working with in an artwork
50:44are from the bush and they're still
50:46in the bush.
50:48Obviously when I find something that's irresistible
50:50in a flower shop that's native
50:52I will buy it and photograph it.
50:54But that's rare.
50:56Most of it comes from the bush and stays in the bush
50:58and that means a lot to me.
51:00That it'll eventually decay and it'll
51:02regenerate for someone else to
51:04witness.
51:06I have so
51:08many photographs of plants and birds
51:10probably 37,000, something
51:12like that. For me
51:14I wouldn't find joy in using someone
51:16else's work. When I'm editing
51:18I actually remember where I was,
51:20what the weather was like, and it's all part
51:22of the process. It's what sort of completes
51:24my work for me.
51:26And over time it comes together and then I'll think
51:28it's nearly done and then I'll think no!
51:30I need a bee.
51:32So then I'll be out looking for bees.
51:34Yeah, you could go on forever and the artwork
51:36would never be finished. At some point I just have to say
51:38enough is enough, I'm happy.
51:40I have a lot of people
51:42who tear up when they see these works.
51:44It goes back to people's homes
51:46and they talk about it and they say
51:48can you believe that this is actually endangered
51:50now? We're in a biodiversity
51:52crisis. So I think there are little
51:54subtle ways you can spread awareness.
51:56I want to do it in a way that is positive.
51:58It showcases the beauty.
52:00Beauty is very real to me.
52:08The time has arrived.
52:10Flex your muscles, bend
52:12those elbows, here's your jobs
52:14for the weekend.
52:20In cool temperate gardens
52:22it's the perfect time to plant
52:24time. Tasty, versatile
52:26and tough as boots.
52:28Time is an excellent plant
52:30for veggie patch borders,
52:32dry spots and pots.
52:34Mix it up, there's loads of different
52:36varieties to choose from.
52:38Summer stunners in the cottage
52:40garden, gladiolichorms
52:42are ready to go in.
52:44Plant in a sunny spot at the back
52:46of a garden bed and in a couple of months
52:48you'll be glad you did.
52:50Silverbeet seeds
52:52can be sown now. Soak in
52:54water overnight and sow direct
52:56leaving about 30 centimetres
52:58between plants.
53:00A good feed with aged chookpoo
53:02will see these boom.
53:04Warm temperate
53:06gardeners, if your strawberries are looking
53:08sad after winter, give them a
53:10boost with regular week applications
53:12of liquid fertiliser
53:14and lay some fresh straw mulch
53:16to keep forming fruit
53:18off the soil. They can feel
53:20like they bloom forever but
53:22applications will benefit from a
53:24spruce-up this spring.
53:26Cut them back to the ground, remove
53:28rotted segments and top dress
53:30with aged manure or compost.
53:32While the secateurs are out,
53:34remove spent flowers
53:36from winter-blooming natives like
53:38calistomen and haikia to tidy
53:40them up and stop them wasting
53:42energy producing seed.
53:44Subtropical lawn lovers
53:46raise the cutting heights
53:48of your mowers. Longer lawn
53:50provides shade for soil, making it
53:52more heat-tolerant and less
53:54likely to be smashed by summer.
53:56High-yielding lovers of
53:58heat and humidity, snake beans
54:00can be planted now.
54:02Find a sunny spot and give them
54:04something to climb and you'll be picking
54:06plump pods in no time.
54:08Give flowering faves
54:10like duranta, alamanda
54:12and musienda a trim and tidy,
54:14some organic fertiliser
54:16and a good drink and they'll
54:18reward you with a stunning summer show.
54:20Sow seeds
54:22of Darwin lettuce,
54:24an oak-leaf variety that thrives
54:26in the tropics and is slow
54:28to bolt to seed.
54:30Protect them from ravenous snails and
54:32slugs, particularly when young.
54:34It's a ripper time
54:36to get in a fresh round of basil
54:38and sweet corn, as well as
54:40perennial edibles including taro,
54:42lemongrass, sweet potato
54:44and Cape gooseberry.
54:46If you're netting fruit trees,
54:48use taut hail guard mesh
54:50or wildlife-friendly netting
54:52to ensure flying foxes
54:54cannot become tangled.
54:56Remember, loose netting or
54:58anything with holes wide enough to stick
55:00your pinky through is a danger.
55:02Arid gardeners,
55:04limited space at your place,
55:06so a three sisters
55:08combination of corn, beans
55:10and melon. The corn
55:12provides a trellis for the beans and
55:14the melon spreads at ground level
55:16suppressing weeds and providing
55:18a living mulch.
55:20Need more colour in your life?
55:22Take tip cuttings of brackiscombs
55:24and scavola, pop into free
55:26draining potting mix, sit them
55:28in a sheltered spot and plant
55:30out once established for a
55:32stunning summer show.
55:34Before the heat really hits,
55:36it's time to get mulching.
55:38Use deep layers of straw mulches
55:40for edibles, a coarse gravel
55:42for natives and a chunky
55:44wood chip for ornamental plantings.
55:46There's heaps
55:48happening in our gardens and
55:50so much to get stuck into.
55:52But if you need even more inspiration
55:54head to the Gardening Australia
55:56YouTube channel for heaps
55:58of tips, tricks and top
56:00gardening info.
56:08Well, it's time to blow the siren
56:10on another week. But we've got
56:12plenty in store for next time.
56:14Let's take a look.
56:18Spring is such an exciting time
56:20of the year. There's so many flowers,
56:22lots of fragrance and of course food
56:24to harvest. But it's also a
56:26great time to get planting. And I'm
56:28going to show you what to get in the ground now
56:30for the weeks, months and year ahead.
56:32I'm going to
56:34show you a new development in the
56:36fight against the most notorious
56:38Queenslander of all time.
56:40They have an estimated population of
56:42about 2 billion cane toads.
56:44Cane toads?
56:46Yuck!
56:50This garden is a treasure trove
56:52of rare and unusual plants.
56:54From beautiful flowering
56:56bulbs to tiny alpines
56:58and heat loving perennials.
57:00It's a garden that I can't wait to
57:02show you.
57:08you