Everything Old Is New Again in the Garden.

REAL WORLD GARDENER ON 2RRR 88.5 FM SINCE Sept 2009.
http://www.realworldgardener.blogspot.com/

Design Elements: Recycling Materials as features for your garden. Sounds quirky, but why not put a character stamp on your garden design by building something unique? Find out how in this week's segment.

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Plant of the Week: Pyrus calleryana, Ornamental Pear.
a)      A tall fast-growing deciduous pyramidal shaped tree. High frost tolerance, dense canopy and wind and pollution tolerant. Don’t be afraid to pick a large tree for your backyard. Select a spot that doesn’t impact on the views from your house, or maybe you want to hide that 2-3 storey black of flats that has sprung up next door. Birds love them to perch on them. Deciduous trees also let light in the winter months and provide shade in summer.The roots system of pear trees is quite spare compared with large trees such as Liquidambers.
b)      These trees will tolerate dry conditions, slightly alkaline soils, air pollution and intermittently wet, heavy soils. While reasonably hardy once established Pyrus prefer some moisture, mulching surrounding areas to provide a cool root run or some irrigation during dry periods will assist with maintaining healthy growth Vegetable Heroes: Jerusalem Artichokes, Helianthus tuberosus,       
They grow best in full sun, and are easily transplanted.

In temperate climates September to December when the soil temperature is between 8°C and 15°C,is the time to plant.          In sub-Tropical climes, they’re best planted in Autumn-winter. You can plant them in tropical climates but they’re likely to rot off during the wet season. Tubers, or chunks of tubers can be planted in full sun or in part shade. In a row or higgledy piggledy. The ones in the shade will flowers that are a lot shorter than the ones in the sun, but they’ll be taller than you and you’ll probably have to stand on tiptoe to reach the flowers in the part sun plants. The sunflowers will make their first appearance in late spring or early summer and look like little baby sunflowers. If you are going to grow J. Artichokes or sunchokes, make sure to harvest them every year to prevent them from going taking over the garden.  Roots can be dug in the autumn after the plant dies back.  Store them in a cool place that isn't too dry. Wrapped in plastic in the fridge will do nicely. They will get bitter if kept too long in storage. It‘s best to leave them in the ground and dig them up as you need them. You can continue digging them right into early spring.
Feature Interview: Talking to Peter Tristram from the Bromeliad Society.    RWG recommends Bromeliads for shady and sunny spots in the garden. A genuine easy care plant that gives all year interest. www.bromeliad.org.au