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Sunday 8 January 2012

Plum in Garden Design

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/

Design Elements: Perhaps today’s colour is your favourite or maybe something you never considered before. Listen here to Lesley Simpson Garden Designer and Marianne talk about Plum.



Vegetable Hoeroes:Basil or "Ocimum basilicum"     
Basil grows best in warm, tropical climates-but really can be grown anywhere in Australia at certain times of the year.  Spring and summer are the times to grow Basil in temperate, arid to semi-arid and cold districts.
In the tropics and sub-tropics spring was the time to sow Basil, but now you can grow it in part shade if you want to start a new batch.
Basil seed is tiny and can take several weeks to germinate.
 In the height of summer, four hours of sunlight is all that’s needed for Basil to grow.
Give your basil frequent doses of liquid manure throughout the growing season to keep up leaf production because the more you feed the plant the bigger the leaves become,  in fact underfed basil is less fragrant.
The more you pick your basil the more you need to feed it.
TIP:If you’re having trouble getting Basil seed to germinate, you know Basil strikes easily from soft tip  cuttings, -      Just take a tip cutting off any plant at any time of the year. Cut off all the leaves except for the tiny ones that are emerging at the top and stick the thing in a pot. Keep it in partial shade and keep it moist. Basil cuttings root very quickly. Once the little basil plant is actively growing again you can plant it out.
This is a good way of getting some of the more fancy varieties going, BECAUSE they seed they produce won’t be true to type.
Plant of the Week: You might be looking for a quick fix to plant next to your pool, or for that tropical look. But this palm ticks all the wrong boxes and you’ll be sorry you planted it when all the palm fronds and fruit start dropping all over your yard.

NOT To plant this one but suggest alternatives. www.weedsaustralia.org.au
WHY WE NEED COCOS PALMS REMOVED AND HOW THEY AFFECT FLYING-FOXES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT.Flying-foxes are a keystone species for our Australian environment. Without the job that flying-foxes do in seed dispersal and pollination, our native forests will suffer loss of diversity and may not be able to survive future harmful effects of global warming.
Some of the ways that Cocos plants harm, the flying Foxes are
1.      By poisoning when seeds are eaten green in timesof hunger (September to January) Sticky fruits can cause severe constipation causing dehydration and death in young animals. Toes caught in flower sheath causing self- mutilation and death. Whole body or body parts caught in strappy leaves that are easily shredded by claws creating a “cocoon effect around the animal causing stress and death if not physically removed. Juvenile animals can get seeds caught behind their “dog like” canine teeth causing slow death from starvation. Premature wearing of teeth due to the hard seed –








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