The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.
Compost Capers:
with Cameron Little from www.sustainabilitysystems.com.au By now you might’ve guessed that I think that composting plays an important role in the garden. You might remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that some gardeners refer to the liquid you get from worm farms as worm tea or black gold. In fact, recently I’ve used a dilute mixture of worm tea to green up some yellow looking Slipper Orchids. Magic. But sometimes getting a worm farm going can be problematic. Hopefully Cameron can fix all that.The worms and other micro-organisms break down the food scraps before they have a chance to rot. Did you know that around 90% of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills are a result of decomposing organic material such as food waste? If you’re having problems with your existing worm farm, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com and Cameron or the RWG team will be happy to help.
Vegetable Heroes:
O.K. I hear you. Growing tea is not vegetables, but it is growing something that you can consume nevertheless. Commercial growers use two varieties of Camellias. The China tea bush, or Camellia chinensis var chinensis, produces small tea leaves and grows to about 1.6m. It’is a very hardy, multi-stemmed but slow growing shrub. The leaves are dark green, glossy and small as you would expect being a Camellia. The second variety, which will be hard to source for the home gardener is the Assam tea bush (Camellia chinensis var Assamica) The Assam tea bush has much larger leaves-almost twice the size leaves of the China tea bush. The leaves grow up to20cm or 8 inches. It’is quick growing and loosely branched. Assam tea leaves are light green and glossy. What’s nice about growing the tea plant, is that right now it has small, (about 8cm wide), single white flowers with a bunch of yellow stamens in the centre. The white flowers set off the dark green leaves- so very attractive. The Camellia sinensis var sinensis plant is a small shrub about 1.6-2 metres in height, though it will grow taller if you don't prune it. Camellia sinensis can withstand hot droughts and severe winters so you can grow it virtually in all climates of Australia. You don't need a large garden to grow your own tea and being a small and slow grower, pot or tub culture suits this plant right down to the ground.Barnsley Manor, England. photo:M. Cannon |
Design Elements:
Design Elements is a garden design segment that not only lets you find out about different ideas for your garden, but also what some design features actually mean and how they can shape the appearance of your garden, turning it from a bit more than ordinary to extraordinary. This series begins a lesson on Structure in the Garden with Lesley Simpson, garden designer. Let’s find out more.Plant of the Week:
Grevillea "Pick O the Crop". Released in 2011. Genus species: Grevillea bipinnatifida x thyrsoidesAs will all Grevilleas, a well drained site will gaurantee success. Pruning is minimal with groundcover types of Grevilleas, just trim off the finished flowers and give it a tidy up about once a year.
Grevilleas of all types attract nectar feeding birds, and if you plant a corner of your garden with various Banksias and Grevilleas of differing heights, with perhaps a birdbath or some sort of water for the birds, you should be successful.
For a picture of this particular Grevillea, go to www.austraflora.com.
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