Avenues of Trees, Gardens of Rocket and Lawn Alternatives

Marianne talks to Stuart Read from the Australian Garden History Society about Avenues of honour and what they mean in Garden  history segment, growing rocket really fast in Vegetable Heroes;part 2 of lawn alternatives-plants for high traffic areas in Design elements with landscape designer Glenice Buck of  www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au and the birdsnest fern but not as you know it  in Plant of the Week.

Garden History

Avenues of Honour
How do Australians remember the fallen or returned from wars?
Is it just built structures such as memorials or is there another way such as an avenue of honour?
In this garden history segment you will discover that there a many other ways to remember those who served in wars, and that these commemorations shall we say, are not confined to capital cities.
Let’s find out what avenues of honour are all about.

I'm talking with Stuart Read, a member of the National Committee of the Australian Garden History Society.
Avenues of honour were usually trees, but sometimes shrubs.

They were to remember service men and women also nurses who did not return from various wars.

In Australia, there are hundreds of these avenues, particularly in Victoria, but other states also.
Smaller populations in country towns felt that loss more than in bigger cities with figures indicating that 1 in 6 never returned from war.
Often they were on main arterial roads leading into town  or in the main town park or showground.

The "Avenue of Honour," in Ballarat is the longest, measuring 23 miles.

It was started by the girls of the town's textile factory, EL Lucas & Co. in remembrance of husbands and boyfriends that never returned from war.

The first 1000 trees were planted on June 3, 1917 and the last 4000 trees on August 16, 1919.

Trees were often exotic, beeches, oaks and elms at first but later native trees were used.

Roma, in Queensland has an avenue of bottle trees, (Brachychiton rupestris.)
You can search for avenues of honour through www.trove.nla.gov.au just type in what you’re looking for in the search box.
Or www.gardenhistorysociety.org.au and click on the advocacy tab or just search avenues, the list will pop up.

If you have any questions for me or for Stuart, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

Vegetable Heroes

Rocket or Arugula and scientifically Eruca sativa.

One of the first people to grow rocket or Arugula were the Romans.

• Did you know that the romans grew Arugula for both it's leaves and the seed. The seed was used for flavouring oils and for some time they thought rocket had aphrodisiac properties.
• You might’ve heard Ian Hemphill from the spice It Up segment saying that most herbs were at some point used in aphrodisiac potions. Rocket is no exception.
  

Rocket or Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. (Cambridge World History of Food).

• In fact, around the 13^th century, the Roman Catholic Church banned it from being grown in monastic gardens for this reason.

Arugula belongs to the Brassicaceae family along with Broccoli, Mustard greens, Kale and Cauliflower.

You won’t be surprised to know then that rocket - Arugula is native to the Mediterranean region.

• The spicy leaves can be grown all year round but are best in cool weather.
• I’ve found that certain plants like Arugula or Rocket and Coriander just bolt to seed in summer and it’s pointless getting the varieties that are supposedly slow bolting, because they always bolt in temperate zones anyway.
• The reason being is that long days and warm temperatures initiate flowering in this plant so you can’t fight nature.

When to sow

• In temperate and arid districts, you can sow Arugula seeds from August until November,
• in cool temperate areas you have from September right through to November,
• sub-tropical districts can sow Arugula or Rocket seeds from March right through til November. Lucky them.
• Not recommended for tropical areas.
• For those of you that have a soil thermometer and actually use it, the soil temperatures for germination should be between  4°C 14°C

What Rocket Likes

Arugula prefers moist, fertile soil, pH 6.0-6.8 but will tolerate a wide pH range.

Arugula is best grown from seed and sow them a couple of weeks apart to have a continuous crop.

• Tip: be brave let one or two plants go to seed so you have fresh seed for next season.

Rocket self-seeds readily, although seed is sometimes slow to germinate. Tip: Soak seeds in tepid water with a splash of seaweed solution from Australia’s favourite seaweed company, for 6-8 hours before sowing.  . 

• Seeds germinate in 5-7 days.

Sow the seeds in the garden bed, or in pots or troughs as Arugula is shallow rooted like all salad vegetables

Sow the seeds very shallow and keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge.

The plant grows to about 40cm high so thin out the seedlings so they’re 20cm apart.

Grow in full sun and water well.

Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting and if you don’t want your Rocket or Arugula to be too spicy, then don’t let the plant come under stress.

In warmer areas, grow your rocket in partial shade because even when temps are in the mid 20’s, it starts to droop and yes, become stressed.

If the leaves start looking a bit different-starting to become feathery, this means the plant is about to flower.

Once the flowers appear, the growing season is over.

Rocket-Arugula tolerates some frost.

• Having said all that, at this time of year rocket or Arugula is one of those plants that’s easy to grow so would suit your kids or gran kids if you’re trying to get them into gardening.
• Wild rocket has more narrow leaves and the flavour is quite mild.

From www.diggers.com.au  you can buy two types of Rocket, the regular as well as Arugula Pronto, which has larger soft leaves and a mild flavour.

Why is it good for you?

Why is rocket or Arugula good for you?

Rocket is rich source of certain phytochemicals thought to be important in preventing cancer cell growth.

Rocket is also a good source of folates, a 100g contains 24% of the daily allowance. Rocket also contains good levels of Vitamin C as well as B complex and vitamin A.

That same 100g of Rocket will give you 90% of your Vitamin K. Vitamin K is linked to bone and brain health.

Lastly, rocket is great as a salad vegetable or why not try making rocket pest? Something different.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Mini mondo grass: photo Ozbreed

Lawn Alternatives for High Foot Traffic Areas.

So you’ve decided that you no longer want a lawn, but what will you walk on?
Greenery is better than paving because it’s more cooling in summer but of course needs more care.
I must say though, paving, or large concreted areas do have their fair share of maintenance as well. You can get weeds coming up in cracks, then the pavers or concrete get the dirty aged look so needs to be cleaned off with a high pressure water cleaner.
Not good in times of water restrictions.
But can you grow a waterwise plant alternative for high foot traffic areas?
I'm talking with Glenice Buck from www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au

Pratia peduculata as lawn alternative

Let’s find out.

• The three top picks for lawn alternatives in high traffic areas are 
• mini mondo grass
• trailing pratia (Pratia pedunculata)
• Dichondra repens.
• A close 4th is native violet(Viola banksia).

For all the latest news - Follow Glenice on Facebook or Instagram
Facebook : www.facebook/glenicebuckdesigns
Instagram: Glenice_Buck_Designs
Or Subscribe to my monthly Garden Greetings Newsletter: www.tinyletter.com/glenicebuckdesigns

If you have any questions for me or for Glenice, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Holly Leaves, Asian Greens, and Watching Citrus

Host Marianne and Steve from www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au are talking about citrus and things to watch out for in Plant Doctor growing an Asian greens in Vegetable Heroes; holly leaves can be native in Plant of the Week plus which flowers are ethylene sensitive in Talking Flowers

PLANT DOCTOR

NEW Citrus Watch

Citrus trees have their fair share of pests of diseases and control is better if it’s done proactively.
Certain times of the year are crucial in beginning your control program, but don’t worry, it’s not too daunting.

Let’s find out what needs doing
I'm talking with Steve Falcioni of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

There are several types of pests

Sap Sucking Pests: control with botanical oils such as eco Oil

• mites, 

  

  Fruit flies sting the fruit leaving a telltale black spot on the outside.

• aphids,
• scale, 
• bronze orange bug- need to control at green nymph stage when the bugs measure only a few millimetres. Once they start to colour up, oils will not control them. 
• neem oil is registered for control of bronze-orange bugs on ornamental citrus.

Chewing Pests; caterpillars: control with Dipel

Queensland fruitfly: control with pheremone lures, spinosad based pesticides and/or exclusion netting.

Mediterranean fruitfly (found in W.A.) control with spinosad based pesticide and/or exclusion netting.

Timing is the key for pests and diseases because they have a lifecycle which tells us when the pest is most vulnerable or when the diseases is most likely to strike.
This is a good indicator of when control is most effective.
After all, you don’t want to waste your time, energy and money using a product that won’t work as well as it should because it’s the wrong timing.
If you have any questions for me or for Steve, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Asian greens.

• Did you know that Asian greens are all a distant relative of Broccoli, Cabbage and Cauliflower?
• Asian Greens have been grown in China since the 5th century however, it wasn’t until the 
• 18^th century when Asian greens made their way into Europe after seeds were sent.
• As for Australia, wasn’t until Chinese migrants, who arrived during the 1850’s Gold Rush, brought their traditional vegetables with them.
• When the gold petered out, many Chinese became market gardeners growing the pak choi family and other leafy green vegetables.Chinese market gardens still exist around the capital cities today.

  

  Tatsoi, Mustard Greens, Mizuna

Many Different Names for Asian Greens.

To some people because there are many different types, have many names which may even have different spellings depending where they come from. Names include Chinese White Cabbage, Chinese Chard, Chinese Mustard Cabbage,  bok choy, pak choy paak tsoi, choy sum  - as I said Confucius...er... confusing!

• These are all non-heading forms of Chinese cabbage with thick white crisp leaf stalks and veins and shiny smooth broad or wide dark green leaves that create a loose cluster.

They all tend to have smooth edges to the leaves.

There are also those cultivars that have pale green stems instead of white, and the leaves are paler green in colour.

Pak choy and bok choy are basically the same plant.

“Bok Choy has a white stem, and pak choy has a green stem.

Choy sum, is also known as the Chinese silverbeet.

Confusing names aside, when to grow them?

Asian greens-can be grown basically anywhere in Australia.

The main commercial crops are Gympie, the Sunshine Coast, Windsor in Sydney, and the Metropolitan area in Melbourne.

Sometimes Asian Greens go to seed too quickly.

• The right climate and timing is very important and this depends on where you are.
• If you are battling against your Asian greens-Pak Choi, Bok Choy bolting to seed the reason is plant bolts to seed early because they want to reproduce.
• If your soil is a bit too sandy, which has high silica content, then this will lead to early bolting.
• So keep topping up your organic matter in the soil and your harvest should be fine.
• This normally is a good indicator that the soil is out of balance, ie there needs to be more organic matter in the soil.

  

  Bok Choy

• For example in sub-tropical areas, Asian greens can be planted in most months of the year, but April, May and September to November are best.
• In temperate areas of Australia-remember temperate is from around Sydney down to Tasmania but only includes the coastal areas-here you can sow the seeds now and shouldn’t have the bolting to seed problem.
• Asian greens all love full sun, except in parts of Australia with very hot summers.In these hot spots, part shade is fine, so consider using some other plants, like beans and sweet corn, as ‘living shade’. Or erect a shade tent.
• How To Sow
•  Before sowing seed work in a plenty of compost and blood and bone. You should also add some Potash because Asian greens like not only lots of Nitrogen but lots of Potassium.
• The seeds for Asian greens are very small so don’t bury them too deep. Just make a small impression in the soil about 5mm deep.
• Sprinkle them in the row and  lightly cover them with soil.
•  Asian greens also like lots of magnesium and because magnesium helps germination, put about half a teaspoon of Epsom salts, into two litres of water. Give it a good shake around and then water the seeds with that mixture.They will come up in about a week.
• In six weeks, you’ll be harvesting your Asian greens.

Harvesting

Choy Sum Stalks

Pull them out of the ground then remove the root ball and trim it with a knife. Wash them to remove the sand and the greens are ready to cook.

Asian greens tend to attract insects, which love to eat them. “Aphids, cluster grubs, diamond back moth.

Everything will have a chew on them but it doesn’t matter because even if you’ve got a hole in the leaf, it makes no difference to the cooking or flavour and once these leaves wilt down, you won’t even see the hole.

Why are Asian Greens good for you?

In many Asian cultures, people believe that food should be their medicine.

Bok choy would be a good choice as we’re an excellent source of vitamin C

• Asian greens contain dietary fibre as well as some iron, calcium and folate.

• Also a good source of beta carotene which your body can make into vitamin A. Your eyes need vitamin A.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Holly Leaved Fuchsia:Graptophyllum ilicifolium

There are those gardeners who think that native plants look straggly or messy and won’t plant them in the garden. 

No mixing up of plants for them.
Perhaps the holly leaved fuchsia will have them changing their minds because it looks more like something from the northern hemisphere.

A medium shrub 3-5m high found in fairly dry rainforest areas or along creek bank.

Actually occurring only in a small pocket west of Mackay in Queensland.

Moderately fast grower in warm climates, but slower in cool temperate areas.

WatchLet’s find out more. I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.

PLAY: Holly Leaved Fuchsia_9th October_2019
Graptophyllum ilicifolium, or holly leaved fuchsia is quite unusual, and may just suit your garden.
Leaves look like those of a holly bush so very useful for Christmas decorations perhaps?
The flowers are fuchsia like, but obviously this plant is tougher than your regular fuchsia because of the tougher leaves.

The flowers appear in spring and summer along the stems.
 

Graptophyllum ilicifolium: holly leaved fuchsia

If you have any questions for me or for Adrian, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Ground Cherries, Persian Roses, No More Lawns and Easy Gardening

Battery operated line trimmers

We’re talking the new wave of battery operated tools in part 2 of this segment in Tool Time growing an unusual berry in Vegetable Heroes, starting a new series on lawn alternatives in design elements, plus bloomin' Ranunculus flowers in Talking Flowers.

TOOL TIME

Battery Operated Garden Tools part 2
Last week, part 1 of the topic of battery operated garden tools was aired because there was so much to be said about them.
This week, it’s part 2 with a brief summary of what points that were touched on in part 1.
So, the new wave of garden tools are battery operated.
Let’s get into the topic
I'm talking with Tony Mattson, general manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au

Batteries for garden tools can be purchased as 3, 4, 5, and 6 Amp Hours.

How long the battery lasts depends on which garden equipment you are using and how much load you will be putting on that particular piece of equipment.

It's advisable to buy two batteries at the initial purchase so that one can be charging while you are using the other.

Typically, recharging batteries takes between 30 - 45 minutes.

TIP: batteries aren't interchangeable between brands.

Battery operated lawnmowers don't leave a tread.

Make your brand selection based on the range of equipment that meets your needs.
Battery powered tools are easier to start, lighter, have no petrol smell, and best of all are much quieter and cheaper to run.
If you're wondering whether or not a battery operated lawnmower will cut through buffalo or kikuyu lawns. Tony says, no problem at all, and no tread marks on the lawn because the lawnmower is so much lighter.
If you have any questions for me or for Tony, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Cape Gooseberry: Physalis peruviana syn. P. edulis  also sometimes called the ground cherry.

• Cape goosebrerries can be grown in all parts of Australia, although they do best in temperate and subtropical areas, however, we can grow them elsewhere with a bit more care.

Did you know that Cape Gooseberries are thought to have originated in Peru and were one of the few fresh fruits of the early settlers in New South Wales?

So What Does It Look Like?

Cape gooseberry

• The plant is a straggling bush up to one metre tall with yellow fruits inside a brown papery envelope.
• It’s a short lived perennial  and can tolerate some frost so growing it further south shouldn’t be a problem.
• In colder climates treat the cape gooseberry as an annual, much like you would tomatoes.

The cape gooseberry is related to tomatillo, and husk tomato, in fact, all in the genus Physalis.

TIP:Don’t confuse the Cape Gooseberry, Physalis peruviana with an entirely different species referred to as Gooseberry bush. Ribes uva-ursi

The Gooseberry bush will produce very sweet, tart berries, but the cape gooseberry is quite different- and nice!

• Cape Gooseberries taste like tiny cherry tomatoes .

  

  Cape gooseberries are surrounded by a husk

The best thing is that Cape Gooseberry is very easy to grow and as the fruit are popular with birds and plants can be easily spread around the garden.

The berry is the size of a cherry tomato,1-2 cm in size and is very aromatic and full of tiny seeds.

How you know that the berries are ripe is when they turn a golden orange and drop to the ground.

When to Sow

• The time to sow Cape Gooseberry seed in every region except Tropical is now until December.
• For Tropical zones, March through to August is the time to sow seeds.
• If you sow the seeds in Spring and/or Summer you’ll get an Autumn harvest.
• They’re not fussy about soil types and even do very well in poor soils and in pots.
• The preference thous is for sandy to gravely loam.
• They need lots of water throughout the growing year, except towards fruit-ripening time.

How to sow the seeds

Sow seed at the usual depth rule-3x the diameter of the seed.

Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C

Space plants: 50 cm apart if you want to go into production otherwise just try one plant first because they do produce quite a few fruits.

Harvest in 3-4 months or 14-16 weeks.

To get the most fruit from your cape gooseberries, they need to be in a sunny place as long as there is no risk of frost.

• Water them regularly and, when they grow flowers, feed them every two weeks with a tomato food.
• Cape gooseberry plants get the same pests as what you’d get in your area from the common tomato. No surprises there.
• So it would be a good idea to plant them amongst your flower border where they will grow quite happily and confuse the nasties at the same time.

How Do You Eat Cape Gooseberries.

Cape gooseberry once extracted from its husk, can be eaten raw tasting bit like ordinary tomatoes maybe a bit more zingy.

They can be added to salads, desserts and cooked dishes, they are delicious stewed with other fruit, especially apples.

They also go well in savoury dishes with meat or seafood,  as a flavouring, and in jams and jellies.

They can also be dried and eaten much like raisins or other small dried fruit.

Cape gooseberries contain large amounts of pectin, and are therefore suitable for jams and pies

Grab some cape gooseberry seeds from online seed suppliers, sprinkle a packet over your garden & go nuts!

The variety Golden Nugget grows to 1m

Why are cape gooseberries good for You?

Apart from their taste, Physalis is a good source of nutrients, minerals, vitamins.

Vitamins A, C & B, high in protein and rich in iron.

Put some berries in the bottom of a cup and mash them with a

wooden spoon.

Add some water into the cup. The mashed fruit should float, and the seeds will sink to the bottom.

Strain off the mash and water and dry out the seeds on clean tissue paper.

Sow the seeds thinly on the surface and cover them lightly with more compost.

Put the pot in a see-through plastic food bag/mini greenhouse and

tie the end up. This is to keep all the moisture in so the pips don’t

dry out.

 The seeds will germinate in a few days, so you will need to check them every day.

If the compost looks dry, give it a little water. When the seeds have

sprouted, remove the plastic bag and put the pot on a sunny

windowsill. Once the seedlings have four or five leaves, they will

need to be potted up in separate pots, using the same compost.

Repot your plants as they grow.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Lawn alternatives: considerations

Do you have places in the garden where your lawn just will not grow?

Perhaps it's in a shady part where moss seems to appear in winter instead of green lawn.

Or is it under or near trees where the tree root competition is too much and the lawn is patchy?

Then again, you may be just tired of the constant mowing during the warmer months of the year and want to swap mowing for low maintenance lawn alternatives.

So what are the considerations?

Let's find out.I'm talking with Glenice Buck, landscaper and consulting arborist with 

www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au 

Lush lawns need lots of maintenance such as watering, fertilising and mowing.

If you live in a region that experiences periods of intense heat and drought, this type of lawn may not be possible to maintain. 

Add caption

Looking at brown lawn is not that much fun so exploring other options that need less frequent irrigation is a good alternative.

Unless you make the right lawn alternative choice, you may be swapping the mowing for the weeding.

Over the coming weeks, Glenice will talk about what lawn alternatives suit high foot traffic and low foot traffic areas.

TALKING FLOWERS

Ranunculus: 

Family:Ranunculaceae also includes anemones, clematis, delphiniums, nigella and hellebores.

Grow from claw-like tuber or corms but now referred to as thickened rhizomes.

Growing tips:

Ranunculus

These plants are very hardy and will grow in a wide range of conditions.

If you missed planting them out in autumn for a spring show, treat yourself with a bunch of ranunculus from your favourite florist.

Mercedes Tips: www.floralgossip.com.au

• Cut the stems straight across before placing them in a vase.
• Place them in water that has been filtered or standing for 4 hours so that all the chlorine has evaporated off.
• Throw in a few ice cubes to perk up your ranunculus flowers
• Flowers have a vase life of 8 - 10 days.

As they prefer to have their roots kept cool and moist, plant Ranunculus species in a sunny or partly shaded position with moist well-drained soil.

Don’t like clay soils.

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini florist, and floral therapist.

This video was recorded live during the broadcast of Real World Gardener radio show in Sydney.

Sweeteners, Silver Princesses and Battery Garden Tools

We’re talking the new wave of battery operated tools in part 1 of this segment in Tool Time growing a natural sweetener in Vegetable Heroes, a native tree with many things to love in Plant of the Week plus bloomin' Tiger Lily flowers in Talking Flowers.

TOOL TIME

Battery Operated Tools part 1

Have you ever cut through the electric cord of your electric hedge trimmer?
I know I have. Thank goodness for the safety cut off.
They may be light than petrol powered hedge trimmers, but apart from the risk of cutting through the cord, there’s the meters and metres of cord that you may have to run.
Especially if you have a long back yard and need to get to a hedge.
So what’s the alternative?

Battery powered edger

I'm talking with Tony Mattson, general manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au

Lithium ion batteries for battery operated garden tools now have now no memory so they don’t have to be fully discharged before charging again. The power tools themselves are so much lighter.
The big tip is how much gardening do you need to do with the tools?
Base it on amp hours.
4 amp hours will go for 25% longer than 3 amp hours and 5 amp hours will go 50% longer than e amp hours.

Battery lawnmower

But the cost increases on the batteries also.

Important Tip: The batteries are not interchangeable between brands, so make your selection based on the range of tools that you need for your garden. If the brand you like doesn't have everything you need, as well as spare parts, choose another, but reputable brand.

If you have any questions for me or for Tony, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Stevia: Stevia rebaudiana
There’s a few plants whose leaves are quite sweet and have been used to produce sugar alternatives without the calories.

Stevia is one such plant.

Native to Paraguay and other tropical areas of the Americas, the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) has leaves packed with super-sweet compounds that remain stable even after the leaves have been dried.

Stevia is a member of the chrysanthemum family and the Stevia leaves have been used to sweeten teas and other drinks throughout South America for centuries.

So why are Stevia leaves’ so sweet?

Because the leaves contain something called steviol glycosides.

Steviol glycosoides are high intensity natural sweeteners, 200-300 times sweeter than sugar.

The leaves of the stevia plant contain many different steviol glycosides and each one varies in sweetness and aftertaste.

So what does Stevia plant look like?

Stevia is a small perennial shrub with lime green leaves that do best in a rich, loamy soil — the same kind that most of your plants in the garden like.

stevia plant

• Stevia is evergreen in temperate, sub-tropical and tropical climates, but in cold and arid districts, it’ll lose its leaves in Autumn.
• Stevia is native to semi-humid, sub-tropical climates where temperatures typically range from -6°C to 43°C.Stevia tolerates mild frost, but heavy frosts will kill the roots of the plant.

Stevia plants also hate being water logged.

By the way, I’ve grow my stevia plant in a pot for several years now without any problems and it’s survived several bouts of dry hot summers and lack of watering during spells with a house sitter.

But, it really isn’t drought tolerant like a succulent or a cactus and won’t tolerate long term neglect.

• During warm weather don’t forget to water it and if you’re going away for a few weeks put in a dripper system, otherwise you’ll lose your Stevia plant. But don’t plant your Stevia in waterlogged soil and don’t overwater it.
• Since the feeder roots tend to be quite near the surface add compost for extra nutrients if the soil in your area is sandy and a layer of your favourite mulch around your stevia plant so that the shallow feeder roots won’t dry out.
•  Stevia plants do best with fertilizers with a lower nitrogen content than the phosphorus or potassium content. Which means the artificial fertiliser aren’t your best bet, but most organic fertilizers are because they release nitrogen slowly.

HINT: Stevia leaves have the most sweetness in autumn when temperatures are cooler and the days shorter. Definitely the best time to pick those stevia leaves.

If your district is prone to frosts in Autumn, make sure you cover the Stevia plant for another few weeks’ growth and more sweetness.

How do you store Stevia leaves?

If you Stevia plant is big enough, the easiest technique is to cut the branches off with secateurs before stripping the leaves.

TIP:As an extra bonus, you might also want to clip off the stem tips and add them to your harvest, because they have as much stevio-side as do the leaves.

 If you live in a mostly frost-free climate, your plants will probably cope with winter outside, as long as you don’t cut the branches too short (leaving about 10cms of stem at the base during pruning).

These plants do last a few years in temperate and warmer climates.

In cool temperate districts, it might be a good idea to take cuttings that you’ll use for next year’s crop.

Cuttings need to be rooted before planting, using either commercial rooting hormones or a natural base like honey.

Stevia seed is apparently very tricky to germinate, and the cutting method is your best option.

SO HOW DO YOU USE YOUR STEVIA LEAVES?

I should mention that the stevioside content is only 12% in the leaves you grow compared with the 80-90% that commercially extracted stevia has.

It’s still had a decent amount of sweetness all the same.

So you’ve picked the leaves now you need to dry them.

As with drying all herbs you can hang your bunch of leaves upside down in a warm dry place.

Otherwise, on a moderately warm day, your stevia crop can be quick dried in the full sun in about 12 hours. (Drying times longer than that will lower the stevioside content of the final product.)

If you have a home dehydrator use that instead.

Finally crush the leaves either by hand,  in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle that you use for spices and herbs.

The dried leaves last indefinitely!

If you add two or three leaves added whole or powdered, that’s enough to sweeten a cup of tea or coffee.

HOT TIP: Another way is to make your own liquid stevia extract by adding a cup of warm water to 1/4 cup of fresh, finely-crushed stevia leaves. This mixture should set for 24 hours and then be refrigerated.

Stevia flowers

TIP

Why are they good for you?

 Stevia is a natural sweetener that has zero calories and isn't metabolised by the body.

Stevia isn’t suitable for everything in cooking but you can use it to sweeten drinks, fruits, salad dressings, stewed fruit, yogurt and most creamy desserts.

The processed Stevia that you buy in the shops has been stripped of all the natural goodness that Stevia contains, so it’s better to grow your own Stevia.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Eucalyptus caesia Silver Princess

This week we have a native plant that is a medium sized tree with outstanding features.

Eucalyptus caesia Silver Princess or gungurru has interesting bark, leaves and flowers.)
It’s in the Myrtacaea family and it is a gum tree.
Let’s find out what’s good about this one.

I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.
PLAY: Eucalyptus Silver Princess_25th September 2019

Silver Princess trunk and fruits are covered in the grey to whitish bloom, except for the leaves and flowers themselves.
If you rub the bark you’ll see the mahogany colour under that bloom.

Silver Princess grows to about 8m in height, but as Adrian says, it's a leaner.

That means unless you are keeping on eye on it as it grows, the tree will develop a 45 degree lean.

Formative pruning helps, but for some reason it aspires to lean.

Adrian will almost coppice his leaning Silver Princess in the hope that it will resprout from it's ligno tuber as it does in the wild.
If you have any questions for me or for Adrian or would like some seeds of this tree, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com