Jerry's Gone Amongst the Rhubarb

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

Brown Gerygone

Belonging to the family of Scrubwrens means this tiny bird is very hard to identify if you see it flitting about in the bush. 
In fact if you were on a guided walk you might be told that they belong to the group SBB or small brown birds. 

Brown Gerygone photo John Gunning

Did you know though that this particular bird builds a truly unusual nest and you can recognise the call if you think of a little phrase, "which is it?"
Let’s find out what it is.. I'm talking with Dr Holly Parsons Manager of www.birdsinbackyards. 

 
Gerygone is pronounced Jerr-Ig-O-Knee  
By the way the phrase to help you recognise the call “which is it” is an Onomatopoeia: a word or a grouping of words that imitates the sound it is describing. 
And a note from a photographer about this bird reads “I'm convinced these birds are physically unable to keep still and take great delight in hiding behind leaves in perfect light or perching on open branches in the darker areas.” 
If you have any questions about the Brown Gerygone or have a photo or have some information to share, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES
Rhubarb Rhubarb or botanically Rheum x hybridum.
The word rhubarb originates from Latin.
Do you think of Rhubarb as a fruit?
You wouldn’t be the lone ranger on that one, because we’re used to eating it mainly in deserts, such as Rhubarb and apple crumble, or Rhubarb and Apple pie or strudel.
But did you know that rhubarb is actually a close relative of garden sorrel, which means it’s a member of the vegetable family.
If that’s a bit Confucius, in 1947, in the United States, a New York court decided since it was used as a fruit, it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties.
Rhubarb [Rheum x hybridum] came to Australia from England with the first free settlers, and was well established by 1840.
Did you know though that until 1890 all culinary rhubarb worldwide was winter deciduous, until an Australian market gardener [Mr Topp of Bendigo Victoria] bred an evergreen variety and called it "Topp's Winter”

Rhubarb x hybridum photo M Cannon

So what is Rhubarb?
Rhubarb-the vegetable used as a fruits, is an herbaceous perennial.
Herbaceous because it dies down in winter, perennial because it regrows from year to year.
Rhubarb has short, thick Rhizomes –the underground horizontal stem part of the plant.
The leaves are sort of triangular shaped and crinkly with small greenish flowers.
What we all like to eat is the long, thick (and tasty) petioles or stalks.
How do you prefer to eat your Rhubarb? In sauces or pies, you can actually eat the stems raw in a salad or stewed.
Perhaps Rhubarb and ginger muffins or for something savory, how about rhubarb with pork or chicken with baked rhubarb?  
WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO PLANT RHUBARB?
Normally I would talk about when to plant Rhubarb crowns which for most districts is a bit late now.
Instead today I’m going to suggest that you can sow seeds of rhubarb.
You can buy the seeds online from a variety of seed companies in Australia or you might be able to source some from your local garden club.
How to sow Rhubarb seeds
The seeds are encased in a rather large paper-like shell. You need to first soak the seeds in water for a few hours before planting.
After that sow them into punnets using a good quality seed raising mixture.
Don’t use potting mix because it’s too coarse and doesn’t contain the right amount of fertiliser to get those seeds going.

Rhubarb seeds photo Flora Cyclam Flikr

Seeds should germinate in about 10 days at this time of year.
Keep your seedlings evenly moist but don’t over-water (the seedlings can die from root rot if the ground is too wet).
The stems of rhubarb grown from seed will not all have that intense red colour that you see in fruit and veg stores.
Some stems will be red, some green, and some in between.
But they will all taste the same, perfect for your rhubarb and apple crumble.

IMPORTANT TIP: In case you think you can also eat the leaves-DON’T.

The leaves contain oxalic acid and are toxic. There’s no safe method of using them in cooking at all.
A few vegetables have oxalic acid but in this case the concentrations of oxalic acid is way too high and it’s an organic poison as well as being corrosive. Other methods of growing Rhubarb is by planting pieces or divisions of 'crowns' formed from the previous season.
If you have a friend that grows rhubarb, ask them to make divisions by cutting down through the crown between the buds or 'eyes' leaving a piece of storage root material with each separate bud.
This is a good way to share your plant with friends.
Divide your Rhubarb in Autumn or winter when it’s dormant but here’s another tip- not before it’s at least five years old.
Rhubarb is a heavy feeder, that means needs lots of fertiliser during the growing season.
Use large amounts of organic matter like pelletised poultry manure and/or cow manure mulches applied in late autumn and work that mulch carefully into the soil around the crowns.
Tip: Use only aged manures, not something fresh from the paddock, or you will get fertiliser toxicity which will stop the plant from thriving and you might even risk losing your rhubarb plant.
During the active growing season you will also need a side-dress of fertiliser using some sort of complete fertiliser at three-monthly intervals do this also after you picked off some Rhubarb stalks for dinner as well.
You don’t have to dig up your rhubarb plant, as it’ll last for 10-15 years.
So plant it in a place that’s permanent, otherwise choose the pot alternative.
The biggest question people have about rhubarb is why aren’t the stems red yet? There’s good news and then there’s bad news.
The good news, stems stay green for the first few years on some cultivars, but they will eventually turn red.
On others, especially those grown from seed, they will always be green or red or in between and this is because seed grown rhubarb isn’t always reliably red, even if the seeds came from a red stemmed parent plant.
So the bad news for you is that these plants will always be the same colour that started out with.
When you’re picking those rhubarb stems here are some tips to keep your plant growing well.
Let some leaves remain on the plants during summer to generate energy and reserves for the following year.
The recommendation is harvesting a few stems at a time, in spring and autumn only. It’s best not to stress the plants during the summer, so avoid harvesting at this time. Frost will kill all the leaves, so harvest all the leaves when frost threatens in Autumn.
There isn’t much that goes wrong with Rhubarb …although some districts may get mites in the leaves or borers in the stem. Unless you are growing plants in really heavy clay, you won’t get crown rot either.
Which Seed Variety Should You Buy?
Until now seed grown rhubarb has had a bad name, because almost all available rhubarb seed is the winter dormant “Victoria” or variations of it.
Some people will tell you that green is all you will get.
It goes to seed readily, and is extremely variable; often only one plant in 1000 is worth keeping.
There’s a company called French Harvest that collects seed from its extensive rhubarb trial fields which are open-pollinated with over 50 different superb non-deciduous red commercial clones grown in close proximity.
They say that it germinates well, and if sown in the spring, can be ready to pick in only 6 months. Approximately 90% of the plants will be red, with a good percentage of stunning red clones.
Growing rhubarb from French Harvest seed has many benefits over root division.

It’s virus free.
The variations obtained from seed raised stock increase the chances of finding a variety suitable to grow on your site.
Large numbers of plants may be obtained quickly.
Low cost per plant. Their trial fields contain unrelated Rheum X’s (rhubarb) resulting in many of their seedlings exhibiting hybrid vigour.
The chance of finding your own new clone and naming it.
Remember all of today’s commercial rhubarbs were once seedlings
The Website www.frenchharvest.com.au
Why is Rhubarb a vegetable Hero?
The good: news rhubarb is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol.
It’s also a good source of Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium and Manganese
AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Scented Leaves to "Brush By."
Continuing the series on scented plants and scented leaves.

Lavandula sp. photo M Cannon

Was it a term coined by Peter? It seems likely but until Peter mentioned the term, “brush by” I had never come across it.
In fact if you did a search on the internet for “brush by plants” you get a selection of Bottle Brush plants.
That’s not it. If you put in just “brush by”, you guessed it, a selection of definitions on brushing and websites selling hairbrushes.
So what does it mean? 
Let’s find out..I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer and project Manager of Paradisus Garden Design. www.paradisusgl.peternixon.com.au

Scented leaves on Geraniums, Lavenders, licorice scented leaves of Agastache, and Bee Balm or Bergamot. Just some of the plants to choose from for your brush by garden.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Artemisa vulgaris Common Wormwood
If you’re hankering after scented leaves with silvery-grey foliage, you can’t go past these (wormwoods) plants. 
Not only do they have lacey foliage, but their scent makes them a perfect “brush by” plant.

So let’s find out wwhy they're so good. I'm talking with the plant panel: Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au


Artemisia vulgaris photo M Cannon

All wormwoods are member of the Asteraceae or Daisy family, and are related to Tarragon.
Wormwood silver-grey leaves look almost likefeathers and both the stem and upper surface of the leaves are covered with small, whitish hairs.
Once established, this plant can cope with any amount of dry conditions because it’s that tough.

Tasty Tomatoes and Fabulous Fuchsias

PLANT DOCTOR

Most gardeners will know that tomatoes are botanically a fruit, but as we also know, we think of tomatoes as vegetables.

Tomatoes looking great. photo M Cannon

Why is it that we love to grow tomatoes so much?
Probably because store bought tomatoes are somewhat lacking in flavour and they’re relatively easy to germinate and get growing.
But then, unless you have ideal climatic conditions, often you’re tomato plants are besieged with problems.
Let’s find out about how to deal with pests on tomatoes in part 1 of what’s going on with my tomatoes? Im talking with Steve Falcioni, Manager of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au.
Sap suckers can be grouped together: aphids, whitefly and mites. The last 2 tend to live on the underside of the leaf and causes a silvery appearance.
The problem won't go away and unless you treat it, your tomato plants will suffer more.
aphids tend to cluster on the tips of the new shoots and leaves causing leaf distortion.
Spray with eco Oil which is a botanical oil and less harmful to beneficial insects.
Some of the solutions are pretty easy, like when dealing with pests that suck the sap of your plants.
On the other hand fruit fly needs to be tackled early in the growing season; that's back in Spring.
Hang out a fruit fly lure to check when they first start to appear, then begin using Spinosad based spray such as Eco Naturalure.
Garden loopers are easy to pick off if you can spot them. Check amongst your Basil plants, especially if you've planted them near your tomatoes.

Garden loopers could first start on your Basil plants then progress to your tomatoes. photo M Cannon

If you have any questions about pests of tomatoes or have some information to share, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

VEGETABLE HEROES

Mugwort is the common name for Artemisia vulgaris, a perennial herb used since the Iron Age in medicine, cooking and brewing.
It’s sometimes called sailor’s tobacco, chrysanthemum weed and St John’s herb.
Other names for this herb that you might’ve heard are wild wormwood, and croneswood and felon herb, or perhaps you’ve never heard of it at all?
It grows easily in most climates and though it is classified as a weed in some places, it's commonly planted in herb gardens.
There is another Mugwort which is called Mugwort Tree or Chinese mugwort.
Botanical Name is slightly different being Artemisia verlotiorum

Mugwort leaves photo M Cannon

Mugwort Tree is a taller growing plant, with more aromatic leaves and small flowers.

Mugwort Tree is a perennial growing to ½ metre -1.5 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. It has several tall, green stems that are generally unbranched, but as the plant ages it may have several obvious stems.
In some areas it may die back to the rootstock over winter and be considered semi- deciduous.
When Mugwort Tree is not flowering it may be ‘chrysanthemum like’ in appearance.
Chinese mugwort flowers very late in the summer, but reproduces mainly by stolons, forming thick groups.
Chinese Mugwort grows in similar locations to the other mugwort= Artemisia vulgaris, but in beware in some states it’s considered an environmental weed, particularly in Victoria.
Mugwort has a long history of folk tradition and use. Anglo-Saxon tribes believed that the aromatic mugwort was one of the nine sacred herbs given to the world by the god Woden.
Mugwort has also been used from ancient times as a remedy against fatigue and to protect travellers against evil spirits and wild animals.
A traditional ingredient in the medieval witches formula for flying ointment.

Mugwort seed head

Would that mean witches flying on broomsticks?
Did they mention it in Harry Potter?
In the European Middle Ages, mugwort was used to repel insects, especially moths, from gardens.
Would you have thought that Roman soldiers put mugwort in their sandals to protect their feet against fatigue?
Perhaps you could try putting some Mugwort into your dancing shoes, boots, or joggers to relieve aching feet or sore leg muscles?
Then there’s the use medicinally, especially in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional medicine.
Mugwort is also used as an herb to flavour food.
The leaves and buds, are picked just before flowering and is used as a bitter flavouring agent to season fat, meat and fish.
The flowers and leaves are also used to make a herbal tea.
 Did you know that mugwort has also been used to flavour beer before the introduction of or instead of hops?
Not only that, but it was also known as Sailor's Tobacco, because it was used when sailors ran out of tobacco at sea.
Drying Mugwort
The best time to pick the leaves of Mugwort for drying is just as the plant comes into flower, before the blossoms are fully open.
Pick the leaves from the stalks and dry them on paper-lined trays in a light, airy room, away from direct sunlight.
The flowerheads should be dried intact and the dried herb stored in clearly-labelled, tightly-sealed, dark glass containers.
What does it look like?

Mugwort grows easily in most climates and though it is classified as a weed in some places, it’s been planted in English herb gardens for hundreds of years.
Mugwort grows 1½  -2  metres  tall with grey green toothed leaves that are hairy and white underneath,  with reddish brown or small yellow flowers on woody stems and roots in late summer.
It provides food and habitat for many moths and butterflies and a compliment to other summer flowers.

Mugwort Tree photo M Cannon

Seeds set easily so cut the dead flowers off if you don’t want the seeds to set.
Where and When to grow it?
Mugwort can grow almost everywhere in Australia because it’s not frost tender.
Plant it in full sun or part shade and Mugwort isn’t fussy about soil, growing I anything from light sandy soil, through to loam and even heavy clay soils, as long as they’re well drained.
Plants are longer lived, are more hardy and more aromatic when they’re grown in a poor dry sandy soil
Mugwort is an adaptable plant and can tolerate a huge pH range from and acidic 4.8 to a very alkaline 8.2
One thing to note, mugwort is mostly wind as well as insect pollinated so that if you’re allergic to pollens or have asthma, then this plant isn’t for you.
It provides food and habitat for many moths and butterflies and a compliment to other summer flowers.
To grow more plants, just keep the seeds from the previous years and sow them in late winter through to summer.
Growing Mugwort
Mugwort grows best in full sun and in soil with good drainage.
Start with plants from your local garden centre although if you have trouble, you can buy seeds via mail order. www.theseedcollection.com.au
The plant can spread quite wide so one plant for your herb garden or chook pen should be enough.
So why grow mugwort?
Mugwort is botanically related to tarragon and the leaves can be used fresh or cooked and have a slight bitter flavour that suits or goes best with fatty foods,  such as in stuffing for roasted duck or turkey.

The dried leaves and buds can be made into a tea.
The fresh or the dried plant repels insects.
A weak tea made from the infused plant is a good all-purpose insecticide.
Just remember, these all-purpose insecticides don’t discriminate between good and bad bugs.
It’ll kill them all.
Why are they good for you?
The leaves are said to be a good digestion and appetite stimulant. The Romans didn’t have it wrong when they places leaves in their shoes to relieve tired aching feet.
Some European farmers feed it to their stock as an all wormer.
If you keep chooks, leaves from mugwort among others, is a great poultry tonic and laying stimulant as well as helping to prevent parasites in your chooks.
General poultry tonics and laying stimulants include:- garlic, onion, chickweed, dandelion, fennel, wormwood, rue, cress, marigold, mint, vervain, comfrey, borage, thyme, marjoram, sage, nasturtium, mugwort, gotu kola and parsley.
AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

DESIGN ELEMENTS

This garden series with Garden Designer Peter Nixon, is all about garden challenges thrown at us mostly by nature but also due to a situation in your garden that you might need to fix.
Today’s garden challenge is for those gardeners that are gardening on alluvial or riparian soil.

Alocasia brisbaniensis

That’s soil that’s a big boggy and occasionally gets inundated with water or even might get flooded.
The soil is without much structure and sometimes when you dig into it, it has a sour smell.
If that’ sounds like your type of garden then listen to what you can do to help your soil and your plants to grow better.
Let’s find out… I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer www.peternixon.com.au




Ornamental Banana - Ensete ventricosum

The soil develops that sour smell if it's anaerobic, meaning there's no oxygen in the soil.
You can help by incorporating lots of organic matter.
Find yourself a good local source of organic material to
improve that soil surface.

Even if you build raised beds that are 30cm high, unless they’re shallow rooted, your plants will eventually have to deal with that not so good soil.
If you want to select plants to suit these growing conditions, planting clump forming bamboo, anything from the Aroid family-Calocasia, Alocasia brisbaneiensis, the Taro group and Musa species or banana plants are suitable to grow in this soil.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

NEW FUCHSIAS
As gardeners, we know that flowers have a season.
Some flowers bloom in Spring, like tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs.
Some flowers bloom in winter, such as Camellias, and Luculia, French Lavender.

Fuchsias photo M Cannon

But then it’s all over for another year.
Would you like a shrubs, even though it’s relatively small, that flowers all year long?
Let’s find out more. I'm talking with the plant panel - Karen Smith editor of Hort Journal, www.hortjournal.com.au  and Jeremy Critchley, the owner of the Green Gallery Nursery www.thegreengallery.com.au


Jollies Nantes

One of the big tips for any type of Fuchsia, is don't have them sitting around in water because they'll rot; especially young plants.
Two varieties mentioned was Fuchsia ‘electric lights which is a Fuchsia that can be grown in full sun.


It never gets to more than 30cm so it’s perfect for container planting or front of garden borders.

Jollies Tarbies

Jollies Menton

Jollies Fuchsia Line is from the German breeder Brandkamp  who have modernized the familiar range of the famous bedding and balcony plant Fuchsia in the last few years.
The Jollies series are named after French towns: Nantes, Menton and Tarbes.



Adorable Daphne and Treecreepers

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

White Throated Treecreeper

People have been fascinated by birds for centuries.
We look at them through binoculars and take photos of them with great big lenses. We even go around recording their sounds.
What have we observed?
We know that birds can fly, and that they can hop around on the ground and in tree branches.
They can even walk or waddle, swim, and dive.
But what about climbing a tree? How and why would they do that?
Let’s find out, talking with consulting ecologist Kurtis Lindsay
Have you ever seen a White-throated Treecreeper?
If you did, you’ll know why it is called a "treecreeper". Because it just does what its name suggests, creep up tree trunks, looking for insects and grubs to eat.
When it nears the top of the tree it flies down and starts again from near the bottom of the same or another tree.
Treecreepers have often been confused with woodpeckers, even though Australia doesn't have any of those.
The treecreepers bill is a lot softer than a woodpeckers' bill and they have short stiff tails that helps them to balance.
The white throated tree creeper prefers trees, mostly Eucalypts, that have flaking and peeling bark, such as ironbarks and stringybarks.
Some examples are Eucalyptus nicholi, Eucalyptus pilularis, Eucalyptus viminalis, Eucalyptus crebra.
They nest in hollows of trees, but if you want to encourage tree creepers into your garden, you can build nest boxes specific to tree creepers.
The white throated tree creeper is often seen in the Blue Mountains in native bush and in domestic gardens that are close to native bush.
If you have any questions about Tree creepers, or have a photo of one that visits your garden or nearby why not write in or send in a photo to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

MUGWORT

 Mugwort is the common name for Artemisia vulgaris, a perennial herb used since the Iron Age in medicine, cooking and brewing.
Who would’ve thought?
Other names for this herb that you might’ve heard are wild wormwood, and croneswood and felon herb.
Or perhaps you’ve never heard of it at all?
Mugwort has also been used from ancient times as a remedy against fatigue and to protect travellers against evil spirits and wild animals.
A traditional ingredient in the medieval witches formula for flying ointment.
Would that mean witches flying on broomsticks?
Did they mention it in Harry Potter?
In the European Middle Ages, mugwort was used to repel insects, especially moths, from gardens.
Would you have thought that Roman soldiers put mugwort in their sandals to protect their feet against fatigue?
Perhaps you could try putting some Mugwort into your dancing shoes, boots, or joggers to relieve aching feet or sore leg muscles?
Then there’s the use medicinally, especially in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional medicine.
Mugwort is also used as an herb to flavour food.
The leaves and buds, are picked just before flowering and is used as a bitter flavouring agent to season fat, meat and fish.
The flowers and leaves are also used to make a herbal tea.
 Did you know that mugwort has also been used to flavour beer before the introduction of or instead of hops?
Not only that, but it was also known as Sailor's Tobacco, because it was used when sailors ran out of tobacco at sea.

Mugwort grows easily in most of the temperate world and though it is classified as a weed in some places, its been planted in English herb gardens for hundreds of years.
Mugwort grows 1 -1 ½  metres  tall with grey green toothed leaves that are hairy and white underneath,  with reddish brown or small yellow flowers on woody stems and roots in late summer.
Seeds set easily so cut the dead flowers off if you don’t want the seeds to set.
Growing Mugwort
Mugwort can grow almost everywhere in Australia because it’s not frost tender.
Plant it in full sun or part shade and Mugwort isn’t fussy about soil, growing I anything from light sandy soil, through to loam and even heavy clay soils, as long as they’re well drained.
Plants are longer lived, are more hardy and more aromatic when they’re grown in a poor dry sandy soil
Mugwort is an adaptable plant and can tolerate a huge pH range from and acidic 4.8 to a very alkaline 8.2
One thing to note, mugwort is mostly wind as well as insect pollinated so that if you’re allergic to pollens or have asthma, then this plant isn’t for you.
It provides food and habitat for many moths and butterflies and a compliment to other summer flowers.
To grow more plants, just keep the seeds from the previous years and sow them in late winter through to summer.
How to use
Mugwort is botanically related to tarragon and the leaves can be used fresh or cooked and have a slight bitter flavour that suits or goes best with fatty foods,  such as in stuffing for roasted duck or turkey.
The dried leaves and buds can be made into a tea.
The fresh or the dried plant repels insects.
A weak tea made from the infused plant is a good all-purpose insecticide.
Just remember, these all-purpose insecticides don’t discriminate between good and bad bugs. It’ll kill them all.

sprouting brown rice and mugwort tea

Why are they good for you?
The leaves are said to be a good digestion and appetite stimulant. The Romans didn’t have it wrong when they places leaves in their shoes to relieve tired aching feet.
Some European farmers feed it to their stock as an all wormer.
If you keep chooks, leaves from mugwort among others, is a great poultry tonic and laying stimulant as well as helping to prevent parasites in your chooks.
General poultry tonics and laying stimulants include:- garlic, onion, chickweed, dandelion, fennel, wormwood, rue, cress, marigold, mint, vervain, comfrey, borage, thyme, marjoram, sage, nasturtium, mugwort, gotu kola and parsley.
AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY

SOIL SAVVY

with Horticultural Scientist Penny Smith


For many years I’ve been wanting a segment which deals with soils by a soil expert.
Here it is at last and for want of a better name we’re calling it Soil Savvy.

Together with horticultural scientist who specialises in soils, Penny Smith, RWG will be discussing all there is to know about potting mixes.
Covering everything from using the cheap mixes, how long do they last and even to mixing your own.
Today we’re discussing the need for potting mix versus garden soil, and what is it about potting mix that you really need to know.
Let’s get started.

How often do you repot your plants?
Never? Once in the last 5 years or every couple of years?

Some potting mixes only consist of composted pine bark fines

Perhaps more often that?
Growing plants in pots can be hit and miss if you forget to do this one thing and leave that plant coping with slumped potting mix for years on end.
Fertilising and pest control of your pot plants is only one part of the equation to keep those potted plants looking healthy.
Keeping a diary of what you did and when, is also a good idea if you’re saying to yourself, “ I can’t remember when I repotted those plants last?”

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Sabina Fielding Smith
Do you love scent in the garden?
Perhaps not the cloying scent of Jonquils or common Jasmine, but a more delicate scent that floats through the air.
Often the scented plants we crave don’t grow that well in our region, but that’s not stopped gardeners from trying.
We love to grow hard to find, difficult to grow plants that hold that alluring something.
Today’s plant, Daphne odora, or Daphne is of course scented and has a reputation.
Listen to the podcast

                    



Daphne eternal Fragrance

Odora of course means fragrant in latin.
Possibly the most strongly perfumed of the genus and the most commonly grown in Australia, mainly in the cooler, south-east.
As we mentioned, it grows best in fertile, slightly acid, peaty, well-drained soils.
Dahne grows in full sun or partial shade, and is hardy to −10 °C (14 °F), possibly lower.
The best advice seems to be: do not disturb the roots; provide fertile, well-drained soil, morning sun, shelter from afternoon heat and water; not too much and not too little! And, don’t feel too bad if it dies as you will be in very good company.