The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.
Wildlife in Focus:White faced Heron.This bird was once known as the White-fronted Heron, and incorrectly as the Grey Heron, or Blue Crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australia. Hear new co-presenter ecologist, Sue Stevens talk about this bird.
Vegetable Heroes: BOTANICAL NAME: Armoracia rusticana syn. A. lapathifolia.
Horseradish is a member of the mustard or Brassicaceae family.
The bite and aroma of horseradish root is totally missing until it’s grated or ground. That’s because as soon as the root cells are crushed, volatile oils known as isothiocyanate are released.
Horseradish is a perennial to 1.5m high on a tapering, fleshy taproot to 60cm long and 5 cm thick, it has large basal leaves, 30-100 cm long, so that’s about 1-3 ruler lengths.
. It should be planted in a permanent position - Vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavour. Horseradish has white flowers in the middle of summer to mid-autumn.
It tolerates damp soils and grows vigorously.
TIP” This deep rooted plant can be used in orchards to open up compacted soils and return nutrients to the surface of the soil.
Now’s the time to get a piece from a friend or your friendly garden club members because Horseradish is propagated by root division in spring or autumn for harvest the following year.
Grows in any soil and takes full sun or part-shade.
Next year by mid autumn if you were lucky enough to have planted it last year either in autumn OR spring, the roots should be ready to harvest. Dig up all the plants.
Use the larger roots to make horseradish sauce and store the smaller ones in sand for replanting next year.
You could plant some of the smaller shoots in pots – either give them away or sell them once they start into growth..
Design Elements:Garden problems solved-This month, Design Elements is starting a new about solving design problems in the garden. Today the problems are “How do I make my small garden seem bigger, and my garden is a very long and thin rectangle, what should I do?
Plant of the Week: Westringia fruticosa orCoastal Rosemary is not edible, it’s native and it’s flowers are attractive to native bees, but what else is it.It is an easily grown shrub of simple and neat appearance which grows wild near the coast of New South Wales. Stretches of it are seen hugging the cliffs and down to beach level, either prostrate or several feet high depending on situation.
lt is useful as a large type of ground-cover plant. Sometimes it throws out one or two main branches to develop an irregular habit, but generally the plant is shapely. After reaching a mature size it does not deteriorate quickly with age as some species do, but maintains a good condition for years. During the coldest weather it keeps a fresh appearance and is also drought hardy, though adequate water should be given to avoid tendency to yellowing leaves and bare wood.
