Sweet Leaves, Nectar and Flowers

What’s on the show today?

A tiny honeyeater in Wildlife in Focus, sweetness you can grow in Vegetable Heroes. A new series starts in Design Elements, that’s gardening in tight spaces and less value for money cut flowers in the Talking Flowers segment with Mercedes.

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

Eastern Spinebill

Did you think all honeyeaters were on the large side in Australia?
Well if you did, you’ll be surprised to learn that there’s a tiny honey eater weighing only 11 grams.
Not only that, the Eastern Spinebill is the only Australian honeyeater that will feed will flying.
So how can you spot them because they’re bound to be terribly shy?
Firstly get up at the crack of dawn, when most birds are out and about then listen to what Holly has to say about them.
Let’s find out more.

 I'm talking with Dr Holly Parsons from www.birdsinbackyards.net

America has the humming bird but Australia has the Eastern Spinebill which can hover will extracting nectar from flowers.
Not as spectacular as the hummingbirds, but pretty amazing all the same.

You can spot the eastern spinebill male has a grey black crown, white chest and throat with a rusty patch right in the middle, plus a beautifully curved beak to get the nectar from flowers, particularly tubular flowers.
Listen out for their call which as a few variations. Often though it includes a staccato like twittering.

If your garden is near bushland and you want to attract the eastern spinebill, then think about planting more of those tubular flowers like epacrids ( pictured below) and correas.

Epacris impressa var, grandiflora

Also smaller flowering grevilleas like Grevillea sericea and Grevillea speciosa.
If you have any questions about beds either for me or for Holly why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Stevia rebaudiana

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

Stevia is a member of the chrysanthemum family but did you know that 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.

In fact the leaves of the stevia plant contain not just one, but 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 small pointed lime green leaves that do best in a rich, loamy soil — the same kind that most of your plants in the garden like.

It has little white flowers at the end of long stems.

Stevia is native to semi-humid, sub-tropical climates where temperatures typically range from -6°C to 43°C.

• Although Stevia tolerates mild frost, heavy frosts will kill the roots of the plant.
• Since the feeder roots tend to be quite near the surface add compost for extra nutrients if the soil in your area is sandy.
• From all that, you could guess that Stevia is evergreen in temperate, sub-tropical and tropical climates, but in cold and arid districts, it’ll lose its leaves in Autumn.
• By the way, I’ve grown 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.

  

  Stevia flowers

• 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.

TIP:But don’t plant your Stevia in waterlogged soil and don’t overwater it.

 Adding a layer of compost or 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.

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

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Gardening in Tight Spaces Part 1

Tillandsia capitata

Gardening in tight spaces seems to be a modern day occurrence with people living in smaller and smaller accommodation.

Today we’re tackling a tiny balcony situation high up on the 7th floor.

That may not be where you live, but there’ll be something that you can take from this.

Let’s find out.

I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer and director of Paradisus garden design 

If you have a westerly aspect that’s under cover, go for anything in the Tillandsia family.

Peter suggests Tillandsia fasciculata hybrids and Tillandsia capitata hybrids.
And the suggestions were if you’re stuck with a tiny balcony, or even courtyard, then do use those vertical surfaces.
Those modular units can be a bit pricey, but there are alternatives if you’re prepared to do your own hand watering. If you have any questions about gardening in tight spaces or have a suggestion either for me or for Peter why not write in or email me at www.realworldgardener.com

TALKING FLOWERS

Shorter Lasting Flowers for the Vase:

True love may last forever, but flowers do not. Some flowers only last a day. But what a day!

Some flowers do alright in the garden, but not so good in the vase.

So which ones are they?

 Short vase life, anything less than 7 days.

Daylilies make the top of my list. Not true lilies because they belong in the Hemerocallis family.

Each flower only lasts 1 day like its name says but they come in all colours of the rainbow. In fact there used to be a daylily farm called Rainbow Ridge.

 Hibiscus flowers only last 1 day, but in temperate climates they flower for at least 6 months of the year. Longer in warmer climates.

The hardy hibiscus bush can produce up to a hundred flowers in a season.

Evening Primrose-flowers that open in the evening and close again the next morning. If it’s cloudy though, the flowers will stay open. They just don’t like opening for the sun.

Queen of the night.-member of the cactus family, you’ll have to stay up late to watch this one flower. Also known as night flowering cereus.

Desert plants and cacti can have gorgeous, sometimes also fragrant, flowers which last less than a day.

Bearded Iris-only flower for a few weeks then are gone until next season can also be cut for the vase. Will last 4-5 days..

Iceland Poppies have a short vase life of 4-5 days.

Cosmos also 4-5 days. Pick them when they’re not 100% open.

Cosmos

Things you need to do to keep the flowers longer in the vase.

Change the water every two or three days, making fresh stem cuts and adding more floral preserver. Never use tap water, only filtered water.

With roses, avoid fully opened blooms, but also pass on stems with tight buds. Roses harvested too early will not last as long as those that have been cut later.

And remember, true love may last forever, but flowers do not. “It’s OK for flowers to die,” Miller said.

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini from www.flowersbymercedes.com.au

Recorded live during studio broadcast of Real World Gardener show on 2RRR 88.5 fm Sydney.

The Bird with One Note Visits Your Garden

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The new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

Wildlife in Focus

with ecologist Sue Stevens
If I said to you there is a group of birds that belong to Megaphidae, would you think that meant that had something big about them? Mega after sounds big.
In fact, this rather imposing name simply means that this group of birds belongs to honeyeaters.
One of the smallest of these honey-eaters sings with one note when it’s perched, and only twitters when it’s flying.
Let’s find out a bit more about the bird with one note.

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Louise who lives in the lower Blue Mountains, wrote in to say that this bird with one note, visits Louise’s garden quite regularly, around 8am in the morning and again in the afternoon around 3pm.
But, being a small bird, she hasn’t been able to spot it.
Did you know that many honeyeaters have is a distinctive brush-tipped tongue, which varies by species in length and is specially adapted to soak up liquids.
These birds lap nectar from flowers much as cats lap milk from a dish, although the birds' lapping movements are much faster.
When the liquid-moistened brush is pulled back into the bird's mouth, the brush is squeezed against the upper mandible to push all fluid out so the bird can swallow it.
If you’ve seen this bird, taken a photo, or want to know more about it, why not drop us a line. to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675,  or post them on Real World Gardeners facebook page, we’d love to hear from you.

Vegetable Heroes

 

This weeks Vegetable Hero is the Capsicum or botanically-Caspicum annuum or Bell Pepper if you’re from the Northern Hemisphere. And Pimento if you’re from Spain.

 

Capsicums are from the Solanaceae family, with tomatoes and eggplants.

The name probably was derived from the Greek word kapto,  which means to "to bite" or "to swallow."

Just like the tomato, capsicums are botanically fruits, but are generally considered in cooking and eating to be vegetables.

Did you know that fossilized grains of Capsicums were found on grinding stones and cooking pots used in the Americas some 4000 years ago? (that’s Mexico, Central America and northern South America,) Christopher Columbus of course was mostly responsible for exporting capsicums, along with potatoes to the rest of the world in the 1400’s.

There are 30 species of capsicum in the world, but only five of these have been domesticated.

All of these wild capsicums still grow in the wild mainly in South America, such as in Brazil.

Just recently two new capsicum species were discovered in Bolivia so discovering diversity is an on-going task.

Why are we talking about capsicums in the middle of winter?

• Capsicums take ages to grow so we need to give a good head-start.
• If you live in temperate zones around Australia, zones you have from August  until the end of December to sow the seeds of capsicums because of the long lead up time before the capsicum is ready to eat.
• If you live in cool temperate districts, September until November, are the times you start you capsicums from seed, preferably undercover somewhere.In arid areas, September is a good time to sow the seeds under cover, but from then on you can plant them directly into the ground right until next April.
• In warmer sub-tropical and tropical areas, you can sow Capsicums almost all year, from June until next March.
• Did you know that commercial growers can either buy in seedlings or sow seed. Container-grown seedlings from commercial nurseries cost about $90 per thousand plus the cost of the seed, especially for new hybrid varieties may be up to $9000 per kilogram.
• All capsicum seeds need higher temperatures than tomatoes to germinate-in the 23⁰C to 28⁰C range.
• Capsicum seeds can be a difficult seed germinate, and seedlings grow slowly. The other drawback is that it takes 70-90 days or 2 1/2 to 3 months for your capsicum to mature, depending on the variety you’re growing.

The colour can be green, red, yellow, orange and more rarely, white and purple or chocolate brown, depending on when they are harvested and the specific cultivar. Green capsicums are less sweet and slightly more bitter than red, yellow or orange ones.
The sweetest capsicums are those that have been allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while those that are picked when green and ripened in storage are less sweet.
After you get your seedlings going, pick a spot in the got that is the hottest-with the longest hours of sunshine.
Do the usual by, adding plenty of compost, manure, and a general fertilizer.

When to Plant:

• In cooler districts, transplant young seedlings outdoors after the last chance of frost.
• If the weather is still cool, delay transplanting a few days, and keep them in a cold-frame, indoors or next to the house.
• Capsicums don’t like to dry out and actually prefer moist but not wet soil. It might not seem important now, but months down the track, water regularly as the weather warms up..
• When your capsicum plants start to get bigger and small flowers appear, switch over to a fertilizer higher in Phosphorous and Potassium.
• Something like tomato feed should do the trick.
• You don’t want just all bush and no plants do you?

 Tip:Capsicums are self pollinators.

Occasionally, they will cross pollinate from pollen carried by bees or other insects.

If you don’t want hot capsicums, don't plant hot chillies too close.

Don't worry though, as it will not affect the fruit of this year's crop.

The cross will show up in the genetics of the seeds, if you save them. Capsicums and chilli peppers are almost identical except for the level of Capsaicin which gives chillies and some peppers that “hot”sensation.

Why are they good for you?

Red capsicums have very high levels of vitamin C - 1 capsicum has enough vitamin C to meet the daily needs of 10 people and yellow and green capsicums have nearly as much.

 

Did you know that compared to green peppers, red peppers have more vitamins and nutrients and contain the antioxidant lycopene. 

 

Red capsicums are also rich in beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A, vitamin E and a good source of folate (one of the B vitamins).

One red capsicum contains almost the equivalent of almost 2 teaspoons of natural sugar, which is why it tastes so sweet and delicious.

Yellow capsicums are sweet with natural sugars too, but green capsicums have much less sugar, so they’re a little more bitter.

AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY?

 

But wait-What’s eating your plants?

Several insects enjoy your capsicums plants. Spider mites and aphids are the most common. You’ll know when these have been around because the leaves of the capsicum will become deformed. Generally that’s too late to spray with anything.

You can spray early on with an organic oil spray or one that contains potassium soap.

If you get holes in the leaves, it may be small snails, or even loopers.

Snails don’t like copper sprays, but only spray if you have an infestation, otherwise just pick off the snails.

For loopers,-that’s the young of a brown night time moth, use a product that contains Neem oil.

It’s safe, it’s organic and it’s made in Australia. Eco Organic Garden Neem Oil.

 

You can also use products that contain Spinosad, and potassium soap against these loopers.

Yates Success contains spinosad, 

Yates Natrasoap is good for chewing insects too.

 

Design Elements

with landscape Designer Louise McDaid

 

When you look at your garden, can you see the wood for the trees?

Have the trees and shrubs taken over?

This problem seem to sneak up on us, and before we know it, there’s too much shade, and you’ve lost a lot niceness about your garden that you started with.

But before you get out those loppers yourself, take a step back and listen to this.

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Before you go out into the garden, remember lopping big branches is really a job for the experts.

The branch is always heavier than you thought it was, and has a habit of falling in a different direction to what you had planned.

Not to mention that getting up ladders with loppers and side cutters is quite dangerous.

 

Plant of the Week:

Pieris japonica -this plant might also be known as Lilly of the Valley shrub, but I personally haven’t heard it called that, but it does have Lilly of the Valley type of flowers.

From the Ericaceae family, together with Azaleas and Rhododendrons, but the flowers are very different.

Pieris are compact evergreen shrubs with leathery, dark green leaves, often brightly coloured when young, and small white urn-shaped flowers in panicles in spring.

If you hanker after lilly of the valley type of flowers but can’t grow the Lilly of the valley bulb, then this shrub fits the bill.

But there’s a surprise in store when it comes to colour.

Not just those lovely creamy waxy flowers, there’s a new colour out to fit other colour schemes.

 

Plant a Pieris or Lilly of the Valley shrub along with Hostas, epimediums and ferns as partners, oh and of course, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Camellias.

 

Pieris Japonica “Flamingo”

 

 

NEW

Pieris japonica Flamingo is a superb neat and compact evergreen shrub that is covered in dark pink bell shaped flowers, that fade with age, from late winter through to early spring. 

New growth comes out bronze and turns dark green.

 

Growing Conditions for all Pieris cultivars.

Grow these plants in -Cool, Temperate, Arid, Semi-arid, Mild Tropical, Tropical Climate
Pieris like a full sun to part shade position in cool temperate districts.

A full sun position will yield more flowers but that’s only for cool temperate districts.

Choose a shady location in temperate to tropical areas, because the leaves burn easily in temperatures over 30⁰ degrees C.

These plants grow well in acidic, moderately fertile, humus-rich soil but may need some protection in winter when young.
 

All Pieris are frost hardy when established.
 

 Pieris are low maintenance, and relatively pest free.
They can get white wax scale on their limbs.
Just rub these pests off with your fingers. 

Grows 1.8-2m high x 1m wide

Pruning Pieris is almost never needed.

 

Once established, most evergreen shrubs are fairly low maintenance and need little or no regular pruning.

Pruning, when you need to take out some foliage to shape it to your liking,  is generally carried out in mid to late spring.

 

TIP:

 

Avoid hot locations as the leaves will burn at temperatures above 30⁰ C

PROBLEMS:

If you’ve got a Pieris in your garden and it’s not flowering for you, a common problem is too much shade, planted too deeply (believe it or not, this happens a bit too often), or allowed to dry out too much in late summer/early autumn when the buds set.