Burning, Searing, Scalding Flowers are Just One Feature

What’s on the show today?

Art Therapy with Mara Lyon is today’s feature interview. What vegetable, was used to thicken soups and stews, and the seeds were toasted and ground then used as a coffee substitute in Vegetable Heroes; , plus a tough native plant with a strange past in Plant of the Week and more floral happenings in Talking Flowers segment with Mercedes

FEATURE INTERVIEW

Art Therapy in the Garden:Create Your Own Mandala

Are you taking enough time out in your life or is your day crowded with a to do list?
To do lists, whether written down or just in our mind’s eye, can make life seem overly busy without time taken to just sit and reflect.
Maybe we need to be re-connected with that quieter, calmer side of life.
I'm talking with Mara Lyone who is an art therapist.

LIVE :Art Therapy in the Garden

I first met Mara at a workshop nearby in Bedlam Bay, Gladesville, NSW
It was a day where there were quite a few stalls about healing and the mind, but what struck me was a mandala made out of plant material on the ground.
We talked about what is a mandala and how we would use it. 

Gardeners often crowd their mind with things that need to be done in the garden without taking stock of what’s there.
Mainly because often there is so much to do in the garden especially during the warmer months of the year.
Everyone’s talking about mindfulness but how can gardeners learn to appreciate more the “beauty in the moment. And not focus on what they see as failures in the garden?”
Pebble sculptures, beds of annuals, sculpted box balls in a knot garden are living expressions of art therapy?
In planting, if you use secondary colours together, such as purple and orange or orange and green, or green and purple, they make wonderful combinations. Each of them creates a particular mood: purple and orange have red hidden in them, so there’s a great deal of warmth and energy in that.
Gardening meets needs if you want to be a sculptor, or painter.
And really, gardening to be the greatest healer of all.
If you have any questions, either for me or for Mara why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Okra: Okra is also known as Lady’s fingers.

OKRA the way to pronounce is "Oh krah" not "Aukra"

Okra is in the Malvaceae or Mallow family and called Abelmoschus esculentus. (A-bell-mow- shus es-kew-lent-us)

It used to be called Hibiscus esculentus so that may you give you a clue as to what the bush might look like.

Okra flower and fruit

Did you know that Okra is related to cotton, cocoa, hibiscus and Rosella plants?

"Okra probably originated somewhere around Ethiopia  and Okra is found growing wild on the banks of the river Nile.

According to records, the Egyptians were the first to grow it as a veggie it in the basin of the Nile during 12th century BC .

And as Okra made its way to North Africa and the Middle East, more uses were developed.

Not only were the seed pods eaten cooked, the seeds were toasted and ground, and used as a coffee substitute (and still is).

 Another amazing fact is that in the 1800's slaves from Africa used ground okra as a part of their diet, and this apparently led to the use of ground okra seeds as a coffee substitute by other southerners during the American Civil War blockades of the 1860's.

You might have also heard of a dish called gumbo. This comes from using Okra or gumbo as a thickener especially in soups.

So what does the Okra bush look like?

Okra varies in height from 60cm to 2m high depending on the variety of seed you buy.

 The leaves are heart shaped with plenty of yellow hibiscus-like flowers with a maroon throat.

In case you don’t know Hibiscus flowers, think of Hawaiian or Tahitian girls with flowers in their hair. Might also be a Hibiscus or a Frangipani.

 As you know, after the flowers comes the fruit that looks like a five-ribbed small pod with a cap on it, sort of like a gumnut cap.

Much smaller than beans or cucumbers.

Pick these a week after the flowers emerge because the Okra, gets too tough and stringy after that.

I’m told the leaves can be used as Spinach.

Doubly useful.

When to sow.

• In sub-tropical districts, you can plant them in August and September and then again January and February.
• In temperate climates, sow seeds in October through to December,
• Arid areas have between August and December to sow seeds directly into the soil.
•  Cool temperate districts, including Tasmania, for you, the advice is to grow them in a greenhouse, but I discovered a blog from Adam whose from a cool mountain climate and Adam says “Okra does indeed grow in the cool areas, it just needs a bit of help to establish.
• Adam puts an old plastic milk bottle over the plant until it fills the bottle, then away it goes.
• Just pick the warmest part of your garden.
• You’ll get a small crop if you have a cold Summer, but should have heaps if the summer is warmer. Thanks Adam!.
• Finally for Tropical districts, you’ve won the jackpot this week, because you can grow Okra all year round!

Growing Okra

Okra seeds germinate reasonably well, but will be helped along if you soak them in a shallow dish of tepid water for 24hours.

This will soften the hard outer seed coat.

Pick a spot that gets full sun and has plenty of compost dug into the soil.

One thing that Okra detests, and that’s wet, boggy soil or soil with poor drainage.

Okra will also be set back if you get a cold snap in your district.

Either sow the seeds directly or into punnets for later transplanting.

I have heard that they don’t like being transplanted that much so you could try sowing them in pots made of coir, or make them yourself from newspaper or toilet rolls.

A very permaculture thing to do.

Because they grow as a largish bush, space the seeds or seedlings if transplanting, about 50cm to a metre apart.

Water your Okra fairly regularly, and if your soil is too hard or clayey, grow some Okra in a pot no problem.

TIP:By the way, Okra are partial to high amounts of Potash.

During the growing period, water in lots of liquid fertiliser, such as worm tea and add handfuls of compost.

Okra flower: looks just like other members of the Hibiscus family

Tip pruning will also give you a bushier plant with more flowers and more Okra pods.

In warm areas of Australia, your Okra will be ready to pick in 10 weeks.

In cold temperate zones however, it may take as long as 16 weeks.

Pick your Okra when they’re small and certainly before they get bigger than 10cm in length. Around 5 – 10 cm length is best.

Tip: Okra pods are referred to as mucilaginous.

What does that meant? Ughhhh! This can make them a bit slimy in cooking, so if that bothers you, don’t slice them, keep them whole.

Alternatively, add a couple of drops of vinegar or lemon juice.

I’ve also read that you should avoid growing Okra where you’ve had tomatoes, capsicums or potatoes growing previously.

Okra sliced to reveal mucilaginous membranes

For different varieties of Okra, go to www.4seasonsseeds.com.au

Two varieties I found online in Australia, are Okra Clemson Spineless, a bush that grows to 1 ½ m and Okra red Burgundy. Red Burgundy has red pods on a vigorous 1.5m tall plant with green leaves and attractive bright cherry red stems.

I’ll put a link to this site on my website. You can get many rare and hard to find seeds at this company. Well priced too.

Why are they good for you?

Okra contains lots of valuable nutrients, almost half of which is in the form of soluble fibre, which helps lower serum cholesterol.

A half of a cup of okra contains about 10% of the recommended levels of B6 and folic acid.

By the way, Okra has black seeds inside the pod. Don’t feel you have to remove them because you don’t. The seeds add flavour to the cooking.

The fibre is in that mucilage.

How about trying a mix with peppers and eggplant! Or grill it on the BBQ! :) try it !! grill it on its side for 2 minutes each!its yummy!!!!

AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Scaevola aemula: Fair Fan Flower

Drought tolerant, salt tolerant, pretty flowers and no real maintenance.
Wouldn’t that be good if most of our plants were like that?
Never mind, even if we put some of these plants amongst the ones that aren’t so hardy, we’ll still have a show of colour and foliage when those others fade away.
With those sort of credentials -let’s find out about this plant.

I'm talking with Karen Smith, editor of www.hortjournal.com.au

PLAY: Scaevola_5th November_2014

That burnt hand story I’ve discovered was slightly off with the facts.
The latin word scaevola has a link to a Mucius Scaevola which was a lineage of patricians during the Roman Republic.
It was an offshoot of the Mucian family started by Gaius Mucius Scaevola.
This Gaius Scaevola was a legendary assassin who burnt away his right hand as a show of bravery during the early years of the Republic.
Not saint at all then.
Latin: scaevola, "left-handed.

If you have any questions about growing Scaevola or fairy fan flower why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

TALKING FLOWERS

Drown, Sear, Scald & Mist Cut Flowers

These are all the methods we can use to not only make the flowers last longer in the vase, but to also make them look a whole lot better.

• Some plants with soft stems and heavy flower head, such as tulips and gerberas, are prone to bending. If left, the stem will remain in this position. To straighten the stems, wrap the bunch flowers in newspaper and stand them deeply in water for at least two hours – ideally over night.
• Others need to have their stems scalded in boiling hot water for a few seconds to prolong their vase life. These include roses, hydrangeas, poppies and sunflowers. Always protect the petals from the steam.

• Misting helps the vase life of most orchids as well as camellias, bird of paradise and violets.
• Drowning in a bucket of water for several hours gives hydrangeas, roses, heliconias, christmas bush and viburnum flowers to go the distance.

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

Recorded live during the broadcast of Real World Gardener radio show on 2RRR 88.5 fm Sydney

Wurzels and Parrots

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

There’s no denying sulphur Crested Cockatoos are loud and noisy.

Sulphur Crest Cockatoo photo M Cannon

They’re a bit like teenage larrikins-very social, like to be the centre of attention, fairly friendly but do muck up from time to time.
Sometimes they can be down  right destructive but they’re probably just playing.
Let’s find out more what about them….I'm talking with ecologist Sue Stevens

You’ll probably me familiar with the high-pitched screeching noises that the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo makes.
Did you know that their screeching is meant to traverse long distances through tropical and subtropical forest environments?
They also make loud and incessant grating calls during the evening when they return home to their nests.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos mainly feed on seeds of grasses, grains, herbs, wild melons, fruits and vegetables. They also eat flowers, nectar, nuts, cereals, oilseed crops, grapes, berries, orchards, leaf buds, rhizomes, bulbous roots. These cockatoos even prefer to eat certain insects like skinks and crickets as well as small larvae. No white bread in that diet that’s for sure.
If you have any questions about Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, or have an anecdote about their behaviour, even some photos, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

This weeks Vegetable Hero is Mangel Wurzel
Folk band or vegetable?
Vegetable of course but there is a band in England called the Wurzels.

Scientifically- Beta vulgaris var rapacea also know as mangold and beets.
Before I start I have to say, I’ve never grown or eaten Mangel Wurzel, but after with a name like Mangel Wurzel, I couldn’t resist talking about it. Plus it seems like a fun veggie to try and grow.
Mangel wurzels even feature in George Orwells novel, Animal Farm’
Also Time Robbins mentions in his book, Jitterbug Perfume, where the characters us the wurzel as one of the ingredients of a perfume.
In the northern hemisphere winter, food was shot for animals, and in the nineteenth century in addition to dry hay and grain, horses, cows and sheep were often fed pumpkins, cabbage and root crops like mangel wurzels.
Why don’t you see this veggie in the shops?
Did you know that if you looked at any seed catalogue from the 1800’s you not only find this vegetable listed, but the description would make claims that the root could grow as big as a small child.
As you’ve guessed it’s a root vegetable that’s related to beetroot and different varieties have yellow, red or even cream flesh.
The roots vary in size and shape too-some are like long radishes and some are short and squat.
Why grow them?
Mangel Wurzel has the highest sugar content of any vegetable.
Plus the leaves not only look like siverbeet leaves, can be cooked and eaten like silverbeet.

If you can grow beetroot or silverbeet you can also grow Mangel wurzel because it needs the same conditions.

When to Grow

For tropical climates plant in the dry season,, during autumn winter and spring in the subtropics, and during spring, summer and autumn absolutely everywhere else.
Yes that means temperate and cool temperate regions.
Because the mangel wurzel has fallen out of favour, all those varieties from the 1800 seed catalogues have pretty much disappeared.
But, you can get seeds from heirloom seed companies, seed saver networks, and community gardens.
If you can get the yellow or cold coloured varieties-they apparently taste the sweetest.www.thelostseed.com.au
A Basic Guide for Growing Mangel Wurzel.
If you manage to get your hands on some seed sow them straight into the ground because like a few root vegetables-carrots and beets, they don’t like being transplanted.
If you want mini-mangel wurzels which are supposed to be good for roasting-just space these about 10cm apart.
If you want big mangel wurzels-space them 25cm apart.
On the upside, mangel wurzels grow in any type of soil as long as it’s well drained.
The soil pH doesn’t matter much either as long as it’s not some ridiculously high or low number.
And, you can pick them whenever you think they’re big enough to eat.
You might be wondering how to tell when they’re big enough.
That’s easy-like beetroot and carrots, they push themselves up out of the ground as they get older.
In the mangel wurzels’s case, as much as one-third of the vegetable pushes itself out of the ground.
From go to whoa takes about 5 months.
If you want a really big mangel wurzel-be warned it won’t taste nice and be quite woody.
Here’s a tip: when you pull out your mangel wurzel out of the ground, cut of the leaves as soon as possible, leaving about 5cm.
The reason you need to cut the leaves off and harvesting is because if you don’t do this, the root part of the vegetable will shrivel.

Mangel wurzels don’t have any problems except if you have bandicoots, possums, rats or mice in your area.  They love mangel wurzels apparently.
Look out for mangel wurzels at farmers markets or online
When you cut of the top 5cm, you can replant that bit back into the veggie garden or put it into a jar of water to sprout some roots.
If you’re cooking mangel wurzels, the recommended time is 20-30 minutes if whole or less if you cut them up smaller.
Mangel wurzels are used in cooking as a potato substitute either boiled, baked, mashed etc; also has an interesting history of being used during the 18th century to brew beer.
By the way, if you want to save seed of mangel wurzels-they usually only flower in cool temperate districts.
Why is it good for you?

Mangel-wurzels are low in calories and they also have high sugar content, which can stave the craving for sugar without putting on kilos.
They’re high in vitamin C, folic acid and of course carbohydrates-good for energy stores if you’re low.
Mangel wurzels have large amounts of Betaine –which is particularly good for  cardiovascular health.
And finally they’re high in fibre.
THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT

DESIGN ELEMENTS

with landscape designer Louise McDaid
Starting a new series- all about trees – they’re an essential part of a garden’s structure, adding shade, shelter and privacy to name just a few

Do you have a favourite tree and is it growing in your garden?
Or is the tree that you really like something that belongs in a park or nature reserve?
Whatever the case, trees are essential not only for providing animal habitat, food, shelter and nesting sites, but provide us with a few amenities as well, like shade, and beauty.

But how fast do they grow? In this day and age we are moving house more often than we used to, so is it any use planting a tree now when we might not be around to enjoy it?

Yes is the answer, because there are so many benefits that you can enjoy while it’s growing (even if you don’t see it to maturity).

We need to be patient with trees, and generally we’re impatient – we want things to grow fast – but there are some drawbacks with this.

While fast growers are good for the impatient, they are usually short lived – take acacias for example, some may only last around 10 years which is paltry for a tree.

Where would Koalas be without trees?                               photo M Cannon

Let’s start the ball rolling with part 1 of the series on trees.

In the words of Dr. Seuss character from his book The Lorax
“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I've come here to celebrate Earth Day, so please Come join me and help spread the message I bring. Be a friend to the trees and to each living thing.”

Trees provide beautiful flower colour       photo M Cannon

Are you aware that as trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away for decades or even centuries?
All the more reason to plant more trees.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

with Karen Smith editor of www.hortjournal.com.au

Scaevola is a well-known Australian native that really does well in gardens in all states and not just the east coast of Australia flowering from Spring to Autumn, even during the worst heat of summer.
Drought tolerant, salt tolerant, pretty flowers and no real maintenance.

Wouldn’t that be good if most of our plants were like that?
Never mind, even if we put some plants of these amongst the ones that aren’t so hardy, we’ll still have a show of colour and foliage when those others fade away.

With those sort of credentials -let’s find out about this plant.

That burnt hand story I’ve discovered was slightly off with the facts.
The latin word scaevola has a link to a Mucius Scaevola which was a lineage of patricians during the Roman Republic.
It was an offshoot of the Mucian family started by Gaius Mucius Scaevola.
This Gaius Scaevola was a legendary assassin who burnt away his right hand as a show of bravery during the early years of the Republic. Not saint at all then.
Latin: scaevola, "left-handed.

It grows naturally along the coastline around Nambucca Heads to Coffs Harbour where I’ve seen it on bushwalks.
S. albidus grows as far south in coastal areas of Victoria and Tasmania doing well in any type of soil, including clay soils.

The flowers have a beautiful fan shape in colours of purple, blue or mauve.
This petal colour is combined with a white or more commonly a yellow centre to give a bright eye catching flower.
The flowers grow along the stems and become smaller from the top to the bottom of the plant.
Flowering time is from spring through to the end of summer these although this flowering time alters according to the length of summer and the temperatures of the season.
Visited by butterflies and Honey Bees
If you have any questions about growing Scaevola or fairy fan flower why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Fancy Fairy Fan Flowers

REALWORLD GARDENER  produced at 2RRR Sydney  and broadcast across Australia on the Community Radio Network, Saturdays, 10.04 EST

email your questions/feedback to realworldgardener@gmail.com
DESIGN ELEMENTS:Your garden might’ve been handed down from someone else when you bought the place. Maybe you just put plants in a free spot whenever you bought one back from a buying spree. Did you every think, what’s missing or how can I make it look better?  Listen here to Part 1 in the 4 part series of "garden design basics."

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VEGETABLE HEROES: Horseradish  or Armoracia rusticana from the Brassicaceae family.-          Except for tropical regions, Spring is the time to get pieces of Horseradish root from either a friend, garden centre, or online nursery.
  Just simply dig a hole, about 1 ½ to 2 feet (50 - 60cm) deep – horseradish has extremely long tap roots. pop in the piece of Horsradish root, and back fill with a mixture of compost and the planting soil. 
If you want lots of Horseradish to make up the paste you can lay the roots of horseradish in a trench about 12 inches (30cm) apart and then cover with more soil. Firm in with your heel. 
It’s best in full sun particularly if you’re in a cold part of Australia.
If you’ve got damp soils, it’s no problem for horseradish because it grows vigorously. 
Keep well watered if it's not a damp spot.
It should be planted in a permanent position and not disturbed as new plants will grow from any broken roots ,but then this is the best way to propagate Horseradish, and give it to your friends.          ECO TIP: This deep rooted plant can be used in orchards to open up compacted soils and return nutrients to the surface of the soil.
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-simply dig them up and preserve some pieces for next year's harvest.
Some places to get it online.    www.heritageseeds.com.au www.pleasanceherbs.com.au            www.greenharvest.com.au
Plant of the Week Fairy Fan Flower or scientifically, Scaevola aemula and S. albida.
With such pretty blue flowers, you'd think this plant would be rather fussy or delicate. Instead, this durable Australian native takes the heat without wilting and produces heaps of lavender-blue or white fan-like flowers all summer.
a.    Visited by butterflies and Honey Bees,   Scaevola or Fan Flower is the perfect groundcover. (Ramm Botanicals have released quite a few new ones, www.ramm.com.au )
c.    Scaevola prefer a well-drained soil with little to no phosphate added. Like most Australian natives, scaevola is sensitive to phosphorous.
d.   Scaevola. aemula also requires well-drained sandy soil and a good sunny position.   It grows naturally along the coastline around Nambucca Heads to Coffs Harbour where I’ve seen it on bushwalks.
 Scaevola. albidus grows as far south in coastal areas of Victoria and Tasmania in a range of habitats, including clay soils. Scaevola albida varieties under the Dam Savers range are S. albida  which will grow in semi-shaded positions and is frost hardy. Mauve Carpet, grows in full sun, ground cover and hanging baskets. S. Super Clusters, flowers through to Autumn and is strictly for the garden. 
White carpet is a good choice if you’re looking for a low maintenance plant that receives irregular watering and is a good weed suppressor.
Feature Interview (not heard on CRN) Talking with Ruby Ride of the Bromeliad Society of Australia Check out meeting times of this society and others around Australia.  www.bromeliad.org.au
There's a Bromeliad for every corner of your garden.