Call Robbie?

Real World Gardener today (23rd March 2011) focuses on Bandicoots, an alien vegetable Kohlrabi, and a crazy creeper from Rangoon.:
Wildlife in Focus: Listen here to Kurtis Lindsay's exploits with the native Bandicoot.

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Available to 31st April 2011
Vegetable Hero: Kohlrabi or Call robbie? Brassica olerace gongylodes, botanically speaking.  The seeds are availble at these sites www.edenseeds.com.au   would suit community gardens because they’re offering specials on bulk purchases. Two varieties, Early Vienna White and Purple Globe from     www.newgipps.com.au, and www.greenpatchseeds.com.au   
 Kohlrabi is a good choice for beginner gardeners because it’s fast and easy to grow of all the Brassicaceae family.Your kids will love kohlrabi because of it’s funny appearance. Sort of like little aliens from other space. The little round body with little "legs" coming out of the ground.     Kohlrabi grows well with Beetroot because they have the same water requirements. You can also fit Kohlrabi in between lettuce, onion and radicchio, because it sits above the ground and doesn’t take up as much room as cabbages and the like.  You can direct seed Kohlrabi or start them in punnets or seed trays because they don’t mind being transplanted. Sow the seeds about 1 cm deep January to March (temperate climates): Kohlrabi can be rather closely spaced (or interplanted) and is out of the garden in 60 days (2 ½ months)or so, leaving time to plant something else. Select small kohlrabi no larger than 2 1/2"or 6cm in diameter, with the greens still attached. The greens should be deep green all over with no yellowing.
Kohlrabi keeps up to 1 month in the fridge.
Design Elements: Creating a vegetable border. Lesley and Marianne (me) talk about what veggies suit a garden border. Listen here until April 31st.
Plant of the Week: Quisqualis indica or Rangoon Creeper.

From southern Asia the Rangoon creeper is a tender fast growing tvining plant. The leaves are simple. Leaves are opposite, elliptical with a pointed tip and a rounded base from 7 to 15 centimeters. It looks fantastic paired with another subtropical/tropical climber called Herald’s Trumpet or Beaumontia grandiflora. The very large white trumpet flowers contrast so well with the smaller but bigger bunches or clusters of white to dark red flowers. On seeing the combination you’re immediately inspired to want them for yourself. The pair which are located in the Sydney Botanic gardens near the Music Conservatorium.

The flower's fragrance is sometimes called fruity, or even like toasted coconut.

The growth rate is generally fast, and the plant does not need lots of fertilizer. Quisqualis does like medium to bright light. Under good conditions it will be necessary to prune the plant to keep it in under control.  When a leaf drops but the petiole remains this petiole stiffens, grows stronger, and becomes a very effective climbing hook. While not sharp, like a cactus thorn, these can make pruning a bit tedious, and can draw blood.

What's On: Earth Hour.

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Talking Turkey, Brush Turkey That Is!

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney Radio
Wildlife in Focus: Kurtis Lindsay, Honours Biology student at Macquarie University, talks about Alectura lathami, or Brush Turkey. Here the podcast, available until 13th April 2011.

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Vegetable Hero: What is Parsnip? Pastinaca sativa, a member of the Apiaceae family-same as carrots, Parsley and Celeriac. For temperate areas around Australia, March is the last month you can sow the seeds of parsnip. Best planted at soil temperatures between 6°C and 21°C. Best grown in deep sandy, loamy soil. After planting keep seeds moist - can cover with a moist newspaper or mulch - until seeds germinate. Parsnips need to be started from seed. They resent being transplanted even more than Coriander. They just won’t grow. Fresh seed is a major requirement because the viability of Parsnip is about 12 months.  Tip: Soak the seeds overnight in a shallow saucer. There’s no need to drown them.  Keep your parsnip seedlings growing strongly with regular watering and applications of liquid seaweed, liquid manure or compost tea. Harvest in 17-20 weeks, that’s 4-5 months.

Design Elements: Playing With Plants. Lesley Simpson, Garden Designer talks about stage 6 of your garden design for a border. Whatever plants you have chosen, ornamental or herb or vegetable, today's the day to decide how to plant them. Listen hear to the podcast, available until April 13th 2011.

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Plant of the Week: Melastoma affine, or Native Lasiandra.
Native lassiandra. This Australian plant is a brittle shrub to 2 m, having dark green leaves to about 10 cm with a few prominent veins. Flowers are large, 7 cm, with usually 5 mauve petals. These are followed by fruits which split open to reveal red to purple flesh with numerous small seeds. It is supposed to be edible and to make your tongue go purple! I have not found them to be tasty, but edible. The pollen of the flowers is in deep pores of the stamens and need the help of Australian native bees that are able to 'buzz' pollinate.  
Prune often to make this shrub compact. The leaves look very similar to other Tibouchinas. This plant is a fast grower and will tolerate most soils. Some watering is needed in very dry conditions. Grows best in warm temperate areas. For all other areas, a microclimate is recommended.
What's On:On March 19^th Willoughby Council is running a workshop called Habitat Gardens from 9am to noon. This practical workshop looks at local native animals and explores different ways to provide or improve habitat for them in your backyard. It will include native plant species selection, planting strategies, and other natural elements that are important for habitat including simple structures you can build. RSVP by 11 March to Liz Powell at Willoughby Council on 9777 7871.Thursday 19^th March the City of Ryde has a free guided walk,  People and Plants of the Lane Cove River. Cost: Free
Bookings: essential on 9952 8222. For more walks http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/

Dollar Bird in The Hand?

REAL WORLD GARDENER WED 5PM 2RRR 88.5 fm
Wildlife in Focus. NEW SEGMENT!
Kurtis talks about the Dollar bird. To listen, just click on the player. ( Available until 2nd March 2011)
Visit http://www.awsrg.org.au/ for hear the Dollar bird call again.

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Vegetable Hero: Real World Gardener recommends growing Plectranthus amboinicus-Cuban Oregano.   This powerful smelling herb seems to contain large amounts of Thymol which explains why the leaves have a very strong aroma when handled.   A succulent perennial herb that can reach 50cm  in height with fleshy leaves in opposite pairs. Cuban oregano's fleshy, almost succulent leaves are held tightly around the stem and are extremely aromatic. In summer the plant carries spikes of whorled, lilac-pink, mauve, or white flowers, and it lends an architectural element to an ornamental or herb container. 
Cultivation: The brittle stems and leaves sort of resemble the common Coleus but are much fleshier of course. Growth is slow in the winter months and moderate in spring and summer. Heat and direct sun don't seem to adversely affect growth or appearance. Insignificant flower stems form in the autumn. It is extremely tender to frost, so grow in a protected area or keep it mobile in a pot so it can be placed in a controlled environment in the winter.  Propagate vegetatively, from cuttings at anytime.

Design Elements: An introduction to designing a garden border. Start small and simple in a corner of your garden, but do it right. Here Lesley and Marianne talk about what steps you should take before you buy plants to fill your garden.
To listen, just click the player. (Available until 2nd March 2011)

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Plant of the Week: Frangipani rubra.  They like very well drained soil and at least 5-6 hours of sunlight a day. If they don’t get these two main growing conditions, your Frangipani tree will start to show signs of stress by getting fungal diseases, attacks from pest insects and not flowering well or at all.  
  Frangigpani’s prefer organic fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season. Make some deep holes with a tomato stake around an established tree on the canopy edge, and drop the fertilizer in that way.
  Frangipani’s have a deep tap root and many fine feeder roots. This doesn’t make their roots invasive because you would’ve seen many mature trees growing within 1-2 metres of older houses without any sign of damage to the house or lifting of any pavement.
Some highly scented cultivars are Classic Cream, Vera Cruz Rose, Charlotte ebert, and Orange Glow.

What'sOn
If you enjoy propagating plants and would like to be involved in making your community a greener place, you might like to join the Growers for Greenspace project. This is a regional program organized by the Parramatta River Catchment Group in which a number of local councils are involved including Hunters Hill. Participants will be growing native plants in a little greenhouse at their own home, for use in community areas such as parks and reserves.

The Growers for Greenspace program will run at Ryde TAFE on three Tuesdays – the 8^th March, 29^th March and 3^rd May.  More info is available at parramattariver.org.au or call Sue Stevens at Strathfield Council on 9748 9940.

Connecting with a Historical Past

Real World Gardener Wed 5pm, Sat 12noon 2RRR 88.5fm
Feature Interview: Talking with Hazel King, Horticlturalist, AIH member, accredited garden judge. Hazel was the daughter of the Head gardener of Yaralla, the home od the late Dame Edith Walker, in West Concord. A magnificent garden with 27 gardeners on the estate to provide the owners and those living on the estate with fresh produce and flowers for the table. Hazel King was also the judge for the Ryde Spring garden competition this year.Find more information on Yaralla at http://www.concordheritage.asn.au/chs-yaralla.htm
Vegetable Heroes:Tomato, Lycospericon esculentum, Family Solanaceae.       In the 18th century Carl Linnaeus created binomial nomenclature to name species, was keeping in mind that people thought tomatoes were poisonous because they came from the Nightshade family.     So Linnaeus gave them the scientific name of Lycopersicon esculentum, which literally means, "edible wolf peach". Old German folklore claimed that witches used plants of the nightshade family to evoke werewolves, a practice known as lycanthropy. The common German name for tomatoes translates to "wolf peach", and was avoided for obvious reasons. Growing your tomatoes:      

1. Growing tomatoes has to be in full sun at least 6 hours.  
2. When you plant your seedling, this is about the only plant I know that you pile the soil higher than it was in the pot. That way, it grows extra roots to support the plant.    At the same time, put in a tomato stake of some kind and sprinkle some Dolomite around the plant. The Dolomite-Calcium Magnesium Carbonate is to prevent that blackening of the bottom of the tomato called blossom end rot.   
3.  A good tip is to put some hydrated water crystals in the bottom of the planting hole. Sydney gets so hot during the day, that it’s sometimes hard to keep the water up to them. They actually need lots of water, as well as Calcuim, to prevent a problem called “blossom end” rot, when they get a black bottom.     
4. Mulch with Hay, lucerne tea tree or some home made compost, which will break down over the next few weeks.   
5.  As soon as your tomato gets the first yellow flower, you need to start fortnightly feeds with a liquid tomato food. Cow Manure is not enough…it doesn’t have anywhere near the right amount of Potassium. That’s needed to bring on the flowers and fruit..     
6.  Now when you get to four trusses (or branches of flowers) nip out top of the plant. By this stage you should have plenty of fruits forming that need to grow and ripen.    You need to do this mainly because you want the plant to put all its energy into the fruits. And…you don’t want it growing taller than you tomato stake and flopping all over the place.      
7. Keep the soil moist by regular watering and using a mulch of some kind. Feed weekly with tomato fertiliser.  Irregular watering or drying out of the soil or compost in very hot weather can result in the fruits splitting. The inside grows faster than the skin, splits and unless eaten quickly, disease very quickly enters the damaged area and the tomato disposed of.      If you ate only one tomato a day, you would get 40% of you daily requirements of Vitamin C and 20% of Vitamin A. Don't forget to email you garden question or tip to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Design Elements: Redefining spaces-Today, Lesley and I discuss redefining the outdoor living room.
Listen to the podcast. http://realworldgardener.podbean.com/
 Plant of the Week: Beaumontia grandiflora, Herald Trumpet Vine. Family, Apocynaceae. Beaumontia is a climbing vine that can be very vigorous. The foliage is semi-evergreen. The leaves are glossy green on the upper surface and dark green and hairy underneath. They measure more than 20 cm long and have prominent venation. The woody trunk and branches act like wires to enable the plant to grow in height. The plant produces oblong green fruits from the end of summer through autumn. After the flowering season, the plant may lose a few leaves or the leaves go a purple shade on their tips as a response to cold in temperate regions.  In sub-tropical and tropical areas  it is evergreen.
Under 15°C, the plant will not flower so you probably can’t grow it if you live in the Blue Mountains.. The plant grows ideally in a heated veranda or hot glasshouse. Beaumontia grandiflora demands a lot of light and humidity.
Soil must be rich and well-drained. Beaumontia does best in light, but do not place it under a direct sun.  Keep soil moist for best results.When we propagate from the vine, we have to wear gloves to avoid getting the milky sap all over us. It’s relatively easy to grow from cuttings, but you do need a green house with bottom heat and misting. Semi hard wood cuttings work best with nodes close together. If you don't have a green house, put the cuttings in a peat:sand mixture and cover with a plastic bag. Using a wire frame around the cuttings to prefent them touching the plastic.
These plants are available from the Sydney Botanic Gardens, Growing Friends'nursery. Opening times:M-F, 11.30-2pm. www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
What's On: www.discoverhuntershill.com.au Sunday 7 November from 

On10:00am – 12:30pm there’s a Gladesville Hospital and Priory Walk led by Peter Colthorpe, chair of Friends of Gladesville Hospital. Meet at The Priory,

2 Salter St.

, Gladesville. By donation for repairs to The Priory. Bookings and enquiries 0434 673 101

Also on Sunday 7 November the city of Ryde has free tours of Brush Farm House at 11 and 1.30. these tours chronicle the social and architectural history of the house. Brush Farm is at

19 Lawson St

, Eastwood. Bookings essential on 9952 8222.

Tea Tree or not to Tea Tree

Real World Gardener 2RRR 88.5 fm Wed. 5pm, Sat. 12noon
Feature Interview: Talking to Peter Kinnard from Northern rivers tea tree plantation. Peter talks about the benefits of using tea tree mulch-moisture retention, adding nutrients to the soil, and enables rain penetration around the roots of the plant. Mulch thickness recommended 2-3 inches or 5-7 cm.
Tea tree Oil placed on ant trail deters ant: on end of broom deters spiders.
Vegetable Hero: Beans-Phaseolus vulgaris.To grow beans you  need up to four months of warm weather. Beans, either climbing or Dwarf Beans, sometimes called French Beans, don’t like the cold at all Beans are best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 30°C. so planting them from now on is good.. Easy to grow. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. About 2.5cm or  1-inch or depending on the size of the bean I guess.Go easy on the fertiliser or you’ll get lots of leaves and no beans. the most important nutritional fact for beans is that they provide a major source of soluble fibre, which, when passing through the digestive tract grabs and traps bile that contains cholesterol, removing it from the body before it's absorbed
Design Elements. Introduction to "Structure in the Garden."
Listen to the podcast: http://realworldgardener.podbean.com
Plant of the Week:Babiana anbd Bluebells.Bluebells Botanical name: Scilla hispanica Spanish Bluebell, and Hycinthoides Hispanic for English Bluebell.  Family: Liliaceae. Plant/bulb type: True bulb Planting time: Late Summer to Autumn. Height: 20cm tall.      Depth & spacing: 6cm deep & 5-10cm apart. Aspect: Full sun to half shade. Filtered light is well tolerated. Soil: Well drained. Rich soil is ideal if you are going to allow the bulbs to naturalise.Flowering time: Early Spring.After flowering care: These bulbs can be left undisturbed for years. Comments: Also known as the “wood hyacinth” this bulb is wonderful when planted in drifts, large clumps, pockets or pots.The English Bluebell is usually found in woods. It is unusual to find it on open ground. When the flowers are fully formed, the stalk of English Bluebells curves downwards to give its characteristic look. One why to help identify an English Bluebell is to see if all the flowers are in the same side of the stalk. As all the flowers on an English Bluebell are on the same side of the stalk, the effect of gravity pulls the stalk over into a beautiful curve.    The Spanish Bluebell is usually found open ground. It is unusual to find it in woods. When the flowers are fully formed, the stalk of Spanish Bluebells is straight. One why to help identify an Spanish Bluebell is to see if the flowers are all around the stalk. As all the flowers on an Spanish Bluebell are on the same side of the stalk and the stalk is thicker than the English Bluebell, the effect of gravity does not operate in the same way on the Spanish Bluebell so that it keeps its characteristic straight stalk.
ALL BULBS CULTIVATION NOTES:
Spring flower bulbs are very simple to grow & most have similar requirements so that once you understand the basics you can grow almost any bulbs with ease.Planting time: For best results, plant Spring flower bulbs April to May (Australia). This allows both the weather and the soil to cool.
What's On:Granny Smith festival, Saturday 16th October, Easwood Plaza.
2RRR will be broadcasting "live," from Eastwood Mall.
Real World Gardener will be going "live" at 12 noon!

Tomatoes For Everyone

Real World Gardener 2RRR 88.5fm Wed 5pm Sat 12noon
Feature Interview: Frank Hogan of Colourmaster nursery talks about tomato cultivars, growing tomatoes and more.
Vegetable Hero: Wheatgrass. Triticum aestivum-grow it to make wheatgrass juice. Regarded as a superfood to boost your energy, suppress your appetite, supply your nutrient deficiencies.
To grow wheat grass, you'll need wheat grass seeds (available online or at health food and garden centers), some soil (any soil will work, but potting soil is convenient), planting trays (any 1" to 2" deep tray will work) and plastic wrap or mini green house.
Preparing your container. Fill your tray with potting mix leaving about a ½" to 1" of empty space. Your tray should have drainage holes or slits -if has has too many-line with newspaper to stop mix from falling through. 
To begin growing wheat grass, soak your wheat seeds in water for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the water from your wheat grass seeds and rinse. Repeat this process-you may have to repeat two or three times-until the seeds produce tiny, white sprouts. Moisten the soil in your container and then place your sprouted wheat grass seeds on the surface of the soil so that the surface is covered with seeds. Cover the container with a layer of plastic wrap or place in mini greenhouse.Place your wheat grass tray out of direct sunlight-a closet or pantry will work well. Spray the seeds once a day with a light mist of water.
After three or four days, the wheat grass will begin to sprout. The emerging leaves are very pale yellow. Remove the coverings and place the trays in a protected, warm, lighted spot. The grass soon turns green.Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Mist or spray with a little water every day or two when the soil feels slightly dry. .Water a little for another 7-14 days (depending on whether it’s summer or winter – wheatgrass takes longer to grow in cold winter months
Ready set go!, your wheat grass should have grown to15-20cm or 6" to 8" and will be ready to harvest. Cut the blades of grass with a sharp pair of scissors about ½" 0r 1.3cm above the soil. Wheat grass is best served fresh, but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Wheat grass can be juiced into smoothies or used in salads.

Design Elements: Famous garden Designer Vita Sackville-West. Listen to the podcast.
Plant of the Week: Rondeletia amoena. Memeber of the Rubiaceae family. On the www.weeds.org.au website  Rondeletia amoena is the “grow me instead” of plant for Butterfly Bush or summer Lilac-Buddleia davidii. What's On.

This is a tall evergreen shrub up to 3m, with large shiny leaves which look attractive all year round. It has rounded clusters of tiny pink perfumed flowers in August and September. Originates from Central America, it is a very tough, drought-tolerant plant for our gardens and is useful as a background shrub or grown as an informal hedge.

Natural Remedies

Sydney Garden Talk 2RRR 88.5fm Wed5pm Sat. 12noon
Feature Interview:
Alan Hayes author of 27 books about natural remedies for the house and home, talks about living the sustainable and carbon lifestyle in his Duralong Valley home. Go to http://www.itssonatural.com/ for more information.
Vegetable Hero: Mint or Menthe spp, in the family Lamiaceae. Ideal growing temperatures for mint are warm sunny days (25°C) and cool nights (15°C). This is why, in the hotter climates, mint generally grows better in the more shaded areas of the garden. Mint can be propagated either cuttings or by seed. You can grown new plants by digging up plants in late winter–early spring (like now) and dividing them into runners with roots, then replanting. This will prevent the plants from becoming root-bound and prone to disease, giving you strong, healthy plants for the new season.
Most of the time we are busy trying to just keep it tidy. It can take over your garden if your not care so, be like me, and grow it in a pot that you can sink in the garden bed. Mint, when planted nearby will help beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, chili and bell peppers, Chinese cabbage, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, salad burnet and squash. Planting mint near peas, cabbage or tomatoes will improve their health and flavor. Mint will attract hoverflies and predatory wasps to your garden. Mint is also a favorite of earthworms.
Design Elements:Lawns-BUFFALO Sir Walter (Patented Turf)
Australian grass - Soft Leaf Buffalo grass has excellent drought tolerance
due to its strong and deep root system. Because it is Winter Active it maintains its colour
longer than other Buffalo and does not go purple in winter. It can handle full sun and grows well in the shade. The crisp green colour of Sir Walter makes it a most attractive lawn in summer and winter.
"Palmetto is an emerald green Soft Leaf Buffalo that has a long broad soft leaf which is shade and drought tolerant. This turf is extremely hardy once established and does not go purple in winter. Palmetto is a medium grower with a strong root system which recovers very quickly from damage.
Shademaster "This variety of Soft Leaf Buffalo has a broad and long course leaf. It is good in high traffic areas as it is a very fast grower. It loses its colour and turns purple in winter."
Nara Native Turf-or Zoysia macrantha, sacts the same way as any Buffalo lawn, can be bought in rolls. Use the same fertilizers and cut the same way.
CT2 Couch-"This is a blue/green couch with a longer blade than the Winter Green and Green Leaf Park couch. It is very hardy and has very good drought tolerance. CT2 recovers in half the time as most other couches. It will however discolour if the temperature drops below 3° C.
Windsor Green Couch (Patented Turf)-"This dark and very dense lawn has a small leaf with very few seedheads. Windsor Green discolours if the temperature drops below 3° C. It is a hardy grass with good wear and tear tolerance. Grows best with a minimum of 4 - 5 hours of sunlight per day. Considered the best grower in the shade of all the couch lawns."
Greenleaf Park Couch "This is a blue/green couch with small blades. It is not however frost tolerant and will discolour if the temperature drops below 5° C. It is a very hard wearing grass and is used in most bowling greens."
Winter Green-"This is an olive/green coloured grass with small blades (smaller than Green Leaf Park Couch and does slightly better in the shade). Will discolour if the temperature drops below 5° C. This couch produces a lot of seedheads unless it is well fertilised. It has a tendency to get patchy. It will take some shade but needs at least 6 - 7 hours of sunlight per day."
KIKUYU I think this is a weed.
Plant of The Week: Culture:  Strelitzia Reginae: This South African genus is a member of the Musaceae family.An evergreen perennial that will reach 1.5m—2m in most situations. It is grown for its spectacular flowers and are used all over the world for cut flowers.Strelitzia Reginae needs full sun to light shade with warm temperatures, when planted in pots keep them crowded for the best amount of blooms. In very cold climates it is better to grow them in pots that could be moved indoors when freezing temperatures are expected.