The Bird with One Note Visits Your Garden

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
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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.

 

 

Aphrodisiac's Guide to Gardening

Compost Capers

Improving your soil is so important for a healthy garden.
You might be lucky and already have great black soil, but for most gardeners we’re either battling sandy soil or heavy clay.
It’s true that sometimes you just can’t get enough of your own compost to make any difference unless, that is, you employ some willing helpers I am talking.with Cameron Little

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Now you know that as earthworms burrow through the soil, they consume large quantities of soil and fresh or partially decomposed organic matter from the soil surface.
Earthworms their droppings or casts as they go about their business which is invaluable nutrients for your plants.
As earthworms travel up and down and through out the soil, they mix soil from the different soil layers with plant and animal debris from the soil surface.
This mixing helps to make more nutrients available for plant growth, and helps to create a better soil habitat for all soil organisms. I
f you’ve got any questions about worms, or worm farms, 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;

Asparagus or Asparagus officinalis is from the Liliaceae or lily Family.
Asparagus is a perennial plant that is native to the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor areas.
The name “asparagus” comes from the Greek language meaning “sprout” or “shoot.
It’s been around for at least 2,000 years.
In the 16th Century, asparagus gained popularity in France and England. 

Asparagus is often called the “Food of Kings” because King Louis XIV of France loved eating Asparagus so much that he ordered special greenhouses built so he could enjoy asparagus all year-round.
According to some, Asparagus is considered an Aphrodisiac, possibly because of its shape more than any other reason.
There have been asparagus recipes found in Arabian love manuals as far back as the 16^th century, and experts say you need to eat it over three consecutive days to get the full effect. Heh Heh.
Did you know that Asparagus was so highly regarded in England that the thought of setting up a colony in Australia  without asparagus was unthinkable, so seed was included in the list of vegetables carried by Sirius, one of the ships of the First Fleet?
During the 1900"s asparagus appeared in many Australian seed catalogues.
What is Asparagus exactly?
The plant consists of a crown that is actually an underground stem from which asparagus spears shoots
The roots are called rhizomes (pronounced rye-zomes).
The spears, grow to about18-25cm long and 1.5-2cm wide, with many small, bumpy, triangular scales (called bracts) at the top of the stem.
Well you might be thinking where can I buy Asparagus to grow?
In fact, do I buy seed, or tubers or what?
I’m here to tell you all that. You can in fact buy Asparagus seed, including Purple Asparagus seed from online companies such as Green Harvest.
But now’s the time to buy something called Asparagus Crowns, and you can buy these from some supermarkets, farmers markets and from mail order and online.
 I bought two crowns some this week from my local market, they were the Mary Washington variety.
 In temperate and sub-tropical districts, plant Asparagus crowns from August right through to November.
When to Plant:
In cool temperate zones, you have from September until November, and unfortunately for arid zones, you had June, July, and will now have to wait until January.
This is one of the plants that don’t really belong in a vegetable patch, because the crowns last for many years, like rhubarb crowns, and need to be left in the one spot. Normally, your veggie patch gets a makeover every 6 months or so, -not that good for the crowns of these plants.

• So find a sunny spot in the garden where you don’t mind some veggies growing there year after year.
• Preferably with soil that’s been given some Dolomite and heaps and heaps of compost and complete plant food.
• 
• Plant you Asparagus crowns in furrows about 20 cm deep and 30 cm wide.
• Place the crowns onto a small mound in the centre of the furrow, so that the roots point down at about 45°, spread the roots out carefully. Backfill with compost to a depth of 7.5 cm.
• Space the plants 45cm apart, with 1.2 m between rows.
• Fill in the trench gradually as growth progresses.  Doesn’t sound too hard does it?
• In spring Asparagus will grow long and slender with soft fernlike foliage.  Don’t cut any spears in the first Spring, because this is when the crowns are developing.
• Asparagus produces both male and female plants.  Female plants have small poisonous red berries and don’t produce as many edible shoots as male plants. 
• During Autumn and Winter the tops will go yellow and brown off, cut off the old tops about 7.5 cm from the soil surface.
• Try to keep the berries from falling on the ground, as they will germinate and choke the bed.
• Apply a generous dressing of compost and well-rotted manure to feed the bed for its spring flush of growth.
• Then top with a thick hay mulch.
• The next Spring light cutting of spears can be done for the first month of the growing season, with normal cutting taking place each following year until late December. 
• Don’t cut any more after late December so that plants have enough time to build up their growth reserves for winter. 
• In the following years, mulch the beds thickly with compost and manure in late winter.  Remember patience in the early stages will help to get a life span of 15 years or even longer for your asparagus.
• Spears are harvested in two ways which gives them a different colour. White asparagus is grown below the ground and not exposed to light. When harvested it is cut below the surface before being lifted out of the soil. If spears are allowed grow in sunlight they turn a green colour. 
• For green, only hill about 10cm (4”) and allow the spear to grow 15cm (6”) above the soil, making sure to cut the spear just below ground level.  Green asparagus is recommended.
• Asparagus is most delicious when the time between cutting and serving is kept to a minimum.
• When you’re cutting the spears, do it carefully to avoid injuring the crown.  Farmers harvest by a rule-of-thumb, if the spears are thicker than a pencil cut them before the spears branch, usually at approx. 20 cm high, if they are skinnier, leave them to develop and feed the crown.

Why is it Good For You?

Asparagus is low in kilojoules, without fat or cholesterol, but has fibre.
Asparagus has B group vitamins  as well as folate.
A serve of asparagus has ¼ of your RDI of vitamin C.
Asparagus has potassium to help keep our blood pressure healthy.

Design Elements

with Landscape Designer Louise McDaid

On last week’s design elements we mentioned that we always have some parts of the year when there’s a bit of a hiatus-nothing much in flower in the garden, and we’re looking around for something the zhoosh it up, and make it more appealing.
We then talked about what exotics fitted the bill for all year round colour. Now it’s the turn of native plants..

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Of course you don’t have to all native or all exotic because many plants fit into either category.
The trick is to put those plants together that like similar conditions, and have similar  or contrasting leaf shapes. So spiky leaved exotics with spikey leaved perennials, and little green leaves of exotics with little or similar shaped leaves of natives. Or go for that contrast.

Plant of the Week

Narrow spaces are fairly limited in what can grow there.
You’ve probably seen too many times when people squeeze Murrayas, Lilly Pilly’s and other large plants into borders or spaces of less than ½ a metre.
They then have to continually prune them back because they quickly outgrow their space.
This new release is narrow by nature but not boring.

How about a Banksia for those narrow spaces?

The flower heads are made up of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of tiny individual flowers grouped together in pairs. The colour of the flower heads usually ranges from yellow to red. Many species flower over autumn and winter and for this reason are great for the winter bird attracting garden.

The fruits of banksias (called follicles) are hard and woody and are often grouped together to resemble cones (which they are not ­ true cones are produced only by conifers).

The  flowers of Banksias have plenty of  nectar and pollen for a wide range of bird species-like honeyeaters and, as well as many insects.

Mammals like sugar gliders, and pygmy possums are also pollinators of Banskia flowers, being attracted to their musky odour that comes out in the evening.

Fruit also provide a seed source for cockatoos

General Growing Information:

Banksias usually grow best in well drained soils in a sunny position.

People are afraid to prune Banksias because they think of them as being a bit tricky.
If you’re not sure what type of Banksia you have, then only light pruning.
If you know your Banksia has a woody rootstock (lignotuber) then it can be heavily pruned.
Only low phosphorus fertilisers should be used if at all. I’d recommend Blood n Bone.

The parent plant Coastal Banksia or Banksia integrifolia var integrifolia grows very well in coastal areas and can tolerate salt spray.

Coastal Banksia is very adaptable to any soil-ie sandy and clay loams and any type of pH .

In Victoria, from Sale to Bairnsdale, Banksia integrifolia grows along the roadside  in the low-lying, swampy areas.

Plants are frost tolerant.

NEW RELEASE

Banksia integrifolia Sentinel  is a selection of Banksia integrifolia, var Integrifolia
Grows to around 2metres x 1 metre.

Banksia integrifolia Sentinel, will also grow in moist soils, as long as waterlogging is not long-term.

Compacted and high-clay-fraction soils probably won't be suitable for reasonable growth.
Although some people would dispute that.

Coastal Banksia is a very tough plant can cope with short periods of dryness, moderate frosts, front line salt, saline soils, wind and some shade.

his plant has dark green very leathery stiff leaves with a silvery underside. And grows to about 10 metres eventually.

The pale limey green to yellow flowers open from autumn to winter.
The flowers are described as a dense cylindrical spike made up of many small individual flowers that are supposedly fragrant, but certainly rich in nectar.

TIP: Banksia integrifolia flowers occur on two year old wood.

So note down when you pruned your plant, otherwise you might end up missing out on flowers for years and be wondering why.

 

Not enough Banksias are planted in peoples gardens for whatever reason. But this one ticks all the boxes for size, shape and something for the birds, bees and small marsupials in your garden.Go on, plant a Banksia today.

 

Red Hot Garden Design

FEATURE INTERVIEW:

Head Gardener, Sydney Living Museums, Dave Grey talked to RWG about volunteer opportunities at two of the properties.

Six volunteer positions are on offer which presents a rare opportunity for locals to go behind the scenes and work in the idyllic sprawling gardens of Vaucluse House and at Rouse Hill House & Farm.

Garden volunteers will be given a range of benefits for their time including free entry to twelve Sydney Living Museums properties during the period of their service, as well as invitations to social outings and tours and talks at Sydney Living Museum properties.
Volunteers will meet on a Monday fortnightly from 9am-1pm over an initial period of six months (approximately eight hours a month). Orientation training is provided for all volunteers.

To read the full position description and access an application form please visit our website at www.sydneylivingmusuems.com.au and follow the links to Volunteering> Current Opportunities

VEGETABLE HEROES

Potatoes, Solanum tuberosum
It’s always interesting to find out where our vegetables started and how they became popular. And this is true of the humble potato.
Farmers in the Andes Mountains of South America first discovered the potato 7,000 years ago.
They had it to themselves until the mid-1500’s when the Spanish Conquistadors invaded Peru.
In Spain, when it did arrive, it was thought of food for the underclasses, or feeding hospital inmates.
Around 1780 the people of Ireland adopted the potato as a food crop because potatoes contain most of the vitamins you need to survive.
The potato is a member of the nightshade or Solanaceae family and its leaves are poisonous.
NOTE:A potato left too long in the light will begin to turn green.
The green skin contains a substance called solanine which can cause the potato to taste bitter and green potatoes can upset the stomach, so don’t try them.
TIP:Always grow potatoes from Certified Seed Potatoes from reputable suppliers.
Yes it is possible to simply buy some from a specialist green grocer and keep them for seed, or use leftover potato peelings.
What’s wrong with that? You run the risk of introducing diseases such as Potato Virus Y, Potato Blight or Potato cyst Nematode. If you use leftovers or buy from supermarkets or green grocers. You might think it’s only a small risk, but once you get potato blight into your soil, it’s their forever. No chemical will shift it.

When to Plant
Potatoes can be planted now all over Australia'
In temperate and sub-tropical districts, August to October is the best time.
Arid areas, August until December is your best time.
In cool temperate zones, you have from September through to January.
Cooler areas have a bit of extra time to order some of the more unusual varieties before they grow in the ground.
Choose a Variety?
How about Cranberry Red.
Cranberry Red has red skin and red flesh, great in salads, for boiling and baking. 
These stay red, even after cooking.
Or what Potato Sapphire that has purple skin and purple flesh
Purple Sapphire I’m sure is sold also as Purple Congo, is perfect for mashing, boiling and roasting, and yes, it stays purple after cooking.

 

Purple mash, Yum, and yes, I’ve cooked it.

 

And for a good all rounder, try growing Royal Blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potato Royal Blue is oblong, with purple skin and dark yellow flesh.

If you’re buying through mail order or online, you have until the end of August to buy them. After that, they’re not available.

 

To grow your Potatoes-

 

• Put seedling potatoes into a trench in as deep and rich a soil as you can get.
• Plenty of compost and manures please.
• And as they grow pile the earth up around them.
• You will need to hill the rows or potato container several times until the potatoes have flowered .
• You need to do this to stop the greening of tubers and also protect them from potato moth.
• Also, hilling up the soil and mulch will give you more potatoes as they tend to form on roots near the surface.
• That means, as you pile up the soil, you get new roots, and more potatoes....
• Chicken manure or blood and bone should be dug through the bed as potatoes need a lot of phosphorus but not too much nitrogen.  Too much nitrogen will mean lots of leaves rather than potatoes.
• Keep the water up and but only water moderately as potatoes will rot in soil that is too wet.

TIP:They can also get a fungus growing inside them if the soil’s too wet.

When you cut them open, they’ll have grey patches inside which actually do taste mouldy. Ewwww!

• You can add fish emulsion and seaweed extract when you’re watering too.
• Potatoes can also be grown in your black compost bin if you’re not using it for compost. Plant the seed potatoes at the bottom, let them grow to about 50cm,( so with your ruler that’s  almost 2 x ruler heights) then, over the top and add 8cm of soil, let them grow a little more, add some more soil, and so on, in the end a stack of potatoes.
• Pick your potatoes when the vine has died down to the ground, that’s if you want the most potatoes, but they can be harvested from when the first baby potatoes are formed.  The lower leaves should be turning yellow – this happens about 3 to 4 weeks after flowering.
• If you plan to store your potatoes, cut off the foliage and let the potatoes rest in the ground for 3-4 weeks to allow the skin to 'set', they keep longer this way. Store in a dark, cool, well ventilated spot. 

 

Roasting Potatoes include: Arran, Royal Blue, Cara, Celine, Desiree, Maxine, Picasso, Ruby Lou, Romano, King Edward, Kondor, Maris Piper, Stemster and Valor.

For Chip Potatoes try: Nadine, Kestrel, King Edward, Desiree, Kennebec.

For Boiling Potatoes try: Nadine, Dutch Cream Kestrel, Desiree, King Edward.

For Mashing Potatoes try: Kestrel, Nadine, King Edward, Tasmanian Pinkeye.

For Salad Potatoes try: Nicola, Tasmanian Pinkeye, Ponfine.

 

Why are potatoes good for you?

The potato is densely packed with nutrients. The Irish couldn’t be wrong could they?

A medium potato provides vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6 and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

Potatoes are known as the foods people crave when they are stressed. 

Why? because the carbs in potatoes (about 26%) help make space for tryptophan and this, in turn, boosts the serotonin level in the brain.

High serotonin levels help boost your mood and help you feel calm.

To preserve these nutrients it is important to peel the potato just prior to cooking and not leave it exposed to the air or standing in water any longer than necessary.

www.heritageseeds.com.au www.pleasanceherbs.com.au

      www.greenharvest.com.au www.broersen.com.au www.newgipps.com.au

www.fourseasonshebrs.com.au and www.diggers.com.au

 

 Design Elements

with Landscape designer, Louise McDaid

 I have a friend who for years has been trying to get the pink blue and white hyacinths to flower at the same time.

Each year she buys these bulbs and has attempted to plant them in pots at different times. But no, with repetitive stubbornness, these Hyacinths just refuse to comply, as if obeying some other higher order.

So what do you need to do to get other flowers to open at when you want them too? Here’s a bit of a hint….

I never can get my blue flowers to open up at the same time as the yellow flowers in the front garden. So to beat this conundrum, I’ve planted bushes with yellow foliage like Abelia, Frances Mason, and variegated Buxus to name a couple.

If you want a white garden, there’s plenty of plants with white in the leaves, that you could add. Then you need to pick something from each season that has a white flower whether annual or perennial, it doesn’t matter.

It could also be a tree like the Handkerchief tree, which is much admired in English gardens, but grows equally well in Australia.

 

Plant of the Week:

Kniphophia Species

Sometimes, plant of the week features something not because it’s in flower, but because it’s a good time of year to either order them, prune them or propagate them in a very easy way.

This plant is no exception. of  Kniphophia

Light up your garden with the many colours of torch lillies or Kniphofias.

They’re very tough plants that cope with neglect.

Start of your collection with Kniphofia “Princes Beatrix” Or Little Maid. You’ll be hooked on how easy they are to grow once you do.

Kniphofia-bare rooted perennials (to order this time of year.)

This is the time of year to buy bare rooted plants.

For those that aren’t familiar with buy a bare-rooted planted.

That means a plant with no soil, no potting mix nothing. Usually they’re dipped in something to prevent the roots from drying out too much and wrapped in some sphagnum moss or just newspaper. They’re much lighter to post, and establish a lot faster.

When Spring comes, they’ll take off like mad.

 

Bare rooted plants are not just for professionals or experienced gardeners.

They’re dead easy to plant out, and even kids can manage them.

Roses and fruit and nut trees have been traditionally sold as bare-rooted plants for many years.

Perhaps people are no longer aware that you can buy bare rooted perennial plants.

 

• Why buy bare rooted perennials?

Because these days, a lot of nurseries and garden centres no longer offer the variety that they used to, and you can get a whole lot more interesting stuff from mail order catalogues and over the internet.

Today, we’re looking at bare rooted Kniphophias or Red Hot Pokers. Also called, torch lily, knofflers or poker plant, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, same family as Australia’s native grass trees.

The genus Kniphofia is named after the 16th century German professor, J.H.Kniphof.

These Kniphofias are native to Africa.

 

The common name though has not a lot to do with the colour, because the flowers come in so many colours these days.

There’s two types- ones that die down to the ground in winter-these are the Herbaceous species and hybrids have narrow, grass-like leaves 10–100 cm long.

 

Then there’s the evergreen species. These have slightly wider, strap-shaped leaves up to 1.5 m (5 ft) long.

All plants have spikes of upright, brightly coloured flowers well above the foliage, in shades of red, orange and yellow, often bicoloured.

The flowers have lots of nectar and are attractive to bees

 

With most perennial plants, the roots are fairly fibrous and withstand handling quite well too.

 

Kniphophias are versatile clumping plants  great in mixed garden beds, large pots, mass plantings and for architectural character.

 POSITION :-Full sun gardens

 MAINTENANCE :-Hardy with few problems and easy to grow. Tolerates windy coastal gardens, hot conditions and are frost hardy. Remove spent flower heads.

 FLOWERING seasons vary with individual varieties.

 

I’ve grown this one

Kniphofia ‘Princess Beatrix’

One tip about red hot pokers is that they don’t enjoy rich animal manure around their crowns so be careful.

Other than that they are pretty easy to grow given anything like reasonable soil and a sunny position.

Kniphofia ‘Princess Beatrix’ is an old variety with tender soft peachy apricot flowers during the warmer months. Although the flower stems make about 120cm in height it is a mistake to plant them in the back of a border crowded by other plants. 120cm x 80cm.

Another one I grow Kniphofia pauciflora 'Little Maid'

An attractive perennial grass suitable for full sun gardens forming a dense clump of strap-like leaves with ivory/pale lemon flowers during summer/autumn.

FLOWERING:-Ivory and pale lemon red hot poker flowers appear above the foliage in summer and autumn.

Grows to about75cm high x 50cm wide

Kniphofia ‘Strawberries and Cream’

This Kniphofia has coral-pink flowers when they open, turn to cream making for a charming effect. It flowers for many months from spring until late summer.

I cut the evergreen leaves down to about 15cm every winter to keep the plant tidy. 120cm tall by 80cm wide.

Kniphofia hybrid cultivar Dwarf Yellow Poker

is an evergreen perennial with a clumping habit. Striking yellow flower heads in summer. It has long narrow, arching foliage. Drought tolerant once established.  Prefers a full sun to part shade position.  Frost and wind tolerant. Suitable for pots and containers.

Grows 70cm high x 30cm wide.

Kniphofia uvaria

Red Hot Poker is an evergreen perennial with a clumping habit. An eye catching feature in any garden with vibrant burnt orange and yellow flowers in spring and summer. It has long narrow, arching foliage. Drought tolerant once established.  Prefers a full sun to part shade position.  Frost and wind tolerant. Suitable for pots and containers.

Grows 1.5m high x 90cm wide.

Details

Both varieites are supplied as: Bare rooted plant

Suitable climate zones: Cool, Temperate, Arid, Semi-arid, Mild Tropical, Tropical Climate Guide)