What’s on the show today?

Gardening in dry soil with Diane Watkin in Backyard Biodynamics, a vegetable cross to grow in Vegetable Heroes. Five senses-today’s it’s touch in Design Elements and fragrant flowers in Talking Flowers with floral therapist Mercedes Sarmini.

BACKYARD BIODYNAMICS

Gardening in Dry Soil: How to Make Your Soil Healthy
Is your soil healthy and full of earthworms or is it dry, degraded with no sign of anything living?
When you pick up a handful of soil, what colour is it and does it run through your fingers like sand, or stay in a big clump?
All of these things are important to know but here are some ideas to help improve your dry soil so your plants will be more vigorous and healthy.
Let’s find out .
That was Diane Watkin, co-founder of Biodynamics Sydney.

Neglected soil, degraded soil, sandy soil, all of these possibilities add up to "lifeless dirt."

It's no good putting in a bagful of earthworms because they will surely perish as there is no food for the worms.

To encourage life back into your soil you need to add liquid in the form of compost eat, worm tea, seaweed tea or fish-head tea.

Chelsea Physic Garden photo M Cannon

Also you need to add organic matter in the form of organic or biodynamic compost.

All these things will bring back the microbial life and encourage earthworms to return.

For those gardeners not able to access bio-dynamic compost and any of the preparations Diane talked about, the second best alternative is to use organic compost, especially home-made compost and some sort of seaweed tea, weed tea, or similar.

If you have any questions about improving your soil, either for me or for Diane, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Brukale: Kalletes

What do you get when you cross two veggies that have an image problem?

No, not a joke, but it could be.

Do you get a novelty, a passing fad, or a truly hated vegetable?

It could be any of these, you decide.

And you thought there were no more new vegetables.

So today’s veggie is Brukale.

Never heard of it?

Neither had I until I was asked about it.

A bit of research has revealed that it’s a fairly recent cross between Kale and Brussel sprouts.

For all those gardeners that love to eat Kale, good for you, but for others who have grown it and decided it’s not for them because it’s just too tough, this may be of interest.

Then there’s those gardeners that love Brussel sprouts, others that just can’t grow it well, and even others that just don’t like the stuff.

Probably reminds them of overboiled cabbage.

This is really Brukale or Kallettes

What is Brukale really like?

Can you imagine a plant that’s crossed with Brussel sprouts and Kale?

What would it look like?

Think of the actual Brussel sprout plant.

It grows to about one metre tall, with rounded blue-grey leaves that seem to make an umbrella at the top as well as growing along a thick stalk.

Normally you would get tight buttons that look like tiny cabbages, up and down the stem.

With Brukale, instead of those tight little buttons, you get a column of small, frilly, kale heads.

However, I’m told that these smaller kale heads are actually much more tender and the centres are actually soft enough to add to a salad to eat raw.

By the way, in England they’ve changed the name to Kalettes instead of using Brukale.

You might be wondering is Brukale genetically modified?

Brukale or Kalettes were developed by a British seed house (Tozer) following a 15 year breeding program.

This process was entirely natural, using selective breeding and hybridisation only, so definitely no genetic modification.

How To Grow

This growing information is supplied by Ross Geach of the Telegraph newspaper in the UK.

Kalettes should be treated in a similar manner to traditional brassicas, grown in firm ground which is not too acidic.

To grow, it’s best to sow the seed in cell trays, indoors in the middle of the September.

Use a good quality seed raising mix and lightly cover the seeds. Water them well and don’t let them dry out.

Prepare your growing area by digging deep and incorporating some good compost or well rotted manure.

When your seedlings are ready to transplant, if you’re growing heaps, plant them ½ a metre apart with 60cm between rows.

These plants do need a lot of space if you want a good crop of kallettes.

 The plants will gradually drop their leaves.

These leaves are also edible, and can be used in the same way as a kale leaf.

Once all the side leaves have fallen off you should see lots of perfectly formed Kalettes growing all the way up the stalk.

Harvest them straight from the stalk by holding at the base with your finger and thumb, and then gently pulling them to one side so they split from the stalk.

If you want to harvest the whole stalk I suggest using a saw to cut it off at the base because it’s very thick and strong.

Crops grown in acidic soils will benefit from an application of lime or similar.

Trays of Kalletes or Brukale.

Kalettes are extremely winter-hardy, but may need staking to provide additional support during winter months.

How to Cook with Kallettes or Brukale?

Kalettes are a subtler tasting combination of the two great, traditional European flavours of kale and Brussels sprouts.

Known in Australia as Brukale but overseas, it’s commonly called the 'Flower sprout'.

Brukale is highly versatile, with a sweet, nutty flavour.

They can be steamed, used in stir fries, roasted, grilled - or even eaten raw.

Why are they good for you?

Kale is actually near the top of the list in terms of nutritional value, Kale has heaps of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, large amounts of vitamins A, C and E, and heavy doses of calcium, potassium and Kale is particularly rich in iron.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Five Senses Gardening: Touch

These days, many people live in high rises and so do their children.
Days, weeks and months can go by when these high rise dwellers don’t make contact with any living plant.
So instead of missing out on the nurturing effect of plants, why not be inspired to bring them into your life?
Let’s find out about what, why and how.
I'm talking with Chris Poulton, Sydney Convenor for the Australian Institute of Horticulture and an experienced horticultural lecturer and consultant.

Get your kids involved with plants like Mimosa pudica, or nerve plant whether in a pot on the balcony or on your back doorstep or patio.
Let them touch the plant and see how it reacts by closing up.

Or if you’re an advanced gardener, perhaps a venus fly trap would suit your sunny windowsill in your house or apartment?

Mimosa pudica : Nerve Plant

There are numerous sensory plants that invite you to feel or just touch them.

Try the felty leaves of Lamb's Ears, or rub the leaves scented geraniums or pelragoniums, 

Feel the rough bark of Casuarinas or Birches, perhaps even an Ironbark Eucalypt.

All of these sensations will awaken our sense of touch.

If you have any questions about five senses gardening or have a suggestion either for me or for Chris why not write in or email me at realworldgardener@gmail.com

TALKING FLOWERS

Fragrance in the garden.

Perfume adds atmosphere and a wonderful feeling of romance to any garden.

The smell of any flower is never really just one single chemical compound. 

Flowers give off a complex mix of volatile organic chemicals, although not all of these will add to the aroma or perfume, a significant number will impact it to varying degrees.

Magnolia champaca will fill your garden with scent all day. Photo M Cannon

Some scentuous suggestions:

Star Jasmine, Tuberoses, Hyacinth, Daffodil, Roses, Carnations, Hydrangeas, Stephanotis, Honeysuckle.

Violets: Their scent is primarily caused by the presence of compounds called ionones.

Interesting fact: We become used to most persistent smells, our brain registers them as constants and phases them out.

This is why you can get used to the smell of a perfume, so that you no longer notice it.

TIP : Change your perfume every few days so that you can refresh your sense of smell.

But for Violets something else is at play.

The ionones in violets’ are different to every other flower because they are able to somehow bypass our sense of smell, binding to the receptors and temporarily desensitising them.

As this shut-down is only temporary, the ionones can soon be detected again, and are registered as a new smell.

Consequently, the scent of the violet appears to disappear — then reappear!

No wonder Napolean chose violets as his favourite flower.

My favourites: Frangipanis, Angel Trumpet, Stephanotis,  Osmanthus, Gardenia, Cherry pie, Buddleia,  native frangipani, Magnolia champaca.

Some of these fill the garden with their scent, particularly at night, others you have to sniff to get the full scent.
I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini of www.flowersbymercedes.com.au

This video was recorded live during the broadcast of Real World Gardener radio show on 2rrr 88.5 fm in Sydney on Wednesday 29th August at 5pm

Crabapples, Olives and Budgies

What’s on the show today?

One of Australia’s smallest and most colourful parrots in wildlife in focus, a tree for your produce garden in Vegetable Heroes. A new series on gardening with the senses in Design Elements and abundant flowers on a small tree in Plant of the Week.

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus
If you’ve ever travelled overseas and visited Botanic gardens, often you’ll find that they have a section of what they call exotic plants and or wildlife.
Recently I saw such a place in Ukraine and was rather bemused see that they had quite a few Australian birds and reptiles.

Some of these birds are so colourful that no wonder the local population think that they’re amazing and so exotic.
Let’s find out about one of them.

Budgies are closely related to Lorikeets and Figbirds and occur naturally throughout much of mainland Australia.

The places that you won't find them are from the far south-west, the north of the Northern Territory, Tasmania and the majority of the east coast.

Did you know that Budgies come in more than 100 colours, including blue, grey, white, yellow and multicolour. The majority, however, are green, which appears to be their ‘it’ colour, in the wild?

Did you also know that Budgerigars are a boom or bust type of bird and with this current dry season, one can imagine that there would be quite a number of fatalities?
However, recent research from Curtin University have discovered the fact that, much like mammals, budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus) have the ability to regulate the water they lose through their skin.
Their suggestion is that they can cope well in hot dry conditions.
The question is “but for how long.”

If you have any questions about Budgies of the bird kind 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

Olives or Olea europeae. 

The olive tree is a symbol of joy, peace and happiness.

Did you know that the Mediterranean diet which includes plenty of olives and olive oil has long been known as one of the healthiest?

Another interesting fact is that residents of Crete in the Mediterranean have the highest consumption of olive oil per person in the world but Australia is second; the Cretians though have the lowest rate of death from heart related diseases in the world which we can’t say about our diet yet. 

Olive trees can look good in any garden with their silver grey-green leaves.

Some people have mistakenly bought ornamental olive trees thinking that they will also fruit, but that’s not the case.

These ornamental olives have darker green leaves and only produce pea sized fruit which isn’t much good.

The good news is that true olives can grow right from Queensland through to Tasmania and across to South Australia.

Not only that, olives can grow with neglect and start producing fruit again with a bit of care plus they make excellent wind breaks and great for gardeners with black thumbs.

What Do Olive Trees Really Like?

We have to remember that the olive originated in the Mediterranean region and will grow well in areas of Australia with a similar climate—cool/cold winters and hot summers.

Even though olives are evergreen trees, they still need a cool winter so they can rest to prepare for their main shooting.
Many mature olive trees will survive and crop well even in the very cold areas of Australia.
Some varieties will also fruit well in 'no frost' areas as long as the winters are cool enough;

Winter chilling is needed; winter temperatures fluctuating between

1.5°C and 18°C and summers long and warm enough to ripen the fruit.

Having said that, the olive industry in Australia has been doing research into what olives do well in warm winters and wet summers. 

Warm Winter Olive Varieties
Some of these are warm winter varieties include: Arbequina, Arecuzzo, Barnea, Del Morocco, Koroneiki, Manzanillo and Picual.
Tip: If you already have an olive tree and experienced very few olives; hot, dry winds or rain at pollination time in late spring can reduce fruit set..

How To Grow Olive Trees

Olives will grow in most soil types as long as they are well-drained and have a subsoil pH range of 6.5–8.5.

TIP: The olive three’s worst enemy is too much water.

If your soil holds too much water when there’s been a lot of rain, then you need to improve the drainage or raise the bed that your olive tree is growing in.

When it comes to fertilising, olive trees have similar needs to Australian eucalypts except for the fact that they’re not phosphorous sensitive.

Traditionally all you need to use to fertilise your olive trees are well rotted manures and mulches; anything else and you risk over fertilising your trees.

Problems with Olive trees.

• Lots of rain at harvest-time, can reduce oil content due to the higher water content in the fruit. 
• The most common pest is black scale, which also affects citrus. 
• Olive lace bug (not to be confused with beneficial lace wings) can also be a problem. 
• All of these pests can be controlled, but they should be positively identified . If you’re not sure what’s attacking your tree, take a piece of the affected branch to your local garden centre. 
• Don’t go off spraying with one of those broadspectrum or home-made insecticides that kill beneficial insects as well.. 
  
• The main fungal problem is peacock spot, which results in leaf fall and poor fruit set:It’s more common in humid areas. 
• You need to prune to allow enough air flow through the leaves to help keep it under control. 
• Anthracnose, or fruit rot, can also affect olives. 
• Copper sprays can be used for (any both of these) fungal diseases. 
• Olives are also harmed by some soil-borne pathogens such as phytophthora, verticillium and nematodes common to other fruit trees. 
• If that still doesn’t put you off growing them, here’s part of what you have to do to preserve olives. 

Harvesting Olives
In about February - March, some of the fruit begins to turn from plain green to purplish black.
When some of the olives begin to change towards black, it will be fairly safe to pick the green olives for pickling

If you have ever tried to eat an olive straight from the tree, you will know what I mean - it's VERY bitter and VERY hard.

If you use the method I’m going to talk about, you’ll end up with wonderful sweet olives and you can add all sorts of herb combinations to create your own special marinated olives.

•Make a slit in each olive or crack each one open carefully with a wooden mallet. THAT’S RIGHT, EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE!

This bruising, pricking or cutting will allow the water and salt to penetrate the fruit, drawing out the bitterness and also preserving it

•Put the olives in a large bowl or bucket and cover with water with ½ cup of coarse salt for every 10 cups of water.

Place a plate over the top to keep the olives submerged.

•Change the water daily for about 10 -12 days to extract the bitterness and make the olives "sweet".

Test an olive to see if all the bitterness is gone. Ugghhh, yes you have to.

•After 14 days, drain the olives and place in a solution of cooled down brine; 1 cup of salt for every 10 cups of water that has been boiled together first.

Then all that’s left is bottling the olives in brine topped up with 1 cm of olive oil.

There are other recipes involving wood ash.

By the way, olives will keep for years in the freezer.

Why are they good for you?

Olives are nutritious and rich in mineral content as sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and iodine
Olives provide essential vitamins and amino acids. Olives contain oleic acid, which has beneficial properties to protect the heart.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

 Malus floribunda, Crabapple

Flowers on this tree are so spectacular that you’ll be wondering why you’ve never planted it in your garden.
Not only that, it’s easy to grow, is a small tree and is quite hardy.
But maybe you have one in your garden, and you’ve had it for years.
So instead you’re the envy of neighbours all around you but they’ve been either too afraid to ask you what it is or have been trying to sneak cuttings.

Crabapple Tree. Photo M Cannon

I'm talking with the plant panel were Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au 

Let’s find out about this plant.


There’s quite a few other varieties of crabapples to choose from with enticing names like Sugar Tyme Showtime, Royal Raindrops and Golden Raindrops.

The bonus is even though it’s a small ornamental tree, you get these crab apples and if you’re into masterchef or other cooking shows, you’ll be wanting to make crab apple jelly to use on your cooking creations.

If you have any questions about growing crab apple trees, why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Exploring the Senses in Gardening

What’s On The Show Today?

Part 2 of garden toolboxes in the tool time segment and it’s not what you think,; growing no ordinary mint in Vegetable Heroes, 5 senses gardening in Design Elements with landscape designer Chris Poulton, plus scented flowers in winter in plant of the week;

TOOL TIME

Tools for the Advanced and Mature Gardener

Over the years, gardeners accumulate quite a number of tools that they regard as essential and wouldn’t be without.
Last week we talked about what you might need if you were a beginner or slightly more advanced gardener.

Cut Above Tools

So now we’re going for tools with more oomph and powered by more than your muscle power.
The reason is that it’s the experienced and the mature gardener that’s getting a look in.
Let’s find out what the experts recommend.
I'm talking with Tony Mattson General Manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au

What do you think, do you agree with Tony’s advanced gardener’s tool kit or would you have chosen something else?

If you haven’t already, it’s probably time to buy a pair of ratchet secateurs (sek-a terrs) to add to your toolbox. Ratchet secateurs are great for pruning shrubs.
Mature gardeners might want gear action loppers
If you have any questions either for me or Tony, you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

No Ordinary Mint: Vietnamese Mint

Vietnamese mint, Persicaria odorata.

Any time is a great time to be growing mints of all kinds, but this one is particularly good.

And…..Vietnamese mint isn’t actually a mint, nor is it in the mint family-Lamiaceae but in a family called Polygonaceae which is the same for buckwheat and rhubarb.

Botanical Bite

In botany, mint is the common name for any of the various herbaceous plants that have a botanical name starting with Mentha, in the mint family Lamiaceae.

Flowers of Vietnamese Mint

These mints have wide-spreading, underground rhizomes; erect, square, branched stems; and pairs of oppositely arranged leaves; and small, tubular flowers arranged in clusters.

Only the members of Mentha are known as the "true mints," some plants in same family but aren’t true mints, use mint in their common name.

But one things for sure and that is the entire family is known as the mint family.

In comes some other plants with fragrant leaves that have the common name of mint associated.

Vietnamese mint is one of these. Not a true mint and again, not even in the mint family.

Odorata simply means fragrant which this plant is

This so called mint is a herb that’s used a lot in Asian cuisine, and funnily enough, it grows easily, much like other mints.

How to use Vietnamese mint and other interesting facts.

The leaves are used fresh in salads, soups and stews.

In Singapore, the shredded leaf is an essential ingredient in laksa, a spicy soup.

Here’s a funny fact-did you know that some Buddhist monks grow Vietnamese mint in their private gardens and eat it often as a helpful step in their celibate life?

Vietnamese mint has an essential oil called kesom oil.

This oil is used a lot in the processed food industry where it’s used in the form of a natural food essence.

The cosmetic industry also uses kesom oil.

So what does it look like?

It’s a creeping herbaceous perennial that grows up to 30cm with a flavour that is a mix of pepper, mint and lemon.

The leaves are very narrow and angular looking and the stems are jointed much like wandering Jew which is now called Tradescantia.

The old genus name Poly­gonum (English: knot­weed) pointed to way the stem looked, - many joints linked together by slightly bent “knots” or “knees”

The top of the leaf is dark green, with chestnut-coloured dark rounded markings right across the leaf, and the underside is burgundy red.

When it flowers is has flat spikes of light lavender coloured flowers, but I can’t say mine has ever flowered.

In originates in Vietnam where it’s found in the wild in wet and boggy places.

Where it Grows

It can grow very well outside in summer in non-tropical parts of Australia.

Vietnamese mint prefers part-sun and well-drained soil.

For those areas with cool to cold winter, bring your Vietnamese mint indoors or under shelter as you would an indoor plant.

It grows very well in pots but is frost tender.

Tip: If you’re growing them in pots, once Vietnamese gets pot bound, it’ll stop producing leaves giving you a big hint to repot and divide it up.

Vietnamese mint rarely flowers outside the tropics, but it’s the leaves you want to use and not the flowers.

Vietnamese mint is normally fairly low maintenance and is easy to grow, as long as you give it a basic level of basic care.

All you need to do is keep it well watered and cut back to the ground when

leaves become tough to produce more fresh young leaves.

Vietnamese mint is a perennial plant that grows best in tropical and subtropical zones in warm and damp conditions.

But all gardeners like a challenge even if it the growing conditions aren’t ideal.

In good conditions, it can grow up to 15 to 30 cm.

In summer or when the temperature is too high, it does wilt.

If you know someone with this plant ask for some cuttings from a mature clump.

These mints are so hardy!

They will tolerate any soil conditions and even people stomping on them (by accident of course, or chickens trying to dig the plant up).

They don't need constant fertilising or watering but do like shading from the hottest part of the day.

Try planting Vietnamese mint if you'd like to attract butterflies and bees to your garden for tropical gardens of course.

So what do you do with Vietnamese Mint.

The fresh leaf is used typically in Vietnamese cooking and can be used in

place of Coriander in all Asian cooking, soups, salads and fish.

It can also be dried.

Vietnamese Mint Lemonade

You can even make Vietnamese Mint lemonade.

Just place some sugar in the bottom of a large jug.

Add ice, 1 cup of lemon juice, then slices of lemon, a handful of mint and top up with about 2 litres of mineral water.

Very refreshing.

Why is it good for you?

 Vietnamese mint contains high levels of Beta-carotene and vitamin E:

Also has high levels of folic acid, iron and calcium.

Mint leaves also have useful healing properties.

Mints can freshen breath, soothe the stomach and reduce inflammation. Mint leaves are not as potent as concentrated mint oil, but they still have many of the same health benefits.

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Introduction to 5 Sense Gardening

Have you ever thought about the five senses when you think about your garden?

Probably not, but the best way to enjoy your garden is to engage all the senses.
Today we are going to talk about these senses and how to recognise and use them on a daily basis in small and large gardens.

Touch, Smell, Sight, Hearing, Taste are of course the 5 sense, so how do we incorporate these into garden design so each particular sense is invigorated.

Let’s find out about what, why and how.
I'm talking with Chris Poulton, Convener for the Australian Institute of Horticulture, and experienced Horticultural Lecture and Consultant.

Most gardens just have visual appeal, but you’ll enjoy your garden more if there are other
If you have any questions about five senses gardening or have a suggestion either for me or for Chris why not write in or email me at www.realworldgardener.com

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Luculia gratissima

The shrub featured this week is an old fashioned shrubs but with outstanding features.
And just like undersized potatoes or oversized apples, they who make decision in the big stores that sell plants, have decided that they won’t be available to the home gardener.
So if you’re looking for a winter flower shrub or small tree with masses of pink fragrant flowers, this one’s for you?

Luculia gratissima

Let’s find out more…
I'm talking with the plant panel: Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au

While the flowers make an impressive display, the leaves not so much.
The foliage shall we say get’s a little untidy, but gardeners grow it for the flowers not the leaves.
You can prune mature Luculias quite hard to tidy them up, should you be lucky enough to have one growing in your garden.

If you have a question either for me or the plant panel why not drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

Trees, Cress and Garden Tools

What’s On The Show Today?

Toolboxes in the tool time segment and it’s not what you think,; growing an indoor green with heaps of vitamin C in Vegetable Heroes, spikey but long lasting flowers in plant of the week; plus the final in the 4 part series or trees in Design Elements with arboriculturalist and garden designer Glenice Buck.

TOOL TIME

Garden Toolboxes for the Beginner and Semi-Advanced Gardener

Over the years, gardeners accumulate quite a number of tools that they regard as essential and wouldn’t be without.

I’m not talking about anything that is powered, wither by petrol or electricity, but hand tools.
Quite often we even have several of the same too.
If you knew someone who was just starting out in gardening, what would you recommend they have as an essential part of their gardening tool kit?
Limit it to three and see how you go.
Let’s find out what the experts recommend.
 I'm talking with Tony Mattson General Manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au


What do you think, do you agree with Tony’s essential beginner’s tool kit or would you have chosen something else?

For the most part, I’m sure listeners would have said a pair of secateurs\ would be the bare minimum, but one pair of secateurs doesn’t make a kit, you need two more things.
What are yours? If you have any questions either for me or Tony, you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com

VEGETABLE HEROES

 Cress Of All Kinds But Mainly Garden Cress

If we understood what the health benefits of the food we eat, both vegetables, root plants, tubers, grains etc not only would we be getting fed but also getting help to know why we should eat certain food, when and how to eat such food so as to obtain all the benefits attached to the food. 

Segue to a small plant that even though it’s smallish in nature it’s got very powerful abilities and that’s garden cress. 

You may have eaten garden cress in the past or you may not have even come across it at all. 

Garden cress (Lepidium sativum), is a member of the cabbage family. Brassicaceae 

Cress is native to the Middle East and interestingly was grown in Persia as early as 400 BC 

Did you know that there are several types of cress? 

Garden Cress is also called broadleaf cress, has flat, bright green leaves to 10cm long and 5cm wide. 

Garden cress, a biennial, is also called peppergrass, pepper cress, and mustard cress. 

Golden-leafed broadleaf cress is sometimes called Australian cress. 

Garden cress is an annual that does best in damp soil. 

Curly cress (Barbarea vernapraecox), also called, early winter cress, or Upland cress, has finely divided leaves something like parsley or chervil and thin, branching stems. 

Curly cress is dark green and also likes to grow in damp soil. 

Watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum) is a trailing annual usually grown in water. 

You can grow watercress indoors in pots set in a tray of water or along the side of a stream or watercourse. 

Who has a stream or creek running past their kitchen window? 

This is what some English people might do to grow watercress 

Watercress, by the way is a member of the Nasturtium family. 

Today I’m focussing on garden cress.

How Do You Grow Garden Cress? 

Cress is a reseeding annual or biennial, which can be grown in shade or semi shade. 

It’s featuring on Veg heroes now because it grows well in the cooler months. 

“If you plant cress during the summer, the plants will shoot up flowers without making enough growth to harvest.” 

If grown in dry soil and very hot weather, instead of being refreshing and tasty, it becomes unpleasant and bitter.

Its seeds are light - germinating, in about 2 to 4 days. 

Northern Hemisphere information will tell you to sow seed in early spring or late summer through autumn. 

Garden Cress seeds can be sown any time of the year, although plants will generally grow best in Autumn, Winter or Spring. 

If you live in a warmer part of Australia and want to grow garden cress during the Summer try growing it indoors, that way you’ll have cress all year round. 

Cress is also suitable as a groundcover, and can also be grown year around or on a windowsill in pots, bowls, boxes, or flat plates where it will often produce a more mild and pleasing flavour .

If you want, you could have a continual supply, if you sowed seed every eight days. 

It’s a fact that the officers in the 1700’s coming over on the first fleet, grew cress on wet flannel as a source of Vitamin C .

Soil is not that important, and sand, coir peat, and compost are all suitable. 

Water your cress well; both seeds and plants should be kept moist. 

Cress prefers a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. that’s slightly acid. 

How To Sow 

Scatter your garden cress seeds straight into the garden bed, raking in to about 3mm deep and firming down the soil lightly prior to watering in to retain moisture. You can soaking Garden Cress seeds overnight before sowing to increase the number of seedlings you end up with. 

Once the seedlings have a few leaves you can thin them out, leave about 20cm between them to allow room for each plant to grow. 

Where to Grow 

Garden Cress prefers to grow in a sunny spot or in light shade for part of the day. For warmer areas, Garden Cress will grow better in partial shade when grown during the hotter months of the year outdoors.

As far as companion planting goes, “Cress is not suitable for growing among other plants as it contains a tiny amount of mustard oil that’s supposed to interfere with the growth of other plants.” this is called aelopathic, or aelopathy. 

Growing without soil 

Cress can actually be grown without soil, by using moist paper towels 

To do this at home, just layer and wet two paper towels and set them on a plate. Sprinkle the cress seeds on the wet paper towels and place plate in a light window, preferably a north-facing window. Check daily to make sure the paper towels are kept moist. 

In about three days, the plants should be a bit over 1 cm high. 

Keep going with making the paper moist and when they reach 10 -12 cm high, trim your cress with scissors and enjoy! 

If you’re growing cress outside, pick your cress when it’s still young; 10-15cm in height. 

When mature, garden cress produces white or light-pink flowers, and small seed pods. 

In cooking Garden cress is added to soups, sandwiches and salads for its tangy flavour. 

It’s also eaten as sprouts, and the fresh or dried seed pods can be used as a peppery seasoning.

Why Is It Good For You? 

Garden cress is an important source of iron, folic acid, calcium, vitamins C, E and A. The seeds are high in calories and protein, whereas the leaves are an excellent source of vitamin A, C and folate. 

Both the leaves and stems of cress can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, and are sometimes called cress sprouts. 

When buying cress, look for firm, evenly coloured, rich green leaves. 

Avoid cress with any signs of slime, wilting, or discoloration. 

If stored in plastic, it can last up to five days in the fridge. 

Another way to store cress is by putting the stems in a glass container with water and covering them, then put in the fridge until you need them. 

Cress is used raw and in sandwiches and salads with mixed greens. 

Cress is also good with cottage cheese and with eggs. 

It can be overpowering to other herbs, so it is generally used alone. 

AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY!

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Banskia Spinulosa

This next plant is a native but is often overlooked because people go for the more colourful and show Grevilleas.
They may come in limited colourways, but their flowers are much more substantial and spectacular, particular if you have several cultivars planted or grouped together.

Banksia spinulosa

Plus they provide nectar for wildlife during the colder months of the year.
Let’s find out about them
I'm talking with Jeremy Critchley owner of www.thegreengallery.com.au and Karen Smith editor of www.hortjournal.com.au

Banksia spinulosa isn’t slow growing at all and within a couple of years, if grown from seed, will have reached over one metre tall and wide, plus provide a least 8 flower spikes.

Banskia flower spikes you can either cut for the vase, or just leave on the bush for the native wildlife to enjoy.

As cut flowers, Banksias can last for months.

If you have a question either for me or the plant panel why not drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Preserving Trees: Why We Should

Today is the final in the series about the stewardship of trees.
On the menu is why we need to preserve our trees because in the long run, if you damage trees, you’re actually doing yourself a disservice.

Let’s find out about why we need to preserve trees.

I'm talking with Glenice Buck, Arboriculture Consultant and Garden Designer.

Did you know that three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent?
Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only 55 litres of water a week. 

As trees transpire, they increase atmospheric moisture.
If you have any questions about what arborists do, consulting or otherwise or have a suggestion either for me or for Glenice, why not write in or email me at www.realworldgardener.com

Trees, Leaves and Frost

What’s On The Show Today?

Winter care of ornamentals in the Plant Doctor segment, growing a hardy herb in Vegetable Heroes, a groundcover whose leaves come in a plethora of colours in plant of the week; plus what does an arborist actually do? in the 4 part series or trees in Design Elements with arboriculturalist and garden designer Glenice Davies

PLANT DOCTOR

Winter Care of Ornamental Plants

Ornamental plants are those whose leaves, flowers and fruits we don't eat.

Autumn is meant to gently acclimatise most plants to the cold.

What if Autumn is just an extension of Summer and then, whoosh, cold weather arrives all too soon and it's winter?

Snow damage on Eucalypts

That is one reason that during winter some of our trees and shrubs don’t look so healthy and gardeners start getting concerned that something is wrong with their particular plant.
Unsuspecting gardeners might even think that their plant is dying because the leaves have started dropping of, yet it’s supposed to be evergreen.
Could it be just a response to cold weather or is something untoward happening in the soil that is affecting the plant’s health?
Let’s find out.. 

I'm talking with was Steve Falcioni, General Manager of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

The leaves can change colour due to the cold, and it may be just a normal reaction or because the plant can't access nutrients that it needs.

Frost Damagon Avocado. photo Dept of  Primary Industries W. A.

If you make a note in your garden diary that a particular plant did this or that in winter, you may discover that it’s quite normal during the cold months of the year. 

Seaweed extracts help plants reduce stress factors and one of them is coping with the cold.

Applying it regularly though is a must for this to be of benefit.
If you have any questions either for me or Steve, you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Lemon Grass
Lemon Grass or Cymbopogon citratus is in the Poaceae Family
Lemongrass is a perennial grass native to tropical southeast Asia.
You may have heard of lemongrass and even seen it sold in the fruit and veg section of the supermarket, but what you may not know is that there are two main types of lemongrass.
There’s East Indian, Cymbopogon flexuosus , and West Indian, Cymbopogon citratus.
East Indian lemongrass, also known as cochin or Malabar grass is native to India, while West Indian lemongrass is native to southern India and Ceylon.
Did you know that lemongrass is one of the most widely used traditional plants in South American folk medicine?
In India, it’s used as a medical herb and for perfumes, but not used as a spice; in the rest of tropical Asia (Sri Lanka and even more South East Asia), it’s an important culinary herb and spice.

What does it look like?

Lemon grass grows in a bushy like clumps to 1 m tall with long narrow pale green leaves.
The slender stalks are about 30cm long and are rough to the touch, especially the leaf blade edges which feel quite sharp.
The common name gives it away but lemongrass has a wonderful lemony scent and taste because of the citral that’s the aldehyde that gives it the lemon odour.

It can be easily propagated by division and when you pick the Lemon Grass to use in cooking or teas, cut off the bottom part leaving just the roots - put this piece into a glass of water and it will shoot very quickly.

You can then replant it and you’ll definitely always have Lemon Grass in your garden.

For companion plant aficionados, growing a clump of Lemon Grass in the vegetable garden has a good influence on all the plants around it and the vegetables will be much more flavoursome.

How To Grow Lemongrass
Lemongrass is adapted to hot wet summers and dry warm winters, is drought tolerant and will grow on a wide range of soils but prefers rich, moist loams.
It dislikes wet feet, but it does like regular watering in summer.
If it’s damaged by frost in cooler areas, the tops should not be cut until all danger of frost has passed.

How to control that lemongrass.

Cut back the old leaves in early Spring to strengthen the bush as well as tidy it up because invariably if it has dried out , there’ll be plenty of dead stalks which aren’t much good for cooking.
This helps to protect the centre of the plant from further cold damage.

You need a pretty big pot to contain it.
In a small pot, it gets too cramped too quickly and as I’ve discovered, get little green growth and lots of dead leaves.
You can divide the clump, but it will soon be just as massive as it is now.
It's jolly hard work digging it, and every single piece with roots on it will in no time flat be just as big as the parent.

TIP:So putting it in the vegetable garden will only work if you contain it in perhaps a bottomless pot.
The leaves can be picked at any time of the year and the stems can be used fresh or dried.

So why Is It Good For You?
Medicinally Lemon Grass can be drunk as a tea as can taken either hot or cold.
Iced Lemongrass is a mild sedative.
Try it for your insomnia, or when you are under stress, or even if you need help to calm a nervous or upset stomach.
The herb is also said to relieve headaches.
Lemon Grass tea in summer is not only extremely refreshing but it’s good for the skin as the oil ctains Vitamin A. 

How To Use Lemongrass
For an invigorating bath, add a few drops of Lemon Grass oil to your bathwater. Teenagers with skin problems will benefit by drinking the tea regularly and it will also give eyes a bright clear look as well.
For cooking use the stalks only and pick the thick, light green ones that feel firm and aren’t dried out and wilted.

Cut off the woody root tip of each stalk until the purplish-tinted rings begin to show and remove the loose, dry outer layer(s).

Also, if the top of the stalk is dry and fibrous cut this off too.
When using it in cooked dishes, bang it with a cleaver to bruise the membranes and release more flavour.
Put a handful of the leaves into the saucepan when steaming or simmering chicken or fish to give a delicate but delicious taste of lemon.
It can be used in many dishes as a substitute for lemon.
To store fresh lemon grass, wrap well in clingfilm and refrigerate
This will keep for up to three weeks. 

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Heuchera species.

Gardening isn’t just about the flowers you know.

There are plants that have leaves in a kaleidoscope of colours with names like Pink Fizz, Champagne, Gumdrops, and Forever Purple.
Heuchera is also great for dry shade in places where root competition won't allow most plants to grow.

There’s got to be one that will inspire you to plant into your garden.

I'm talking with Jeremy Critchley owner of www.thegreengallery.com.au and Karen Smith editor of www.hortjournal.com.au 

Let's find out about them

Heuchera's have a shallow root system and are perfect for greenwalls of any kind.
Jeremy mentioned that Heuchera loves cooler weather and the Autumn/Winter months is the time when the grow most of their Heuchera varieties.

These plants tolerate shady condtions and will cope with being an indoor plant for quite a few months.

Darker leafed varieties can cope with full sun, but it's best to try them on in a sunny location first before planting them into the ground.

In colder climates, to protect them from frost damage, lay a 2 cm layer of thick straw mulch around the plants. 

Heuchera's have a shallow root system and are also perfect for greenwalls of any kind.
If you have a question either for me or the plant panel why not drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

DESIGN ELEMENTS

What Does an Arborist or Consultant Arborist Do?

This series is about arboriculture and managing trees.
Did you know that there was an Institute of Australian Consulting Arborists?
So what is a consulting arborist and can they cut down your trees if you want them too?
Let’s find out?

I'm talking with Consultant Arborist and Garden Designer Glenice Buck.

If you’ve been asked for an Arborist Report, a Tree Report or an Arboricultural Impact Assessment then a consulting arborist is the best person to call because they often prepare these reports for clients with respect to trees for a range of reasons.

And where do you find these consulting arborists? 

Look no further than the Accredited Members of the Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists (IACA) (www.iaca.org.au ) provide written reports for their clients in the public and private sectors. IACA members do not undertake tree pruning or removal work.
The other organization is Arboriculture Australia which also lists consulting arborists.
www.arboriculture.org.au
 

photo Capel Manor College-Arborist Course.

And where do you find these consulting arborists?

Look no further than the Accredited Members of the Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists (IACA) (www.iaca.org.au ) provide written reports for their clients in the public and private sectors. IACA members do not undertake tree pruning or removal work.
The other organization is Arboriculture Australia which also lists consulting arborists.
www.arboriculture.org.au

If you have any questions about what arborists do, consulting or otherwise or have a suggestion either for me or for Glenice, why not write in or email me at www.realworldgardener.com