Garden Connections and White Ibis

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.
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Wildlife in Focus: Changes to their natural habitat cause birds to move to places where water and food are more predictable. As a result of changes to inland wetlands ibis are now part of the urban environment in NSW. In fact, White Ibis look quite elegant along creek and river beds, their natural habitat. Let’s find out more with ecologist Kurtis Lindsay.

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Vegetable Heroes:Parsnip,Pastinaca sativa, a member of the Apiaceae family.
Seeds need to be sown from autumn to winter in sub-tropical areas, anywhere from mid-winter to mid-autumn for temperate areas and spring to summer in cold districts, around Australia.
  Seed doesn’t keep for long so check the use by date of your seed packets.
Best planted at soil temperatures between 6°C and 21°C.
Parsnip likes to be grown in deep sandy, loamy soil. After planting keep seeds moist - can cover with a wooden plank or mulch - until seeds germinate. Difficult to grow in summer as the seed dries out fast and won't germinate.
If you can grow carrots, you can grow parsnips. You need the same type of soil, friable, not sandy and not clayey. A pH of 6.5-7. Yes, do go out and buy that pH testing kit. If high school geography students can measure pH, so can you.
As with carrots, soil with stones or compacted soil will give you deformed and stunted turnips that not only look funny, but taste a bit that way as well.
Parsnips need to be started from seed. They resent. Germination takes up to 3 weeks. sp quite a long time.   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.
If you plants seeds in March, expect results in July sometime.
Parsnips have the best flavour if harvested after a frost or very cold weather.
The cold results in the starch in the roots being converted into sugars which give the parsnip its sweet taste. Use a spade to dig the parsnip out of the ground.
Design Elements:        Around the 6^th century BC, Roman gardens were a place of peace and tranquillity, and used as a refuge. Back then, porticos were developed to connect the home with the outdoor to create outdoor living spaces. This month’s series is all about the connect between the home and garden, listen here to the first instalment with Lesley Simpson, garden designer.

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Plant of the Week: Clerodendron splendens Flaming Glorybower,
seems to be a plant from old fashioned gardens. Certainly not that much available from large garden centres that deal in all things other than just plants.
The Flaming Glorybower is well behaved.
The Flaming Glorybower will climb by twinning up supports or by sending its branches out across the ground or over an embankment.  It has large, 18cm or 7 inch oval leaves when mature, that are arranged in opposite pairs. The branches will climb over top of themselves, forming a dense, course textured growth pattern. The individual flowers are red to scarlet. They are 3cm or 1 inch long, with many individual flowers forming a dense terminal cluster 12.5cm or 5 inches across. The densities of the flower balls give this plant a real "WOW!" affect when in full flower.
My plant has been flowering since December and is still flowering. There’s one growing on the wall of the nursery in the Botanic Gardens here in Sydney. A lot of people coming into the nursery want this plant when they see it, but no. The problem is every method conceivable has been tried by the nursery volunteers to propagate this vine-seed, cuttings of all types, but no luck.
I had it growing in the front garden when I move here-all I did was pull out a root sucker and replant in around the back. It did take off. I have it scrambling over a rocky outcrop and this year, with all the rain, it has been outperforming other plants.
Clerodendrum splendens is a rather easy plant to care for. It likes acidic soil, but will do well in almost any condition. Flaming Glorybower will take drought conditions well once it has established itself, and will require only an occasional watering. Prune it hard  or lightly, as you like because it responds well to shaping.
Full sun is the best for flowering, but it will also do well in bright light. You'll get less flowers in deep shade.. It will grow to a height of 4 to 5 metres if given a suitable support. The support must be rather substantial as the Flaming Glorybower will form a dense, heavy growth.
Flaming Glorybower is a tropical plant, and will be damaged if it is subjected to frost condition for any length of time. If the temperature doesn't get low enough to damage the roots, the plant will survive and recover.

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Florence Fennel Goes Alfresco

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available  on http://www.cpod.org.au/
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Design Elements: How do you create that spot in the garden to make having lunch there inviting? Have a few friends around, share a cup of tea, or maybe a glass of wine on some comfy chairs around a big table. Listen here for some other ideas with Lesley Simspon garden designer and Marianne (host)

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Vegetable Heroes:       Florence Fennel Foeniculum var. azoricum
Florence Fennel? Some might think that I’m promoting the roadside weed that is found all over Australia. No, I’m talking about the culinary fennel.
 Now is ideal, when the temperature is stable, day length is consistent and there's at least 16 weeks for bulbs to develop. 
 In sub-tropical areas, you can plant or sow seeds from March until until May, in temperate zones, from February until May, in cool temperate zones, you have from February until about mid- March, and for cold or mountain districts, it was February then not again until November/December unless you have a greenhouse.

•  Florence Fennel is a perennial which can grow quite tall-to about 1 ½ metres-about 5 feet, so at the back of your garden bed so it doesn’t shade out the other veggies. It resents disturbance and responds to any shock by bolting: producing feathery fronds and flowers, but no swollen stems.
•  Because it grows so tall, the feathery leaves may need some support, particularly if you have windy days in your area.
• The bulb grows only partially below ground, and mostly above ground it suits those districts with heavy soils. Otherwise, you can grow it in a pot-by itself.
• Florence Fennel isn’t too fussy with soils as long as the veggie bed, or garden bed is well drained as has compost or decayed animal manure dug in, In cool temperate districts cut back the plant to about 10cm above the ground as winter draws nearer.
• Fennel likes a well-drained soil, fertile from having been manured the previous year. 
• Florence Fennel seeds need to be planted 5cm deep, and unless you’ve got a lot of space, you don’t need more than 2 or 3 because they need spacing of about 50cm.
• Never let soil dry out. Water is needed for germination, steady growth and swelling. If roots become visible or plants seem unsteady, earth them up to stabilise them. This will help make bulbs white and tender and, later, exclude frost.
• After about 6 weeks you can hill out the soil around the emerging bulb so that, like Celery, the base stays white and is more tender than if you allow the sunlight to turn it green.
•  Plants take several months to mature that’s 3-4 months after sowing. 
• Use a fork to loosen the roots and cut the bulb off about 2.5cm above the ground. Further, feathery shoots will appear which can be used as celery/dill-flavoured seasoning in the kitchen.- Some seed uppliers online     www.edenseeds.com.au and www.diggers.com.auwww.cornucopiaseeds.com.au

Plant of the Week: Plumeria rubra-Frangipani. Plumeria rubra  Apocynaceae (dogbane)family.
Plumeria is generally a small tree growing to about 5-8 metres. Its broad, usually round-headed canopy with a thick trunk and several broad branches.
Often as wide as the tree is tall. . The leaves are usually glossy green but may be dull green; they are generally pointed (P. rubra var. acuminata or var. acutifolia)
In temperate and colder  districts no matter what type you bought, the leaves will fall during wintertime, and new leaves emerge during or following the spring flowering period.
It is easy to grow in hot, dry areas and is found in Adelaide in sheltered positions, as well as further north.
It grows and flowers best in full sun and in a well drained, slightly acidic soil. Shadier positions tend to give it problems like scale which then leads to sooty mould growing on the leaves, and the Frangipani won’t flower as well.
It has moderate wind resistance and salt tolerance. For best growth and flowering in the landscape, irrigation is needed during dry periods.
The trees reach maturity (full size) in about five years in tropical climates, but take quite a bit longer here in colder districts.
Plumeria can be grown to a relatively large size in large tubs because they have such tiny root systems.
Propagation:The usual way to propagate plumeria is by hardwood cuttings in late winter, early spring  because this method maintains the selected cultivar. Tip cuttings 30-60cm or even longer.
The old-fashioned method says you should be allowed to “cure” in a dry place for at least two weeks before planting.
The new method needs none of this. Get a plastic bag about 7cm in size. The frangipani society of Australia use zip lock bags. Half-wet some sphagnum moss, not dripping, just like a wrung out sponge and place it around the cut end. Enclose this in the bag, then tape it up with duct tape or something similar.
Put it upright into a pot so the leaves will grow upright. In 6-8 weeks you should have new roots-they look quite white and brittle. Leave it longer if you like but be very careful when you’re potting it up. The roots are extremely brittle. Any pulling of the bag, and you’ll rip the right off. Proceed with caution.
Pot your cutting up into a very small pot and stake it as well. Large pots will mean that surrounding soil won’t heat and enough and this will set back the growth of your Frangipani cutting.
Do not water too much or too often while plant is settling in. It can stay in the pot for 2-3 years or you can plant it out into the garden at that point..
The young root systems are brittle, and transplanting, if necessary, must be done carefully. Do not leave plants in small containers too long, or the circling roots will cause problems of weak establishment when the plant is transplanted into the landscape.


Photo of new method of taking Frangipani cuttings.

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Fantails and Ezy Veggie Gardens

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.
RWG survey is below.
Wildlife in Focus: Which bird is Australia’s best known fantail?  What is a fantail anyway?
Why does Willie wag his tail, and what does he eat?  So many questions can be answered by listen to Kurtis Lindsay, ecologist, talk to host Marianne about the this bird.

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Vegetable Heroes:this week-I’m growing Brassica rapa var. rapifera or Japanese Turnip, the Kobaku type.
 Flesh is crisp but softer than a regular turnip and not woody or tough; they’re excellent in soups, salads and Asian cooking and seem sweeter when cooked.
 Japanese turnips can be sown in: -      Late summer and early autumn are the best times for hot subtropical areas, mid-summer to mid autumn in temperate zones, and for cold districts like Canberra, sow in now, late summer or again in early Spring.
Red turnips cope well with cold climates are reasonably hardy putting up with a few degrees of frost and little fertilizer, and their roots and stems can all be eaten.
 Japanese turnips take only 3-4 weeks for small turnips –around 8-10 weeks for larger ones and late summer sowings, but take up to10-12 weeks if you sow them in late autumn.
You can start picking them when they’re about the size of a golf ball, but can be still eaten when they grow as big as a tennis ball. (5-15cm).
 Turnips are best grown in an open site on soil that was fertilised last season. This same rule applies to carrots, which I talked about last week.
Sow the seed in situ, about 1 cm deep, although you can sow them in seed trays no problem, because they don’t mind being transplanted.
 As Japanese Turnips are growing you need to keep up the supply of water and nutrients otherwise they turn out bitter and tougher than you expected. 
 If you have sandy or poor soils, or any soil that dries out quickly, either improve the soil with lots of compost, humus or try putting them in containers. If you’re stuck for what to grow them in try those polystyrene foam boxes you can get from your local fruit and veggie store.
 One good thing for gardeners with heavy or clayey type of soil, Japanese turnips don’t mind these soils at all.
Try these seed suppliers for varieties such as Purple Top white Globe, Golden Ball, Scarlet queen and Tokyo Cross.
www.greenharvest.com.au  www.newgipps.com.au

Design Elements: If your soils is too hard to work, or you may have mobility issues, why not consider raising the height of your vegetable bed?  There are lots of advantages to this, and Lesley Simspon, garden designer and host Marianne discuss the ways you can achieve this.

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Plant of the Week: Plumbago auriculata  just Plumbago for striking sky blue flowers, butterfly habitat and water-wise plants, this plant can’t be beaten. Not only that, it can take the heat of summer, and will flower in full sun and semi-shade.      Did you know that Plumbago was traditionally to treat warts, broken bones and wounds.  It was also taken as a snuff for headaches and as an emetic to dispel bad dreams.
The name auriculata means winged like leaflets or little ears that are present at each leaf base, clasping the stem.
Native to tropical Africa and grows in full sun to semi shade.
The large flowers are clusters of 5 petaled individual tubular or salverform flowers, overall about 10-15cm.
The flowers have sticky gland tipped hairs on their calyces, which will stick to your clothing when you brush past.
I used to have a hedge of this plant until a couple of years ago. Plumbago grows very fast, and needs pruning 3-4 times a year to keep it neat as a hedge. Then, doing that, you end up sacrificing the flowers which are the best part of this sprawling suckering shrub. I would get terrible hay-fever after pruning the plant because there must’ve been variety of dust mites living in the hedges. Then when my neighbour copied my idea, even though it was in the back and his was I then front, that was the final straw, out it came. I’ve put in slow growing English box it it’s place.
It’s easy to grow, comes in three colours, light blue, darker intense blue called Royal Cape and white. Or Alba. Large full phlox-like clusters of flowers are produced in abundance from late spring to autumn providing gardeners with that rare deep blue flower colour .
This bush tends to sucker, and I hardly every fed it with anything over at least 10 years. Extremely tough plant  that is also first line salt tolerant, frost hardy and copes well in shady and mildly saline soils, and will grown in all areas of Australia.
If you just have one plant for the flowers and butterflies, you’ll need to give it lots of room. One plant if left to its own devise will grow to about 3m x 3m with long arching canes making it appear vine like. The stems are generally woody and dark brown and the alternate leaves are yellowy-green about 5cm long.

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Topiarus and Blue Coleus

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , click on 2RRR

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Design elements:The Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener is topiarus from which the word topiary comes from. Topiary dates back to Roman times, and always makes an elegant statement in any garden. Listen to Lesley Simspon, garden designer and Marianne (host) give advice on how to start you own topiary.

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Vegetable Heroes:Chinese greens or    Brassica rapa Chinensis group. Chinensis simply means originating from China.Today I’m referring to two non-heading types of Chinese cabbage, that don’t look like cabbages at all, and are sold under the name of pak choy and a Chinese flat cabbage which might be sold as choy sum or tatsoi.
 Pak choy is the chinese greens most commonly sold in supermarkets and has thick white leaf stalks and wide dark green leaves that are loosely arranged. You can eat every part of this type of cabbage and it’s quite crisp and tender.
Chinese flat cabbage or Tatsoi, has shiny, thick deep green spoon-shaped leaves, that when growing hug the ground. This type of cabbage can cope with frost and snow and is easier to grow that Pak choy because it doesn’t bolt to seed so easily in warm weather.
In tropical climates, both of these are a winter crop, but in temperate and cooler climates sow the seed directly anytime between spring and autumn. Oriental vegetables can provide you with crops of green vegetables all through the winter months.  
Seed depth depends on what type but between 6mm and 1 cm. Cover the seed with finely sieved compost.
If you have heavy or sandy soil they won’t work for you unless you dig in plenty of compost of some kind. 
They’ll either bolt to seed in sandy soil or just not grow in clay soil. If that’s all too hard, these non-heading cabbages are shallow rooted so can even be grown in planters.
Do use liquid compost teas or worm tea to fertilise, otherwise the cabbages can be weedy if underfed.   when ready to pick, because Pak Choy grows so close to the ground, was them carefully when picking, as you all know, soil isn’t that tasty.
You can pick individual leaves or the whole plant when it’s ready.  Use scissors to cut the leaves and the plant will re-shoot from the stem nodes.
Seeds available online from:-
www.heritageseeds.com.au www.greenharvest.com.au

Plant of the Week: Dogbane, or Blue Coleus. Plectranthus neochilus:Family: Lamiaceae
Plant this hardy perennial in a dry spot where nothing else will grow, but being such a toughie, it will survive down to -2⁰C. It can survive in very dry soils so it’s ideal for an arid garden where it can cling to rocks and grow in sand.
Here in Australia it’s classed as a sub-shrub growing to about 30-60cm high and spreading to about 2metres, which it has down in the front of my garden. I would class is as a perennial succulent herb that lavender-blue flowers appear from September through to April.

It’s flowering now and passers by to my garden often comment that the flowers look similar to lavender flowers and make an impressive display. But I regularly cut the plant back quite hard.

The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by flies and other insects.

A very ornamental plant but  some books describe this plant is invasive. The succulent stems are so easy to pull out and keep under control, I would scarcely call it invasive.

Extremely drought tolerant because of the fleshy succulent leaves.

Tip prune regularly to keep it looking bushy otherwise you’ll get a straggly plant.

Ideal Planting Locations-Spreading Dogbane can grow in full, semi shaded areas and areas with no shade.

Suit cottage and Mediterranean styles of gardens. Grows within a woodland garden or on a sunny edge, but also works within dappled shade- and is even suited to a deeply shaded location.

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Talking Brush Turkeys and Waterlillies

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/  select 2RRR to access the feed.
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Wildlife in Focus:The Brush Turkey is making a comeback in leafy suburban gardens. Some people haven’t seen them, and some have only seen their handiwork. Rumours abound about how to get rid of them from your garden. Are they really that bad? Listen toecologist,  Kurtis Lindsay talk about this Gondwanan bird.

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Vegetable Heroes:Carrots or  Daucus carota var. sativus were one of the first vegetables grown by man and are related to parsley.
Carrots are cold tolerant but can grow in all but the hottest climates. They grow year round in subtropical climates, sow them spring and summer in temperate zones and mid-Spring to the end of Summer in cold districts.
They prefer full sun but can grow in partial shade.
Avoid adding fertilisers and manures to the soil just before sowing, or you’ll get carrots that will fork and become hairy. They like beds manured in the previous season.
Make sure the soil has been worked over with no stones or sticks otherwise the carrots will grow into funny shapes or be stunted.
The easiest way to sow carrots is to mix a packet of  seed with one cup of  river sand, pouring the contents into seed drills .
Cover the seed with finely sieved compost or a drizzle of sugar cane mulch. Not too thick or they won’t germinate.
Too much water and the roots might crack so only give carrots small amounts in the first eight weeks of growth. Here are some varieties to get you interested;
All Seasons mainly for Queensland and NSW,  and Royal Chantenay suits heavy soils, both need 10-11 weeks.
C Little Fingers-sweet baby carrots about 10cm long-8weeks.
New Kuroda is heat tolerant and grows to 18cm long and another one for pots Chantenay Red-Cored with the shortest root, orange-red colour through-out, sweet and tender. Suited to heavy soils. 7-10 weeks.
Round and short varieties can be grown in planters or pots,  but the long types need about 20cm of soil depth in the open garden.
Design Elements: -      Planter or container gardening can be many people in different situations: 
whether you have mobility issues, problem soil, not enough space or just a plain plant addict, planter gardening ticks all the boxes. Listen here to garden designer Lesley Simpson and Marianne discuss this topic.

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Plant of the Week:Waterlillies or Nymphaea spp.
There are two main types of water lillies:
Small growing tropical, day flowering waterlilies:
These waterlilies are suitable for small tubs in balcony/rooftop gardens, small ponds/water features and any shallower water areas. They are smaller in leaf spread, hence, coverage is less when compared with a standard size waterlily. Growth tip of the plant could be submerged between 15cms to 30cms below the water surface.
Hardy waterlilies come in small and miniature. Miniature water lilies tend to grow slower than their bigger brothers, no need to divide - repot as often, typically every 2-3 years may be enough for the smallest types.
These waterlilies are suitable for small tubs in balcony/rooftop gardens, small ponds/water features and any shallower water areas. They are smaller in leaf spread, hence, coverage is less when compared with a standard size water lily. Smaller miniature water lilies need only 5-10cm of water over the crown (the growing tip that produces the leaves), making them ideal for planting in bowls and smaller water features.
Getting waterlilies to flowers is one of the most asked questions by home gardeners.
The main reasons are;
Not enough day length. Full sun means full sun, and not dappled anything or even part sun.     Temperature is the second factor-hardy waterlilies start to flower at temps over 16-18C⁰.       Hardy waterlilies need room to grow, so pot them up into a bigger pot size if you’ve met the other criteria and feed them with a controlled release fertiliser tablets.
Water. Well it may seem simple, but they do not need a lot of work. As with any plant, some maintenance is required to get the best results. Miniature water lilies need about 10cm of water above the crown, whereas most other water lilies prefer 30-60cm.

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Windowboxes and Vintage Red Eucalypts

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/

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Design Elements: Ever admired the windboxes in England and Europe? Picture the classic eye-catcher: a narrow box painted perfectly to match the house trim, spilling ivy geraniums, pansies, and petunias. Well today’s design elements discuss four different styles of windowboxes with Marianne (host) and  Lesley Simpson garden designer..listen here.

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Vegetable Heroes:   Cauliflowers or brassica oleracea var. botrytus botrytus)
In tropical districts you’re going to have to wait until it cools down, so no planting until April, for sub-tropical areas, March is when you can start, however Temperate, and inland, some people call grassland, and also cold districts, February is the only time to sow seeds so get cracking otherwise you will have to buy seedlings from March onwards.
Caulis tolerate frost, but prefer a sunny site and a neutral soil. If you'r soil's acidic, and lime and wait around 6 weeks before sowing Cauliflowers.
 If plenty of manure has been dug in, there is no need for additional fertilizers, prior to planting out cauliflowers. Avoid using a plot on which a brassica crop was grown within the past two years.
Grow Cauliflowers in fulls sun and in a sheltered spot.
Here’s a tip to not have to eat cauliflower everyday for a month, gather up the leaves and tie them together over the curd so that they cover it, using garden twine, an elastic band or raffia.  It will also protect the winter ones from the frost.
Purple Sicily: Large purple heads, cooks to green, easier to grow than white cauliflowers. (around 4 months)
Snowball  has tight solid heads, well suited to warmer regions. 70-90 days. Very quick 10 weeks!
C.Paleface: Large firm white head, in most places can be planted throughout the year, suited to cooler climates. 155 days.
For those with little gardens how about C Mini White May be sown direct where plants are to mature and thinned out to between 15-30 cm apart or raised in a seedbed. The closer the plants the smaller the head. Heads ideal for one meal. Sow November to February suit cold and temperate zones.
Seeds available from -      www.edenseeds.com.au and www.diggers.com.au
Plant of the Week:A few weeks ago, Lesley, RWG’s, garden designer came on the show and talked about designing your garden with the colour plum. We mentioned that E. Vintage red, a new grafted eucalypt would satisfy native gardens of any size. Of course you don’t want a whole lot of dark plum foliage because it will look like a black hole in your garden, just a few highlights here and there.
E. Vintage Red is a type of sugar Gum with leaves varying from dark red through to dark purple and grey. If you don't prune this tree at all it will grow a single trunk to between 10-20 metres.
Pruning will keep it to a smaller size and form a quite attractive dense habit.
E. Vintage Red has been grafted onto another Eucalypt variety. It's extremely drought tolerant once established -ie, After planting, water once weekly through its first Summer. Once the cooler weather comes, it will survive on natural rainfall.
Sugar Gums are found around Melbourne so this tree will also tolerate frost. Suits a Mediterranean and native bush garden.
Prefers full sun for the best leaf colour.
The trunk is black when yound and will gradually peel away as it matures to show a grey bark underneath.

To keep it to smaller size, you can "coppice" it. (cutting it back by about one third each year, once it's 3-4m tall). This was also something you could do with another Eucalypt E. caesia, Silver Princess.

This will result in masses of fresh new growth; a smaller, denser tree; and lots of foliage for the vase! ** As Vintage Red is a grafted tree, - make sure the graft union (a knobby bit low down on the stem where the plants were joined) is kept well above soil level, and keep any mulch away from the stem.
If any foliage starts to sprout from below the graft area, pull it off straight away. These shoots are from the rootstock (the original plant underneath) not only will it take away energy from the scion (the top part) but it will look quite different with green leaves.

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