Love the idea of a wildflower meadow as part of your garden design? Not sure how to get started or how this can be incorporated into a domestic garden? Let Keith & Elisabeth inspire you!

Wildflowers need plenty of sun and it’s important to get rid of all grass and weeds before planting. Be patient, this process may take 2 years! Don’t want to wait? Once grasses are smothered, seeds can be directly sown into a thick layer of Clyde's Compost. An S shape is a good method, scatter seed by hand by mixing the seed with dry sand first.

What seeds to choose? There are lots of premixed wildflower mixes available depending on your preferred look & effect. Try interspersing with more advanced seedlings that you have propagated in seed trays.

When to start? Autumn start can give your germinated seeds a head start and kick start them for Spring.

Little or no care or maintenance, a haven for birds and insects and a visual delight. Would you think about giving a wildflower meadow a try?

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This week Keith and Elisabeth follow up on the recent episode that listed Keith’s Top 10 fruit trees! Now we are stepped through a step by step guide to growing beautiful fruit trees

• Choosing the right location
• Preparing the hole for planting - with Clyde's Compost, MycoGold, Munash Rock Dust Clyde’s lignite
• Planting and staking your new tree & finishing with good quality mulch like Who Flung Dung
• When and what to fertilise with. Keith recommends Neutrog Gyganics
• Pruning and maintaining your fruit trees Stonefruit, citrus, apples - hear how and when to prune to maximise fruit production
• Preventing and treating pests including the dreaded Curly Leaf
• Researching the required Fruit tree pollination
• Harvesting your fruit
• Consider drying your excess fruit. Try Singing Magpie range for inspiration!

We look forward to hearing the successes of your new fruit tree growing!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Check out this week’s Q&A and learn who will win the prize, donated by The Plant Runner

Great questions as always and some excellent suggestions from Keith and Elisabeth including:

-   :Keep an eye out for Gumleaf Skeletoniser (Uraba Lugens) that can destroy eucalypts in Winter & Early spring

-   Tips for using the moon calendar to guide pruning times

-   Ant mounds? Try a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water a good organic solution 

-   Terms like “genetically modified”, “organic”, “heirloom”, “open-pollinated”, “hybradised” - Keith explains! 

-   Moss in lawns? Use a broadfork or hire an aerator. 

-   Can Keith help Carol with what to plant in the severe climate of Western NSW?

-   How to propagate  Gymea lilies from seed with the help of smoke water

-   Dreaded aphids? Treat with ECO Neem

-  Fruit flies attacking your mulberry tree? Hear Keith’s top tips

- Kick start your citrus trees with Neutrog Gyganics

- Try a layering method to propagate blueberries

- Add calcium carbonate or blood and bone to speed up the break down of leaves like pear and oak 

- Feed bulbs with Strike Back for great flowers next season!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Keith’s Top 10 Fruit Trees

Already growing your own fruit trees or love the idea but haven’t yet tried? Be inspired by Keith, the “the fruit tree aficionado”!

Before selecting your trees, be sure to research what will grow in your area. Consider frosts, soil type, available sunlight and your available space and design preferences. Be sure to know which fruit trees need partners for cross-pollination.

Consider buying Bare-rooted fruit trees - this is an economical option for planting late winter to early spring.

Look for Grafted fruit trees, allowing for different sizes such as dwarf root stock for space saving.

Keith’s Top Ten, explained in detail this week are:

1. Flat peach 
2. Macadamia Integrifolia
3. Greengage Plum
4. Tamarillo 
5. White Sapote
6. Avocado (not near a Eucalypt!)
7. Persimmon Fuyu
8. Mulberry Shahtoot
9. Curry leaf plant
10. Lapin Cherry

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Meet Marco Baretta from ModBOX, expert in all there is to know about raised garden beds.

So why raised beds? Raised beds are attractive, ergonomic and make soil control & maintenance a lot easier.

When designing raised beds, Keith & Marco recommend a height of approximately 450mm,  no wider than 600mm if against a wall or 1200mm if it is accessible from all sides.

Learn the pros and cons the different materials used to construct raised beds. If using plastic, choose food-grade plastic. Tin or corrugated iron risks burning your plants roots. Timber is a good choice but what timber? Hear why ModBOX choose callitris for their raised beds.

Do I need to be a carpenter to put this together? No, ModBOX is easy to put together with no tools needed and can be custom designed to suit your garden. These also include wicking beds and Marco explains how these work and their benefits.

Raised beds made easy, thanks to Marco Baretta!

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Some warm weather already and predicted to be a warm Spring and hot Summer. How should we prepare for the months ahead?

Think about putting in an irrigation system - drip line irrigation, micro sprinklers or pop up sprinklers.

Build up your soil with organic matter, compost and Biochar and top with 75mm of mulch such as granitic sand. Wetting agents such as Seasol Super Soil Wetter and Conditioner can help hydrophobic soil. MycoGold fungal spores will increase plants root system by up to 1000%!

Mulch pot plants and position in cooler positions to avoid drying out.

Avoid planting new plants in the heat and protect less established plants from the sun with shade cloth if needed. Wilted leaves? This is caused by transpiration and your plants need more water to the roots.

Fertilise your lawn with Rooster Booster in Spring and keep mower high  through the warmer months!

Whitefly is a warm weather pest. Use Eco-Neem to treat affected plants.

Select plants suited to your conditions  and group them according to their water needs. Keith & Elisabeth’s top drought tolerant plants include salvias, achilleas, Casuarina Glauca (Cousin It), Myoporum Parvifolium (Creeping Boobialla), Grevillea, Stachys Byzantina (Lambs Ear), Santolina, Senecio Silver Dust, various succulents, Westringia, Kangaroo Paw, Lavenders and Ornamental grasses.

Fertilise your lawn with Rooster Booster in Spring and keep mower high  through the warmer months!

Protect yourself too - wear a hat, use sunscreen and stay hydrated while out working in the garden.

Plan early for a healthy garden this Summer!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Check out this week’s Q&A and learn who will win the prize, donated by The Plant Runner

Great questions as always and some excellent suggestions from Keith and Elisabeth including:

-   Kickstarting Mock orange hedge with Scotts Osmocote Compost and Neutrog Gyganic

-   Looking to plant Camellias in full sun? Go for the Sasanqua variety

-   Spanish Lavender (Lavandula Stoechas) is a good choice for hot dry areas

-   Treat black scale with Eco Oil

-   Cut daphnes back by about one-third after flowering. Feed monthly with Charlie Carp

-   Raise seeds in Scotts Premium Potting Mix using a Moon Calendar to guide your timing

-   Save Kate’s Kurrajong from beetle chew by scraping back the bark and drenching with Eco Neem

-   West facing balcony suggestions include Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum Jasminoides), Mexican Orange Blossom (Choisya Ternata), Baby Bay (Laurus Nobilis)

-   Passionfruit vines need warmth and will go into dormancy in Winter. If under attack, check for earwigs and slaters, listen for Keith’s home remedies to trap these pests or use Eco Shield

-   Keith recommends improving your soil with compost, BioChar by Charman and MycoGold prior to planting

-   Depending on your conditions a tropical oasis feel could be created by Argentine Ombu, Tiger grass, Rice Paper Plant, clivia, Arthropodium, and ornamental grasses

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Episode Notes

Elisabeth and Keith share the benefits of Native plants and share their top 10  (or so) Australian Natives for the Garden.

Recommended Native Ground Covers:
Casuarina glauca – common name, Cousin It.
Chrysocephalum apiculatum - common name Everlasting or Yellow Buttons.
Xerochrysum ‘Sundaze White’ commonly known as the Everlasting Daisy. 

Recommended Native Grasses:
Poa labillardierei - Common Tussock Grass
Pennisetum alopecuroides – not recommended by Keith!

Recommended Native Climber
Hardenbergia violacea – common name Happy Wanderer or Native Sarsparilla. 

Recommended Native Shrub:
Philotheca ‘Flower Girl’ commonly known as waxflower (Geraldtown Wax).
Westringia fruticose (Aussie Box) PBR License by Ozbreed.
Callistemon ‘Hot Pink’ commonly known as Bottlebrush
Stenocarpus sinuatus, common name Firewheel tree.

Recently released Grevillea ‘Peaches and Cream’.
Telopea speciosissima, commonly known as the Waratah
Ceratopetalum gummiferum , commonly known as The NSW Christmas Bush. 

Recommended Native Trees:
Macadamia integrifolia – common name, the Queensland Nut.
Corymbia Ficifolia – commonly known as Flowering Gum.
Eucalyptus caesia, known as Silver Princess. 

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Special guest Chris England from Merrywood joins Elisabeth and Keith to talk about Espalier plants.

Will Elisabeth finally learn how to pronounce the word ESPALIER? uh·spae·lee·uh

Chris demystifies the ancient technique of the espaliering trees and uncovers the benefits for the home gardener.

Did you know citrus, fruit and ornamental plants are all suited to espaliering?

Hear the benefits of this technique and some tips for the home gardener who might like to try espaliering themselves.  What needs to be considered and how long might it take? Candelabra, palmette, horizontal cordon and fan-shaped - learn why different shapes suit different plants!

Learn more about pest management including treating gall wasps, citrus leafminer, codling moth

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Only 2 days of Winter left. What are Keith & Elisabeth’s recommendations for early Spring gardening?

Clean up tools with Lanox & oil handles

Add compost. If you don’t have your own, try Clyde's Compost

Weed, feed and mulch

Prune your perennials & ornamental grasses

Use a soil thermometer to check for optimum planting time 

Divide and replant perennials

Treat fruit trees as required eg. Leaf curl on peaches/nectarines with Kocide and Shot leaf on apricots with a lime sulphur product

Trim back citrus trees without cutting off flowers

Use the moon calendar to time the cutting back of your hedges

Don’t remove spent leaves of bulbs. These are important for next year’s flowers

Check the soil temperatures for optimum planting times

Look to buy and planting bare-rooted trees. Prepare your soil with  Rooster Booster, Charlie Carp, Power Feed. Avoid granular fertilisers! Neutrog Gyganics is a good choice for citrus.

Fertilise Kikuyu, Couch or Buffalo lawn with Rooster Booster, aerate with broad fork (we recommend F.D Ryan's), leave for 2 weeks, then mow on lowest setting

Treat for pests such as Citrus Leaf Miner, Citrus Scale, earwigs, white flies, aphids, Red Spider Mite with ECO Neem and treat Black Spot on roses with Lime Sulphur 

Plant strawberry runners.

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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