Real World Gardener-Horticulture, Gardening, Learning to Grow

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

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

PLANT DOCTORGreen Leaf Beetle Paropsides calypso

One of the most planted hedges these days is the Lilly Pilly hedge.

So what happens when you have heaps of the same plants? Green Leaf Beetle photo Martin LagerwayNot surprisingly, pests that like that particular plant will also multiply without the help of any production nursery.

We’ve already seen an explosion in the pimple psyillid that causes those little bumps in the leaves of Lilly Pillies, but now, enter another destructor.I'm talking with Steve Falcioni, General Manager of eco organic garden. www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

The Green Leaf Beetle itself is 5mm long, bright green and shiny.

Not just a pest, but a native pest found originally in the north-east of New South Wales and that now has found an abundance of food in our gardens and has been known to defoliate a row of plants almost overnight.Lilly Pilly Hedge It firsts starts off as only the edges of the leaves being chewed out and in some cases progresses to the central mid-rib of the leaf.

Then when plants are inspected there’s no sign of what did the eating because the beetle has gone underground or perhaps even flown to another tasty Lilly Pilly hedge.

You can try inspecting your hedges for the juvenile or larvae of the Green Leaf Beetle that are pale green and glossy, 2 cm long and look similar to a stretched out curl grub.

If you have any questions about the Green Leaf Beetle or have some information to share, drop us a line to [email protected] or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Berrries: loganberry;Raspberry;Blackberry; Youngberry

Did you ever go out to collect wild blackberries when you were quite young and come home with scratches all over your arms and legs?Youngberries photo M CannonPerhaps you were a bit more clever and carried a sheet of iron or a plank of wood that you plopped down into the middle of the patch to get the berries.

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

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. Nowadays you wouldn’t dream of doing that because blackberries out in the bush or nature reserve have probably been sprayed with weed spray.

So, what about growing your own?

Let’s find out which ones are so good by listening to the podcast.….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

The Berry Patch in a Pot™ Range features four great varieties of fruit that can be grown in any garden!

This includes Blackberries, Loganberries, Youngberries and Raspberries.Berry flowers. photo M CannonYoungberry is a complex hybrid between three different species from the genus Rubus, the raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries of the rose family. The berries of the plant are eaten fresh or used to make juice, jam, etc.

Loganberries:Rubus x loganobaccus Loganberry.

The Loganberry is a modern variety of fruit that was developed from an accidental cross between a raspberry and a blackberry.

Loganberries have look a bit like blackberries, but are more red in colour.

The vines or canes of the Loganberry  don't grow like either the blackberry or raspberry.

They trail or grow upon the ground.

 

The best part is that these plants are ideal for pots and containers as well as for growing in the 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

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

In a lot of places in Australia, the days have begun to be cool down, so thinking of tropical plants for an area in the garden suddenly has become quite appealing.

Even if you live in an arid zone or cool temperate area, you can still achieve that tropical look with plants that grow well in your local district. Paradisus Gardens photo Peter NixonKnowing how to arrange them is the key to achieving that tropical look, and around the entertainment area, it might be de rigour.

Choose a dining setting that suits your lifestyle; perhaps a daybed? For the tropical look think of Wicker, Bamboo or Teak furniture fits into the Tropical theme.

The whole garden doesn’t have to be tropical.

You can use bold leaves and different types of foliage colour in any climate.

Create some shade with tall palms, such as Gold Cane or Lipstick Palm. For taller palms, try Bangalow or Kentia Palms.Paradisus Gardens photo Peter Nixon

For the mid level think of Gingers, Cordylines, Canna lilies, Hibiscus and Birds of Paradise are some of the types of plants that you can choose from.

For the lowest level, pick from Bromeliads, ferns, and Calathea.

If you live in a cooler  or arid area, you might have a tropical theme within your garden style.

Somewhere in your garden where you like to sit and read or think, you can add a tropical touch here and there, with plants that are suited to the climate you live in.

There is a microclimate that suits those plants that were mentioned. You get the idea.

.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

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

SPICE IT UPLemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)

Is in the Poaceae family (grasses,) and was not only used  by the ancient Greeks and Romans but crops up in so many cuisines throughout the world.

Lemongrass has also been used in folk medicine and in Asian cooking.

Lemongrass is a herb, or grass really,that  has more attributes as an all round herb than you might’ve thought of.

In this segment, you’ll learn about not only the best ways to use it in the kitchen but some great tips and looking after it in the garden.

Let’s find out more about this herb. I'm talking with Ian Hemphill, from www.herbies.com.au

Lemongrass flavour is fairly gentle so you can’t go wrong in how much you use.Lemongrass

Use only the bottom 15-20 cm and give it a bump with the back of a knife to easily peel off the outer layer.

 

Cut it very finely or either shave it finely or grate your lemongrass so you don’t get those hairs or fibres from the leaves so much when you’re eating the dish.

 

BIG TIP: Don't throw away the green leafy tops but tie them into knots to break up the citral structure and throw this bunch into cooking to infuse with a real lemony flavour.

Think of it as a substitute for lemon zest if you like for use in cooking.

 

When growing your own lemongrass, it's best if divided every few years because the centre of the clump doesn't seem to get enough water and nutrients and dies off.

 

If you have any questions about lemongrass or any other herb or have some information to share, drop us a line to [email protected] or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

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?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

Did you know that Australia provides habitat for millions of migratory birds each year??xml:namespace prefix = "data-blogger-escaped-o" /

Some of these birds fly amazing distances when they migrate.

Grey Plover photo www.birdlife.orgToday’s bird in Wildlife in focus is the Grey Plover which is a special and unusual migratory shorebird that we know very little about.

It’s the largest plover we have in Australia of its type and we know that they migrate an amazing  12,000km to breed in northern Siberia and Alaska during the northern summer and return to spend our summer in Australia.

. I'm talking with Dr Holly Parsons, Manager of Birds in Backyards. www.birdsinbackyards.net

So the grey Plover can be described as having a strongly barred tail.

We can see them all around the coastline of Australia at inlets, estuaries lagoons, and tidal salt marshes.

Oddly enough, the majority of Grey Plovers that migrate to Australia are female. No-one knows why.

Grey Plover, photo Birds in BackyardsThey spend their summer here and from March to April, head north, stopping to re-fuel in Korea, and China's Yellow Sea.

Grey Plovers mostly eat crustaceans, polychete works and other invertebrates.

Because shore birds like the Grey Plover are along the coastline if you notice that there’s a flock of shore birds, not just you’re common seagull, but birds like the grey plover, then you can help by not disturbing them and keeping your dog on a lead.

Threats to migratory birds have grown with habitat destruction especially of stopover and wintering sites, as well as structures such as power lines and wind farms.

The conservation of important sites both within Australia and along their migration routes is really important to their survival.

If you have any questions about Grey Plovers or any birds or have some information to share, drop us a line to [email protected] or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

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.comREALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. PLANT OF THE WEEKPrimula

What’s your Autumn garden looking like right now?Heucheras

Are there plenty of flowers, perhaps roses, are there autumn colours of trees that are starting to lose their leaves.

If there’s a few spots that you can add a little something, autumn is the best time to plant, so the plant panel got our heads together and picked out 3 plants that are true winners.

Let’s find out which ones are so good. I'm talking with Karen Smith www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, plant nursery owner, www.thegreengallery.com.au

 

 

The plant panel were Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner.

One of the stars of the Autumn garden is definitely the Japanese windflower, and they’re so easy to grow and fit well planted amongst Camellias.

Heucheras on the other hand have many different types of leaf colour making a bold statement in any garden, even in vertical gardens.

Primulas (Primula obconica) fit well into any garden and if you look for the "Libra" range of Primul,s these are NEW and have been bred without PRIMIN.

Japanese wind flowers

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

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

 DESIGN ELEMENTS

Tropical gardens for everyone series part 1

What do you think of when the word Tropical garden is said?

Swaying palms, coloured cocktail drinks with umbrellas in them, lying in a hammock swaying gently in the breeze? Dipping you toes into a pool?

Perhaps you did all these things on your last holiday to a tropical isle, but wait, you can have it at home as well.

But aren’t tropical gardens definitely for the tropics right? Wrong.

Maybe not all of it, but at least some of the features.

Over the next five weeks, Design Elements will be talking about Tropical Gardens to suit any climate in Australia. Today, you’re going tropical around the pool in part 1 of this series.

I'm talking with Landscape Designer Louise McDaid

The whole garden doesn’t have to be tropical.

If you live in a cooler or arid area, you might have a tropical theme within your garden style. Somewhere there is a microclimate that suits those plants that were mentioned. You get the idea.

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

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

New Euphorbias:Euphorbia Diamond Frost

Euphorbia Stardust Pink Glitter and Euphorbia Stardust White Sparkle.

Some of you may know Euphorbias in the perennial border.

Did you know that the variation within this genus is amazing, some people might even say awesome.

From low-growing garden weeds called petty spurge to giant, cactus-like succulents. Euphorbia Diamond FrostSegue to an annual called Gypsophila or baby’s breath. What do they have in common with several newish cultivars of Euphorbia for your garden

Let’s find out …I'm talking with the Plant Panel; Karen Smith editor of Hort Journal magazine, and Jeremy Critchley wholesale nursery owner www.thegreengallery.com.au

The petals are actually small and dainty like baby’s breath, but there are so many of them that the leaves are scarcely visible.

These new delicate looking but tough, high impact Euphorbia plants flower every day of the year in warmer climates. Euphorbia Diamond FrostStardust is more compact than Diamond Frost and is ideal for patio pots and garden borders in full sun positions.

 

Heat and drought tolerant, a truly low maintenance plant.

 

Euphorbias all produce a mostly white latex which they oozes out of the stems when cut, and this sap is often toxic.

 

If you have any questions about growing Euphorbia white Stardust or Pink Stardust why not write in to [email protected]

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.comREALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Hard Surfaces for Outdoor DiningFormal outdoor settings photo M Cannon 

This garden series with Garden Designer Peter Nixon, is all about garden challenges thrown at us mostly by nature but also due to a situation in your garden that you might need to fix.

Today’s garden challenge is for those areas in your garden where you want to put outdoor dining table and chairs.

For your dining setting you'll probably have chairs and a table, but you don't want them to sink into the soil.

If you don't want formality because it will be at odds with your planting, then you need to consider the alternatives that will be outlined in the podcast.

Let’s find out. I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer www.peternixon.com.au

Peter suggested using salt textured concrete that’s really just concrete that’s finished with a different finish and doesn’t appear as a hard surface.Informal setting for outdoor dining. photo M CannonWhile the concrete surface is not set, you can also use coloured oxides and then either some pebbles, or press any large leaf onto the concrete as a stencil.

Push the pebbles into the hard surface with a rubber mallet so they don’t become a trip hazard.

Then use edging material to create a channel around the edges and into that plant mini mondo grass.

If you have any questions about what hard surface to have in your garden, or have some information to share, write in [email protected]

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.comREALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

TOOL TIME

Do you use a whipper snipper for just about every edging job in your garden?Hedge ShearsAre you happy with the results?

Whipper snippers aren’t so good for areas where you’ve got lots of low growing plants that have crept over your lawn.

If these plants get whippered-snippered back, not only does it look ugly, but sometimes these plants do recover that well.

The same with electric trimmers. They tend to tear.

So what’s the alternative?

Hedge shears, Grass shears, Topiary shears.

Straight blades or wavy blades.

Which is best to use for you?I'm talking with Tony Mattson, General Manager of Cut Above Tools. www.cutabovetools.com.au

Edging Shears Grass ShearsThere's no difference in weight between straight and wavy blades.

However, if you try and cut branches that are too big or hard for the shears, then you risk bending the blades or putting them out of alignment.

 

Try and work out what your purpose is and what you're trying to cut. You might need those long handled loppers for the tougher parts of the job.

 

Blades' length vary from 20 - 25 cm (8 - 10 inches,) any longer than that is not efficient.

By investing in quality tools, you’re likely to have less fatigue, fewer breakdowns and longer tool life.

 

When choosing the type of hedge shears you want, think about how much you'll use them, where you'll use them, who will be using them, and, of course, how much you can spend on them.

There’s no need to use your hedge shears to cut your lawn edges; for that your need grass shears or edging shears because these are perfect for lawn edges.

 

 

If you have any questions about hedge or grass shears, or have some information to share, drop us a line to [email protected] or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675