Real World Gardener

Fantails and Ezy Veggie Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:05:56 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:13:38 PST

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

Help Real World Gardener be the best by answering-survey at bottom of page.
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

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:20:39 PST

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.
Th help Real World Gardener be the best, please fill in the survey at the end of this blog.
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

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:13:37 PST

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/

To help RWG be the best, answer a few survey questions at the end of this blog.

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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Seeing Red in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:32:25 PST

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/

For Community Radio Network Listerners this program aired on 28th January 2012
Wildlife in Focus:Mosquitofish were introduced by military and local councils to control mosquito populations in 1925.What went wrong? Hear the full interview with ecologist Kurtis Lindsay.

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Vegetable Heroes:Tarragon, Artemisa dracunculus or specifically French Tarragon is a little used herb that does best in cool climates. Tarragon is from the daisy or Asteraceae family and it can be grown through Australia from seed but usually is propagated from division or cuttings because the plant rarely sets seed. The herb was then cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
In Sub-tropical and Cool districts you can do that in January, but temperate, arid or inland regions, we’ve missed the boat expect for buying some seedlings from the local markets. Although I must say, parts of Australia have had a cooler than average summer and we gardeners like to push the envelope anyway, so it’s worth growing some cuttings wherever you are.
If you have a friend with some, cuttings or root division are done when soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C
Tarragon likes full sun, a sheltered spot and excellent drainage. Don't ry and cram in into a small pot, because the root system is vigorous, and will strangle the plant in three years.
Tarragon dies off in winter in most areas of Australia, but will come back. If you live in a frost prone district, cover the pot with some mulch in winter. Alternatively you can bring it indoors.
Use Tarragon leaves at the end of cooking time or in cold dishes a few hours before serving so that the flavour permeates the sauce.
Chop the leaves very fine to extract the flavour for cream sauces and béarnaise sauce. Add to vinegar and steep for a few weeks to get the full flavour.
Design elements:Red may not be your cup of tea as a colour to use in the garden. But wait, there’s so many shades of red, there’s got to be at least one shade that would suit as an exclamation mark or to add drama to your garden. There are tricks to use the colour red that you may not have thought of, listen here to garden designer Lesley simpson, and host Marianne discuss red in the garden.

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Plant of the Week:Noxious weed Cotoneaster spp.Plant of the week is an evergreen shrub or small tree with dark green oval leaves. Berries occur in large numbers, which if you eat them will cause Gastroenteritis. For information on how to identify Cotoneasters go to this link
http://www.growmeinstead.com.au/plant/cotoneaster.aspx
Some gardeners like to see berries that hang on trees as added colour in the garden, especially when flowers are a bit scarce. The drawback is that birds also like these berries and help the spread ot these unwanted plants into bushlands and open spaces.
What you should grow instead is perhaps one of the many varieties of Lilly Pilly, or the Diamond Leafed Pittosporum an Australian rainforest tree with orange berries. Auranticarpa rhombifolium grows in most districts of Australia. Plant flowering Crabapple or Malus hybrids for a similar look for colder districts.
But if you really want to feed the birds and look after the environment, you should be planting any number of Banksias-try B. Collina v spinulolsa for the biggest flower spikes on any Banksia.

Nothing But the Blues Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:30:34 PST

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/
For Community Radio Network Listeners, this episode will air on 4th February.
Design Elements: Blue's recessive quality serves as a beautiful blender for other colours and makes it appear warm or cool relative to its tint and plant companions. Perhaps today’s colour is your favourite or maybe something you never considered before. Listen here to the podcast.

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Vegetable Heroes:Radishes or Raphanus sativus.
Radishes grow in all climates and like to be in moist shady places, especially on hot summer days.     Plant them all year round in tropical and subtropical areas, in temperate zones they can be grown almost all year except winter, and in spring summer and autumn in colder districts. Radishes will take light frost. Radishes are quick being ready 6-8 weeks after planting and because of that you can plant them among slower growing vegetables such as carrots.
To sow seed, make a furrow about 6mm deep, lay down some chicken poo pellets or something similar, cover with a little soil and sprinkle in some radish seed. They also love a dose of potash.
Fill the furrow with compost or seed raising mix and water in.
Seedlings will appear in a couple of days but makes sure you thin them to 5cm apart otherwise your radish will have not much root and mostly leaf.
Feed with a liquid fertiliser such as worm tea every week at the seedling stage.
Tip: As radish is one of the fastest growing vegetables, too much fertiliser causes the leaves to outgrow the root. Long leaves have no shelf life, just look in your local supermarket.
Pick the radish when they are the size of a ten cent piece and leaves about four inches or 10cm long.
Pick up some seeds online from -      www.edenseeds.com.au and www.diggers.com.au

Plant of the Week:The NSW Christmas Bush is widely farmed for the florist industry and exported overseas. This is totally different to the Victorian Christmas bush, Prostranthera lasianthos which is a mint bush. The only similarity is that they’re both native.
a.    Position: Mature NSW Christmas Bushes like full sun for most of the day with a few hours of slightly dappled light during summer afternoons or mornings.
b.    In cultivation the plant must have a well drained but moist position, in sun or semi shade.
c.    Annual feeding with a slow release native fertilizer is a good idea.
d.   If you have a plant that just sits and doesn’t appear to be doing much, especially at this time of year. Give it a boost with seaweed tonic to kick it along.
e.    Doesn’t tolerate hot weather after flowering if watering is inadequate.
f.     Prone to iron deficiency-have mentioned that they like slightly acidic soil. Care:Ceratopetalum gummiferum should be grown in well drained, sandy or sandy loam soils. For an abundance of flowers and optimum growth test soil pH and if required add Iron chelates or Sulphate of Iron according to the packet's directions to bring the pH down to 6.6.

Feature Interview:Marianne (host) talks to Anthony Grassi, events coordinator Frangipani Society of Australia.
Here the full interview here about Frangipani care, taking cuttings and grafting.

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Diamond Pythons and Nepenthes

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:21:48 PST

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/

Wildlife in Focus: Carpet Pythons get their names because their attractive patterns are supposed to look bit like some oriental carpets and not because they like to sleep on carpets. Listen heare to Kurtis Lindsay talk about Australia's Diamond Back Python.

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Vegetable Heroes: -LETTUCE or Lactuca sativa, The Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae.. great in salads, tacos, hamburgers!
Growing Lettuce
• Lettuce can be planted all year round in all areas of Australia. In summer, only plant the loose leaf types of lettuce and. Not all kinds of lettuce are created alike! Sorry, Iceberg is out, as is the other hearting lettuce varieties, like Butterhead .
These varieties ok in the coolest months. (The upper temperature limit to grow heading lettuces is 28°C) It’s just too warm for the hearting types.
Lettuces taste best when they are grown as fast as possible and for that they need water and food.
I had visitors recently who noticed that my seedlings had doubled in size in 3 days! That’s good going.
•If you can’t find a position that provides dappled shade in the afternoon, try interplanting between taller plants that will not totally shade them like capsicums/peppers or eggplants, staked tomatoes. •The most heat tolerant kinds of lettuce are the open leafed varieties (Looseleaf). All the pretty fancy lettuces you see in the shops, the frilly and curly varieties, they are your lettuce varieties you need to grow.
•Darker lettuce absorbs more sunlight than lighter colours, so it will wilt sooner (but they are prettier). Choose light green over dark red.

•The most heat resistant kinds of lettuce in my experience are the oakleaf varieties.

Design Elements:The well planned pink garden isn't just pretty, but is soft restful and easy on the eyes.Since the time of the early Romans to the days of Shakespeare, gardeners have considered pink to be the finest colour in the garden. Find out how to design a garden using Pink, with Lesley Simpson garden designer.

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Plant of the Week: Nepenthese spp or Pitcher Plants.

May I start with saying I’m a novice Nepethe grower. I have one medium sized plant and a couple of very small plants which have yet to show signs of growing. For a year my bigger plant grew taller and taller and the pitchers dropped off completely. I had it hanging under the shade of Native Frangipani.

Friends of mine were also puzzling over the same thing. About 5-6 weeks ago I placed it in full sun and to my amazement, not having read the manual, I came out one day and there was a new pitcher. Woo Hoo.

It took about a week to open its lid, but there it is.

There are two types, Troical lowland and Montane or Highland pitcher plants. Lowland species prefer hot temperatures, and highland species prefer warm temperatures.

Nepenthes require high humidity. Traps will not form properly, abort, or die back in low humidity.

Tropical Pitcher Plants prefer good air circulation and a light, well-drained, porous soil. A soil mix of 1 parts perlite, 1 part orchid bark, and 1 part coco peat works well. Pure live sphagnum moss or “orchid mix” is a good soil alternative. Nepenthes are tolerant of a variety of soil mixes. Keep the soil evenly moist and well drained. Water with mineral-free water from overhead. Nepenthes prefer a hanging pot or basket. They like bright, full sun and high humidity. If you live in a dry area, hand misting every day is essential.

You pitcher plant is carnivorous and will feed itself.

Even indoors they will attract and capture an occasional fly or other insect. Don't feed them meat or cheese. This will likely rot and kill the trap.

Plum in Garden Design

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:39:22 PST

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/

Design Elements: Perhaps today’s colour is your favourite or maybe something you never considered before. Listen here to Lesley Simpson Garden Designer and Marianne talk about Plum.

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Vegetable Hoeroes:Basil or "Ocimum basilicum"
Basil grows best in warm, tropical climates-but really can be grown anywhere in Australia at certain times of the year. Spring and summer are the times to grow Basil in temperate, arid to semi-arid and cold districts.
In the tropics and sub-tropics spring was the time to sow Basil, but now you can grow it in part shade if you want to start a new batch.
Basil seed is tiny and can take several weeks to germinate.
In the height of summer, four hours of sunlight is all that’s needed for Basil to grow.
Give your basil frequent doses of liquid manure throughout the growing season to keep up leaf production because the more you feed the plant the bigger the leaves become, in fact underfed basil is less fragrant.
The more you pick your basil the more you need to feed it.
TIP:If you’re having trouble getting Basil seed to germinate, you know Basil strikes easily from soft tip cuttings, - Just take a tip cutting off any plant at any time of the year. Cut off all the leaves except for the tiny ones that are emerging at the top and stick the thing in a pot. Keep it in partial shade and keep it moist. Basil cuttings root very quickly. Once the little basil plant is actively growing again you can plant it out.
This is a good way of getting some of the more fancy varieties going, BECAUSE they seed they produce won’t be true to type.
Plant of the Week: You might be looking for a quick fix to plant next to your pool, or for that tropical look. But this palm ticks all the wrong boxes and you’ll be sorry you planted it when all the palm fronds and fruit start dropping all over your yard.

NOT To plant this one but suggest alternatives. www.weedsaustralia.org.au

WHY WE NEED COCOS PALMS REMOVED AND HOW THEY AFFECT FLYING-FOXES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT.Flying-foxes are a keystone species for our Australian environment. Without the job that flying-foxes do in seed dispersal and pollination, our native forests will suffer loss of diversity and may not be able to survive future harmful effects of global warming.

Some of the ways that Cocos plants harm, the flying Foxes are

1. By poisoning when seeds are eaten green in timesof hunger (September to January) Sticky fruits can cause severe constipation causing dehydration and death in young animals. Toes caught in flower sheath causing self- mutilation and death. Whole body or body parts caught in strappy leaves that are easily shredded by claws creating a “cocoon‟ effect around the animal causing stress and death if not physically removed. Juvenile animals can get seeds caught behind their “dog like” canine teeth causing slow death from starvation. Premature wearing of teeth due to the hard seed –

Strawberries and Brown Cuckoo doves

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:27:48 PST

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/

Wildlife in Focus:Well it’s not a cuckoo and it’s not a dove so what is it? It even uses it’s tail to hang on branches of trees when it searches for food. Listen here for the full segment.

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Vegetable Heroes: Strawberries or Fragaria sp, meaning fragrance in Latin. Strawberries are grown all year round in all states of Australia. They are frost sensitive but a 10cm layer of mulch will be enough to protect the plants. Make sure you don't grow strawberries where other strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, capsicums and chillies (peppers) or eggplants have grown in the last 3 years. Otherwise your strawberries might get verticillium wilt, a fungus that's starts in the soil. It attacks through the roots and eventually blocks up the water conductivity system in the plant. The plant dies, rots away and you think - what have I done? Just don’t replant in the same place with new strawberries. And don't forget nurseries do sell certified virus-free stock, and that's the safest way to grow new strawberry plants. You'll find most strawberries flower in spring, set fruit which is harvested late spring/early summer, send runners out in summer and become dormant in winter. There are also everbearing varieties available which can set a second crop in autumn .
When planting a strawberry plant make sure that about a third of the crown is above the soil. If you plant too deep or shallow the plant might die.
Varieties include Redlands Crimson was developed in south east Queensland so it does very well in subtropical climates sending runners everywhere.
Tioga's - is better suited to a cooler climates and Torrey is suited to warmer climates.
www.diggers.com.au
Design Elements: I have a friend that doesn’t like flowers. Strange as it might seem, there are a few people who might be like this whether is allergies or asthma. Perhaps a scheme that involves only green is the answer? Listen here to Lesley Simpson garden designer and Marianne discuss green in the garden as a design element.

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Plant of the Week: Grasses might sound a bit boring but the best of botanic gardens include ornamental grasses as a focal point in amongst their borders. Grasses come in all shapes, sizes and colours too.
Just to put your mind at rest, this Pennisetum alopecirpodes Pennstripe, that we just talked about is a native species to Australia and not Pennisetum setaceum or the highly invasive African species.
Some nurseries have apparently sold the African incorrectly labelled as native. Double check if you think there’s been a mix up. Pennstripe has never produced viable seed so it won’t spread into native bushland and cause a problem.
For more information on Penniseteum visit www.ozbreed.com.au/pennstripe.html

Cool Colours in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:47:57 PST

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/
Design Elements: Ever thought of looking out into a cool relaxing garden? How do you get that? Maybe you want a meditation garden, how do you get that? Listen here for all the info with Lesley Simpson, garden designer and Marianne (host).

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Vegetable Heroes:eggplants, aubergines to some and Solanum melongena to botanists.
    Eggplant is a short lived perennial plant that is usually grown as an annual. Eggplants grow best when the temperatures are at least 25⁰C or above.
    Eggplants or aubergines particularly resent frost and so far my plants from previous years never survive the cold and I have to start all over again.
Eggplant seeds/seedlings can be planted in spring to autumn in tropical areas, spring to early summer in temperate zones and during late spring in cool climates.Maybe a bit late for you guy, but you could give it a try this week maybe?
Eggplants have to have full sunlight or they simply won’t grow well.
Any spot that gets about six to eight hours of full sun.
The seedlings don’t need to be planted too far into the ground. Just enough so that the soil covers the roots is fine. After the seedlings have been transplanted, give them a little water and leave them to grow.
Don’t overwater your eggplants as they are susceptible to root rot.
When you pick your eggplant fruit is really up to you. As soon as the “skin” of the fruit is glossy, it is typically ready to be picked. If the skin has turned brown then you’ve waited too long to pick the fruit.
Why not try ROSA BIANCAVigorous Italian heirloom variety, heaps of fruit that are rosy lavender and white heavy teardrop shaped fruit with a mild flavour.
How about TURKISH ORANGE? Beautiful red-orange fruit, round to 7.5cm, lots of fruit in 65-85 days.    For cooler districts, why not try the funny soundying UDUMALAPET
Yellow-green teardrop shaped fruit with vibrant lavender stripes, best eaten small at 8cm.
www.greenharvest.com.au
www.edenseed.com.au
Plant of the Week:        OK. It’s a tropical plant but plant nuts, plant addicts, plant collectors, call us what you will, we try and grow the impossible. Can we do it for this one in your district?

Family: Rubiaceae has shrubs in this family native to Africa, Madagascar and Asia. All are grown for their showy sepals-not unlike Bouganvilleas.

Bracts or sepals?-The showy part of the Mussaenda flower is composed of enlarged sepals, either white or pinky salmon colours and even red. In a "typical" flower, the petals are the showy component while the sepals (which form the calyx) are usually green and relatively inconspicuous in the open flower, but not on this plant.
Mussaenda is a rounded evergreen tropical shrub or sub-shrub that will grow to 3m tall in tropical areas, but more likely will reach 1-2m tall in containers. Clusters (corymbs) of small, tubular flowers with five spreading lobes bloom in summer, however it is the large and colourful, ovate, leaf-like sepals (to 1m long) that provide the real ornamental display (in somewhat the same way as with Bouganvilleas). Some individual flowers in each cluster will develop a single enlarged sepal. Elliptic to ovate, bright green leaves (to 6î long). Hybrids sold in commerce typically...
Mussaenda erythrophylla cv Flamingo has large brightly coloured sepals of flaming pink. M erythrophylla Queen Sirikit has pale pink sepals.
M. Philippica is a dense spreading shrub with large clumps of ivory coloured sepals and tiny orange flowers, Very showy. This plant was discovered in the Philippines on Luzon Is in 1834.
Mussaendas need fertile well drained humus rich soils with an acid pH
.Full sun to part shade- somewhat cold sensitive and prone to spotting. A thick layer of mulch will protect the roots and help conserve moisture.
Winter hardy - grow in containers that must be overwintered indoors. Use a well-draining potting mix and keep soils consistently moist.
Grow in full sun to part shade. Best bract/sepal colour in full sun, but plants also appreciate some mid-day filtered sun in hot climates. Bring containers indoors in fall when night temperatures start dropping below 10⁰C. Overwinter in a greenhouse or a warm sun room. Cuttings may be taken in late summer for overwintering.

Feature Interview: Organic Neem oil sprays can protect garden plants from chewing insects and fungal diseases and protect people and animals from biting bugs. Talking to Gary Leeson from OCP let's find out what neem oil is all about..

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Silvereye In The Sky

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:09:00 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

Wildlife in Focus"Silvereye"- Zosterops lateralis. Quick. No other word can really describe these birds, They move extremely fast from one plant to the next, Seem to come and go in a flurry. Makes them hard to photograph.Listen here to Kurtis Lindsay, ecologist and Marianne (host) talk about this little bird.

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Vegetable Heroes:Summer Button Squash is the yellow or green saucer shaped members of the Cucurbit family that includes pumpkins, melons and zucchinis. Cucurbita pepo. Squash can be grown all year round in hot, subtropical climates, from spring onwards in temperate zones and only in early summer in cold regions.So squash can be grown somewhere in all parts of Australia right now..
Squash like to spread out, but will follow a trellis if the vines are tied to one. Seeds are planted on small mounds, three to five to a mound. Pinch out weak seedlings and leave the strongest.
Squash are, like most vegetables, heavy feeders and need lots of fertilizer and water don’t overfertilize with chook poo pellets or you’ll have big plants and no squash.
There’s a French heirloom variety Squash Jaune Et Verte - the flesh is sweet and buttery and the tender skin cooks to lime green. Takes 7 weeks from seed to harvest.
New Gippsland Seeds-Golden Ruffles Hybrid is a Yellow Button Squash-
Eden seeds_EARLY WHITE BUSH SCALLOPED Known pre 1722.
Try these online suppliers.
ww.greenharvest.com.au
w ww.edenseeds.com.au
www.newgipps.com.au
Design Elements: Designing with hot colours is this week's topic.Why not try red lilies repeated down the border, they can creat an impact and the orange-red of the flowers could be softened with silver foliage. Listen here for the full segment with Lesley Simpson, garden designer and Marianne.

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Plant of the Week: Staghorn Fern-Platycerium bifurcatum-P. superbum
These ferns grow in warm, humid forests. and occurs naturally from far Northern Queensland to southern New South Wales. It's best suited to highland, tropical gardens, and lowland coastal gardens, as long as it's protected from salt spray and hard frosts. These plants grow equally well on tree branches, fallen logs and rocks.
There are two types of leaves on the staghorn fern- flattened sterile shield fronds protect the anchoring root structure and take up water and nutrients. This ‘nest’ frond is designed to collect falling leaves and insects and funnels it to the feeding roots giving the plant potassium and calcium, needed to grow the large fronds. It is from this frond that the fern attaches itself to the host tree.
The second type of leaf are green, pronged fronds coming out from this base-there are the fertile antler fronds coming from low on the nest frond and can grow down to 2m. They are broad and multi branching in habit.
Staghorns do well in tropical and subtropical regions but are surprisingly hardy and tolerate the cold of Melbourne which is considered in the temperate zone.
The best position is in light shade with occasional patches of sunlight (not hot afternoon sun filtering through, in dry climates). Although they'll cope with light frosts, these plants will need more protection in really cold areas.
The best position is in light shade with occasional patches of sunlight (not hot afternoon sun filtering through, in dry climates). Although they'll cope with light frosts, these plants will need more protection in really cold areas. Perhaps throw over some protection like a fleece and protect from wind.
Water regularly throughout growing season behind the sterile fronds. Increase water as temperature rises.

A Wheel Of Colour in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:45:10 PST

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 www.cpod.org.au/
Design Elements: Good garden design involves knowing how to combine colours so that the final product will be one we like Listen to the first in the series on Colour in garden design is to get you started towards ways to use colour in the garden successfully.

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Vegetable Heroes: Cucumbers.Cucumis sativus..
In tropical districts, you can grow them all year round, in Temperate zones-spring andSummer and in cold districts, late spring to late summer is the time you can plant the seeds. Choose a sunny, well-drained position.because Cucumbers need full sun. pH of 6.5 is ideal.
Make a mini mound of soil, plonk in 4-5 seeds and when they germinate pick out the strongest and discard the others.
Don't overwater-if you’re watering too much and wondering why nothing is germinating, that’s because the seed has rotted away.
Water regularly at the base of each plant – keeping leaves dry will reduce the risk of powdery mildew disease – and feed every couple of weeks with an organic soluble plant food.
After 7 weeks your cucumbers should be ready. Twist the cucumbers off the plant or cut the stalk just above the cucumber tip. They keep for 7-10 days in the fridge.By the way, if you do get a bitter cucumber, peel it and cut of the ends by about 2.5cm, that’s where the bitterness concentrated. Online seed supplies from - www.heritageseeds.com.au www.greenharvest.com.au
Plant of the Week: African Violets, Saint Paulia. http://www.africanviolet.org.au/Links.html to join or go to a show.

Secrets to Success:-

African violets need:• Ten to twelve hours of light each day • Light that is bright enough to cast a sharp shadow,• No direct sun, except a little in winter, or early in the morning . Under cupboard lighting in the kitchen is ideal to extend the hours.
Use the wick-watering method.It prevents the plants becoming too wet or too dry, and especially avoids the dry-wet cycle that is especially damaging to African violets. African violets should be watered when the soil feels dry to the touch. Water should be tepid or room temperature.
An open and friable potting mix is essential-it needs to hold water but let it drain away reasonably quickly. If you can't get African Violet mix, add Coco peat, Vermicullite, Charcoal and Perlite in equal quantities.
The diameter of the pot should be approximately one-third the diameter of the plant.

Climate Change Action: www.100percent.org.au/content/ryde-gladesville-climate-change-action-
If you go to www.climatechangerg.org/ The Ryde/Gladesville Climate Change Action group has a list of things you can do on their website regarding Climate Action, a monthly e-newsletter and you can become a supporter of this group also. Call Pamela or Jo to find out the next meeting which probably be next year. Monday 5 December 2011 at 6.30 pm. Call Pamela on 0422 532 586 or Jo on 0414 375 149 for details.

Cool Designs with a Common Koel

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:51:59 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
Wildlife in Focus: The young cuckoos, when they finally leave the nest, fly exactly the same migratory routes as their real parents How do they know which way to go? That remains a mystery, but find out some facts about the Common Koel by listening to ecologist Kurtis Lindsay and Marianne (host.)

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Vegetable Heroes: Rungia klossi or Mushroom Plant.
Mushroom plant has dark green, glossy succulent leaves with a prominent yellow veins. The leaves are oval shaped and waxy. Grows to about 60cm x 60cm if planted in the ground.
Blue flowers in spring. It sends up new stems from the base.
Mushroom plants grow best in tropical and subtropical regions, and in temperate zones do well in the warmer months.
The potted plants that I have, stayed green throughout this winter, whereas previously they died right down.
Gardeners in cold climates could grow this plant because it always springs back to life after the cold months, when the weather warms up. I would recommend keeping it in a pot for those areas.
I ‘ve had several growing in pots for at least 2 years and they’ve so far never flowered.
These plants are best bought either from a large garden centre or perhaps through suppliers online
Tolerates most other soils, but it must be well-drained and kept fairly moist. RWG recommends a semi-shaded position, with morning sun.
It’s a very tasty herb and there should be more of it around.
The mushroom taste gets stronger with cooking.Go to your local markets and buy one todayTry these sites for sources of the plants.www.greenharvest.com.au www.edenseeds.com.au www.heritageseeds.com.au www.pleasanceherbs.com.au
Design Elements: Living in a cool climate, particularly if you’re in a mountainous region, might be your idea of paradise. What about the garden? Do you make it sympathetic to the surroundings or do you create your own oasis? Listen here for some tips:

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Plant of the Week: Bouganvillea spp.Bouganvilleas will grow in all parts of Australia except the coldest parts. Not Tassie then and marginally in Melbourne and Adelaide
FERTILIZATION-These vines are heavy feeders and respond best to almost constant feeding .
With high light and constant feeding, the plants will flower at least 11 months of the year in tropical areas. Everywhere else only in summer. You can use controlled release fertilisers or organic fertilisers as long as they are high phosphorus with micronutrients, as well as additional iron and magnesium.
Plants grow best with small amounts of nutrients constantly available. Do not apply fertilizers to dry soil – Do not overfertilize – in this case less is better than more
WATERING-These plants flower best under stress. Keep the plant slightly on the dry side, and allow the plant to become root bound.
Give the plant a good, thorough soaking just before it reaches the wilt stage. Remember during the summer heat plants will use up water quickly, so inspect often.
If you want to be successful with bougainvillea keep containers moist but also they need to be well drained. No sitting plants in standing water!
DO NOT USE SAUCERS under your bougainvillea pots.
Pruning:after flowering and so it doesn’t become a large sprawling vine, thin out the oldest wood and shorten back the flowering wood leaving 3 or 4 nodes.
Training the branches horizontally will encourage better flowers. Upright branches don’t flower well.

Coastal Designs and a Silver Princess

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:50:15 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. email realworldgardener.@gmail.com
Design Elements:Maybe your plants are yellowing, burnt or stunted, or possibly you can't even get them established in the first place. If this sounds familiar, we'll give you some ideas on how to overcome common problems in growing plants by the coast. Listen here to Lesley simpson And Marianne (host) discuss Coastal Designs.

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Vegetable Heroes: This weeks Vegetable Hero is the Cape Gooseberry Physalis peruviana syn. P. edulis that can be grown in all parts of Australia. But does best in temperate and subtropical areas. The time to sow Cape Gooseberry seed in every region except Tropical is now until December.

For Tropical zones, Mar-August is the time to sow seeds.
They need lots of water throughout the growing year, except towards fruit-ripening time.
These plants grow in most soil types and do very well in poor soils and in pots.
Water them regularly and, when they grow flowers, feed them every two weeks with a tomato food.
Cape gooseberry plants get the same pests as what you’d get in your area from the common tomato. No surprises there
Cape gooseberry once extracted from its husk, can be eaten raw tasting bit like ordinary tomatoes maybe a bit more zingy.
Online suppliers: www.cornucopiaseeds.com.au www.newgipps.com.au
Plant of the Week: Not only suitable for native gardens but also exotic gardens because of its form and shape, not to mention leaf and flower colour.
Eucalyptus caesia eg E.caesia “Silver Princess” a tree that grows best in W.A.
Myrtaceae-Distribution:Granite outcrops in a restricted area in south Western Australia.. Gungurru (it is believed that this name may be more appropriate to E.woodwardii)
E, caesia “Silver Princess” is a small Eucalypt that can grow to about 6-9 m high. Great for smaller gardens. It has a very ornamental weeping habit and a silvery, white powdery substance that covers the branches and adds to it’s appeal all year round.
Reddy pink flowers appear during late winter/early spring followed by large gumnuts also covered in the white powdery stuff. Large "gumnuts" about 30mm in diameter.
E, caesia “Silver Princess” does grow a little sparsely-flowers and branches aren’t that many so it doesn’t give a dense shade. But if you like the look of Birch trees, this is an Australian alternative, because this eucalypt has dark brown bark which peels in curling strips to show a pale undersurface and has deep green leaves with a whitish bloom
E, caesia “Silver Princess” can be coppiced as this plant does have a lignotuber-means it can resprout from the base.
E, caesia “Silver Princess” needs a soil that is reasonably well drain.
E. caesia can grow in all areas of Australia except across the top in Darwin and through the arid-dry centre. Certainly will grown from Cape Yorke down to Tasmania and over in W.A.
Not a tree for a shady location, prefers full sun and is highly drought tolerant.
Feature Interview: Goodnight Gladesville hosts, Danny Scrivano and Geoff Martin interview their mate, a bushwalking fanatic. Here are some tips.
Bushwalking in Sydney-If you go to the website Australian suburb Guide, www.suburbguide.com,au you can navigate to bushwalks where you’ll get a list that gives you a good comparison of the bush walking tracks. Sort the bush walking tracks by difficulty, time, distance, starting and finish point, and pick the bush walking tracks which are suitable for you. There’s also walking coastal Sydney website. www.walkingcoastalsydney.com.au/

Tropical By Design

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:43:06 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. email:realworldgardener@gmail.com
Design Elements:In the 17th Century Europeans interest in tropical gardens grew largely because people equated tropical gardens with their idea of paradise and perhaps the ‘garden of eden.’
Listen to Lesley Simpson, garden designer and Marianne (host) talk about how you can create your own paradise.

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Vegetable Heroes: Phaseolius vulgaris or CommonBeans, either climbing or Dwarf Beans, sometimes called French beans.
To grow beans you need up to four months of warm weather.
In subtropical climates beans can be grow them all year. For the rest of us, mid-spring through to late summer are the best times to plant. In colder districts, beans, don’t like the cold at all and they certainly don’t like frost. But you should be safe from any cold snaps now.
Beans are best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 30°C. so planting them from now on is good..
Beans are easy to grow. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. About 2.5cm or 1-inch or depending on the size of the bean .
Keep watered and watch for bugs and green caterpillars .
Pick the beans regularly to encourage new flowers.
Flowering will slow right down if you let the beans get too large (hard and stringy) on the plants.
For a continuous crop, plant more seed as soon as the previous planting starts to flower.
Protect against snails and slugs by laying down straw or sugar cane mulch and sprinkling coffee grounds around the edge of the veggie bed.
Slugs and snails will completely destroy newly sprouted beans.
Beans do poorly in very wet or humid tropical climates because they get bacterial and fungal diseases.
Pods won’t set at temperatures above 27⁰C.Go easy on the fertiliser or you’ll get lots of leaves and no beans.
When working with the mature plants and picking the beans, try to do so when they plants are dry. Working with them wet tends to cause them to have diseases.
When are beans ready pick?
Generally the green beans are ready to pick in about 10-12 weeks.
Pick them when they are about as thick as a pencil, smaller if you want a better, tender taste. Length is determined by the type you plant, but usually they will be at least four to six inches long.
Some online sources of heaps of varieites are www.heritageseeds.com.au . www.edenseeds.com.au
Plant of the Week:Geraniums and Pelargoniums are great collector’s plants with many varieties available. They are a good source of vivid colour, even in winter if a warm spot is provided. There’s even Geranium & pelargonium societies like the one in S.A. www.southaussiepellies.org/
Geranium sanguineum and Geranium himalayense-yes true Geraniums! The stork’s bill family – geraniaceae has about 700 plants spread over temperate and subtropical countries. To buy online try this site. www.frogmoregardens.com.au
In this family we have two genera which probably started the confusion in most people’s mind. The genera Geranium and the genera Pelargonium.
What’s the difference I hear you ask? The first difference is that Geranium flowers are 5 petalled and have a radial symmetry or actinomorphic ie, can be divided into two exact parts if a line is drawn from one side to the other reaching the centre, no matter where the line is drawn.
Pelargoniums have two upper petals and three different lower petals, and have a single symmetry plane or zygomorphic. Only two symmetrical parts are possible if a line is drawn from one side to the other reaching the centre, also known as bilateral symmetry.
What else is different? True Geraniums are sturdy yet refined, with five-petaled flowers on dainty stems close to the palmately-divided leaves.
Hardy Geraniums not as well known as Pelargoniums which people call Geraniums. True geraniums lovely flowers in a wide variety of colours, but they also have varied growing habits to suit gardeners in almost any climate.
True geraniums grow as low growing mounds of dark green leaves topped with pastel flowers make this variety an unequaled addition to the perennial border.
Geranium & Pelargonium tip for November is -Keep deadheading plants so they flower longer- Keep an eye out for white fly as the weather warms up,-          Don’t prune your plants until February.
Feature Interview: Host, Marianne is talking to Jenny Patterson, volunteer guide at www.rbgsyd.nsw.au -          What can we do to help scientific response to climate change? We can become a Citizen Scientist. Listen here for the interview.

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Check out www.climatewatch.org.au

GST for a Country Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:37:39 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

Wildlife in Focus: The Grey Shrike-thrush is best known for its lovely song. Birdwatchers call this bird the "GST". Grey Shrike-thrush. Find out what this songbird sounds like, what it feeds on and how you can attract the GST to your garden.
To hear the full segment with Kurtis Lindsay and host Marianne click on the player.

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Vegetable Heroes: Chillies or Capsicum, annum, C. chinense, C. frustescens and others.
Sowing chilli seeds can be done throughout the year in Tropical and sub-Tropical climates. Luck guys. Being a warm season plant the season is shorter in temperate climates only fruiting over the summer months and dying back in winter. They’re totally not suitable in areas where frosts occur. Perhaps try them in a pot and place it a very warm verandah because warm conditions over a five-month growing period are necessary for any good quality fruit. Chillies need soil temperature of 15–30°C to germinate.
Germination takes from 1 to 6 weeks so don’t give up.
To grow chillies well, add lots of high nitrogenous matter, like Nasturtium or comfrey leaves to the soil as well as compost and manures, so you won’t have to fertilise with chemical fertilisers.There’s no special soil or potting mix that they need, just start to add a side dressing of fertilise when you see the flowers develop and don’t let them dry out too.
!4 different varieties available from www.edenseeds.com.au
Capsaicin in chillies will cause an unpleasant burning sensation to eyes and skin. Try to avoid handling them too much, wear gloves if possible, and be sure not to touch your face or eyes during preparation. So happy chilli growing gardeners
Design Elements: Country garden style began in England in the 18^th Century and was also called English landscape park. This style of garden spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe.
Listen to garden designer Lesley Simpson and Marianne discuss how country garden styles can suit your garden.

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Plant of the Week : Brunfelsia spp. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Plant.
When the flowers first appear, they’re a deep purple. As the days pass and the plant ages, the flowers fade from the deep purple into a lighter lavender color, and finally, the petals fade to white.
They fade quicker than a kiss and the plant has earnt the name Kiss Me Quick in America!
a.    Brunfelsia is a genus of flowering plants and shrubs native to the tropics and the subtropical regions of South and Central America
b.   Grows to about 2-3 metres.
c.    B. pauciflora, has the largest of flowers that completely clothe the plant.
d.   Members of this genus have broad, simple leaves and distinctive tubular flowers with broad petals called “salverform”.
e. These plants are native to woodland habitats and prefer partial to filtered shade. People growing them in hot, dry climates with long, bright days should lookfor shadier areas, while people in cooler climates with less strong light can try growing Brunfelsia in full sun, although not generally a cool climate plant. You can grow it in a pot and move it around because some people have success growing them in cooler climates by bringing them indoors in the cold months, although they will lose their leaves in the winter.

Life's A Town Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:38:50 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network.

Design Elements:At first gardens were just vegetable plots in front of the town walls, and the produce was sold in the horticultural markets. It was quite a few centuries before the town garden evolved to what it is today. Listen here to garden designer, Lesley Simpson and host Marianne discuss what's needed in designing today's "Town Garden."

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Vegetable Heroes: Eggplants, Aubergines or Solanum melongena.

When to sow: In tropical areas, eggplants can be sown in spring through to autumn, in temperate areas spring through to early summer and only during late spring in cool climates.
Eggplant is a short lived perennial plant that grows to about 1metre bush and is treated mostly as an annual. So far my plants from previous years never survive the cold and I have to start all over again.
Eggplants need warm soils temperatures to germinate-around 20⁰C.
In cold areas start your seeds in a small pot—about 100mm four inches big—for each seed. Plant the seeds about half an inch into the soil and add a bit of water. Cover with a plastic bag or put the seeds into a mini-greenhouse and put the greenhouse where it will get sunlight. After about a few weeks you should notice a little seedling popping up from the soil. You can now transplant this into its permanent place in the garden.
Before transplanting your eggplants, mix some pelleted chicken manure, or blood/n/bon and compost in with the soil before planting your eggplants. A good ratio is about 20% manure/compost to 80% soil.
TIP: If you think your soil is too cold, transplant into a bigger pot. Cold soils set the plant back and they’ll grow just fine in pots.
Eggplants have to have full sunlight or they simply won’t thrive.
Any spot that gets about six to eight hours of full sun (meaning no shady plants or structures nearby to block the sun) would do well.
After the seedlings have been transplanted, give them a little water and leave them to grow. Make sure to add a little mulch to the top of the soil to help keep soil in. This is useful in areas that get quite warm or are prone to drought.
Eggplants are ready for picking in about sixty days, you should notice the fruit popping up on your eggplants.

Plant of the Week: PHALAENOPSIS.Orchid.
The flower is exotic and fragrant; the plant is considered a good air-purifying house plant. Moth orchids are usually planted in pots with good drainage.

A well-grown Phalaenopsis is not rich green. But when grown to perfection the plant is a medium green with a hint of yellow or red lurking in the background. Using leaf color is a good simple way to tell if your plant is getting the correct amount of light.

Rich green, more light! Keep trying for that hint of red or yellow if you want lots of FLOWER.

The flowers appear on a spike from the stem between the leaves and, depending on the type, there may be anything from a single flower to over a hundred.

RWG Tip: Don't cut the flower spike unless it turns brown. New flowers will continually appear on the spike for quite a while. When a flower bud develops into a small plant with roots, cut off this part and pot it up. These propagations may flower within a couple of years.
Watering and feeding. -As they do not have storage pseudobulbs, their compost should he kept evenly moist using tepid rainwater, or reasonably pure tap water if you are lucky enough to have it. Do not let it dry out.

Phalaenopsis like a minimum temperature of 20°C but can tolerate 15°C as an adult plants and may actually flower better after a few weeks at this night temperature in autumn.

Avoid using cold water and don't allow water to remain in the crown of the plants for more than a couple of hours as it can induce rotting. Give a quarter strength fertiliser once a month. Your African violet fertilizer will be adequate, after all, African Violets and Phalaenopsis like the same conditions. Oversimplifying it because in actual fact, the Moth Orchid likes a bit less light.
Moth Orchids are both beautiful and useful. The flower is exotic and fragrant; the plant is considered a good air-purifying house plant. Moth orchids are usually planted in pots or baskets (sometimes hanging) with good drainage; some suggest fir bark is the best soil
What's On: www.discoverhuntershill.com.au
habitatnetwork@iewf.org

Save A Species-Cassowary

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:42:00 PST

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm. email:.realworldgardener@gmail.com
Wildlife in Focus: Besides being a keystone species in the Wet Tropics Rainforests, Cassowaries are are an Icon of tourism in FNQ Being a keystone species means that they play an integral part in the maintenance of the forest ecosystem. Hear the complete interview with Marianne and Kurtis Lindsay.
To find more information on this bird and support their existence, go to www.cafnec.org.au

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Vegetable Heroes: Pumpkins or Cucurbita moschata, C. pepo, C. maxima
"   Sow Pumpkins all year round in tropical and sub-tropical climates, for temperate zones, now is the ideal time and for cool regions you will have to wait until December. But you can get the seeds started now in punnets in a mini green house.
"   Temperatures of 20^oC to 35^oC are ideal for growing Pumpkins.
"   Soil temperatures need to be above 16^oC for seeds to germinate and it can take up to 14 days for plants to emerge at this temperature.
" Pumpkins can be grown on a wide range of soil types. As roots can penetrate up to a metre deep, a well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH of about 6 – 6.5
" Choose a sunny, sheltered spot in your garden.
" Dig in about 100g or 2 handfuls of fertiliser beforehand.Sow a few seeds about 20mm deep .
" Pumkpins suffer most from powdery mildew, that white coating on the leaves which eventually makes the leaf brittle followed by sudden death.
" When your vine grows avoid watering the leaves at all costs. An organic spray for powdery mildew is 1 part full cream milk and 9 parts water. Another method is to spray a solution of seaweed on the leaves every week to prevent the mildew spores from taking hold.
" If no fruit develops on your vine, a common problem it’s probably because of unsuitable weather conditions at the time of flowering-cloudy windy, rainy, or there were no insect pollinators around.
" Try some of your own pollination. It may be your last chance to get that pumpkin.
" The male flowers hare easy to detect, they have no bulge below the petals like the female flowers have.
" Pumpkins are ready to pick in 3-4 months when the vine has died down leaving a hard dry stalk.
" Cut the pumpkin off the vine leaving 2-3 cm of stalk so your pumpkin will keep longer." Store whole pumpkins for two or three months in a cool, dark place with good ventilation.
Find unusual varieties at these online suppliers -www.greenharvest.com.au
www.edenseeds.com.au    www.heritageseeds.com.au
Design Elements: part 4 in the "basic garden design" series, -   something to help you decide on what colour scheme for you magnificent garden? There’s no reason to poo poo the idea of a planned use of colour in any style of garden. Using colour deliberately can be fun. You haven’t thought of a colour scheme? Listen here to Lesley Simpson and Marianne discuss colour schemes.

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Plant of the Week: Leptospermum scoparium, Tea Tree
a). A usually compact shrub to 2 m high (often less) by 2 m wide. Leaves are variable in shape and size. They may be elliptical, broadly lanceolate or obovate and from 7 to 20 mm long. White flowers, occasionally tinged with pink and rarely red, 1 cm in diameter, occur in spring and early summer.
b). Distribution: NSW, Vic, Tas; also found in New Zealand.
c). Leptospermum "Pink Cascade" is a cultivar that's very popular. It forms a small, weeping shrub.
d). L. Pink Pearl grows to 2m and is very drought tolerant.
e). L Scoparium Ruby Glow” is a compact, erect, evergreen shrub with a refined appearance with neat, small dark red leaves, which by the way are fragrant when crushed. Perfect, double, burgundy-red flowers are produced in January and can be quite showy.
NEW RELEASE: Leptospermum 'Vertical Drop" is a very unusual plant. It's a woody native that grows down, not up. Vertical Drop also grows horizontally, and is very useful when planted over retaining wall. Can be grown on the coast, is drought and frost tolerant and takes fulls sun to part shade.

Amazing Corn!

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:03:33 PDT

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm Sat. 12noon, 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

Design Elements in today’s show,it's episode 3 in a four week series on garden design basics. Styles of gardens are just about taste. Other factors influence style, like the shape of your garden, or how much time you want to spend in your garden.Find out styles of gardens that suit you best.

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VEGETABLE HEROES Sweet Corn or Zea mays var. saccharata is the answer to that question about what vegetable is used in the manufacturing of nylon fibres and as a source for producing degradable plastics.
Much of the corn now grown around the world is genetically modified for herbicide and/or pest resistance, so a good reason to grow it yourself.
Sweet corn belongs to the grass family. Poaceae.
You can plant sweetcorn all year round in tropical and subtropical climates, in spring and midsummer in temperate zones and late spring to early summer in colder regions.
Before planting out your corn, soak the seeds in acontainer of water overnight. You can either sow the seeds directly into the garden, 25cm apart in short rows 50-60 cm apart, or in seed trays.
Dig in some chook poo a couple of weeks before you plant the corn.
Corn needs to be planted closely for pollination. Plant a hand span apart. You could also try planting your corn in a circle sow your corn seeds and water them in (a good soak).
Hints andTips- A good tip is, once the corncob has been pollinated (the corncob tassels have gone brown and you can feel the cob forming) cut the top flower off about a 10cm up from the cob.   Hopefully this will let the plant concentrate on feeding the cob, making it grow larger and sweeter.
Poor germination and too few corncobs can be caused by a number of problems. For example:
- poor seed quality - if the seed is old or hasn't been dried or handled properly after harvest;
- seed rots (Pythium and Rhizoctonia fungi);
- planting into cool, wet soil, planting too deep and soil crusting.
Online companies that sell varieties of corn.   www.heritageseeds.com.au       www.greenharvest.com.au www.edenseeds.com.au www.newgipps.com.au

Plant of the Week: Crotons, Codiaeum variegatum  Family -    Euphorbiaceae-It is a native of the tropics from Java to Australia and the South Sea Islands, and because of the Crotons' susceptibility to cold injury, is restricted to the southern and warmer parts of australia for growing outdoors. Otherwise Crotons make a very decorative indoor plant in cooler climates.
Crotons develop their best leaf colors when planted in dappled sunlight all day. Plants placed in shade or semi-shade tend to develop a large amount of green color. Soil should be enriched with compost, muck, or coco peat, and the plants fertilized regularly with a general purpose fertilizer, preferable one that has an high acidic rating, such as an azalea fertilizer.
Croton plant varieties require heavy watering as well as high humidity. Misting the plant once or twice a week appears to to keep up with the Croton's humidity needs if you live in an area with low humidity levels. Keep the plants soil moist at all times.
If leaves begin to fall off or slope downward, you are probably not providing the plant with enough water. If the leaves edges become wilted, this may be an indication that you are over watering the plant. Try cutting down on how often you water and see if that improves the leaves appearance.           Overall, I have found that Croton's are a medium maintenance house plant. They can be touchy in terms of how much water they are given or not given.
One blogger writes “When I made the decision that I was going to make my garden a native/exotic mix, …. I wouldnt go overboard with colour. A sea of green highlighted by a few tastefully composed beds containing Cordylines and Crotons, with the Broms around a Poinciana rounding out the 'terrific threesome' of tropical gardens everywhere.

Make a comment or ask a question by email to the RWG team: realworldgardener@gmail.com

Brain Fever Cuckoo

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:13:22 PDT

REAL WORLD GARDENER produced at 2RRR Sydney, heard nationally across Australia on the Community Radio Network, Saturdays 10.04 EDT

Wildlife in Focus: Often regarded as shy and retiring, the channel billed cuckoo doesn’t make the cuckoo, cuckoo noise. Why not you might ask, find out by listening to the complete segment here.

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Vegetable Heroes: Summer Broccoli, Brassica oleracea Cymosa group (syn. var. italica)-Calabrese, - Broccoli heads are actually groups of buds that are almost ready to flower; each group of buds is called a floret.

To grow broccoli as a cool season crop you need to sow seeds now and until the end of November and plant out seedlings in late summer, except for subtropical and tropical areas, when you have to wait until February or March.
Some cultivars , such as the Calabrese or 'sprouting Broccoli."are adapted to spring and autumn planting only, but the best known variety, 'Shogun', can be planted year round. Broccoli being a leafy green vegetable needs a fertile soil and don't let the soil become dry. Add plenty of chook poo or other type of animal manure, add a handful of Potash as well. Add plenty of lime-pH 6.5 to 7.5 is the 'ideal' range.
ECO-Tip:Plants growing in Spring and Summer can end up with quite heavy green caterpillar infestation. This can be prevented by using light plastic netting to keep the butterflies out. You can buy this online.
You might like to try spraying Dipel or Spinosad based insecticide – it’s a bacteria mixed with water that kills the caterpillars but is safe for humans, pets etc. or another remedy is 2 Tablespoon of Molasses dissolved in 1 L of warm water and sprayed on. You can also try to remove the caterpillars from the leaves or brush off any eggs you can see.
The broccoli is ready to cut about 2½ months from transplanting in the summer and a bit over 3 months in winter.
The sprouting type of Broccolis is perhaps the oldest, and least known form of broccoli. Known as “green Sprouting Calabrese” in online catalogues.You can also get catalogs sent to you by ringing the number of the company.www.greenharvest.com.au You can also get Broccoli Raab-another looser type of sprouting Broccoli at this web address.
Design Elements: Part 2 of the Basic Garden Design series, listen here how to go about drawing your garden design.

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Plant of the Week: Yellow Tingle. Eucalyptus guilfoylei
The Tingle eucalypt trees are referred to as the Giants" or the giant yellow and red tingle trees which are only found in a particular area of Walpole and Nornalup in the Walpole Wilderness Area.
Yellow tingles are smaller, growing to thirty-five feet or more. The red tingles, however, reach almost eighty feet into the air! You can see images of the amazing treetop walk http://www.rainbowcoast.com.au/areas/walpole/valleyofthegiants.htm
The Yellow tingleTree, 5-40 m high, bark rough, short-fibred & crumbly. Fl. white/cream, Nov to Dec or Jan. Gravelly loam. Slopes & ridges. Yellow tingle is a medium to tall eucalypt, with height up to 35 m and diameter 1 m. This tree prefers an annual rainfall over 900mm per year, otherwise it will grow, but more poorly.

Fancy Fairy Fan Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Real World Gardener) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:08:07 PDT

REALWORLD GARDENER produced at 2RRR Sydney and broadcast across Australia on the Community Radio Network, Saturdays, 10.04 EST

email your questions/feedback to realworldgardener@gmail.com
DESIGN ELEMENTS:Your garden might’ve been handed down from someone else when you bought the place. Maybe you just put plants in a free spot whenever you bought one back from a buying spree. Did you every think, what’s missing or how can I make it look better? Listen here to Part 1 in the 4 part series of "garden design basics."

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VEGETABLE HEROES: Horseradish  or Armoracia rusticana from the Brassicaceae family.-          Except for tropical regions, Spring is the time to get pieces of Horseradish root from either a friend, garden centre, or online nursery.
Just simply dig a hole, about 1 ½ to 2 feet (50 - 60cm) deep – horseradish has extremely long tap roots. pop in the piece of Horsradish root, and back fill with a mixture of compost and the planting soil.
If you want lots of Horseradish to make up the paste you can lay the roots of horseradish in a trench about 12 inches (30cm) apart and then cover with more soil. Firm in with your heel.
It’s best in full sun particularly if you’re in a cold part of Australia.
If you’ve got damp soils, it’s no problem for horseradish because it grows vigorously.
Keep well watered if it's not a damp spot.
It should be planted in a permanent position and not disturbed as new plants will grow from any broken roots ,but then this is the best way to propagate Horseradish, and give it to your friends.          ECO TIP: This deep rooted plant can be used in orchards to open up compacted soils and return nutrients to the surface of the soil.
By mid autumn if you were lucky enough to have planted it last year either in autumn OR spring, the roots should be ready to harvest-simply dig them up and preserve some pieces for next year's harvest.
Some places to get it online.    www.heritageseeds.com.au www.pleasanceherbs.com.au            www.greenharvest.com.au
Plant of the Week Fairy Fan Flower or scientifically, Scaevola aemula and S. albida.
With such pretty blue flowers, you'd think this plant would be rather fussy or delicate. Instead, this durable Australian native takes the heat without wilting and produces heaps of lavender-blue or white fan-like flowers all summer.
a.    Visited by butterflies and Honey Bees,   Scaevola or Fan Flower is the perfect groundcover. (Ramm Botanicals have released quite a few new ones, www.ramm.com.au )
c.    Scaevola prefer a well-drained soil with little to no phosphate added. Like most Australian natives, scaevola is sensitive to phosphorous.
d.   Scaevola. aemula also requires well-drained sandy soil and a good sunny position. It grows naturally along the coastline around Nambucca Heads to Coffs Harbour where I’ve seen it on bushwalks.
Scaevola. albidus grows as far south in coastal areas of Victoria and Tasmania in a range of habitats, including clay soils. Scaevola albida varieties under the Dam Savers range are S. albida which will grow in semi-shaded positions and is frost hardy. Mauve Carpet, grows in full sun, ground cover and hanging baskets. S. Super Clusters, flowers through to Autumn and is strictly for the garden.
White carpet is a good choice if you’re looking for a low maintenance plant that receives irregular watering and is a good weed suppressor.
Feature Interview (not heard on CRN) Talking with Ruby Ride of the Bromeliad Society of Australia Check out meeting times of this society and others around Australia. www.bromeliad.org.au
There's a Bromeliad for every corner of your garden.