Pollination, bats, bees and butterflies.

SYDNEY GARDEN TALK Saturdays 12 noon-1pm 2RRR 88.5 fm
Feature interview: On Asthma gardens-go to http://www.asthamagrden.org.au/ for the plant list.

Madiera Weed: Bev Debrincat talks about this environmental weed.

Vegetable Hero /Healthy Herbs: Coriander, coriandrum sativum.
TO GROW IT FROM SEED..
Sow about 1 cm deep, cover the seeds and keep them moist.
Sow it in rows, scatter it amongst your other veggies, you can use it as a shade plant for your lettuce.
It takes a couple of weeks to germinate, so go do it after my program.
Coriander grow fairly big, about 50 cm or 2 feet tall.
Remember, last week I said grasshoppers don’t like Cilantro er, coriander, so plant it around the spinach.
You want about 5 cm between the plants if you grow it for the leaves.. Leave a few plants to go to seed, yes, on purpose.
When your plants is big enough, take the leaves off from the base of the plant. Just make sure the plant is big enough to cope and leave some leaves on it so it can continue to grow.
Coriander flowers are an important food source for beneficial insects, especially little parasitic wasps and predatory flies.
So to attract many beneficial insects you want lots and lots of coriander flowers in your garden.

Plant of the Week: Frangipani.
Plumeria acutifolia and Plumeria rubra belong to the Apocynaceae (dogbane)family.
Common names: plumeria, frangipani, melia (Hawaiian), temple tree, and many named cultivars.
Plumeria is native to tropical America. In Hawaii, it is grown as an ornamental
and is not found in the wild.
Characteristics
Plumeria is generally a small tree growing to about 5-8 metres. Its broad, usually round-headed canopy with a thick trunk and several broad branches.Often as wide as the tree is tall. The species and hybrids vary somewhat in tree size, compactness, and branching character, leaf and flower size and color, and deciduousness. The leaves are usually glossy green but may be dull green; they are generally ovate, may be blunt-tipped (P. obtusa) or pointed (P. rubra var. acuminata or var. acutifolia),.
Sydney has the deciduous types, the leaves fall during wintertime, and new leaves emerge during or following the spring flowering period.
P. obtusa and its hybrids tend to retain their foliage year-round. The flowers are tubular, expanding into a “pinwheel” of five petals that averages 70mms diameter and may be white, red, yellow, pink, or multiple colors. Flowers of most cultivars are highly fragrant and bloom from October to March.
Plumerias only occasionally produce seed. When pollinated, the flower produces two hard, narrow, pointed pods up to 7 inches long containing 20–60 winged seeds. Maturation

What's On:
Sat 16 Jan – Sun 21 Feb, Mt Tomah Botanic Garden. Under the Sun exhibition. Australian ecological artists Scott Cardeamatis and Joseph Saad have captured the essence of Australia’s rich floral diversity. They use recycled products purchased from conservation organisations. Selected works will be for sale though the Gardens shop. 10am -5pm in the Visitor Centre. The exhibition is free but you’ll have to pay Garden entry fees). Enquiries 4567 2154.


Sun 17 Jan – Lane Cove Alive Art & Design markets, 9am – 3pm in Lane Cove Plaza between Burns Bay and Longueville Roads. Free entry.

Sat 23 and Sunday 24 January, Royal Botanic Gardens. Frangipani Show. Beautiful and fragrant frangipanis on display, plants for sale and advice on how to grow them. Hosted by Frangipani Society of Australia. Runs from 10am – 4pm at the Tropical Centre, Adults $5.50, children $3.30.