Life's A Garden Tour

Sydney Garden Talk 2RRR 88.5fm Wed 5pm, Sat 12 midday
Feature Interview:Secretary of the Eastwood Evening Garden Club, Ailsa Wareham talks about her recentr trip to visit gardens and parks in southern NSW and Victoria. Highlights were, Foxglove Spires in Tilb a Tilba, and Heronswood in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. The garden club meets every second Tuesday of the month at Dundas Baptist Church Hall.
Vegetable Heroes:Lemongrass-Cymbopogon citratus. Native to India and member of the Poaceae family. Lemon grass has slender stalks about a 30cm long (12”). To grow in the garden, confine it in a bottomless plastic pot, otherwise it will spread and take over your garden.
For cooking use the stalks only and pick the thick, light green ones that feel firm and aren't dried out and wilted. Cut off the woody root tip of each stalk until the purplish-tinted rings begin to show and remove the loose, dry outer layer(s). Also, if the top of the stalk is dry and fibrous cut this off too. When using it in cooked dishes, bang it with a cleaver to bruise the membranes and release more flavour.
Put a handful of the leaves into the saucepan when steaming or simmering chicken or fish to give a delicate but delicious taste of lemon. It can be used in many dishes as a substitute for lemon.
To store fresh lemon grass, wrap well in clingfilm and refrigerate, it will keep for up to three weeks.
Design Elements:what to put in a small flower bed?j. Buy plants as seeds shoots bulbs or root cuttings.
i. Summer display-think about Minature gladioli, Belladonna lilliies, Crinum and of course Hippeastrums-but you need to buy the bulbs now. For year round foliage-try Iris flowers and day lilies.
ii. Autumn flowers-Alstroemeria-Princess Lillies, Easter daisies-asters,Chrysanthemum,Penstemons, red Hot pokers or Kniphofia sps. Gingers-Costus barbatus and bulbs-cyclamen, Sternbergia lucida-yellow autumn crocus-yellow flowers that don’t need lifting or dividing.
iii. Winter flowering-Paper daisies-used to be Helichrysum bracteatum now are Xerochrysum bracteatum. Hellebores or Lenten roses-good for shady locations in winter. Some Correas-the funny Chef’s hat. Red hot pokers-Kniphophia “Winter Cheer.”-flowers that almost look like flaming torches-also a magnet for nectar feeding birds. For winter flowering annuals-can’t go past pansies. So many varieties-some with cat’s whiskers, bi-colours and solid colours. Often flower well into spring and easy to grow from seed. In fact you can sow them now.
iv. Spring flowers-Lillies-Novemebr Lillies that is, all manner of bulbs-spring stars, daffodils, anemones, etc
Plant of the Week:Acacia spp. or Wattles. Acacia pycnantha is Australia’s floral emblem-proclaimed 1st September 1988. Australia has 950 different species of wattles.Wattle was an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning pliant woody branch or a barrier made from pliant branches.
Early settlers used wattle branches as framework for their homes.
Extract from Historical Records of Australian Science.
Wattles were used by Aboriginal Australians for food, medicine and other purposes. Fruits, seeds, tubers and berries were eaten; sweet drinks were made from flower nectar and teas made from leaves. Some plants were used as Medicine and others for making spears, tools, baskets and shelters.

Sydney Golden wattle-A.longifolia-used seed (ground into flour) gum and grub 3-6m
Golden Wattle A.sophorae-seeds, gum.4m Yellow flower spikes in mid winter to spring.
Seeds used in all wattles. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/ look for grow me instead plants. Cootamundra wattle or Acacia baileyana has proven to be invasive outside its natural region. Seeds are spread by birds and germinate quickly. It cross pollinates the already endangered Down Wattle or A.pubescens.
Habitat/ecology: While many Acacia species favor drier sites, others are adapted to more moist conditions.
What'sOn:. PARADISE GARDEN SPRING OPEN WEEKEND Free Entry Plenty of Easy Parking
WHEN: Saturday 31 July & Sunday 1 August 2010 TIME: 10 am to 4 pm both days
Over 12 hectares of Camellias, Magnolias, Cherry Blossom and other glorious flowers and trees.
Learn how to grow drought hardy camellias from members of the NSW Camellia Research Society Take a free guided tour of the garden;Buy a great range of plants at bargain prices.
WHERE: 147 Greta Road, Kulnura 2250 Paradise is approximately 30 minutes from Gosford (via Somersby) and Wyong (via Yarramalong), find a map at www.camelliasnsw.org
DONATIONS from sale of plants to NSW Camellia Research Society and Peats ridge/Kulnura Scout Group.

Enter Spring Garden Competition Now

Feature Interview: Robbie Cunningham, liason officer for Parks and Community at Ryde Council talks about judging criteria for Spring Garden Competition. enter online at http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/
Vegetable Hero:Chinese Cabbage-Brassica chinensis and Brassica pekinensis. Chinese cabbage shocks easily, and transplanting sometimes shocks it into going to seed. Therefore, it's best to sow the seed directly in the garden and thin them to stand 20-30cm or 8 to 12 inches apart. This is quite different from your regular cabbage because last week I mentioned that transplanting European Cabbage actually helps grow stronger roots on the plant. With Chinese cabbage, the time from planting to harvest is 7 to10 weeks depending on the variety. You should harvest when the cabbage heads are compact and firm and before seed stalks form.
Cut off the whole plant at ground level.
Design Elements: Small rockery design-choose a site 1metre x 1 metre. Half bury your rocks to give it stability.What makes a rockery ugly? Plenty of soil on show or a straggly plant that’s growing up among the rocks is too tall and out of place.
a. Go for a theme and stick to it.Try any of these themes-
i. Succulent theme-Echeverias, Kalanchoes, sedums.
ii. Orchid theme-Dendrobiums there is-a range of colours available.
iii. Flower theme-alyssum, acheillea,asters, Begonias-rhizomatous, campanula, diascia, gazania, phlox, primula-make sure you select for sun or shade.
iv. Native rockery plants-bush Kangaroo paws, Austromyrtus dulcis, dwarf heath myrtle or beackia now Babingtonia, ground cover grevilleas like G Gaudi Chaudi.” Myoporum –pinks or whites.
Plant of the Week: Lilly Pilly: Acmena smithii and Syzygium spp
Here are my top choices: in descending order of height.
A. Acmena smithii var minor-small leaves, grows to 5 x 5metres. This is considered a dwarf Lilly Pilly because they can grow up to 25 m in their natural habitiat.Tolerates clay and heavy soils as well as sandy soils. Prune annually. Moderately drought tolerant so needs a good watering when the temps go up high in summer.Not prone to pysillid damage.
B. Acmena smithii “Allyns Magic” has coppery new growth.
C. Acmena smitthii Sublime-5 metres x 2.5 m-thick dense foliage all the way down to the ground. White flowers and purple berries in mid winter to spring.
a. Great for a privacy hedge and cope better in shade than all those people planting NZ Pittosporums in that 50cm wide bed between the pool and your neighbour’s fence.
D. Syzygium leuhmannii-5m+ pink new growth and whitish berries. Weeping habit and is one of the best privacy screening hedges.
E. S. australe “Bush Christmas" and “Elite” can be pysillid prone but I’m growing one to topiary and haven’t had the problem. These are considered mid size around 3-5 metres max. A. smithii “Hot Fl;ush” is a mid sized Lilly Pilly that is not pysillid prone.
F. S. leuhmanii x wilsonii or Cascade Lilly Pilly-grows to 3m. A hybrid that has powderpuff pale pink flowers and pale pink fruits. Great hedging
G. Little ones-under 2m.
a. S. leuhmannii "Royal Flame.” Resistant to pysillds.
I. Tiny under 1m
a. A. smithii “Hedgemaster.”-b. S. australe “Tiny Trev.”NOT
what's On:

A Circle of Orchids

Sydney Garden Talk Wednesdays 5pm, Saturday 12noon
Feature Interview:Eastwood and district Orchid Circle secretary-Bernadette Williams talks about the 70 year history of the club, and a bit about the cultivation of Phaleanopsis or Moth Orchid. The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 8pm un the Uniting Church Hall, Acacia st, East Denistone, 7.15 for Novice and Intermediate growers in the back room.

Vegetable Hero:Cabbage or Brassica oleracea "Capitata." Cabbages do best in a reasonably firm soil, so leave it for several months between digging and planting. Why firm soil? So they don’t fall over when they grow those heavy heads.Pick a reasonably sunny spot for the site where you are growing cabbages. If you can, use a site where peas and beans (Legumes) where grown the recently-dig the pea and bean roots into the soil to provide nitrogen. I’ve been told that transplanting cabbage seedlings helps them to grow strong roots , so if you are starting from seed, sow them in a punnet.

Design Elements:small herb gardens for small spaces. Why not make it a herb spiral of about 1m high by 1.5m wide. Place rocks around the base and gradually build up to a conical shape. Drier herbs like Marjoram and Sage at the top, shadier herbs like Mint around the back and sunnier herbs like Parsley and Coriander around the front.

Plant of the Week: Camellia Japonica-large green leaves, showy flowers in winter. Pale coloured flowers prefer a dappled aspect in the morning particularly, or semi-shade most of the day. Dark coloured flowered Camellias can take full sun in the morning. Mulch with 2.5cm cow manure now and fertilise with Camellia fertilser after flowering.
Camellia japonica "Duo de Chartres." (pictured)

What's On:Camellia Show-Henry street Gordon at Ravenswood School for Girls. Sunday10-5pm.
Orchid show Sunday 11th July at Eastwood Mall

Bloomin'Orchids

Sydney Garden Talk Wed 5-6pm, Sat. 12-1pm
Feature Interview:Geoff Fulcher from the NSW Orchid Society talks mainly about Cymbidium Orchid care. There show is on at the Tropical Centre, Sydney Botanic gardens 3rd and 4th July. http://www.orchidsocietynsw.com.au/
Vegetable Hero:potatoes discovered by south Americans. Contains solanin when exposed to sunlight turns green. You can get virus free seed potatoes from harware stores, some supermarkets, and garden centres of course. To grow potatoes, you will need to deeply dig the garden bed to ensure the soil is loose. Chicken manure or blood and bone should be dug through the bed as potatoes need a lot of phosphorus but not too much nitrogen. Too much nitrogen will cause the potatoes to create too much leafy growth rather than potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are planted into the soil to about 10cm deep to get enough soil coverage. Seed potatoes should be planted about 50cm apart.
As the potatoes grow, it is important to keep them well covered, either by mounding the soil or heavily mulching. If sunlight reaches the potatoes as they are growing, they will turn green and become inedible. Keep the potatoes watered moderately as potatoes will rot in soil that is too wet
Design Elements;Reviewing Climbing plants-Try Podranea ricasoliana-pink flowers), Pyrostegia venusta-Orange Trumpet Creeper for quick covers. Wisteria chinensis-chinese Wisteria, or Wisteria macrobotrys-Japanese Wisteria-for beautiful scent and hanging flowers in Spring. These are deciduous creepers.
Plant of the Week:Hellebores spp. Helleborus orientalis and Helleborus x hybridus.Hellebores have dangling cup-shaped flowers which invite one to reach down and look inside. The outside of the sepals (which look like petals: the true petals are reduced to nectaries within the flower) may be rich pink while the inside may be paler, sometimes spotted, within. Dark nectaries can make the flower even more fascinating.
The pink, plum and white varieties are known as Helleborus x hybridus and incorrectly as Oriental varieties Most hellebores prefer semishade particularly in hot areas. Mine in the garden are never watered. Like most perennials, hellebores are best planted in Autumn but they are so hardy that I plant them year-round. I am enjoying the reward now
What's On:Camellia Show at Ravenswood Girsl High School, Sat, July 10th 1-4pm and Sun July 11th 10-4pm.

Gardening is Easy

Sydney Garden Talk 2RRR 88.5fm Sat-12midday, Wed -5pm
Feature Interview:winning team leader of Easy Care Gardening at Volunteers Award Ceremony in Ryde, Ian Norman, and interviewed by guest 2RRR trainee, Rosalind Horton. Why not ring today on 9983 1644 or go to the easy care gardening website. http://www.easycaregardening.org.au/ You’ll find the contact number there as well as the address and the little bit difficult email address as well. Or ring me here at the station and I’ll pass it on. Email: ecg2074@easycaregardening.org.au
Vegetable Hero-Asparagus officinalis-Common Asparagus. Grow it now-buy the Asparagus crowns from you supermarket, garden nursery or online.Plant in winter or early spring, while the crowns are still dormant. Plant in furrows about 20 cm deep and 30 cm wide. Place the crowns onto a small mound in the centre of the furrow, so that the roots point down at about 45°, spread the roots out carefully. Backfill with compost to a depth of 7.5 cm. Space the plants 45cm apart, with 1.2 m between rows. Fill in the trench gradually as growth progresses. The next Spring (that is, the first season) light cutting of spears can be done for the first month of the growing season, with normal cutting taking place each following year until late December.
Design Elements: Reviewing trees-why not go for Port Wine Magnolias?Some suggestions for hardier trees-. good doers-Michelia spp, port wine Magnolia.eg Figo, small purple flowers, Coco-slightly largere cream flowers, Mixed Up Miss, bigger cream flowers. Feature glossy green leaves and perfume flowers that are not that big really, but big on perfume. 3 metres-but can be clipped into a 2 metre hedge or less. Hardy and drought tolerant once established.
c. Bauhinia variegate-Orchid Tree-small tree suits most gardens. Evergreen with variegated pale magenta flowers. Heart shaped grey-green leaves.
d. Arbutus unedo-Irish Strawberry tree-glossy dark green foliage, bunches of lilly of the valley type flowers, red berries that can me made into jams and liquers. e,i. Eucalyptus cladocalyx “Vintage Red.” Is a red form of Sugar Gum. This eucalypt has deep coloured bark that looks quite black when young. The leaves are a deep dark red. Grows to only between 2-4metres. Can prune it back by 1/3 every 12 months if you want to keep it small. This is a grafted plant so any green shoots coming from the bottom of the trunk should be pruned off straight away.
Plant of the Week: Tagetes patula and Tagetes lemonii.Tagetes Lemmonii sometimes known as Lemmon’s marigold is a large ornamental shrub with a lemony smell and lots of single yellow marigold flowers. A profuse bloomer over a long season it is commonly used in warm climates as an addition to the perennial border or as an accent shrub along hot sunny walls. It’s bright green fern like foliage, wispy and soft, is not what it seems.
What's On-Camellia show at Ravenswood school hall Sat10th July 1.30-5pm and Sunday 11th July, 11am-4pm. Check out details at http://www.camelliasnsw.org.au/

It's Camellia Time

Sydney Garden Talk 2RRR 88.5fm, Wed 5pm, Sat 12 midday.

Feature Interivew:Bill Parker from Parkers Camellias and http://www.camelliasrus.com.au/
Tried and true Camellias-Camellia japonica"Lovelight,"-large white flowers, semi double, with central gold stamens. C. japonica "Red Red Rose,"-vibrant red semi double flowers, C. japonica "Don Herzilia de Freitas Magalhes," purple informal double flowers.

To enter a Camellia flower or photograph of a Camellia, advise entry by 1st July to NSW Camellia Research email:nswcamellias@hotmail.com or 9449 8989.

For show schedule http://www.camelliasnsw.org/
Vegetable Heroes.Onions-Allium Cepa
Onions are a good companion plant. Grown around the garden they repel pests. They contain sulphur which is a strong disinfectant. In the past it was used to heal gun shot wounds and during World War 1, sphagnum moss was soaked in the juice as a wound dressing.
Remember to always lime your soil well a week or two before planting onions. They love a sweet soil. Don't forget avoid applying manures and blood and bone to the beds in which you're about to grow your onions because they prefer alkaline soil. You can use spent mushroom compost instead of cow manure.
Onion seeds are can be sown into seed raising mix into punnets. Or if you want to sow them directly into the garden, make it easy for yourself, mix the seed with some river sand-say one packet of seed to one cup of sand and sow it that way. Bit like sowing carrots!
Design Elements: Reviewing Perennials-Salvias-all kinds-eg. Salvia "Limelight"-Green and Purple bracts. Salvia leucanth "Santa Barbara."-Puple velvety bracts and grey foliage.. Helichryseum petiolare or Licorice plant grey felty foliage. Full sun, drought hardy.
Anisodontea "Pink Star."-small shrub to 1.2m. in full sun.
Arthropdium cirrhatum or Renga Renga lilly for light shade-pale green leaves and white starry flowers.
Clivea mineata or Clives. Full dry shade.
Plant of the Week: Diamond Pittosporum or Auranticarpa rhombifoliium.According to the Lamington National Park website, the common name is Deamond Pittosporum because of the shape of its leaves.
As it matures the natural shape of the tree can form a pyramid, but the ones I’ve seen around Gladesville reserve haven’t reached that stage yet.It has a smooth, grey bark.. The leaves are simple-diamond shaped, alternate, glossy and a bit leathery. About 75 mm long with toothed margins and distinct venation ,clustered at branch ends.Flowers are small, white, bell shaped and perfumed in terminal clusters in summer and are followed by colourful orange berries (5mm dia) in autumn and winter. The berries are carried on the tree for several months and each contains 2-3 black seeds.The Diamond Pittosporum naturally occurs in rainforest regrowth. Usually sub-tropical rainforest, but it can tolerate drier conditions. The ones growing the Gladesville Reserve, don’t get any additional water and survive dry summer quite well.
What's On.Catchment connections is planning a Bushcare bus tour on Saturday 3 July. The Monash Rd site has been chosen to showcase Bushcare in the City of Ryde. Phone Ryde Council.
NSW Camellia Research Society's 41st annual show 10-11July at Ravenswood Girls High School.

When Is A Park Not A Park?

Sydney Garden Talk Wed 5-6pm. Sat 12-1pm 2RRR 88.5fm
Feature Interview: Friends of Cudal Reserve-Tonia Amy and Andrew Wilson talk about fighting to keep this Reserve as open space instead of being sold by Sydney Water and houses being built on it. A park is not a reserve it seems. A reserve is land put aside for use yet to be determined even if it has been open space for more than 50 years. To support Tonia and Andrew email cudalreserve@yahoo.com
Vegetable Heroes:Garlic-Allium sativum-In Sydney we would normally plant after about the 20th March, and during April, but it was really warm still then and even into May, so you still could do it now. The crop might have smaller cloves though.
When you plant the cloves, don’t plant too deeply otherwise they will rot off. Plant them so the tops of the bulbs are just below the surface. Plant them about 8 cm apart with the point end facing up.
Garlic usually takes about • 17-25 weeks. 4-6 months to mature. You can tell because the leaves or stalks have flopped over and turned brown.
Design Elements:Reviewing Shrubbery. The shrubbery of older gardens from the 20’s through to the 60’s were a green backdrop to border plants. These were often hardy plants that could cope with drought and floods, but are now hard to find.You can find a list on http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/ (navigate via About Heritage/ Landscape & Gardens/Heritage Gardens) Let’s look at spicing up boring scenery with some mixed shrubbery. That are good doers as well and only need a once a year prune.

i. Abelia “Frances Mason-golden foliage and only grows to 1 metre. Easily clipped into a ball or standard if you like.
ii. Loropetaum chinense-chinese Fringe Flower-tough, good doer with dark plum coloured foliage and pink fringe flowers that aren’t that intrusive if you don’t like pink. Grown more for the foliage and can be trimmed into a hedge. Very drought hardy and landscapers are using them more in designs.
iii. Rondeletia amoena-Rondeletia. 3m dense glossy leaves with pale pink clusters of waxy perfumed flowers. Bird and butterfly attracting. Used in Federation gardens together with Viburnum tinus or Laurustinus. Hard to get now but available from the Botanic Gardens nursery. Grow it from semi-hardwood cuttings taken in October/November.
iv. Spiraea cantoniensis or May bush grows on roadsides in Austria. Tough plant with mass of white flowers in spring. Deciduous.
v. Justicea carnea & J. carnea “Alba.” Known as Brazilian Plume flower. Flowers are dark pink or white for the Alba variety. Grows to 1.5-2m. sun, part shade. Large dark green leaves.
ix. Babingtonia virgata, syn Beackia virgata. Replaces the ubiquitous Diosma. Similar leaf to Diosma and larger habit. Addition of very small white flowers-suit native bees and small mouthparts of beneficial insects such as predatory wasps and lacewings.
x. Leptospermum flavescens “Cardwell” great small shrub with hundreds of white tea tree flowers-like miniature daisies. Grows to 2m. has a weeping habit. There’s a smaller version growing to 0.5m called L. “White Wave.” Tea trees are often overlooked, but have very showy flowers and respond well to clipping. Great for a fast growing screen or hedge-can even get burgundy coloured foliage > morrisonii “Burgundy.” 3 x 1.5m Full sun.
xii. Callistemon-very hardy and cope with sandy soils easily.
Plant of the Week:Zygocactus-Schlumbergera spp.Zygocactus respond to light feedings with diluted liquid fertilizer during spring and summer growing seasons. If you’re growing them indoors,use any good houseplant fertilizer or African Violet food every two to three weeks. But I don’t think people of Sydney do that as they grow quite well outside. Give them a potassium food such as tomato food or something for flowers. Stop fertilizing in early March to allow buds to set. Do not transplant or move the plant once buds have set. Resume fertilizing after flowering. Use a general potting mix but added loads of coarse sand, or perlite.. Propagation-this is really dead easy. Just break off a small piece of branch with 2-3 segments and strike it in some sandy mix, like seed raising mix.
Whats On:Saturday 12, 19 and 26 June, Bushcare Training Workshop. Council's Bushcare program, an introduction to weeds and a practical session on the hand removal of non-woody weeds in the field. The course is free but you must book your place with Liz Powell on 9777 7871
Monday 14 June, Free Guided Walk on Plants and People of the Lane Cove River from 1.30-3.30 pm. Start at Magdala Park in North Ryde, . the City of Ryde on 9952 8222.
Friday 18 June, Moonlight Meander with Sugar Gliders, 7pm to 8.30pm. This is a free event from Willoughby City Council  Explosives Reserve, Opposite 42 Cammeray Road, Castle Cove. Bookings essential, phone Di Eva on 9777 7755