John discusses the three basic elements in garden design, Josh helps out a struggling balcony gardener, Tino maintains raspberry canes + more!!!

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Welcome to the Gardening Australia Newsletter: 28/08/2015 Coming Up This Week Picture Perfect - Outsmarting the Aphids - Cane Control - Country Style - FAQs - Colouring In - Time to Plant - Maidenhair Tree - Sky Food Read more ABC TV: Saturday 29 August 2015, 6:30pm and Sunday 30 August 2015, 1:00pm Watch a Story Sky Food 29/08/2015 Preview a Story from the Upcoming Show Watch video Find a Fact Sheet Picture Perfect Presenter: John Patrick, 29/08/2015 John explains how to use the form, colour and texture of plants to create pleasing and eye-catching combinations in the garden Read more Browse the Video Archive There are three ways you can access Gardening Australia video: Streaming: Watch short clips of various segments online. Download: Manually download the complete episodes to your computer. Vodcast: Subscribe and have the complete episodes automatically downloaded to your computer. Catch Up on iView GARDENING AUSTRALIA ON IVIEW Never miss a gardening moment! Gardening Australia on iView Weekly Gardening Action Plan The whisper of spring is in the air, but there's still plenty to do in the late-winter garden. The team will have more ideas for you this weekend, but until then, here are some suggestions: Tropical Zone Lay down new no-dig beds before they're overrun with weeds: Building a No-Dig Garden Fact Sheet Subtropical Zone Once you're sure the coolest weather is over, you can start mulching again: Mulching Fact Sheet Temperate Zone Prepare to lay down the lawn in areas that have suffered during the cooler weather: Laying Down the Lawn Arid Zone Start adding soil tonics to your garden to wake up the bacteria, fungi and worms in your soil for the best possible start to spring: Soil Tonics Fact Sheet Cool Zone Look through your seeds for summer herb garden planning and keep harvesting your winter herbs: Planting Winter Herbs Fact Sheet And if you want some ideas of what to plant in the vegie patch, don't forget to visit The Vegie Guide or Download the App Plant Pick On the show this week, John looks at the three basic elements of garden design - Form, Colour and Texture. This week's plant pick is the Yucca - a plant that can add dramatic results in the garden....... Found mainly in dry regions of North and Central America, this genus is a member of the agave (Agavaceae) family and contains around 40 species of evergreen herbaceous perennials, trees, and shrubs. Adding a dramatic element to the garden, yuccas are grown for their large rosettes of striking stiff foliage, which are complemented by the tall spikes of attractive flowers that appear in spring or from late summer through to autumn. Parts of the yucca plant are used for a variety of purposesthe roots can be boiled to make a herbal tea, and Native Americans utilize the plant to make a dye and for craft purposes. Yuccas need a bright sunny position if they are to flower well. They generally prefer a light well-drained soil, but can tolerate poor soils. Hardiness varies with the species, some will tolerate light frost, and they are generally drought tolerant. Routine maintenance includes a monthly feed, and careful watering. Propagate from suckers, root cuttings, or seed. Gardening Australia - gardening for you, gardening for the planet Join us on Facebook Follow @gardeningaus Follow gardeningaus © 2012 ABC | Privacy Policy | Homepage | Manage newsletter subscription

Great ideas for brilliant gardening, passionfruit 101, deep stem planting + lots more practical ideas and gardening know-how!

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Welcome to the Gardening Australia Newsletter: 21/08/2015 Coming Up This Week Great Ideas - Passionfruit 101 - Golden Daisy Bush - Bromeliad Bonanza - FAQs - Tough Love - Cloud Pruning - Back to My Roots Read more ABC TV: Saturday 22 August 2015, 6:30pm and Sunday 23 August 2015, 1:00pm Watch a Story Great Ideas 22/08/2015 Preview a Story from the Upcoming Show Watch video Find a Fact Sheet Passionfruit 101 Presenter: Josh Byrne, 22/08/2015 Josh shows how to plant passionfruit to get them off to a flying start Read more Browse the Video Archive There are three ways you can access Gardening Australia video: Streaming: Watch short clips of various segments online. Download: Manually download the complete episodes to your computer. Vodcast: Subscribe and have the complete episodes automatically downloaded to your computer. Catch Up on iView GARDENING AUSTRALIA ON IVIEW Never miss a gardening moment! Gardening Australia on iView Weekly Gardening Action Plan We've had a lot of interest in soil chemistry this week, which seems appropriate since it is National Science Week! So here are some of your questions - answered. These apply to every climate zone. Tropical Zone Organic matter is the 'magic bullet' when it comes to improving soil, and a quick way of adding masses of organic matter and building a garden at the same time is this: Building a No-Dig Garden Fact Sheet Subtropical Zone Macronutrients are the major elements your plants need - you'd be familiar with fertilisers listing their N:P:K ratios. What is N, P and K and how do they help your plants?: Plant Nutrition Fact Sheet Temperate Zone Incorporating animal manure to your soil is almost always beneficial but their properties, like pH, are extremely variable. We recommend composting manures first and also testing the pH before adding to your garden: pH Testing Fact Sheet Arid Zone Micronutrients are just as vital - but what do they do and where can you get them organically?: Rock Minerals Fact Sheet Cool Zone The decomposition of manure can actually help to warm up a cool soil - but which one should you choose?: Marvellous Manures Fact Sheet And if you want some ideas of what to plant in the vegie patch, don't forget to visit The Vegie Guide or Download the App Plant Pick Recognised by most as the crimson coloured floral emblem of New South Wales, 'waratah' is an Aboriginal word meaning beautiful...... The botanical name, Telopea, is derived from the Greek 'telopos' meaning 'seen from a distance,' a reference to the fact that the flowers stand out like a beacon in the bush. The genus was named Telopea by Robert Brown in 1810 from plants he collected in the Blue Mountains. The ideal way to grow these plants is under shade cloth as it mimics the natural environment in which they grow - dappled light rather than full sun. The hot sun tends to burn the bracts. The conventional wisdom with growing waratahs is to plant them and treat with neglect. They'll survive under such conditions, but if you really want them to reach their full potential, the secret is to provide them with plenty of water and low phosphorus native plant food during their growing period through spring and summer. Using drip irrigation is ideal. Waratahs grow from a modified stem called a 'lignotuber,' which allows the plant to produce masses of shoots after bush fires. These are capped by the instantly recognisable crimson flower heads, which are made up of many tiny florets which open from the bottom of the flower head to the top. They are protected by beautiful bracts which are actually modified leaves. These protect the flower while it's in bud and open out to give it its full glory. The woody seed pod of the waratah is produced in autumn and contains numerous winged seeds which are dispersed in the wind. Waratahs can be readily propagated from seed, but there is a problem - genetic variability. These days waratahs have now been developed to the point where there are some magnificent varieties available. These include a new variety called 'Brimstone Starfire'. There is only one way to propagate these and that's by stem cuttings. Other varieties that need vegetative propagation include the new interspecific hybrids. This includes a yellow form of the Tasmanian Waratah crossed with a New South Wales type, and a beautiful ivory white which has been bred from the Gippsland type, crossed with the New South Wales waratah. The advantage of these plants is that they have hybrid vigour, which makes them much more adaptable to the average garden situation. Waratahs can be prone to root rot, often caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. There are also other fungal diseases that can attack waratahs, so they need perfect drainage and this can be achieved by growing them in raised beds. Prune them at about waist level just above a healthy bud. That way you get a beautiful display of flowers at eye level the following year. When it comes to pests, without doubt, the worst problem is the macadamia nut borer. The caterpillars get into the flower buds when they're forming in the autumn, so watch out for that one. Gardening Australia - gardening for you, gardening for the planet Join us on Facebook Follow @gardeningaus Follow gardeningaus © 2012 ABC | Privacy Policy | Homepage | Manage newsletter subscription

Visit a garden filled with African plants, replacing garden tool handles, stopping tree damage, preventing leaf curl, the power of potassium + more!!!

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Welcome to the Gardening Australia Newsletter: 14/08/2015 Coming Up This Week Preventing Leaf Curl - Camellia Care - Little Africa - FAQs - Hybrid Strawberry Tree - The Curated Garden - Tree Protection - Get a Handle On It - The Power of Potassium Read more ABC TV: Saturday 15 August 2015, 6:30pm and Sunday 16 August 2015, 1:00pm Watch a Story Little Africa 15/08/2015 Preview a Story from the Upcoming Show Watch video Find a Fact Sheet The Power of Potassium Presenter: Jerry Coleby-Williams, 15/08/2015 Jerry explains the importance of potassium to plants, and shows how to apply it to encourage stronger growth and juicier fruit Read more Browse the Video Archive There are three ways you can access Gardening Australia video: Streaming: Watch short clips of various segments online. Download: Manually download the complete episodes to your computer. Vodcast: Subscribe and have the complete episodes automatically downloaded to your computer. Catch Up on iView GARDENING AUSTRALIA ON IVIEW Never miss a gardening moment! Gardening Australia on iView Weekly Gardening Action Plan Pruning for the best fruit and flowers seems to be on our viewers' minds, so here are some tips that should answer your questions before you get out in the garden this weekend. Cool Zone Stone fruit and pome fruit trees have very different requirements when it comes to pruning. Here's a simple guide: A Formative Prune Fact Sheet Subtropical Zone Keep productive citrus trees in shape with a careful haircut: Making the Citrus Cut Temperate Zone Roses are easy to prune, but if you want to get the best out of hybrid teas a little more care is required: Making the Cut Fact Sheet Tropical Zone Using sharp, well-maintained tools to prune is just as important as how you prune. Blunt secateurs can crush plant stems, leaving wounds where diseases can take hold. To avoid this Josh has some tips on secateurs maintenance: Secateur Maintenance Fact Sheet Arid Zone One of the best crops for arid gardeners is table grapes, but some people find them tricky to prune. Here's how: Time to Prune Grape Vines And if you want some ideas of what to plant in the vegie patch, don't forget to visit The Vegie Guide or Download the App Plant Pick On this week's show, Josh visits a garden filled with plants from Africa. The plant pick this week is one of those iconic African plants....the aloe. This genus, belonging to the asphodel (Asphodelaceae) family, contains more than 300 species of evergreen, fleshy-leafed, rosette-forming, sometimes treelike succulents, and is found through southern and tropical Africa to Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula. They range from low-growing grass-like perennials to trees, shrubs, and scrambling climbers. Aloes are popular landscaping plants in warm dry areas and many can be grown to good effect in containers. The pithy jelly from the leaves of one species, Aloe vera, is so widely used around the world medicinally, as well as cosmetically, that it is often known as the medicine plant. Aloes flower in winter and spring and will tolerate light frosts but many are tender and all prefer warm dry conditions. They should be planted in a position in full sun with light, very free-draining soil. They can tolerate soils of low fertility. Water when actively growing and flowering, but otherwise keep dry. Numerous species adapt to greenhouse or container conditions quite well. Propagation is from offsets, stem cuttings, or seed. Gardening Australia Magazine SEPTEMBER ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW HARD GARDENING Tim Entwisle kicks off this section focused on gardening in tough conditions, and the difficulties facing all gardeners as the climate becomes increasingly variable. Tim discusses how Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is tailoring its tree planting program to suit a warmer world. OLD CRAFTS This new series explores traditional horticultural skills. First up, Michael McCoy takes his cue from a medieval French garden to fashion decorative trellis from organic materials. Sticks, twigs, bamboo and prunings can all be turned into something that is part sculpture, part framework. REVAMPED ACTION PLANNER Monthly tasks, checklists, how-tos and step-by-steps are now packaged in a vibrant new format that is friendlier on the eye, but still packed with all the practical advice gardeners need. STARTER CROPS Here are 10 easy vegies perfect for first-timers. Grab a pot or mark out a plot and get on down to the nursery for some seedlings. Then follow our tips for stress-free vegie-growing. PLANT OF THE MONTH Don't be intimidated by the boisterousness of a happy wisteria vine. This fragrant climber is easily tamed and shaped for maximum impact with minimum worry. It's also an old favourite for Sophie Thomson, who has a long history with this beautiful plant. LAYING DOWN THE LAWN This succinct guide to lawn care explains how to sow lawn from seed, or lay it as fresh turf. There's a list of some of the top modern turf varieties, tips on rejuvenating old lawn with fertiliser and top-dressing, and advice on despatching moss, bindii and bare patches. DEAD OR RESTING? This quirky piece has John Patrick musing on the way some plants fake their deaths, how to check a plant's vital signs, and why a plant might become unhappy in the first place. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE John Patrick visits a Fiona Brockhoff-designed garden on the Mornington Peninsula See inside a Queensland garden where unique mosaic artwork sits in a lush foliage setting How do the gardeners at Floriade make 1 million flowers bloom on cue every year? Welcome the rainbow lorikeet to your garden and get rid of that pesky budworm Tino Carnevale shares some expert growing advice for the humble pumpkin Gardening Australia - gardening for you, gardening for the planet Join us on Facebook Follow @gardeningaus Follow gardeningaus © 2012 ABC | Privacy Policy | Homepage | Manage newsletter subscription

Pruning roses, beating weeds, gardening with wildlife + More!!!!

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Welcome to the Gardening Australia Newsletter: 7/08/2015 Coming Up This Week The Best of the Bush - A Delicious Climber - Triple Treat - Making the Cut - An Unusual Edible - Beating the Weeds - Ashby's Banksia - Welcoming the Wildlife Read more ABC TV: Saturday 8 August 2015, 6:30pm and Sunday 9 August 2015, 1:00pm Watch a Story Making the Cut 08/08/2015 Preview a Story from the Upcoming Show Watch video Find a Fact Sheet Beating the Weeds Presenter: Sophie Thomson, 08/08/2015 Sophie gives advice on how to deal with weeds in the garden Read more Browse the Video Archive There are three ways you can access Gardening Australia video: Streaming: Watch short clips of various segments online. Download: Manually download the complete episodes to your computer. Vodcast: Subscribe and have the complete episodes automatically downloaded to your computer. Catch Up on iView GARDENING AUSTRALIA ON IVIEW Never miss a gardening moment! Gardening Australia on iView Weekly Gardening Action Plan We've had lots of queries from viewers as weeds are starting to pop up around the country. Here are some tips on how to control them without using toxic chemicals. Tropical Zone Weed tea is a tried and true way of killing persistent and bulbous weeds, turning them into a tonic for your garden: Soil Tonics Fact Sheet Subtropical Zone In warmer areas, a compost pit is a terrific, easy way to add humus to your soil: Tried and True Fact Sheet Arid Zone Sophie shares her three-step plan to prevent weeds this weekend: Coming Up Temperate Zone Planting a no-dig bed right over the top of a patch of weeds will smother them, turning them into rich, deep soil: A No-Dig Garden Bed Fact Sheet Cool Zone Laying down weed or jute mat is a good way to prevent erosion as well as weeds colonising slopes while plants are establishing: Preventing Soil Erosion Fact Sheet And if you want some ideas of what to plant in the vegie patch, don't forget to visit The Vegie Guide or Download the App Plant Pick This week on the show, Josh will be profiling a the beautiful Ashby's Banksia (Banksia ashbyi). The plant pick this week is the Banksia..... Banksia is a member of the protea (Proteaceae) family and is a genus of around 75 species of evergreen shrubs and trees that feature attractive foliage, bold flowering spikes, and interesting fruiting cones. These woody low-growing shrubs to low-branching trees are endemic to Australia. Most species prefer an open sunny position and well-drained sandy soil low in phosphorus. Some banksias are moderately frost tolerant and once established, most will withstand dry conditions. Taking cut flowers will encourage flower production and thicken up the foliage. Propagate from seed, which often germinates better if heated or smoked. Some easy-to-cultivate species will also grow from half-hardened cuttings. Organic Gardener Magazine SEPTEMBER ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW This issue Organic Gardener goes global with hot tips on growing chillies, Vietnamese greens, tea, chickpeas and lots more! GROW: Eat your Vietnamese Greens and Herbs Penny Woodward shows how to add a bit of variety to your garden and kitchen with easy-to-grow Vietnamese greens and herbs BASICS: Convert Operations Millie Ross's guide to getting started with compost and worm farms so you can turn your waste into nutrient-rich food for soil and plants. ACTION: Scent of Spring You can almost smell the onset of spring, so there's plenty to do in the garden. POULTRY: Egg-cellent Eggs! Jessamy Miller cracks the code on how to ensure your hens lay healthy, nutrientpacked eggs that are safe to eat. LIFE: Take Time for Tea Anyone for tea? Daniel Honan and Justin Russell look at how to grow and brew the perfect cuppa. GROW: Pulse of Life Chickpeas are a reliable pulse that have been used by many cultures for centuries. Linda Cockburn gives her top tips on how to grow your own. PROFILE: Going Organic - Globally From Ghana to Ireland, we visit some innovative projects working towards an organic food future. PLANET: Is Glyphosate Really Safe? Simon Webster investigates the latest research questioning the safety of glyphosate - the most widely used herbicide on the planet. HARVEST: Life of Poh Celebrated cook, and now keen gardener, Poh Ling Yeow says food provides a link to her culture and shares some of her tasty recipes. Plus harvest tips from Phil Dudman and more! Organic Gardener Magazine Subscriptions Gardening Australia - gardening for you, gardening for the planet Join us on Facebook Follow @gardeningaus Follow gardeningaus © 2012 ABC | Privacy Policy | Homepage | Manage newsletter subscription