Start your spring in the garden!

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Next on: Tonight 7.30pm, Rpt Sunday 1.30pm on ABC + iview   Coming up   Costa joins a school’s celebration of a 30-year commitment to the local landscape, Millie builds a blooming letterbox, Josh meets a teenage bee keeper and we visit a tulip farm bursting with blooms   WATCH now     Video Preview   Tonight 7.30pm on ABC + iview   Josh meets a 16-year-old bee keeper who is so passionate about keeping honey bees, he’s teaching other young people   Find out more       Factsheet Highlight  Fact Sheet   Millie makes a modern letterbox with room for plants, excess produce and the daily post     VIEW NOW         Gardening Australia Weekly Quiz Which fruit tree does not like a hard prune? A) Nectarine      B) Mandarin      C) Lemon Answer to last week's question: Q. Alliums (garlics, onions, leeks etc.) prefer growing in which soil type? A. B - Alkaline     What to plant this weekend   Tropical Climate Zone Asparagus Beetroot Celery Pumpkin Subtropical Climate Zone Basil Coriander Lettuce Tomatoes Arid Climate Zone Carrots Kale / Collards Oregano Sweet Corn Temperate Climate Zone Broccoli Celery Eggplant Leeks Cool Climate Zone Broccoli Celery Onion  Parsley   Jobs for the weekend   Cool Now that the weather has started to warm, keep an eye out for aphids, especially on the underside of brassica leaves. Squash them if you see them to deter their mates. It’s a ripper time to give your citrus trees a feed as they start to come into a real growing period. Aged composts, manures or blended organic fertilisers are best to promote strong, healthy growth. Spring salads and sangas are not the same without lettuce, and this weekend is the perfect time to direct sow some lettuce seeds. Try some heirloom varieties for a twist on these lovely leaves. Warm Temperate The smell of sweet peas are in the air. Cut some sweet pea flowers for a vase inside – you’ll encourage further flowers, and get to enjoy the intoxicating scent. The grass is growing, so it’s the perfect time to dethatch your lawn. Using a thatching rake, remove any dead stems and other debris that’s collected between the grass and the soil Low maintenance, good-looking and hardy – Statice (Limonium perezii) sounds almost too good to be true! This purple flowering perennial is easy to grow from seed – try some at your place. Subtropical In the subtropics, broad beans are starting to flower but, be patient. They won’t set fruit until the weather warms up a little more, so keep the water up to them, give them a feed….and wait. Whether you prefer sweets or savouries, cordial or cocktails, you cannot go past a home-grown lime or two. Plant a Tahitian lime for tart, juicy fruits, and a Makrut for its foliage and zest! Cyclamens are coming to the close of their fab floral show, so it’s time to give them a rest. Allow the tubers to dry out and place them under the shade of a tree or shrub until next year. Tropics Take your tastebuds on a trip and plant a Burdekin Plum (Pleiogynium timoriense). A hardy native rainforest tree, the fruits are great in jams, cakes and jellies. The sun has a real bite to it at this time of year, and if you’re feeling it, so is your garden. Knock together some shade cloth covers and tepees to protect vulnerable and sensitive plants. Pumpkins are easy to grow and generous once they fruit, sow some seeds this weekend. Make sure they have enough room to roam, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different varieties. Arid Zones Gardeners in arid zones, it’s the perfect time to sow annual herbs, and if you’re looking for a basil that won’t get busted by grasshoppers, try a Thai basil with its aromatic, anise flavour. If you’re making a start on summer vegies, it’s a great idea to start them off in pots and punnets, so they can be protected from any late frosts. Caterpillars are starting to get busy in the garden and many can make short work of young plants. Remove them by hand, but remember, not all caterpillars are garden pests.   Catch up on ABC iview   Never miss a gardening moment!   Watch more     Subscribe     Follow Us     The ABC sent this message to garden336.tool@blogger.com these details are included to help provide assurance that this is a genuine email from ABC. Any personal details and data acquired by the ABC from your participation in any ABC Online Services will be used only in accordance with the ABC's Privacy Policy.     © 2019 Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC, ABN 52 429 278 345. 700 Harris St Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.   Unsubscribe from this eNewsletter | Discover other email newsletters | Privacy

Espalier, hot propagation + your chance to win a 2020 Gardening Australia Diary and Calendar!

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Next on: Tonight 7.30pm, Rpt Sunday 1.30pm on ABC + iview   Coming up   Jane revisits a stunning native garden, we meet a landscape designer with an iconic style, Millie Ross harnesses the power of a hot compost and Sophie Thomson gets espalier tips from an expert   WATCH NOW     Video preview   Tonight 7.30pm on ABC + iview   Sophie meets a fruit pruning expert to discover how to easily create her own espaliered fruit trees   Find out more       Factsheet Highlight   Factsheet   Millie harnesses the power of the compost to get an early start on some spring propagation     Read More         Gardening Australia Weekly Quiz Alliums (garlic, onions, leeks etc.) prefer growing in which soil type? A) Acidic     B) Alkaline     C) Neutral pH Answer to last week's question: Q. The country Brazil is named after: A. A Tree!     2020 Gardening Australia Magazine Calendars and Diaries   The 2020 Gardening Australia magazine diaries and calendars will be on sale on Thursday 29th August and to celebrate their release, there are 5 sets up for grabs!   For your chance to win, simply send an email telling us in 25 words or less, what your 2020 new-year gardening resolutions are!   Email your entry to: ABCCommercial@abc.net.au   What to plant this weekend   Tropical Climate Zone Beetroot Chilli Chives Squash Subtropical Climate Zone Asparagus Burdock Carrots Zucchini Arid Climate Zone Basil Cabbage (Loose and Tight-headed) Cucumber Spring Onions  Temperate Climate Zone Artichoke (Globe) Lettuce Peas / Snow Peas Watermelon Cool Climate Zone Artichoke (Jerusalem) Celeriac Mustard Greens Shallots   Jobs for the weekend   Cool It’s time to get fresh with our edible Native River Mint, Mentha australis. This soft, sprawling groundcover loves a moist soil, and grows in full sun to full shade. With passionfruits now harvested, it’s time to give overgrown vines a good solid prune. Remove dead wood and prune back to 1m diameter – your vine will be happier, healthier and more productive for it Nothing says spring like the fabulous flower spikes of delightful Delphiniums. It’s not too late to carefully plant seedlings of these classic cottage cuties at the back of a garden bed and enjoy. Warm Temperate Warm temperate gardeners may notice small, white marks on the bark of citrus trees. It’s white louse scale and should be treated with a horticultural oil before it effects the health of your plant. It’s harvest time for winter-sown beetroots. The most obliging of root vegies, you can see their crown above the soil surface at harvest time – the smaller the crown, the more tender the beet! Lawn lovers, take advantage of the weather, and green up your grass. Oversow worn patches with lawn seed, spike your lawn to relieve compaction, and apply an organic slow release fertiliser.  Subtropical In the subtropics, Two Spotted Mite are emerging after winter. Mottling leaves, distorting buds and leaving webbing on plants, treat these sap-suckers by wiping both sides of foliage with a wet cloth each day for a week. Poinsettias have finished flowering, so it’s the perfect time for a hard haircut. Prune them back by two thirds to keep them healthy and compact. Avoid contact with the sticky white sap! Need a warm season windbreak in your garden - grow a Feijoa or two (Acca sellowiana). These attractive edibles can be hedged easily and bear masses of edible flowers and Autumn fruit. Tropics Sharpen up those secateurs and give plumbagos a trim. A tip prune and tidy up will see these summer flowering shrubs come into their own in a few months. If you don’t have the space to grow a variety of tropical fruits, chuck in a Cherimoya (Annona cherimoya). A relative of the Custard Apple with the flavour of mango, bananas, pineapple and coconut. It’s fruit salad, in a fruit! The iconic Sturts Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) are in flower now and can be grown at home. From seed or grafted plants, these groundcovers love free draining soil and a warm spot.  Arid Zones It’s time to plant some pecans. These vigorous trees can produce masses of delicious nuts at maturity, so pop a pollinating pair into a sunny spot and enjoy. Australia’s wildflowers are world renowned and are beginning to come into bloom now. Why not head to your local botanic garden, bushland reserve or national park and enjoy the show. Now that the risk of frost has passed, watermelon seeds can be planted at your place. These fab fruits need at least 6 hours sun per day, plenty of water, and room for their vines to run.   Catch up on ABC iview   Never miss a gardening moment!   Watch more     Subscribe     Follow Us     The ABC sent this message to garden336.tool@blogger.com these details are included to help provide assurance that this is a genuine email from ABC. Any personal details and data acquired by the ABC from your participation in any ABC Online Services will be used only in accordance with the ABC's Privacy Policy.     © 2019 Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC, ABN 52 429 278 345. 700 Harris St Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.   Unsubscribe from this eNewsletter | Discover other email newsletters | Privacy