Next on: Tonight 7.30pm, Rpt Sunday 1.30pm on ABC + iview | | | | | |
| | | | | Clarence explains the importance of traditional burning techniques in managing native landscapes; Sophie propagates wisteria vines; Josh shows you how to pick the perfect palm for your place and Jane explores a native suburban garden filled with amazing plants and ideas! | | | | | | | | |
 | | | | | | | | Tonight 7.30pm on ABC + iview | | | | Jane meets a gardener whose love of Australian plants grew from a single plant to an impressive collection that fills her suburban backyard. | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | Fact Sheet | | | | Josh visits a Palm nursery to learn about water wise palms and how to choose one for dry climates. | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |  | | Gardening Australia Weekly QuizWhich of the following foods is NOT from the rose (Rosaceae) family? A) Apples
B) Almonds
C) Grapes
See next week’s newsletter for the answer!
Answer to last week’s quiz question:
Q) Of some 1350 species of Acacia found worldwide, how many are Australian?
A) - b) Around 1000 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | If you’ve got the propagating bug after watching the ‘Homegrown Natives’ story, why not have a go at making your own newspaper propagating pots! They’re easy to make and a great project for gardeners of all ages. | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Tropical Climate Zone - Cucumber
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Parsley
Subtropical Climate Zone - Celery
- Peas/Snow peas
- Rocket
- Silverbeet
Arid Climate Zone - Broad beans
- Carrots
- Chicory
- Turnips
Temperate Climate Zone - Cabbage (Loose and tight-headed)
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Onion
Cool Climate Zone - Artichoke (Jerusalem)
- Broad beans
- Radish
- Shallots
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| | | | COOL - Dust off the secateurs to prune apples and pears! Remove inward growing branches, damaged wood and shorten side-shoots to four plump, healthy buds.
- Don’t bin your tree pruning’s– straight branches can be used as stakes or plant supports, smaller branches for garden edging and weaving, and fruit woods used for smoking foods!
- The soil is as cold as a dog’s nose, but rhubarb divisions can still go in. Plant crowns into compost-rich soil, spreading out the roots and leaving the top sitting just below the surface.
TEMPERATE - Plant an edible hedge of blueberries. A mix of varieties ensures an extended harvest – space plants 1m apart, on mounded soil rich with pine needles.
- As spring flowering bulbs like bearded iris and ranunculi start popping their heads up, a good feed with blood and bone will give them the tucker they need to rocket into spring
- Fringed Heath Myrtle, Micromyrtus ciliata is flowering now. This small native shrub is a great garden addition - tight, fragrant foliage and masses of red buds opening to white winter flowers
SUBTROPICAL - Save some space for ‘Mary Washington’ Asparagus. Tubestock or crowns can be planted now, and foliage cut to the ground. Harvest in as little as two years
- Colourful crepe myrtles have finished flowering, so take hold of those hedgers and give them a haircut. Lagerstroemia sp. flower on new wood, so todays prune is summers bloom!
- Show your timber tools some love. Sand splinters from wooden handles and apply a 50:50 linseed oil and turps mixture to help preserve the timber. Clean, oil and sharpen blades.
TROPICAL - The tropical staple, bougainvillea, are finishing flowering, so it’s time to don gloves, glasses and long sleeves and get pruning. They love a heavy hack back, flowering on new growth.
- Sow some easy to grow sweet potato tubers. These vigorous vines spread, so make sure you’ve got the space. Regular compost top ups keep them happy, and the foliage is edible.
- It’s the perfect time to pick paw paws. When harvested green, they are delicious in salads, or left to ripen for a sweet treat. If they have some yellow colour, they will ripen off the tree
ARID - Plan for spring and get a green manure crop in. Add life to fallow beds with faba beans, alfalfa, barley and buckwheat, cutting and turning into soil before seed set.
- It’s potato planting time! Using certified seed potatoes, sow your spuds in a sack, stack or even an old bin – just make sure you can keep adding compost and soil on top as they grow.
- Get wet this weekend and install a drip-irrigation system. Even a simple set-up is excellent for establishing plants, and can extend to pots, plots and fruit trees.
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Catch up on ABC iview | | | | Never miss a gardening moment! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
