Real World Gardener Podcasts

 DESIGN ELEMENTS This is a series about foliage colour and contrast and textural contrast  for year round interest. The focus is also on non-general lines instead of production grown planting. In other words, plants that may not necessarily be easy to find but so worth the effort. We kick off the series with mixed shrub borders. MIXED SHRUB BORDER  Are they a thing of the past or a living process that still has relevance for the modern smaller garden? Hibiscus capitolia 'Apricot Sport' This kind of design style has been used for hundreds of years because it has great garden appeal.  There is no reason for it be considered irrelevant or 'old hat,' simply because it is so adaptable. It can be either formal or informal, full of colour and contrast or not, annuals, perennials and shrubs. Today though, it's all about the shrubs and is a start of the design series that covers everything from mixed shrub borders, sub-shrubs, climbers, hero trees to best garden bromeliads. I have to say, Peter Nixon  and Real World

KITCHEN GARDEN   LEMON VERBENA Did you think that herbs were just for making tea? Maybe not, but some herbs have endless uses, and this week I’m featuring the herb lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora) that’s larger than you would expect to find in a herb garden so probably could fit into the back of a border but in a sunny location. Lemon verbena photo M Cannon How would I describe the scent of lemon verbena? I would say that lemon verbena has a bright, slightly sweet flavour with a strong hint of lemon. The strong lemon scent of this herb is far less overpowering than the lemon flavor and fragrance of lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon mint, and lemongrass. What does it look like? Lemon verbena is a vigorous growing deciduous shrub to 3 metres tall by 3 metres wide.  The leaves are a lime green and lanceolate, and flowers appear in late spring until the end of summer almost.  The flowers are white, quite small and appear in a panicle. My plant is quite an old plant that I prune each winter to about 1 metre o

 SPICE IT UP MIXED SPICE The name 'mixed spice,' sounds 'oldie worldie' to me because it's not something that comes up in too many recipes these days.  Perhaps if your flicking through an old  Woman's Weekly recipe book, or the cookbook you used at school in home economics class, you might find it in the cakes and buns section.   What is mixed spice? Mixed Spice is a sweet spice blend and is used in a variety of cakes, puddings, pies, breads and buns, biscuits, pancakes, cupcakes, gingerbreads, and even fruit salads. Mixed spice has actually the following ground spices. Cinnamon-two types, Sri Lankan cinnamon and cassia cinnamon Nutmeg Ginger-to add brightness and freshness Cloves-a very small amount. Allspice-a spice all on its own which is actually a berry. Coriander seeds, ground of course. Coriander is an amalgamating spice. But what do you use if you can find it on the supermarket shelves? Melting Moment biscuits Mixed spice quick alternative: Cinnamon 1 tablespoon Nutmeg     1 teaspoon Ginger 

Plant Nutrition Deficiencies:Phosporus and Potassium We have talked bout the role nitrogen played in played health and what to look for if a plant was deficient in one of the major nutrients, being Nitrogen. In fact there are three major nutrients which are classified as NPK ratio on the back of all fertilisers. So in this part of the blog, we carry on with the two other major or macro nutrients. Let's look at phosphorus deficiency Phosphorus is responsible for the development of flowers and fruits and roots. Phosporus is known as a mobile nutrient which can move around the plant to where it's needed. Phosphorus deficiency happens more often in cold weather or gardens receive high rainfall, or a combination of both. Often affects heavily fruiting plants such as citrus. N..B. native plants are highly sensitive to phosphorus, so avoid spreading phosphate fertilisers near these plants. First Symptoms: Older leaves become quite a dark green then develop a purplish tinge.   Tips will then dry off. Not

 PLANT HEALTH Plant Nutrition Deficiencies: Macro Nutrient Nitrogen The 'Plant health' segment was created for my radio show "Real World Gardener,' as a division of the 'Plant doctor' segment, because I felt that it’s important to focus on what can go wrong with plants that isn’t a pest or a disease. In the following audio podcasts, you will hear about what to look for in plants that have deficiencies of one of the macro nutrients: Nitrogen:Phosphorus:Potassium; in other words NPK or the macro nutrients. Gardeners can often see problems appearing first in the colour of the leaves, but this can also be followed closely by lack of vigour, stunted growth and general unthriftiness of the plant.   The key to diagnosing problems, however isn't just looking at the colour of the leaves but it's knowing your soil type and soil pH. Yes, I know, we do go on about soil pH but that often underlies the reason behind your plants' problems. The other underlying problem may be insufficient drainage which causes waterlogging

 KITCHEN GARDEN LACTO-FERMENTATION There are several ways to preserve food, these include freezing, drying, pickling and fermenting. You may think that fermented foods are a recent trend, but in fact, fermenting food has been carried out for thousands of years. Fermenting food is one way of preserving your ample supply of produce that's growing in your garden. There are a few ways to ferment foods but lacto-fermentation is one of the easiest. The term lacto-fermentation is a scary one and belies how simple it really is. It's unbelievably quick and easy. So what is it? Firstly the term wasn't derived for having to use milk in the process. Lacto refers to the lactobacillus bacteria that does all the breaking down of the food. Did you know that all vegetables are covered in the various strains of the good bacteria lactobacillus? It does involve lactic acid in the process which is a good thing because lactic acid is a natural preservative. What about the bad bacteria? No problem, the brine that you subme

 PLANT DOCTOR Brown Rot of Stone fruit There’s plenty of cultivars of stone fruit trees that can fit into any size garden. Trixie and Pixie dwarf nectarine and peach trees have been around for years. “There’s even a nectarine tree classed as Super Dwarf called ‘ Peach Sunset” that is grafted onto super dwarfing rootstock to produce a more compact tree growing to around 1.5 m tall. This Nectarine is self fertile so only one tree is needed. But before we get too carried away, what are the cons for growing stone fruit? Is deciduous a con? Possibly, because stone fruit tree are deciduous so if you don't like the bare look in winter, stone fruit trees are not for you. Do you need two trees for fruit set? Not always so do your homework. Preventative spraying for peach leaf curl and  brown root of stone fruit may be needed. Perhaps I'm preaching to the converted and you already grow stone fruit. Also perhaps, like me, you've never had a delectable harvest stolen from under your nose due to a fungal disease.

KITCHEN GARDEN Rose Geranium  Scientific name: Pelargonium graveolens Family: Geraniaceae Rose geranium leaves (photo Corinne Mossati)   Personally I’m a fan of scented plants whether it’s the flowers or the leaves. I just love to inhale their perfume either by sniffing the flowers or touching the leaves. This next plant, the rose geranium, is not just your ordinary scented geranium because of its many uses. Sure you can get by just inhaling the perfume after crushing the leaves but why not think about it’s culinary uses, especially in festive drinks.  First let's talk about the plant. Rose geraniums are quick growing especially in the warmest months of the year. Expect this to be a small bush of 1-2-1.5meters with leaves that are soft to the touch, slight hairy and deeply incised as pictured on the right.  Rose geraniums grow best in full sun but can tolerate part shade. Also frost and drought tolerant. Rose Geranium spritzer (photo Corinne Mossati)   Keep pruning the leaves to make your rose ger

 SPICE IT UP Indian Cooking Class Forget those jar sauces and ready- made pastes that you can buy in supermarkets. If you want a real curry, you’ll need to make it yourself but aren’t they complicated? Well they can be but that’s why you need an Indian cooking class. Ian's spice kit is named after Christine Manfield's new cookbook called 'Indian Cooking Class.' If you're a bit daunted by Indian recipes then would be chefs would find this very useful. In this segment Ian takes us through what some of the most often used spices are in Indian cooking and why they are so important to Indian cuisine.  Some of these are: Ajowan seed Methi or Fenugreek leaves. Panch phora- a spice blend Chaat masala is a spice blend containing cumin, black salt, fennel seed, amchur or green mango powder, and garam masala-(fennel,caraway, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and pepper) and Asafeotida.. Gunpowder spice blend. I have now tried the 'butter chicken recipe twice for this book and give a 5 star rating. As good as if n

 KITCHEN GARDEN Festive Drinks with Pineapple Sage I talk with Corinne Mossati about this wonderful culinary sage that is so useful in festive drinks. You may be growing some lovely salvias in your garden but not realise that one of them in particular, can make a luscious and revitalising drink, just right for the festive season.  Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is in the Lamiaceae or mint family. Found growing naturally in forests quite high up but does well along the east coast of Australia. A fast growing small shrub to 1.5m, that suits most regions of Australia with large leaves that are, distinctly veined and a bright lime-green in colour. \ Salvia elegans-pineapple sage Grow it in reasonably rich soil that has a good water holding capacity to keep it moving along during the warmest months of the year. Best in full sun. Tip prune whenever you pass to keep your pineapple sage more compact and lush. Flowers occur mainly in winter but will spot flower most of the year. Let’s find out. PLAY: Festi

 SPICE IT UP Dill versus Fennel How well do you know your herbs? Have you ever used fresh dill in any recipes? Perhaps a dill sauce, with smoked salmon or in a potato salad, but what about fennel.? Those feathery fronds of dill, have a similar smell to fennel, so can they be used interchangeably? Dill is pictured here but it looks similar to the feather fronds of fennel doesn't it? So how can you tell the difference between dill and fennel fronds? Fennel bulb and frond Dill fronds are slightly finer and a darker green than fennel fronds. Dill has a higher anise or licorice note when you crush the leaf. Fennel has the same level of anethol (active enzyme) but tends to be sweeter. Seeds or both dill and fennel are used in cooking and are referred to as a spice. Seed flavour profiles differ from the fresh plant.  Dill fronds are sometimes referred to as 'dill weed' in recipes. Dill seeds are used a lot in pickles, but don’t have magical properties. Ian’s great tip was when using fennel seeds, dry r

Slime Moulds part 2 The podcast continues with the topic of slime mould but particularly, about the slime mould called phytophthora.  Did you prick up your ears? Yep, that’s the root rot known as phytophthora which gardeners dread. Gardeners are often told that phytophthera, in particular Phytophthera cinnamomi,  is a fungi but it's actually a water mould. You may have even heard it called 'root rot.' Phytophora is a particular slime mould that belongs to a group or Phyllum called Oomycota  This group are moulds that can only move in water columns. Phytophthora cinnamomi lives in the soil and in plant tissues,  During drought or prolonged dry periods , the organisms become dormant chlamydospores which is just a resting spore of Ascomycota.  When environmental conditions are suitable, the chlamydospores germinate, producing mycelia (or hyphae) and sporangia.  The sporangia ripen and release zoospores, which infect plant roots by entering the root behind the root tip.  This organism is very resistant

 PLANT DOCTOR Slime Mould: What Is It?  Part 1   What do the words slime mould conjure up in your imagination? Is it that black stuff growing in the grout and on the tiles in your bathroom? Or is it that green stuff on your paths on the south side of the house? You may be surprised to find that it’s neither one of those so where is it lurking? There are a lot of other moulds that live in the garden some of which are very useful. Wolf Milk Slime mould Slime moulds are in the kingdom:Protista. Did you know that slime moulds have a life cycle, and when you are able to observe them, is only part of their lifecycle? They're usually brightly coloured -reds, vivid greens, yellow and purple.  They can grow on grass, logs and pretty much anywhere where the environment is conducive. Slime moulds are not very well known in Australia, but Tasmania has around 100 species of slime moulds one of which is called 'dog vomit.'  Slime moulds are highly useful in that they break down materials, 80% of which is made

GRAFTING TECHNIQUES Part 2 Approach grafting is an alternative method for citrus. In part 1 of grafting techniques Margaret Mossakowska and I talked about how growing from a tree such as an orange or lemon from seed isn’t all that successful unless you graft it onto hardy rootstock. In this segment, we refresh some of those points and take you onto more grafting techniques. There are many types of grafting that are available to be used, some more complex or more exacting than others. My Take On Grafting Cleft grafting I find is quite straight forward and easy to get right.  I've tried grafting Camellia reticulata scions onto Camellia sasanqua rootstock with a 100% success rate.  Camellia reticulata has huge flowers, a feature I wanted growing in my garden. Camellia 'Red Crystal' is a cross between C.reticulata ‘Crimson Robe’ and C. japonica ‘Wildfire,’ however, both are slow growing. and don't grow so fast in temperate Sydney. I find this is a faster alternative, plus Camellia sasanquas are very har

 THE GOOD EARTH Grafting Techniques part 1 & 2 If you’ve ever grown a tree from it’s seed, such as an orange lemon or avocado, you probably were disappointed by the result.  I daresay, that firstly, it took a long time for it to fruit, and when it did, it was nothing like the fruit that the seed came from.  After all apart from the novelty factor of  being able to grow a tree from a tiny seed, the time involved isn't really worth the effort. So what to do instead? Lemon tree Switch to grafting methods. Grafting is a method that would vastly improve the result all round but the word itself sounds terrifying if not complicated!  There is after all the possibility that you'll end up slicing of the tip of your finger with the super sharp budding knife, or at the very least drawn blood from the deep wound that resulted from a slip of the wrist.  I confess to having done that.   Practice makes perfect and I would recommend wearing gloves before attempting to do any type of grafting. So What is Grafting?

SMALL SPACE GARDENING-COURTYARD STYLE Modern day gardens are much smaller than they used to be. Many gardeners and would be gardeners, hanker for a produce filled garden with as many different edibles  as befits their lifestyle. If you you only have a small space such as a paved courtyard or even just a balcony, but don’t know what to do next, this next segment will spur you onto creating your own oasis, without digging up the stones or pavers.  Be inspired Corinne has managed to squeeze in over 200 plants into a small paved courtyard-that doesn't even include duplicates of plants. A good start is with recycling crates from your local council, to give you an idea of what works for you. Alternatively, plant into lots of containers that can be moved around to follow the sun.Then venture into raised garden beds. Making the right choice Before any planting, determine the movement of the sun in your small space and  and note down the hours of sunlight and shade in each part of your small space/courtyard.

PLANT OF THE WEEK Number 3 Scientific Name: Microseris Lanceolata Common Name:Murnong Yam Family:Asteraceae   Yam Daisy Native Habitat: found in a wide range of habitats in Australia: these inlcude mallee, slerophyll and sub-alpine communities. Description:-Strappy, linear green leaves above underground tubers that emerge after rain in Autumn. Height-Width: 30cm x 30cm Flowering: yellow daisy flowers in spring-autumn. Fruiting:fluffy seedheads (known as achenes), similar to dandelion seedhead. Position: Full sun and part shade.  Attributes: Dry tolerant once established and can grow in sandy soil. There are many bush tucker plants that are not that well known and this is another one of them. Yam daisy plant can be hard to identify in the wild because it looks like a lot of other yellow daisy plants, including dandelions and flatweed, also called cats ears. The main differences: flat weed has a rosette of hairy, wavy-edged leaves that sit flat on the ground, while murnong has upright lance-sha

PLANT OF THE WEEK Number 2 Scientific Name: Atriplex nummularia Common Name:Old Man Saltbush Family: Chenopodiaceae Native Habitat: found in semi-arid and arid areas of Australia. Description:-grey-green leaves on a somewhat woody shrub. Dioecious-separate male and female plants. Height-Width: 3 x 2-5 m Flowering: small white flowers occur throughout most of the year. Fruiting:rounded fruits. Position: Full sun and tolerant of some shade.  Attributes: Dry tolerant once established due to the extensive deep root system that extends to 5m deep and 10m across. The leaves impart a salty flavour if your dry and crumble them and sprinkle on food. Possibly, listeners would be familiar with the term ‘old man saltbush’ or even have seen this plant growing somewhere. But I daresay, you would not have heards that parts of this plant are considered bush tucker. There are many bush tucker plants that are not that well known and this is another one of them. The Department of Primary Industries NSW recommends th

 PLANT OF THE WEEK Scientific Name: Rubus parvifolia Common Name:Native raspberry Native Habitat: found mainly along the east coast in rainforest or coast heath communities. Description:A scrambling vine or shrub the shoots from underground rhizomes with hooked thorns to help it climb.  Height-Width: 2 x 2 m Flowering: December to April Fruiting:Juicy fruit produced in clusters. Position: Full sun or part shade. Attributes: Dry tolerant once established.   Rubus parvifolia Not all fruiting vines or canes come from the northern hemisphere, Australia has quite a lot of its own. These plants have similar fruits and are easier to grow than there northern counterparts so why are we growing them more?  My experience is observing one such plant in Sydney Botanic gardens, scrambling on a stream bank near the Palm House. This plant is part of the native garden along with banksias, grass trees, lomandras, carpobrotus and many others, including a peppermint gum. The habit of rubus species is to keep suckering

 Nasturtiums  with Corinne Mossati Quite often we gardener have flowering plants in the garden but never think about bringing them into the kitchen to make something. They may be just fillers or self-seeders, but in this case, the nasturtium, has so many extra uses other than ornamental, you’ll be inspired to do something. Germinating  Nasturtium Seeds. Plant the seeds in moist well drained soil, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged. Corrine find it takes between 14-21 days.   Why not try the Alaska variety with variegated leaves, or 'Black Velvet' with deep red flowers and dark leaves. The one pictured is growing in my garden, is 'Cherry Rose.' Eating Nasturtiums-Corinnes'tips: Leaves taste peppery and are great for adding with other greens to salads. Why no try drying the leaves and grind them to a powder.  When combined with salt you have a condiment to flavour food or crust the rim of your margeurita cocktail glass!   Nasturtium flowers are edible too. Use them as you would zucchini flowers. Nas