Gardening Australia episode 20 2020: Sophie Thomson visits a protea flower farm, Jerry Colby-Williams gets tips from an expert orchid grower, Jane Edmanson tackles citrus gall wasp and Costa Georgiadis sees how growing food brings people together.
Gardening Australia has always provided practical, trustworthy and credible gardening advice to inspire and entertain. Inspiring, entertaining and full of practical advice, join Costa Georgiadis and the team as they unearth gardening ideas, meet avid gardeners and look at some of the most inspiring gardens from across the country.
Gardening Australia episode 20 2020
Positives of Proteas
Sophie visits a flower farm and nursery that is dedicated to growing the colourful and dramatic South African Proteacea. Siblings Tina Bolton and Richard Gibson took over the family business when their parents retired. What their parents thought might be a bit of a hobby turned into a 7-day-a-week occupation. The farm grows Leucadendrons, Leucospermum and Proteas which all grow well in the area as it has a similar climate to Cape Town and the nutrient-poor, acidic soil suits them perfectly.
Richard says he loves the colour of the plants. Tina runs the cut-flower side of the business; with their wide range of species, there is something in flower all year around. Proteas alone flower for about 6 months a year. Plants are irrigated for the first three years and then they are left to themselves. They like good drainage and full sun. They can be grown in pots, using native plant potting mix.
Pruning is important to create a bushy form; this is best done by cutting flowers for indoors.
FAQs – What is pollen? | Collecting seaweed | Spiky plants
Gardening Australia presenters answer commonly asked gardening questions.
Flushing Drip Irrigation
Josh Byrne explains why it’s important to flush a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation works by providing small, measured amounts of water near the plant’s roots, where it’s most needed. Irrigation pipes can get clogged with material from the water supply or a break in the system, so it’s a good idea to have a flush point to clear this out.
On Josh’s vegetable patch, he puts a flush valve on the end of each line, but in other sections, such as a shrub bed that is more permanent, all the lines are attached to a single flush point so he can clean out the whole system at once. Josh does this once a year on most of his lines, but suggests doing it more often if you live in an area with poor water quality.
Peel and Reveal – Citrus Gall Wasp
Jane shares a new technique for tackling citrus gall wasp once and for all!
Farm it Forward
Costa visits a social enterprise in the Blue Mountains that is fostering community connections and providing much needed youth employment through growing food.
Plant Profile: Heliconias
We profile some stunning heliconias that would brighten any tropical garden.
Fixing Suckering Roses
Millie shows how to fix a suckering rose.
Soil Sleuth
Tino shares a simple soil test that will help transform any gardener into a soil sleuth.
Easy Orchids
Jerry meets an expert orchid grower to learn his secrets for keeping hardy orchids thriving.
Plant Profile: Chilean Nasturtium
Millie’s shares one of her favourite winter climbing plants – the Chilean climbing nasturtium.
Potty for Propagation
Hannah shares a simple tip for propagating multiple plants in a small space.
My Garden Path – Shelley Wood
We step inside Williamstown Botanic Gardens to meet curator Shelley Wood – a remarkable woman who has literally spent a lifetime growing in, and with, this beautiful garden.
