Gardening Australia episode 3 2020: Costa Georgiadis visits a rental garden brimming with Aussie native plants in pots, Josh Byrne learns how a native marsupial is regenerating its plant filled habitat, Sophie Thomson visits an artist’s stunning home garden.
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 3 2020
Potted Perfection
Costa visits a Melbourne gardener who is proving that renting is no barrier to nurturing a stunning native garden.
Two years ago, Darren Partridge, a Research Administrator from a large University, took up gardening as a way to honour the memory of his recently deceased great aunt. Knowing little about gardening and growing, Darren decided to pop in some petunias, a plant his great aunt was very fond off. “She was a wonderful gardener, and loved these flowering annuals, so I thought I’d give it a go too” says Darren.
Filling a few pots in his rental property courtyard with seedling petunias, Darren quickly developed a bit of a collection of these plants, as well as a passion for the process. As his collection grew, so did his frustrations – “keeping a huge number of petunias became a challenge, the constant dead-heading was beyond tedious”.
FAQs – Orange red-flowering gum | Watering at midday | Germ-free boots
Gardening Australia presenters answer commonly asked gardening questions.
Tomato Russet Mite
Sophie Thomson shares her tips for treating tomato russet mite. Tomato Russet Mite is a perpetual problem for Sophie on her tomato crops, generally following significant hot dry weather, usually the first heat wave.
These microscopic mites are sap suckers, and while they can’t be seen with the naked eye, you can certainly see the damage they cause – the foliage of the plant will turn silver, followed by brown, from the bottom of the plant upwards. The first thing Sophie does to manage the issue is remove any affected foliage, and spray the plant with a seaweed-based plant tonic to give them a feed and a boost. If further treatment is required, a horticultural oil, soap spray of even sulphur will sort the mites out.
Destination Dining
Millie visits an acclaimed Victorian chef to see how she turned a blackberry-infested paddock into a lakeside garden retreat. Millie visits an acclaimed Victorian chef to see how a blackberry-infested paddock has been transformed into a magnificent lakeside garden and gourmet destination. They pick some produce, head to the kitchen, and cook up a storm.
About 80 minutes north-west of Melbourne is the forest-cloaked, lakeside town of Daylesford with its established European-style gardens, mineral-rich aquifers, and fertile volcanic soil. It’s a country town renowned for its cafes, restaurants, provedores, farmers’ markets, and small-scale producers.
Olla Watering Pots
Tino makes one of the oldest and simplest tools for keeping your garden watered – an unglazed terracotta pot or Olla. Ollas have been used for thousands of years in agriculture and gardening practices and are traditionally unglazed terracotta “jugs” filled with water and buried into the soil, with their necks protruding slightly.
Once the porous terracotta olla is in contact with the soil, water begins to seep into the surrounding soil, directly to the rootzone of surrounding plants. The amount of water drawn from the olla varies depending on the soil moisture – dry soil will draw water faster; wet soil slows it down.
Return to Quenda
Josh visits a pocket of urban bushland to find out how the reintroduction of a little-known marsupial, the Quenda, is helping to regenerate the plant community.
My Garden Path – Peter Nixon
We meet a garden designer who celebrates texture and contrast in his coastal garden.
The Happiest Plants of All
Jerry travels to a nursery that specialises in versatile, varied and underrated Dracaeana plants.
Combating Weeds in Horse Manure
Clarence shows how you can get the benefits of using horse manure on the garden, without getting the weeds!
Form and Function
Sophie visits an artist turned gardener in Strathalbyn who has created a picture-perfect home garden.
Fish in Fennel ‘Sabayon’ Recipe
Millie learns a new recipe for an old garden favourite – fennel!
