Gardening Australia episode 5 2020: Sophie Thomson meets two women inspired by Kangaroo Island’s native flora, Jane Edmanson meets two young female horticulturists working in an historic garden and Costa Georgiadis has fun with frogs and turtles.
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 5 2020
Cruden Farm
Jane visits Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s garden to meet the two young and passionate female horticulturists who now tend it. Cruden Farm has always been a place that has encouraged, nurtured and inspired strong, trail-blazing women – Jane meets with two passionate, young, female horticulturists who have the privilege to work in this historic garden.
Since the moment the Cruden Farm property was gifted to a young Elisabeth Murdoch by her husband Keith in 1928, this property and its stunning landscape has been shaped by women. Dame Elisabeth Murdoch adored the garden at Cruden Farm and was said to have known every inch of the property and every plant in its extensive grounds intimately. Arising before dawn to hand water the garden for many, many years, Dame Elisabeth (alongside her “number two gardener, Michael Morrison) was the visionary behind the breathtaking “gardeners garden” we see today.
FAQs – Deciduous Natives | Hydrangeas | Digging up frogs!
Gardening Australia presenters answer commonly asked gardening questions.
Fruits of Labour
Josh visits a nursery specialising in unusual tropical fruit trees to find out how Perth’s mild climate is no limit to growing a wide range of backyard fruit. Josh visits a nursery specialising in exotic and tropical fruit trees, and finds out how Perth’s mild climate means there’s no limit to the strange fruit you can grow in your backyardWe’re at a nursery outside of Perth owned by Joe Tassone, a man who’s spent years building up a reputation in Perth as being the go-to guy for advice and sourcing unusual and exotic edible plants.
Joe says a lot of people that come in are not only struck by the diversity of food plants on offer, they’re surprised that you can grow these tropical delights quite easily in Perth! “People don’t realise…you can grow subtropical and tropical fruit plants in the Perth metro area…there’s no frost and there’s houses and fences everywhere so it works”. Joe says once you bolster Perth’s sandy soils, and “think about your microclimate” there’s a whole world of tropical fruits out there.
Making a Homemade Hanger
Millie makes a simple homemade plant hanger using just a piece of cord!
Frog Pond Fix-Up
Costa revisits a frog bog he installed at a community preschool to check on any hoppy inhabitants. Costa revisits a fun frog-bog he installed a couple of years back at a community preschool to check on any hoppy inhabitants, and make some changes to get the area cranking….and croaking!
Back in 2018, Costa hopped in to a community preschool in Sydney’s Dover Heights to set up a frog bog for the kids, using a pond, a bathtub, some decking and some beautiful frog-friendly vegetation. The mix of plantings were designed to provide habitat and coverage for the frogs themselves, but also attract insects – the frogs preferred food source.
As Costa said at the time, the secret to Frog Bogs is to build it and, if it’s done right, the frogs will just come. So – how has this one gone? “Well, we’ve heard frogs here, but we haven’t seen any tadpoles or frogs yet” says Jacqueline Whiley, Director of the Dover Heights Community Preschool. Luckily, Costa has a couple of tips and tricks that he reckons will bring the frogs to the yard.
Unsung Women in Australian Horticulture
We present a special tribute to some of the women who have made a significant contribution to our understanding of gardening, botany and horticulture.
Birds in the Burbs
Gardening Australia’s newest guest presenter, Emmaline Bowman, shows us how to encourage small birds into the garden. Guest presenter, landscape architect Emmaline Bowman shows us how we can encourage some new feathered friends to our gardens through planting, planning and a little bit of patience.
Australia is home to an astonishing diversity of birds, with over 850 species calling this country (and our offshore islands) home. From international travellers who migrate here annually, to the 400 or so that are found nowhere else on earth, Australia’s bird population is nothing short of remarkable. But, while our thoughts often go first to the big “showstoppers” of the Aussie bird world – the emus, cockatoos, cassowaries, owls and parrots, it’s important not to forget about the little guys.
Kangaroo Island Flora – Gardening Australia episode 5 2020
Sophie visited Kangaroo Island before the recent bushfires to meet two women who have dedicated their lives to the local flora. Thankfully the part of the Island where the women work was unaffected. We hope by showing the uniqueness of the island, visitors will be encouraged to return.
Screening Metal Fences and Sheds
Want to a plant to screen out a metal fence or shed? Millie is growing an evergreen plant that not only looks good – it tastes good too!
Phosphorus for What?
Jerry explains how understanding the vital role of phosphorus for both human and plant health, can make us better gardeners. For a healthy, productive garden like Jerrys, there are certain things you must have to keep it thriving.
When Jerry moved to his Brisbane property in 2005, he had his soil tested, and what e found was typical of many Australian soils – heavily weathered, and chronically deficient in phosphorus. Phosphorus is a vital component of healthy plant growth, and cannot be rectified by simply adding composts too soils and garden beds. Before Jerry planted anything on his block, he added super-phosphate to his entire planting area, at a rate of two handfuls per square metre.
Succulent Turtle
Costa is helped by some pre-schoolers to make a turtle using succulents – the Succulent Turtle!
