REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
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Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Stephanotis floribunda, Bridal Wreath.

Do you like fragrance in the garden?

 Have you a lot of plants with fragrance?

Along with fragrance in the garden, but for many years, the flowers have been used in bridal bouquets because they’re so lovely. Even though it prefers warmer climates gardeners in Europe love it so much that it’s sold as an indoor pot plant, even though it prefers to climb.

In fact it’s available there from florists climbing attractively over small frames in pots.

Also known as the Hawaiian Wedding Plant, this plant’s a must for the fragrant garden.

Let’s find out more about this plant.Listen to the podcast

Stephanotis looks lovely all year round and flowers more than once.

Did you know that the genus name-Stephanotis comes from the Greek words stephanos (crown) and otos (ear), supposedly because the flower tube looks like an ear canal surrounded by a crown of five ear-like lobes.

Stephanotis is in the dogbane and milkweed family whereas true jasmine (Jasminium officinale) is in the olive family.

If you have any questions about growing Stephanotis, or have some information to share why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com 

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

DESIGN ELEMENTS:

Colour schemes for gardeners.

Introducing a new series on Colour schemes in the garden over the next 4 weeks.

Colour is pretty much the most prominent factor in a garden design and often the first one considered.

Colour is what most gardeners are drawn to and for a lot of gardeners, the have distinct preferences for a certain colour.

Using Colour in the garden and making it look good desn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be easy or work the first time for you.

Good garden design involves knowing how to combine colours so that the final product will be one we like.

Let’s kick of the series, I'm talking with garden designer Lesley Simpson.

We know what we like when we see it.

Only practice and experimentation will develop your eye for colour and allow you to see the differences between colours.

 I hope the next four weeks of my Design Elements will help you with the colour palette in your garden.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

SPICE IT UP

Basil Ocimum basilicum

At one stage Greeks and Romans believed the most potent basil could only be grown if you sowed the seed while ranting and swearing. This custom is mirrored in the French language where semer le baslic (sowing basil) means to rant.
Well I hope you don’t have to swear and rant to get your Basil seeds to germinate, just have your pencils at the ready if you want to know how to grow, use and store Basil in the next segment. 

I'm talking with Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au

If you live in arid or sub-tropical regions you can sow Basil in late august in a mini greenhouse or indoors, but otherwise everywhere else, for everyone else, October, right through to January is the best time to sow Basil seeds. Best planted at soil temperatures between 18°C and 35°C
For something different when not try sowing cinnamon Basil or Lemon Basil or even Holy Basil, that is the true sacred basil that is grown in houses, home gardens and near temples all over India.

To dry Basil the air needs to be as humid free as possible. If you're able to grow Basil in cooler weather:Spring or Autumn, you have a better change of drying your Basil without it going black first.

Another method is to layer the leaves in a jar filled with olive oil. The oil excludes air getting to the leaves and turning them black.

If you have any questions about growing Basil or have some information you’d like to share, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Abutilon x hybrida Bella, Chinese Lantern

The common name for this plant reflects what the flower does.Hanging down like a lantern but until now, the bush grew quite big, around 2 - 4 metres tall and almost as wide.

In comes these relatively new introductions that are really dwarf plants, but with the same size flowers so they can be squeezed in anywhere. Who can resist?

Let’s find out about them. I'm talking with Karen Smith editor of www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley owner of www.thegreengallery.com.au

The really dwarf varieties of Chinese Lanterns are the Abutilon Bella series.

Bella series lanterns grow to 30cm tall and slightly wider.

They really can be squeezed into any spot in the garden if you have a semi-shaded spot or because they only grow small, potted Chinese Lanterns would be great as well.

Chinese lanterns flower for such a long time, from Spring right through to Autumn so if you do have room for some more plants, even a small bit or room, I recommend growing several.

Pruning is not required.

If you have any questions about growing Chinese Lanterns or have some information you’d like to share why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

TOOL TIME

Do you wear garden gloves when you’re doing jobs in the garden?

Garden gloves come in all shapes, colours, materials.

Some last really well, others don’t and you probably won’t buy them again.

Garden glove selection; leather gauntlets are good for rose pruning.

But why wear garden gloves?

Let’s find out if wearing gardening gloves is really that important. I'm talking with Tony Mattson, General Manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au

From spider bites, to ingrained dirt, gardening gloves protect your hands but not all gloves will work for all the situations in your garden.

That means you might have to have several different types on hand in the gardening cupboard, or under the sink in the laundry.

Leather gloves for rose pruning or pruning prickly plants, waterproof gloves when digging around in wet soil or potting mix, and all round gloves for general jobs.

Rubber gloves are good for wet work and thermal gloves are great for cold days.

If even you’re just picking up leaves, gardening gloves protect from unexpected nasties lurking amongst them.

Important: Try the gloves before you buy them. 

They need to fit like a ahem, glove. That means there is no space at the top of your fingers and no gap in between the fingers of the gloves. 

All gloves are made to a price point. You can buy them for as little as $5 or as much as $50 dollars.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
 REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
 Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF). The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

PLANT DOCTOR

Scale of Citrus

Female scales don't need to mate to lay eggs, but they die straight after laying those eggs and crawlers that hatch can remain under the body for a few days.

White Wax Scale. Photo Courtesy Eco organic garden.

These pests are very tiny when they hatch, around 1mm in size, so undetectable to the naked eye.

As they get older they build a protecting coating where they are pretty much untouchable by anything that you want to throw at it.

Once crawlers have found a place that suits them as a feeding site, the insert their piercing mouthparts into the plant and begin to produce a waxy coating.

So the best time to treat your plants for scale is now when they’re unprotected.

Let’s find out about what the different scales look like and how to treat them.

I'm speaking with Steve Falcioni from www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

Citrus Louse Scale

Did you know that there’s a ladybug that disguises itself as pest, almost looking like cottony cushion scale or mealybug but the difference between it and the pest that it resembles and eats, is that it’s relatively fast moving?

In fact this ladybug climbs up and down the twigs and branchlets looking for the mealybug dinner.

Mealybugs on the other hand, tend to hide in cracks and crevices of your plant and don’t really move much at all.

If you have any questions about scale pests or have some information you’d like to share, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition

 The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Today’s plant of the week originates from Texas and Louisiana so it’s is tolerant of drought, heat and humidity.

In comes the butterfly plant that adds a tough of lightness to your garden border; a bit like gypsophila used to do, but we don’t grow that so much nowadays.

Listen to the podcast to find out about them.

Talking with Karen Smith from www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley owner of www.thegreengallery.com.au

PLAY: Gaura Geyser_9th December 2015

 Gaura Geyser is a tough little plant the can be pruned almost to the ground to give more flowering during the summer months.

'Geyser Pink' is an upright, bushy, freely-branching perennial with tall, slender stems bearing narrow, lance-shaped, mid-green leaves and wand-like panicles of pink flowers from early summer into autumn.

Gaura Geyser pink

Gaura Geyser is a dense but compact plant that  flowers until the first frost.

Strong branching supports large, long-lasting deep pink blooms.

Exceptional in containers and as a cut flower.

Gaura Geyser like all Gauras. tolerates drought, heat and humidity.

The name Gaura means Superb, but now that botanists have changed the name to Oenothera or pronounced OWEN-O-THERA, putting it in the same family as evening primrose.
Where does Oenothera come from?
It’s not really certain but perhaps from the Greek words onos theras, meaning "donkey catcher", or oinos theras, meaning "wine seeker".
But also the Latin oenothera means "a plant whose juices may cause sleep" and there’s no record of this plant causing that.
I have heard it called wand flower and butterfly bush because the petals are held on long stalks above the clump of leaves; and it certainly makes a stunning edging plant

If you have any questions about growing Gaura Geyser, why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Today is the final in the series about the stewardship of trees.
On the menu is why we need to preserve our trees because in the long run, if you damage trees, you’re actually doing yourself a disservice.

Trees will take years to grow but can be injured or killed in a very short time. It's usually not possible to repair trees injured or stressed through construction damage.



Trees in the landscape



Not only that, severing roots close to the stem can cause instability.

Trees have a structural root zone

Listen to the podcast to find why we need to preserve trees.
Talking with Glenice Buck Consultant Arborist of www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au

Using a formula set out in the Australian Standard 4970-2009, Protection of Trees on Development Sites, the Tree Protection Zone and Structural Root Zone of a tree can be calculated.
Did you know that three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent?
Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only 55 litres of water a week. 
As trees transpire, they increase atmospheric moisture.

If you have any questions about tree maintenance or have some information you’d like to share, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. The new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Philodendron Xanadu and Philodendron Gold Bullion

Philodendron belong to the Araceae family of plants and some of them become enormous and climb to great heights.

Many of these plants are grown as ornamental and indoor plants.
If you work in a big office and have indoor plants, chances are you’ve got one of these and never notices.
You’d be surprised to learn though, that indoors is not all they’re cut out for.
Listen to the podcast. I'm talking with Karen Smith editor of www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchlery owner of www.thegreengallery.com.au

Philodendron Xanadu  belongs to a genus of plants that can’t really support themselves, so they have roots to do that for them.

Philodendron Xanadu is more like  a shrub with a soft trunk that sends off long distance aerial roots to maintain that support.

Philodendron Xanadu

You might be surprised to learn that Philodendron Xanadu was originally reported to be a selected chance seedling discover in 1983 in a Western Australian nursery. 

It was renamed 'Xanadu' by House Plants of Australia and released as their plant of the year in 1988
It was thought to be a sport or hybrid of Philodendron bipinnatifidum and named Philodendron 'Winterbourn' and protected under Plant Breeder Rights in Australia.

Philodendron Xanadu has very attractive lobed leaves that are richly green and lush.

It grows to around 75 cm in height and eventually makes a 1m-wide clump.

This plant is very tough and needs no attention once established, apart from occasional watering and some fertiliser once a year.

Put Philodendrons into a shady position amongst other tropical-looking plants suits it best –

Grow them amongst bromeliads, Alocasia, bird's nest ferns, giant Liriope, cane Begonia and Abutilon.

Philodendron Gold Bullion

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition

DESIGN ELEMENTS

 This series is about arboriculture and managing trees.
Did you know that there was an Institute of Australian Consulting Arborists?

Trees are a living structure

So what is a consulting arborist and can they cut down your trees if you want them too?
Listen to the podcast. I'm talking with Consulting Arborist Glenice Buck

Consulting arborists do a wide range of things including assessing and writing reports on trees, but they do not do pruning or cutting down of trees.

This means they'll always give an unbiased opinion on the health and condition of a tree and its retention value.

Trees are a valuable addition to any landscape

If you’ve been asked for an Arborist Report, a Tree Report or an Arboricultural Impact Assessment then a consulting arborist is the best person to call because they often prepare these reports for clients with respect to trees for a range of reasons.
And where do you find these consulting arborists?
Look no further than the Accredited Members of the Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists (IACA) (www.iaca.org.au ) provide written reports for their clients in the public and private sectors.

IACA members do not undertake tree pruning or removal work.
The other organization is Arboriculture Australia which also lists consulting arborists.
www.arboriculture.org.au
If you have any questions about what arborists do, consulting or otherwise or have a suggestion why not write in or email me atwww.realworldgardener.com