NATIVES,INSPIRATIONPLANTEDIBLES & BIRD GARDEN!OHHABITATSMY ISSUE INDOORLEMONBACKYARDBUSHTUCKER#1–MYRTLESPECKLES & SPOTS AUGUST GARDENING2022GUIDE
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Oh My Garden! is our way of seeding the tips and tricks that keep gardens bright, beautiful and healthy, so all Aussies can marvel at their own patch too. Blooming with useful tips and hacks, Oh My Garden! is your seasonal guide for a bit of botanic magic.
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Acknowledgement of Country
The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their custodianship and connection with land, water and sky. ThePalaceRoseGardenattheRoyalBotanicGardenSydney. Cover:AustraliannativeshrubThryptomenedenticulata. We value your support and will ensure that the Gardens remain places of outstanding beauty, scientific institutions at the forefront of research, and important centres of learning.
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What does your garden grow? Oh My Garden! is for all gardeners, from first-time seed sewer to experienced green thumb. If you have a gardening question or an idea you’d like to share, let us know Subscribe for more gardening content ISSUE #1 AUGUST 2022 INSPIRATION Natives, Ornamentals & Edibles GARDEN HACKS Saving veggie seeds, tackling snails and slugs, propagating pineapples INDOOR JUNGLE Houseplants with speckles and spots HABITAT GARDENS For small birds BUSHTUCKER BACKYARD Lemon myrtle END-OF-WINTER TIPS 6 tasks to help your garden this season OH YOUR GARDEN! Your community gardens, Plant postie 1261171083
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WELCOME TO OH MY GARDEN!
At the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, adore it when people comment on the fantastic flora planted and maintained by very clever horticulture team.
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The only thing we love more is sharing how do it.
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NATIVES Natives are a no-brainer for planting in any Aussie garden, and now is a great time to get them into the ground. These climate-change combatants are easy to care for, create habitats for birds and insects and save you water, time and money.
• There are close to 1,000 wattle species in Australia.
INSPIRATION 3
Twice three-forked Grevillea biternata gets its name from:
Dwarf species like Crimson Blush, Bower Beauty and Limelight are easy to look after and pop bright yellow in winter. These are low-spreading shrubs needing well-drained soil in full or part sun. Got clay soil? Plant dwarf wattle in a raised bed or mound to help with drainage. Wattle you know?
• Aboriginal peoples have used over 100 wattle species for food, medicine, tools and weapons.
Did you know some grevilleas are fragrant? This species has vanilla-scented flowers. Grevilleas thrive all over Australia. They range from groundcovers to large trees, and flower at different times – but mostly in winter and spring. Drought and frost resistant, these hardy plants make a great hedge or barrier. Grevilleas need good drainage, so if your garden is on clay soil, plant them in mounds or raised beds. Wherever you put them, make it full sun.
Purple Myrtle has cute purple-pink flowers from autumn to spring. This small spreading shrub is frost hardy and drought tolerant once established.
• August to September is peak flowering time but some wattle species flower throughout the year.
• ‘Grevillea’ – Charles Francis Greville (1749–1809), co-founder of the Horticultural Society, London (later the Royal Horticultural Society).
• ‘Biternata’ – from Latin: bi, twice; and ternatus, in threes. In reference to the foliage of the type specimen which is ‘twice three-forked’.
DWARF (DWARFACACIAWATTLE)
Credit: Glenn Smith
TOP TIP Keep a compact shape by pruning it when it finishes flowering.
GREVILLEA BITERNATA
THRYPTOMENE DENTICULATA (PURPLE MYRTLE)
Purple Myrtle needs well-drained soil in part or full sun. If you have a rockery or live near the coast, the Purple Myrtle will love your sandy soil.
RUELLIA ‘MONKEYMAKOYANAPLANT’
Ornamental plants (or ‘exotic’ plants) add colour and scent to your home garden while giving native wildlife a diverse cuisine.
Originating in Brazil, Monkey Plant makes a colourful border for a semi-shaded path. Its leaves are lime green through most of the year but in autumn, you get to see its cheeky surprise of intense pink blooms.
Blue is always in fashion, and this year-round bloom will blow you away. Plant now to look forward to incredible 30 cm high spikes of blue flowers that will bring the bees and butterflies flocking. Mystic Spires Blue needs a well-drained position in full sun to part shade. These stunning plants will reach up to 70 cm high and 60 cm wide when fully grown.
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BUDDLEIA ‘WISTERIA LANE’ Cascades of sweet smelling flowers will bring bees and butterflies to your desirable garden. Plant Wisteria Lane any time in full sun. They will stay under 1.5 m tall but you can prune to 30 cm in spring to be full and compact.
BLUE’
Fabulous filler Plant Snow Princess under roses or other shrubs with bare stems at 45 cm apart and the gaps will fill up quickly.
SALVIA ‘MYSTICHYBRIDSPIRES
LOBULARIA ‘SNOW PRINCESS’ Snow isn’t just for winter in the mountains. This divine-smelling groundcover has been in full bloom for almost 3 years in our trial garden. Snow Princess grows easily, just water when needed. Full sun is its preference, but a bit of late afternoon shade is OK.
ORNAMENTALS
PEAS AND SNOW PEAS
Whether you have a tiny patio or a huge yard, there are edible plants for your patch.
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Radishes and turnips are a good choice for an impatient gardener – nothing grows faster. Plant them in full sun, any time of the year, then pick and eat the radishes around 1 month after planting, and turnips 2 months after. Keep the area around them open –they like their space.
Is there anything yummier than a strawberry straight from your own garden? Strawberries grow everywhere, anytime in sun or partial shade. They’re pretty in hanging baskets or potted on balconies. You can plant them in pots with flowers too. Most fruit is ready in early spring and early autumn –but you might have to beat the possums, birds and your neighbours to them. If you live in a densely populated area, it’s best to replace plants every 2 years as introduced viruses may start to affect production.
RADISHES AND TURNIPS
TOP TIP Don’t throw those tops away! You can eat them too. They make a great pesto or cooked greens.
EDIBLES
Peas grow any time except in the heat of summer. Kids and beginner gardeners love them, and they take up minimal space in your garden. The 2 types of peas to grow and eat are snow peas and sugar snap peas. Plant them in full sun and you’ll have fresh peas in 65 to 80 days. Keep plants moist and don’t let them wilt or you might have to deal with mildew.
STRAWBERRIES
Slug pellets can harm native wildlife and pets. Here are a few safer ways to deal with these pests:
3. Plant your top in a pot or somewhere in your garden.
4. Use free-draining, loose soil.
SNAILSHACKSGARDENANDSLUGS
GROW A PINEAPPLE
GROW FROM SEEDS
• Spread wet seeds on a paper towel to dry.
• Plant your seeds in the next season for that fruit or veggie.
• Make a beer trap – bury a shallow container level with the top of the soil, then add beer or a nonalcoholic brew of vegemite dissolved in water (snails love it).
1. Cut off the spiky top, make sure you remove all the flesh.
5. Water about once a week – they don’t need much. Your pineapple will grow a new fruit from the top.
This is important: feed your soil before planting your seeds and seedlings. Vegetables get all the nutrients from the soil. In other words, healthy soil = healthy veggies. Give your veggies a strong start Work some rotted manure, compost, or blood and bone into the soil at the same depth as a spade and let it rest for a week or two before planting.
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If you have already bought any of these fruit or veggies from the shops, try saving the seeds for your own future harvest. How to collect and store your own veggie seeds:
TOP TIP It’s important to dry the seeds properly or they will go mouldy.
You’re not the only one who likes to eat from the garden. Watch out for these troublemakers around your precious harvest.
DIRTY WORK
• Collect seed from veggies that are fully ripe and free of pests. Try easy seeds first, like tomatoes, chillies, peas and pumpkins.
• Clean the seeds by getting rid of pods, husks and flesh.
2. Let the top dry for a day or two.
• Store completely dry seed in a paper bag or envelope labelled with the type of seed and the date.
• Spread coffee or crushed egg shells around your radishes, strawberries and leafy veggies to discourage snails and slugs.
Live in a tropical or subtropical region? Use the leftover top of a pineapple to grow a new one. All you need is a warm, sunny spot and some patience. Your pineapple will be ready to eat in 20 to 24 months.
101: LIGHT Match your plant with the light it needs to grow well. Most plants need bright light (not direct sunlight) to grow indoors. In lower light your plant may survive – but not thrive. Plants with dark leaves can handle less light than plants with pale green or mixed leaves. Unsure where to pop your pot? Try different spots in your house and change it up as the sun shifts with the seasons. Read our six tips for thriving indoor plants.
SPECKLESINDOOR SPOTS
SPECKLED AND SPOTTED PLANTS
INDOOR PLANT CARE
RATTLESNAKE CALATHEA | CALATHEA INSIGNIS
SATIN POTHOS | SCINDAPSUS PICTUS ARGYRAEUS
Indoor plants bring so many benefits to your home. They improve air quality, lower stress, and boost your concentration. They also add colour, texture and sometimes patterns to your design, like these ones that sport spots and speckles.
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PINK DALMATIAN AGLAONEMA | AGLAONEMA COMMUTATUM
POLKA DOT BEGONIA | BEGONIA MACULATA
Get tickled pink with Pink Dalmation Aglaonemas or ‘aggies’. Aglaonema don’t need much care and can handle low light – a great plant if you’re starting out.
With bright green leaves with strokes of dark green and red underneath, it’s like a painter missed the canvas and landed their brush right on the calathea’s leaves. These tropical plants like to be warm and humid. Water when just dry and keep out of direct sunlight.
Looking for something less fussy? Grow this green and silver–speckled vine in a spot with indirect light in well-draining soil. Just be careful not to overwater.
Retro in a good way, begonias have made a big comeback to Aussie homes. It’s no wonder we’re taking decorating tips from Nanna with this polka dotted variety. Watch it carefully because it’s quite picky, preferring bright, indirect light and soil that isn’t too wet (or risk root rot). Give it a gentle prune to help it grow and you might be rewarded with white or red flowers.
6 3 WAYS TO KEEP BIRDS SAFE • Keep your cat indoors – cats like to snack on little birds. • Don’t use bug sprays – creepy crawlies are food for some birds. • Ditch the seed feeder – small birds do better when they find their own food. fairyMainimage:Easternyellowrobin.Oppositefromtop:Superbwren,roserobin,williewagtail.Allimages:GlennSmith
FACTS ON THE FLY: THE
Have lots of different native plants with a mix of canopy, understory and shrubbery for small birds to choose from. Encourage a vine to climb over soft, large shrubs to provide extra cover.
ATTRACT SMALL BIRDS WITH VARIETY
• They hunt for insects in the air and on the ground while wagging their tail from side to side.
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BIRDSFORGARDENSHABITATSMALL
Try Planting Small grevilleas, tea trees and callistemon. Surround them with some thick, spiky plants like hakea, banksias, native finger lime (Citrus australasica) and Purple Myrtle (Thryptomenedenticulata) to protect small birds from bigger ones.
• Willie wagtails are found in every part of Australia except Tasmania.
Trees and native plants are natural food sources. They have nectar, berries and seeds and attract insects – another food for birds. Bark and logs, rocks and leaf litter will also attract bugs and beetles for insecteating small birds. Small birds also use these materials to build cosy homes.
• Aboriginal people in some areas thought that Willie Wagtails were tattle tales – listening in on them, then telling secrets to others. WILLIE WAGTAIL
The variety of food and shelter your plants offer will get interest from different feathered friends. So it’s a good idea to make sure you have a range of plants to suit every bird. They might make a dream home for small native birds like wrens, finches, robins, and chatty willie wagtails.
Try Planting Grevilleas, correas, kangaroo paws, lomandra, tussock grass and wattles. And groundcover like native violet, native geranium and kangaroo grass. Put native grasses and groundcovers close to the spiky plants to protect birds as they enjoy their seed and insect breakfast.
• Distinguish them from other birds by their black throat, white eye brows and whisker marks.
COSY HOME PLANTS
BIRD BUFFET PLANTS
BOOST THE VARIETY OF PLANT LIFE IN YOUR GARDEN TO HELP NATIVE ANIMALS AND INSECTS.
Also called ‘sweet verbena’ or ‘lemon ironwood’ because of its very hard timber, lemon myrtle is a popular plant to grow at home. It has been used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years, both for medicine and food. Use the lovely citrus-flavoured flowers in anything from curries and dips to biscuits and cakes.
CITRIODORALEMONBACKYARDTUCKERBUSHMYRTLE|BACKHOUSIA
TRY IT – LEMON MYRTLE BICKIES
Method Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced or 200C conventional. Mix all your ingredients together until combined. Shape the dough into rounds and place on a baking tray, then flatten them slightly. Bake for 30 minutes or until they look light brown.
1 1/2 cups plain flour 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup olive oil 1 egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Handful of lemon myrtle leaves, chopped.
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GROW IT Lemon myrtle grows to the size of a medium shrub to a medium tree – they can grow quite large, so consider the size of your yard before planting. Its masses of white flowers reach the ground in summer through to autumn, attracting lots of different types of insects. It does well in coastal scrub and rainforest areas, and does particularly well from Mackay south to Brisbane, Queensland.
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ByBrendenMoore,CommunityGreeningOfficeratRoyalBotanicGardenSydney
Ingredients
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Eat your bickies with a Lemon Myrtle cup of tea. Just add lemon myrtle leaves to a mug and pour over freshly boiled water and allow to sit for a few minutes.
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2. WEEDS BE GONE
TO HELP YOUR GARDEN
TOP TIP All plants need water! If it is a dry season ensure you give your lawn a deep water a couple of times per week. This will ensure it continues to thrive.
1. WATCH FOR SNEAKY LEAF EATERS
Spring is the season for regeneration and growth. Your garden will start to show the signs of new life as it transitions from the colder months. Here are some things you can do to help it along.
Clear out the old plants to make room for the new. Make sure you bag and bin any weeds with seed heads on them so they don’t spread through your compost.
Cabbage moths or cabbage butterflies look like pretty white butterflies flitting around your cabbages, kale, broccoli and other veggies. But each time they land on a leaf, they’re laying eggs. When the caterpillars hatch, they start munching. If you have holes in your veggie leaves, look for the soft, green caterpillars or yellow eggs on the leaves or along the stems.
What worked well last season and what do you want to change for this season? Do you need to rotate crops? Want to try new things? Start organising the seeds you have and collect the seeds you want to grow. Start some seeds indoors in a sunny windowsill to get a jump on the spring season.
6 END-OF-WINTER TIPS
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3. THINK AND PLAN
Late winter and early spring is the time to get seeds started in frostfree areas. Ask neighbours or garden friends for old seedlings, try seeds you’ve never planted before or get cuttings from a friend.
4. SEEK AND SOW
Your lawn will want to grow quickly in summer so ensure it has the nutrients it needs by using a slow-release, high nitrogen fertiliser at the start of spring. You want to be careful not to give your lawn too much fertiliser, particularly in summer as you won’t be able to keep up with the mowing!
5. CLEAN-UP TIME
6. FEED THE LAWN
THOSE SEEDS
Scrub your pots, clean and polish your tools and organise your supplies. Give everything a good clean so you’re ready to go at planting time.
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What’s old is new: upcycling bathtubs at Exeter Public School, NSW Raindrops and roses at Bidwill Community Garden, NSW Fresh garden beds and a street library. Bowral preschool, NSW Building a new community garden in Coffs Harbour, NSW.
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Have a garden or houseplant pic to share? Send it in to be featured in next issue’s Garden Selfies! online@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au
Any helpful tips on getting a finger lime to fruit? Ours had a bumper crop three years ago and nothing since. Andrew. Answer: First thing to check is that the plant has not become dominated by rootstock. Many finger lime cultivars are grafted onto rootstock that tends to be very vigorous but produces little or no fruit. Look at the base of the plant to see if suckers are emerging from the ground below the graft (a swelling in the trunk about 15-30 cm above soil level). If you find any suckers below the graft or that are coming from the ground, remove them. Worst case scenario, the grafted cultivar may have died. Reliable water in the summer months, a good layer of organic mulch, and a slow release citrus fertiliser will assist with plant health and fruiting.
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