Gardening and growing great plants.

My family is making a worm farm - 1000 new pets !

There is something about making a worm farm. First thoughts are that it will be complicated and messy. Think about though, your pet dog makes more mess and you don't have to take your worms for a walk.

The thing I enjoy about it is that my kids are enjoying the worm farm and are immensely proud to show it to their friends. It has created a safe, computer game free activity that father and children can participate in and enjoy together. The worm farm is $75 and the worms are $50. So for $125 which is a little more than the lastest video game for your gaming console, you will get the kids out of the house, and into the backyard.

Here's how we did it:

Problem Ivy has just got to be removed.

You know I don't think I have ever lived in a house where there hasn't been a little corner of the garden that this wretched ivy doesn't grow. It just seems to weasel its way in from the neighbours and is innocuous for a while. Its not until you walk around with that cup of tea in your hand that "hey there's a little bit of ivy growing over here". On closer inspection, that little bit of ivy is 'annus horribulously ' much more widespread than firt appeared. And look up - you bozo ! It has actually climbed this tree and is out of control. What the....... that cup of tea is immediately placed down and the gloves are put on as warrior gardener is about to cull this plant right now, although somehow I think it is already saying to me. "I'll be back".

Some trees are less dangerous in bushfire zones.

It seems this Poplar 'Veronese' tree from Flemings is better suited to planting in bushfire proned areas than eucalypts. This is probably not a surprise to many, as eucalypts contain a 4% of oil in their leaves. According to an article in todays Age by Jeremy Francis who owns Cloudehill Nursery and Gardens a row of poplar trees can act as a shield and prevent radiant heat, as well as the leaves soaking up and extinguishing flying embers.

Conifers were also cited as dangerous as they contain 2% resinous oil and have lots of dead or dry branches that act as great kindling type fuel, while wattles were considered relatively safe.

This article has certainly created some debate judging by the comments people have made on it, and I think it is great people are looking beyond the square. Councils too often are taking the indigenous views and making them law when in these densely populated regional areas, that could be contributing to a higher fire risk for those citizens.

And as for protecting from erosion, which will happen if we strip the earth of foliage, this Poplar is stated on Flemings website as being shown to have good potential for erosion control by the New Zealand Forest Research Institute (NZFRI).

I love my natives, but if we get more 45 degree days in Melbourne this summer then you would have to suppose the world is warming and therefore bushfires will be more dangerous and that we must consider that our actions may need to change in order to better protect ourselves from avoiding further tragedy.

This inciteful article I am referring to is on The Age website HERE.

More than just good looks.

By James Wall

Am at Mount Coolum in SE Queensland and driving down the road towards my accommodation I see this good looking thing. It is tall with a shady appearance and has the most vivid orange flowers I have ever seen. It's like a lighthouse every time I drive past. After checking with a local I find it is in fact a tree called the African Tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata). Well, I was pretty impressed, until he told me it was a weed and that when the flowers fall on wet concrete, it is dangerously slippery - yes, this trees even got OH&S issues! A quick check with the QLD Dept of Primary Industries and yes, it is a Class 3 declared plant under Queensland legislation. "It infests gullies, vegetation around waterways and disturbed rainforest". It is an even bigger problem in Nth Qld and is also a problem in Hawaii. So much for good looks. 

Survivors In The Heat

 By Dennis Ting - Gardenworld Nursery

Following on from the four very hot days at the end of January, Melbourne was again hit by an extremely hot day on Saturday 7th February 2009 when temperatures reached 46.4c during the day with strong gusty winds in the afternoon.  These conditions have resulted in the Tragic Bush Fires throughout Victoria. 

We have had customers come in and report that they have been seeing damage on plants that in previous years never experienced much damage due to high temperatures which is not surprising given the intense extremes we have seen this year. 

For the home gardener the questions must begin to be asked about whether we are seeing a permanent change to our climate with warmer winters (less cold and frosts) and hotter and more extreme summers? 

Stop and smell the roses

The tragic bushfire events of the past weeks have left us a bit shocked. Its hard news to face so I have only been digesting the reports in little bits. One thing we do know is that there are some excellent nurseries in the areas affected and that there have been some losses. Horticulture is a tough industry even at the best of times and some things take time to grow, and time can't be replaced by insurance payouts. Propagation of a cutting or seed to a large tree can be a good 5 to 10 years so we may see shortages of some crops that take time. Plantation timber supplies may also be affected.

It is a time to come togther - to mourn, to talk and to support one another. From this tragedy, a stronger bond will grow. Community spirit is already shining through.

One thing that I have done this week is to wander through the nursery and think about how lucky I am to work in this place. I have marvelled at the grass trees, hidden amongst the palms and yes even stopped to smell the roses. I can thoroughly recommend you try it - and without your mobile phone. If it's not your local nursery, try some botanic gardens or parks. You will feel soothed by the sights, smells and sounds - and learn a bit about yourself and the world around you. Go on, give it a try.

Recovering From The Heat

By Dennis Ting – Gardenworld Nursery

 

The record temperatures experienced in Melbourne for four days last week have certainly taken their toll on the gardens which are already suffering from the effects of drought together with limited watering due to current restrictions.

 

On the Saturday it had cooled down and I fielded numerous inquiries from customers who both visited and phoned us at Gardenworld.

 

The first question was usually along the lines of the plants were kept well watered at the roots but still got burnt.  The answer to this one is that with an ambient temperature of 45c and low humidity the atmosphere is acting like a dryer so no amount of water is going to help.

 

It's time to go green !

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Perth - evening view from Kings Park

Photo by Giovanni Rinaldi

You know I can remember Wes Fleming once telling me that roads last longer when the shade from a tree is protecting them. He reminded me about how important it was to consider that trees can also shade houses and reduce energy use and that lawns don't retain heat like paving does. What he and another nurseryman called Glen Fenton were referring to was the "urban forest" and how it is not to be underestimated as a valuable resource.

Many people probably thought this was just a couple of nurseryman spruiking their wares. Most of the people that work in nurseries however are passionate about the plants they grow and have a sense of belief that they are doing good for us. I can remember being told of a city in China banning the watering of plants because of water restrictions, only to see the city turn into a dust bowl and cause a significant increase in human health problems particularly harming eyes and lungs.

Now the facts are coming out of the benefits of plants in the city, as more and more research is being documented. In todays The Age Newspaper in Melbourne comes an article from a Dr Peter Fisher who works in the environment industry, specialising in water and climate change adaptaion. You can read his article here.

As I am sure he won't mind me spreading the message, here is just a couple of excerpts from his insightful observations.

"Greg Moore, of Burnley Horticultural College, has calculated that the 100,000 mature trees in inner Melbourne sequester 1 million tonnes of carbon, worth close to $20 million."

"The water saved in power stations due to lower demand for air-conditioning in cities because of shade trees may be greater than that saved from zero or drastically reduced irrigation of suburban gardens and public lands."