Coming up

Millie visits a town bursting with free food; Jane discovers the magic of moths; Tino learns to propagate ferns and Clarence visits a gardener who has created a rainforest oasis.

Gardening Australia Weekly Quiz

A) Around 400     
B) Around 2000     
C) Around 11,000

See tonight's show or next week's newsletter for the answer!

Answer to last week's quiz:
Q) What is 'Palynology' the study of?
A) b - Pollen, grains and spores

What to plant this weekend

Tropical Climate Zone

• Broad beans
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Lettuce

• Brussels Sprouts
• Endive
• Onion
• Spinach

• Capsicum
• Celery
• Garlic
• Spinach

• Cabbage
• Jerusalem Artichoke
• Oregano
• Swedes/Turnips

• Broccoli
• Chicory
• Mustard Greens
• Spinach

Jobs for the weekend

COOL

• Apricots should be pruned now as their leaves start to yellow and fall. Pruning these beauties ahead of winter helps avoid gummosis - a damaging bacteria.
• Perfect for rockeries and retaining walls, native and exotic alpine species like Lithodora, phlox, saxifrage and sedums will provide colour and contrast in the toughest of spots.
• If chilly nights have got you cranking up the heater, spare a thought for your indoor plants, and move them away from radiators and central heating vents for the winter.

• Now’s the perfect time to sow some swede seed.  Said to be a cross between a turnip and a cabbage, swedes are easy to grow and ready to harvest in about 12 weeks, as stems swell.
• Many carnivorous plants are now going into dormancy. Give them less water, leaving the soil only slightly damp, which allows them to rest and recoup before a burst of spring growth.
• Pull on some gloves, it’s time to harvest chestnuts. Ripe nuts fall to the ground, so collect those with open burrs and no signs of pest damage. Refrigerate immediately, or roast and enjoy!

• Tuberous ornamental plants like caladiums and gingers are entering a winter dormancy, so to keep the rhizomes from rotting, reduce watering for a few months.
• Bring a bit of the rainforest indoors with a Castanospermum australe, or blackbean tree. This attractive subtropical native grows from unusual seeds and makes an excellent pot plant.
• Has wet weather got you worrying about your worms? On rainy days, protect your worms from a watery demise by opening the tap to the worm farm, allowing rain to drain away.

• It’s time to tidy your tibouchinas! As the final flush of flowers has finished, shape up these shrubs and remove dead branches.  They can tolerate a pretty severe haircut if required.
• Running out of space at your place? Put your vertical space to good use with hanging baskets. Mixes of tough herbs, like thyme, and flowering annuals taste as good as they look!

• Delightful, tough and a bee magnet, find a spot for thrift (Armeria sp.) in your arid garden. The dainty pink to red flowers make them perfect in a cottage garden or mass planted.
• Geraniums and pelargoniums will benefit from a good hard haircut now. Take plants back by a third to a half, and they’ll rocket away in spring. Cuttings can be shared with mates
• In the vegie patch or the flower garden, society garlic (Tulbaghia species) are right at home. Similar to chives, the grass-like foliage and magic mauve flowers are all edible, and delicious.