Dealing with the Mother of Tough Garden Beds

 DESIGN ELEMENTS

When the going gets tough

Many gardeners have a section of their garden that might often see plant failures year after year.
They’ve tried all sorts of plants that claim to be tough as old boots, but still they fail.

Glenice Buck has dealt with one such problem garden bed where she lives and this week starts a series of 3, on how she went about solving the problem.

Glenice explains that the bed is on a slope (see photo below) so the water would just hit the soil and run down the hill.

This garden bed also gets all day sun on heavy clay soil.

Access to water is limited to hand watering. Not ideal considering the busy schedule that Glenice's parents have.

On top of the lack of shade and being baked by hot afternoon summer sun, the soil had been previously used as bit of a driveway and had been compacted by heavy machinery when the house was being build.

Glenice said in her post that 

"This section of garden bed in the rear garden at #thegardenattheberkshires has been the toughest bed I have ever dealt with. Five years on with a lot of work and improvements it is finally starting to fill in and look good. It has been hard to get anything to grow in this area. The reasons for it being a difficult spot to deal with is
 

Tough garden bed at the Berkshires photo Glenice Buck

I'm talking with Glenice Buck Landscape design and Arboriculture consultant. Have a listen

Part2

In the last 5 years Glenice and husband Phil, have made so many improvements to the soil .

• We used a rotary hoe to break up the soil before planting.
• Spread/dug through gypsum and watered in liquid gypsum
• Dug through premium garden soil and compost.
• Mulched the area with fine grade pine bark, sugar cane mulch, straw and tea tree mulch.
• Continued fertilising any new plants with composted animal manure pellets and liquid fertilisers every 2 to 3 months.

She said of the garden that they did this process listed above ,every year for 5 years but it wasn't until the 3 year mark that there was a turn around in plants being able to survive.

Without those years of soil preparation, the plants would not have been able to thrive.

Miscanthus transmorrisonensis

Planting Palette Glenice used for this area - lots of silvers!

• Miscanthus transmorrisonensis-Evergreen Feather grass, evergreen leaves to 80cm tall by 100cm wide fountain-like mounds
• Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ or Blue Switch grass is special for its dramatic, metallic blue foliage and for its strong upright habit to around 140cm.
• Senecio viravira- a beautiful rounded evergreen shrub with silver-white dissected leaves topped by soft lemon flowers. One of the best silvers. Sun loving and drought tolerant. 80cm x 100cm.
• Artemisia Powis Castle- a hardy, bushy, low growing shrub that has very attractive, soft, silvery grey, deeply divided foliage
• Olea europaea 'Piccolo' suits really tough conditions - drought, frost, poor soil, no irrigation. Grows to 2m

I'm talking with Glenice Buck Landscape design and Arboriculture consultant.

Part 3: The final Countdown

In the last 5 years Glenice and husband Phil, have made so many improvements to the soil .

A very difficult spot that experiences 40 degrees C  temperatures in summer and winter temparatures below 0  and even minus 5 degrees C at times.

A hard clay soil that had been compacted by heavy vehicles driving over part of it for many years.

The planting also included these very tough and hardy plants.

• Teucrium fruiticans- also known as Germander, is a very hardy small evergreen bush in the mint family with grey stems and undersides of the leaves. 1.2m
• Phillyrea angustifolia . Drought, heat, frost and salt tolerant. Phillyrea are olive related which explains their toughness-dark green glossy leaf with serrated edge, making a contrast to the other silvers in the bed. Height to 2.5m, slow growing. Alternative to English box. can be kept to under 1m in height
• Aloes
• Other succulents
• Beschoneria yuccoides-Mexican lily, is a perennial succulent with a rosette of slender strap-like leaves that can grow to 1m in length. 
• Rhagodia spinescens Salt bush-Small, native shrub with silvery, grey triangular foliage growing to approximately 1.5m. Tolerates all soil types and coastal conditions
• Atriplex nummularia, commonly called Old Man Saltbush, a large grey shrub to 2 m tall and to 4-5 m wide, with brittle woody branches

Glenice said in her post that

We used a rotary hoe to break up the soil before planting.
Spread/dug through gypsum and watered in liquid gypsum
Dug through premium garden soil and compost.
Mulched the area with fine grade pine bark, sugar cane mulch, straw and tea tree mulch.
Continued fertilising any new plants with composted animal manure pellets and liquid fertilisers every 2 to 3 months.

Continued to give any plants in the area a deep slow water by hand to ensure they receive a good amount of water closest their roots.

Garden at the Berkshires-photo Glenice Buck

• Selected plants that will cope with the tough conditions that area hot and dry conditions.
• Over planted the slope- I planted out all the plants with closer spacing than recommended as they will help protect and buffer each other in this tough location. They will grow, settle in and get established more quickly together.
• When you're dealing with tough locations like this you also need to have patience and give the garden soil time to take in all these improvements. Soil preparation is very important and you should try to hold off planting before the soil is ready - haha! try telling a gardener to do that when there is open soil / spare space in the garden. I didn't wait!

I'm talking with Glenice Buck Landscape designer and Arboriculture consultant.

www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au 

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Experimental sea snail and epoxy resin pendant

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Hot glue gun

Vacuum chamber kit

Resin colors

Buffing kit

Micro mesh sanding pads

Foredom Woodcarving Kit

Diamond Cutting Wheel Discs

Buffing Wheel Set

Mini machinist’s lathe

Jeweler's saw

In this video I make a pendant inspired by ammonite fossils. I made it out of a sea snail shell and epoxy resin.

First of all I hot glued the shell on a base to keep it steady. I used a scrap piece from a woodturning project. 

I then filled the shell with resin and de-gassed it in the vacuum chamber. 

I tried turning it on the lathe but it was too hard to turn. 

So I decided it to sand it as much as possible. Then I used a diamond disc on my rotary tool to cut off a slice. I used water to cool the piece down. I then choosed the most interesting piece.

I sanded from 100 to 320. Then I wet sanded from 400 to 1000. I polished it with my polishing pads and finally I buffed it. 

I used my metal lathe to make a brass ring, I added a leather stripe and my pendant was ready. I think it came out really beautiful.

But that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Grow Coriander: The Primadonna of Herbs

 THE KITCHEN GARDEN

SUCCESS WITH CORIANDER

Scientific name: Coriandrum sativum

I mentioned before that certain herbs that look alike and again I find myself talking about another herb that confuses people.

Australians refer to the seeds and leaf as coriander but in the northern hemisphere, the leaf is sometimes known as 'cilantro.'

Coriander is one of those herbs that people either love it or hate it.

Do you love it?

Coriander leaves

Coriander is easy enough to grow but being in the carrot family,(Apiaceae) its green leafy tops can look not only like other herbs, but other vegetables!

• My guest, Toni Salter in the podcast, calls it the 'primadonna' of herbs. 

There are many things it doesn't like and without a second glance, coriander will bolt to seed giving you not much leaf at all.

What causes it to bolt to seed?

• Soil is too dry
• Too little water at the right time.
• Poor or impoverished soil.
• Poor drainage in your herb garden.
• Temperatures too warm for it's liking.
• Temperatures too cold for it's liking
• Transplanting-the worst sin.

Problems with germination?

Try soaking the seeds for a few hours in a shallow saucer of water.

• TIP: Always sow the seeds directly into the position where it will grow.

Sow it into a container if you like, but keep it there.

Coriander loves rich fertile soil, much like your vegetables.

Coriander seedlings

When to Sow in Australia

For sub-tropical and arid zones, you have August to September;
Temperate districts, sow the seeds from September until the end of November,
In cool temperate zones, October to November,

• Sow your seeds about 1 cm deep, cover them and keep them moist.

Whether or not you sow them in rows, scatter them amongst your other veggies, or use them to grow as a shade plant for your lettuce, it really doesn’t matter.

Companion planting: plant coriander near your spinach to confuse the grasshoppers.

Let one or two plants go to seed. The flowers attract beneficial insects after which the coriander seeds can be harvested to use in cooking, once the seeds turn brown and crispy.

Coriander seeds drying on plant

A must if you like Asian cooking and even though coriander looks like parsley, as soon as you smell it, you know what you’ve got.

Heaps of Coriander seeds are used in curries, tagines and many other Asian dishes.
In fact the whole herb, including the roots can be ground up to make a Thai Green Curry paste.

Let’s find out more
I'm talking with Toni Salter www.theveggielady.com.au


If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

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Winter Savory and Thyme: What's the Difference?

 SPICE IT UP   

 SAVORY VS THYME

Often there’s a couple of herbs that look alike and even have similar flavour profiles.

If you had them growing together in the herb garden, you may even confuse the two because of how closely they look to each other.

Thyme is the better known herb in Australia, which from the 1950's was commonly used in soups, stews, scones and casseroles.

For some reason, savory is not very well known in Australia, but it’s commonly used America and England.

In England, and America, it's quite popular and in the US, winter savory is a key ingredient in the stuffing for the 'Thanksgiving Turkey.'

If you rubbed both herbs without knowing which was which, you would most likely think they both were the same herb.

• Winter savory, unlike thyme, is not sold as a cut herb in the produce aisle of your supermarket.
• Confusingly there is a 'summer savory' which tends to die off in winter and usually not come back.

Looking after both herbs

With their tiny leaves, both herbs are adapted to the dry regions of the mediterranean. 

Both herbs are in the mint (Lamiaceae) family, but unlike mint, don't  feel you need to give either thyme or winter savory heaps of water with the exception of the hottest days in Australia's summers.

• I've never seen the seeds of savory being sold however if you have a pot of winter savory that's overgrown and become leggy, follow these tips to refresh it.
• Dividing the roots  in spring, will rejuvenate the plant.
• Start off by trimming about a third of any wrapped or circling roots.
• Divide the root ball into thirds or quarters, making sure that each section has a healthy piece of root and stems with green leaves attached.
• Remove one-third of the top growth, and trim away any dead or damaged stems and leaves.
• Re-pot into new containers and gift some to your friends.

But can you substitute one for the other?

Thyme has the volatile oil: thymol which is a strong natural antiseptic.  

Wild thyme growing amongst a rocky outcrop

You only need to use a small amount to get the flavour, and is a key ingredient in mixed herbs.

• Did you know there are over 100 varieties of thyme?
• The wild thyme of Provence is known for its strength of flavour. Think 'herbs de Provence' is a blend with this wild thyme.
  

The answer is yes, both herbs are interchangeable, but savoury is less pungent than thyme.

• You will find winter savory, Satureja (sat-you-rea) montana, as a plant sold in most garden centres.
• So time to get some of your own.

Let’s find out more by listening to the podcast.

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


If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

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Fungus Gnats Begone

PLANT DOCTOR

FUNGUS GNATS

These tiny flying things can swarm around your indoor plants but other than annoyance, are they killing your plants?

Those tiny little flies that hang around your fruit bowl or indoor plants aren’t always that same thing. 
Sometimes they’re confused with fruit flies, or even ordinary house flies, but none of those two are correct. Inevitably they’re up to no good but how to tell them apart?

• There are fungus gnats and fermentation flies.
• they are attracted to different things.
• Fermentation or vinegar flies tend to hang around the fruit bowl, especially if you've got overripe fruit because vinegar flies are attracted to sugars.
• Fungus gnats are smaller, flitting around erratically: the adults of which are attracted to moisture.
• the adults are doing much if anything to your plants other than laying lots of eggs, although there is evidence that they can transmit plant diseases.
• The larvae can be the problem because the feed on the roots of your plants.

Fungus gnats -magnified heaps.

• Remember: Vinegar or fermentation flies are attracted to sugary treats, such as over-ripe fruits, whereas fungus gnats are attracted to moisture such as overly wet potting medium.
• Greenhouses can also have an outbreak of fungus gnats.

Where do they come from?

Came with the plants you bought or from potting mix.

How to stop them?

• Keep your soil medium a bit on the dry side.
• Drench the potting mix with neem oil which will control the juvenile stages.
• Make a sticky trap using vaseline to trap the adults.
• Use a type of mulch the prevents the adult fungus gnats burrowing into the soil to lay the eggs.
• Worst case, repot with fresh potting mix.
• Greenhouse control can be with predatory insects.

Let’s find out more by listening to the podcast.

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

If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

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How to make a DIY palette painting knife

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Silver solder

Flux

Propane torch

Copper pipe cutter

Tormek honing compound

Foredom Woodcarving Kit

Lathe

Buffing kit

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Tormek T8 Sharpening System

Tormek Woodturner’s Kit

In this video I make a palette knife out of a nail, a spatula, copper pipe and wood. This a pretty interesting tool used in a very impressionistic painting technique. 

First of all I made a small paper template of the knife’s spatula part. I used the metal from a spatula I bought from the hardware store. The spatula needs to be flexible in order for the palette knife to work. 

I then cut the shape of my spatula using a rotary tool and a metal cutting disc. 

The spatula needs to be polished. You can do that using sand paper, sharpening stones or a sharpening system like my Tormek. The final polishing you can do on a leather strop. You can also use a buffing wheel with honing compound on your rotary tool. 

Next I cut a nail and bended it with heat. To connect the spatula with the nail I used silver solder. Heat and flux pull the solder towards them. 

I then cleaned and polished the metal parts again. 

As a handle you can use a handle from another tool. But I turned one out of beech. 

I epoxied a piece of coper pipe in front. Once I finished the handle I epoxied the metal parts in the handle.

This is a really interesting technique. It works better with oil paints because thy are pretty thick and dry really slow. But that was it. See you soon with a new project video.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Rotten burl from another planet

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Hot glue gun

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Vacuum chamber kit

Block plane

Flexcut starter carving set

Resin colors

Buffing kit

Micro mesh sanding pads

In this video I use a rotten burl from an unknown (to me) type of tree. I think that these fragile wood pieces hide a lot of beauty and resin can help a lot to preserve it. So I made a resin and wood blank and turned it on the lathe. I hope you like the result. 

I spotted this burl on a tee in my neighbourhood. Once I touched it I realised I could remove it by hand. So I took it to make something out of it.

I first flattened one side on the belt sander. 

Next I made a mold out of an old Ice cream box and a piece of plywood. I hot glued the mold on the plywood and I used a drop of silicone to seal it from leaks. To prevent it from floating in the resin I used rubber bands and a scrap wood piece. 

I then mixed some epoxy resin and added some orange transparent dye. 

I poured the resin into the mold and de-gassed in the vacuum chamber. 

Once the resin was cured, I de-moulded it and found the centre of the plywood piece. I drew a few circles to help me align the piece on the glue chuck. I then epoxied the hole piece on the glue chuck. 

Using plywood wasn’t the best choice. Plywood is really hard on woodturning tools. But that’s what I had. 

I turned my piece true using a bowl gouge and a round nose scrapper. I also used a parting tool. 

I sanded dry from 100 to 300. Then I started wet sanding using mineral oil from 400 to 1000. I then started polishing with my micro mesh sanding pads. 

Next I parted the piece off the lathe and turned it around using my bowl bottom cleaning jaws. Same stuff again, scrapping sanding and polishing.

Finally I buffed the piece with my buffing wheel and carnauba wax. 

Last but not least I made a base out of basswood. I cut the piece on the table saw and hand carved it give it some texture. I painted it black with water based stain. 

And my little burl was ready. I really like looking at these strange beautiful shapes nature creates. But that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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Plant Nutrition Unpacked: Plant Nutrients and Deficiencies

 PLANT NUTRITION UNPACKED

Major Nutrients

Have you ever asked yourself "how do plants take up nutrients when you spread fertiliser around them on the ground or dilute it into liquid ?"

It's something that we gardeners do quite a lot of,  spreading fertiliser around that is, and probably don't give it a second thought until plants don't respond to all this nutrient load.

• What went wrong? 

Firstly, the nutrients that you spread around are not directly taken up by the plants.

Nutrients have to be what's called 'made available' to the plants and to do this, the soil biota or the microorganisms have to do some work.

Water, soil and microbes are the three things that the plants need before plants can take these nutrients.

• So What Are These Nutrients?

Macro Nutrients:   these are the highest rated nutrients that plants can’t do without.

• Nitrogen:Phosphorus:Potassium or NPK: 

  

  A selection of fertilisers

• Kylie's main mantra is NPK refers to shoots:roots;fruit

The N component relates as Nitrogen, giving your plant nice healthy green leaves.

The P component: encourages healthy root systems.

The K or potassium component helps the fruits and flowers

Sure we can add compost, aged manures and liquid seaweed, but unless you’re sure of what’s in them nutrient wise, you may be under fertilising your plants.

Without the major nutrients, your plants may not grow and develop roots, stems leaves and flowers properly.

If you know what and how much to give your plants, the plants will be healthier and more productive.

Just remember to read the NPK amounts on the bag or packet of fertiliser.
Let’s find out more about what plants really need.
I'm talking with Kylie Last, horticulturist and TAFE teacher.


If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

PLANT DEFICIENCIES:

Imagine this scenario, you’ve fertilised your garden with all the right stuff, having followed the manufacturer’s instructions to a ‘t.’

But still the plants look sickly, or perhaps a bit yellow, or they’re just not putting on any growth.
Does that sound familiar?

• So what’s the problem?

The first thing you need to do is a pH test on your soil-there's no escaping it.

Why?

The soil pH will determine the availability pf different nutrients to your plants.

Let's look at an example

Looking at the chart on the right, it's immediately apparent that if your pH is higher than say pH7.5, then nutrients like iron start to taper off in their availability to the plant.

Then means your plant may start to show symptoms of iron deficiency.

In fact, after pH 7.5, other nutrients taper off in their availability, such as manganese, boron, and more importantly, one of the macro nutrients being potassium.

Basic pH test kit

 

• 
  Ideally the ideal pH range that gardeners should strive for is pH 6 - 7.5
• This is the range that the major nutrients of NPK are available to the plant the most.
• Some plants such as rhododenrons and azaleas like a like a low of pH6.

A pH testing kit is essential in any gardener’s shed. Consider testing your soil in different parts of the garden.

A good tip when taking soil samples from your soil is to get a sample from just below the surface for an accurate reading.

 

First signs of Nutrient Deficiencies: 

Nitrogen: new leaves are pale green and older leaves are yellow and start to dry up.

Phosphorus: purpling of the leaves, particularly along the lower leaves. New leaves are a bit stunted and deformed in severe cases.  A bit more rare.

Potassium: poor overall health; older leaves turn yellow then crisp up and die off. Often mistaken for dehydration.

Let’s find out more about  pH testing and plant deficiencies 
I'm talking with Kylie Last, horticulturist and TAFE teacher.

If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

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