Gardening Australia Season 36 Episode 16

Name: Gardening Australia Season 36 Episode 16
Uploaded: 2025-06-13T13:19:50+00:00
Duration: 58 min 17 s
Channel: Quick Flicks
Description: Gardening Australia Season 36 Episode 16 #ShowMoviesTV 🎞 Please join https://t.me/CinemaSeriesUSFilm

Quick Flicks

6/13/2025

Gardening Australia Season 36 Episode 16

#ShowMoviesTV
🎞 Please join
https://t.me/CinemaSeriesUSFilm

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00:00.

00:02.

00:04.

00:06.

00:08.

00:10.

00:12.

00:14.

00:16.

00:18.

00:20Hey, buddy.

00:22.

00:24.

00:26Hello and welcome to Gardening Australia.

00:44This week we're coming to you from the biggest garden show in the Southern Hemisphere.

00:50And what a treat for the three of us to be together.

00:54It doesn't happen that often.

00:56No, and what a joy to be here at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

01:01Because not everyone gets to visit shows like this, we're going to be your virtual guides.

01:07It's true, there is so much to see, including those show gardens where they demonstrate so many different ideas.

01:14We're going to have a look.

01:16Now, the big gardens can be really aspirational, but we're going to have a look around at all of the smaller and different spaces around here that will give you lots of ideas and inspiration to try at your place.

01:30I'll be showing you some of the amazing floral art in the Royal Exhibition building.

01:34And I'll be telling you a little bit about the history of the building.

01:38I'm going to see a special garden and it's all about this place and its plants.

01:44And of course this show is about plants and Jane is going to take us behind the scenes to meet one of the wonderful growers.

01:51I'm going to be visiting one of my favourite displays, the hanging baskets, and showing you how to make your own.

01:58And we'll be answering your gardening questions live right here at the show.

02:02So what do you reckon team? I reckon we need to divide and explore.

02:06Absolutely.

02:08I'll see you.

02:09While there are plenty of planty things on offer, we're going to start with the main event.

02:22The freshly built show gardens that dominate the Melbourne Exhibition Gardens.

02:28There are seven competitors in this category.

02:32These are the most ambitious and large-scale installations of the show.

02:37Teams have just a week to transport, assemble, and plant their entry,

02:42whilst taking care to leave no impact on the ground.

02:46There's no digging or modifying the earth allowed at all.

02:50Everything you see here will be removed when the show is over.

02:55Each entry is labelled with the name of just one principal designer.

03:00But as all the designers will tell you,

03:03none of these gardens can happen without the collaborative effort of a big team over many months.

03:14Ben Hutchinson's garden, Between Moments, has a stunning natural swimming pool,

03:20which people will be able to swim in, but because there's no chemicals,

03:24birds, insects and wildlife will love it as well.

03:28I wanted to create a garden that would show someone that you could put a space in your own backyard

03:33to get away from the craziness of life.

03:35Somewhere you can just retreat to for a little bit of mindfulness,

03:38a little bit of health relaxation.

03:40So we've got the sauna and the swim pond up the back,

03:43surrounded by a beautiful, subtle, native garden.

03:47Adding water like this, it really invites nature, doesn't it?

03:51Absolutely. It's just clean, fresh water.

03:53The amount of wildlife these things bring into a backyard is phenomenal.

03:56Is it true that a frog found this fairly shortly after you built it?

04:01Yeah, we found a southern brown tree frog floating around.

04:03Not even sure where it came from.

04:05Yeah, it's probably still in the garden somewhere.

04:07So it really is an example of build it and they'll come.

04:10Absolutely. Absolutely.

04:12Yeah, we've already had dragonflies floating around as well.

04:14So it's been amazing.

04:15Any particular plants you're really fond of?

04:18Ooh, that's a really tough question.

04:20I'm a big fan of the Thai lotus.

04:21It's a bit tough to grow in Melbourne,

04:23but it's an absolutely stunning, really unique plant.

04:25And the Richia drachophylla,

04:27I think that was a really good textural contrast for the garden.

04:30Yeah, it's a beautiful little addition.

04:32Christian Jenkins also uses water in his garden, Yutori.

04:50His modern Japanese design includes a palette of cycads,

04:54Japanese maples, bamboo and conifers.

04:57The garden surrounds a tiny house

05:00that demonstrates the possibilities of pairing back to the essentials.

05:04That, of course, includes a sauna and an ice bath.

05:13Oh, look at this. I love this car.

05:15Paul Pritchard's richly planted family home garden

05:20is distinctly mid-century modern in style.

05:24Named nostalgia, it aims to evoke a time

05:27when families spent time together working in the garden.

05:32Wow.

05:33Just the architecture and then the style of the gardens

05:37that they're depicting here. Wow.

05:39It's such an iconic kind of image of 1950s Australia, isn't it?

05:44Yeah, 100%.

05:45None of the plants are from here, but that's kind of what was...

05:49Where it was at. Yeah.

05:51You know, I feel like I've visited houses like this.

05:57That was my dream first car.

05:59My dad and I looked at quite a few.

06:01I never did it, but that was the car I wanted.

06:04I love this. There's even plants in the paving.

06:09I mean, from a detailed point of view,

06:11it means it'll catch and slow down water.

06:13Totally.

06:14But look at this.

06:15This has taken me back to my childhood

06:17because that's how our bicycles used to lay on the grass.

06:22It's so beautiful, though.

06:23Like, it's telling us this is a family garden, right?

06:26And it's doing exactly what it's titled.

06:29Nostalgia.

06:30Yeah.

06:31It is nostalgic.

06:32It's capturing these evocative moments

06:35that really mean something.

06:37It's taken me back there and the grass and the lawn,

06:39which was such a big thing of houses then.

06:43Yeah.

06:44You know, there was so much yard.

06:45And the planting, I mean, it's of a time gone by, really, isn't it?

06:49But it says so much about how much people would have tended their gardens.

06:53Like, that's what you spend your Sunday doing.

06:55Yeah.

06:56It's a place for peace and reflection.

06:58Tall, textured grasses move in the breeze.

07:11Still water brings the sky down to earth.

07:14And the central stone fire pit is a place to contemplate or bring people together.

07:19The garden's sort of been designed.

07:21It's like a place you can go and escape and just relax and, you know, get back to nature,

07:26get back to yourself.

07:27We tried to do a predominantly native green garden.

07:30We wanted a lush green space with shape and form.

07:34Put some really hard, clean elements of the architecture into it.

07:38It's just a really nice softening with all the grasses and the stone and everything like that.

07:44Rob and his team are based in South Australia,

07:47adding long distance transport to the logistical challenge of assembling their garden.

07:53Yeah, we've got three semi loads of materials here.

07:56We've got a truck and a half loads of plants here.

07:58And every person who's built on the garden has all come over as well.

08:02So it's been a challenge, but it's something we really wanted to do.

08:05And we wanted to represent South Australia and show how well we can do in the landscape industry.

08:10It's a lot, a lot of work, but really proud to be able to walk in and have a gold medal.

08:14And yeah, really good.

08:20This garden by Jason Hodges is called Doable.

08:24The design sets out to prove that a beautiful garden can be created with inexpensive

08:29and easily accessible materials.

08:32Making a point of using store-bought pavers, affordable timber,

08:36and using a lot of plants that are easy to get hold of and propagate yourself.

08:45Just watch it climb around the bathroom and then up over the mirror.

08:50Our team, by the way.

09:00So fun to see so many people fire up about plants and gardening.

09:05And I think the thing I love is just the energy.

09:09Because there's that anticipation.

09:10You see a garden and then, oh, hang on, we're on approach here.

09:13Look at this one.

09:14The designer of this garden, Matt York, is showcasing lessons that he's learned from all around the world.

09:24We've been working in Africa more recently.

09:27So our garden titled In Ratio with Africa looks at some of the learnings in Kenya,

09:33Ghana and Nigeria around small garden design and just how efficient small garden design has been

09:40in terms of small footprint and looking at pollination, urban canopy, water security,

09:47and all of these things in sort of high-performing landscapes but in a small setting.

09:53The Bird Motel is a structure that we designed around biodiversity and habitat.

09:58It comes with a series of nests and perches.

10:03The idea came from how we could have something sculptural and a key part of the design

10:09that had a really strong function in terms of local and migratory birds.

10:13So we often think about Melbourne as it is now a leading world city,

10:17but there's still so much that we can learn to facilitate the growth that we are experiencing.

10:22And I think the role that landscape and gardening plays is significant.

10:26And so to have a platform like this at Carlton Gardens, I just think that's an incredible opportunity.

10:32And I love being a part of that.

10:34In the glow of the Royal Exhibition Building is Brent Reid's Garden Ode.

10:43From the bold structural shapes to the soft plantings of evergreens and perennials,

10:48all elements of the garden are deeply symbolic.

10:53This garden is the most personal garden I've ever brought to the show.

10:56It's called Ode and it's a thank you and an ode to my mentors and people who have guided me and led me through my journey in the industry.

11:07So the trees are about legacy and the lasting legacy left by people, you know, strong figures in the industry and people who have left the industry.

11:17The water feature is about sharing of information and ideas and we've left a void in the centre of the water feature for people that when they leave the industry or they pass on,

11:30if that knowledge hasn't been passed on, it leaves a void.

11:33And Marty, you're one of those mentors and you've been tasked with building this garden.

11:37Yeah, lucky.

11:38How many gardens have you built in the history of this show?

11:43Well over 90.

11:45Wow. What's it like when you're presented with poor, large, dead trees?

11:49Yeah, well, it's got a logistical problem.

11:52One is nothing goes in the ground, so there's no footings, no anything.

11:56There's a metre of these trees below the ground.

11:59They're on big plates, which are actually old grater blades that we got off a farm that are really heavy.

12:05And then we have to lay the trees down and cut them with a chainsaw to get them to sit.

12:14I've worked with sticks myself. They're not straight up and down.

12:17Then a crane turns up and puts the pond in and it puts the four trees in and we hope.

12:23Where have these come from?

12:25They've come from a development site, but the best part about it is if we're able to educate people a little bit about these trees

12:31and they're able to tell a story and then they're going to go back to the site and have habitat planted around them.

12:38So they'll then continue their life.

12:41I mean, old trees, dead trees are really important.

12:44Hugely important, especially for wildlife habitat, insects, bugs, birds, everything.

12:49It's pretty amazing, isn't it? All that thought and planning and collaboration and work to get to this for five days, but it's a pretty beautiful result.

13:02It really is because you think of how busy this space is.

13:08There's thousands of people wandering around and yet here we are feeling relaxed and comfortable and at home.

13:16Makes you want to put the kettle on.

13:19I'm up for that.

13:20This year is the 28th anniversary of the Melbourne Flower and Garden Show, set in the beautiful Carlton Gardens and home to an iconic landmark.

13:42The heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building.

13:45Built in 1880, thanks to the discovery of gold, this grand structure was designed by prolific architect Joseph Reed and built by Dame Nellie Melba's father, David Mitchell.

14:13Its striking dome was once the tallest building in Melbourne.

14:22Originally built to stage the world's great fair, to show off Melbourne's technological and cultural achievements.

14:30It was also a site of many significant milestones in Australia's more recent history.

14:35In 1901, this grandiose building would host Australia's first sitting of parliament, being the city's only location big enough to accommodate the 12,000 guests.

14:51In celebration, the exterior of the building was illuminated with 10,000 lights.

14:57Almost 20 years later, after World War I, it served as a makeshift hospital, when the Spanish flu hit the nation in 1919.

15:09Then, in the early 40s, the building was used as a barracks and training ground for the RAAF, who built Nissan huts and used the gardens for trench digging practice.

15:21Then, post-World War II, those huts were used to house refugees and migrants.

15:281956 saw the Melbourne venue host Olympic events for the basketball, wrestling and weightlifting competitions.

15:37And during the 90s, the Royal Exhibition Building started hosting the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

15:46It's a wonderful venue for a simply stunning display of all things floral.

15:51The biggest flower and garden show in the Southern Hemisphere, attracting more than 100,000 people across its five days.

16:00This iconic Melbourne landmark has a rich and colourful history.

16:07And today, at this incredible event celebrating all things gardens and flowers,

16:13this building is housing some of the more delicate displays of the show.

16:18And I know it's one of Sophie's favourites, the floral art.

16:21Welcome to the Great Hall of Flowers.

16:35The landmark Melbourne Exhibition Building has been transformed into a floral wonderland of colour and intoxicating fragrance.

16:44Leading Australian and international florists and artists have created a dreamland in here, showcasing the art of flowers.

16:58There's a floral fashion exhibit by RMIT's fashion design students.

17:02Glorious hanging installations suspended from the ceilings.

17:06And a retail flower market where visitors can buy blooms to take home to remember their day at the show.

17:12There are huge displays by established florists who've been given three days to install their breathtaking floral creations,

17:20down to student designers who compete to create their arrangements in just three hours.

17:29Someone who's virtually got flower petals running through his veins is florist, designer and teacher, Greg Milner.

17:38Congratulations, you've taken out the top floral design gong.

17:44Tell me about your design.

17:46Well, the theme this year was Monet's garden.

17:49And also to challenge yourself with regard to colour and do the things that Monet really did within his era.

17:55And that was a challenge and a great deal of fun doing all these different combinations.

18:02But it's a beautiful sea of flowers.

18:04Changes of colour, changes of texture.

18:06And I feel that we have created Monet's look and we've even got a succulent water lily.

18:13Not a true water lily, but it's our Australian version.

18:16And that's sitting in water as a water lily would.

18:20What goes into making a good display?

18:23A lot of forethought and a lot of knowledge.

18:25I mean, a lot of people think, oh, you can just play with flowers and put it together.

18:28It's been my whole lifetime.

18:30And yes, you do train very formally.

18:33It is a three year apprenticeship to train.

18:35A lot to learn.

18:36All your mechanics must be completely concealed.

18:39Finer details.

18:40So a lot of things that the public might notice and a lot of care and attention goes into making these breathtaking.

18:46Oh, absolutely.

18:47And your flower knowledge, how long a flower will last, particularly the weather.

18:51Melbourne has been so wonderful.

18:53But if it gets warm in here, there's no air con.

18:55I'm not a great fan of air con with flowers anyway, but you do learn what they can do, what they can't do,

19:00because these have to look beautiful all the way through the show.

19:06I think just a profusion of different flowers that the public can come in and just absolutely feast their eyes and enjoy.

19:15Just love it.

19:16And to be honest, all the years I've been in it, I still love it with a passion myself.

19:26What a treat getting to spend time in this floral fantasy land.

19:30There's so much inspiration here.

19:32I'm going to spend a bit longer wandering to take in the best that floral artistry has to offer.

19:49While this building and garden holds much of Melbourne's recent history,

19:53it's been a special place for First Nations people who have gathered here for tens of thousands of years.

20:01It's true.

20:02And it doesn't really matter where you garden.

20:04You're always gardening on country.

20:06And there's a really special garden this year that is telling the story of this place.

20:11The garden is named Wurundjeri Big Barn.

20:24And it's a collaboration between Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

20:30Oh, wow.

20:32Some people go home at the end of the day and some people take off their shoes and walk into their lounge room.

20:41But this is home for us.

20:42Every time we're out and we see this amount of diversity in these kind of areas,

20:46that's home to Indigenous people because that's where we've always resided.

20:50It was within country and healthy country.

20:53Wurundjeri man and educator Thayne Garvey.

20:56We're tricked into thinking that, you know, these suburban areas

21:01and these really built-up CBDs is what Australia is.

21:05But that's not a representation of what Australia is.

21:07This is a representation of what Australia is.

21:18And tasked with the design of this Wurundjeri garden

21:20were Andrew Laidlaw and Susannah Kennett-Lister.

21:24The overall theme is water and the richness of water and wetland environments.

21:30The actual path represents the Birrarung or what was once the Yarra River.

21:34The Birrarung threads its way through there

21:36and ultimately through these wetlands and salt marshes before it arrives at the sea.

21:41So this year we tried to really focus on those rich swamp, lagoons and wetlands

21:47that used to exist all around Melbourne.

21:50And I think one of the things that really came through in the conversations that we had

21:54is that the waterways provided everything.

21:58You know, we have to tell the story of Eyuk, the eel, short finned eel in this garden.

22:02That was a major food source.

22:04And they have their own incredible story and it's all interconnected.

22:07And just like the waterways that would flow all the way across Narm and Melbourne,

22:12everything links in to one another in this garden.

22:15So the garden kind of goes through different ecosystems or ecotypes, is that right?

22:19Yeah, we've represented a number of different plant communities in this garden.

22:23As you enter our garden you will walk through the swamp paperbark forest

22:27and you move through that swamp paperbark forest into the riparian zones

22:32which features plants that grow along the waterways.

22:34And as you move through further you start to get towards the kind of swamp and brackish marshlands

22:40and into our kind of more sand dune environment.

22:43And you'll see the seaweed threaded throughout the plants.

22:46And that will take you around the outside of our garden.

22:49We also have a basalt ridge.

22:52So many, many years ago before colonial settlement there used to be a basalt ridge crossing the Birrarung River,

22:58the Yarra River.

22:59And we have emulated that ridge by putting a couple of basalt stones across the ponds

23:06and it just brings that idea of walking and crossing the Birrarung River

23:10which is what Wurundjeri and Wurundjeri people used to do.

23:13But what's critical is that we've done it with the Wurundjeri Council.

23:24So we've built up a relationship that is now built on trust

23:27and we've worked with the council to design this garden.

23:32Do you think that people will get some of the story as they leave?

23:37I definitely think they will.

23:38You know, people come through these areas and they see this garden

23:41and they notice it looks completely different to everything else that's around here.

23:44But really the more that we can start to reinstate some of this stuff

23:47the more we start to see things like native birds come back.

23:50And that only helps to create that chain reaction and get us all coming together

23:54and get us to work towards something more sustainable

23:56but not just for us humans but for everything else that's involved as well.

24:06I'm from Townsville, North Queensland.

24:08We've had an extreme wet season up there.

24:11Lots and lots of flooding.

24:12Our gardens are decimated.

24:14They've either died or they're overgrown.

24:17And the soil is just awful.

24:20What to do?

24:21Yes.

24:22Well, after big rains and strong winds,

24:25first of all you need to check all your trees

24:27to make sure that there's no broken branches that could invite disease

24:33where they've ripped and torn the bark.

24:35So make sure you take off any broken limbs and take a little bit off the top

24:39just to stabilise any trees.

24:42The other thing, of course, the soil is very wet.

24:45So if you have mulch there, it's a good idea to peel it back

24:49and get a fork into the ground to get some oxygen and some air back into your soil.

24:56Now, as you said, it's all leached out, so you want to add some nutrients.

25:01So you want to get some compost in there,

25:03potentially some manures if you can get hold of them

25:06and any pelletised manures can help.

25:09They can go down into those holes and break down.

25:12And that way, with worm castings and compost and some fertilisers,

25:17you'll rebuild the mineral content in your soil

25:21and things will start to feed again.

25:23Hey Wilbur, what do you need to know about your garden?

25:28How do you keep your azaleas flowering?

25:31Well, lots of water, lots of food, probably enough light is really important

25:36because most plants will respond to that.

25:38Different plants will have different flowering seasons,

25:41so not all of them will flower all year long.

25:44But if you can get them in the right spot, nice bright morning sun,

25:48nice rich soil, they like it acidic, right?

25:52So quite a low pH.

25:54And give them a good liquid feed.

25:56I don't know, what, every month or couple of months,

25:59you'll get the best blooms you possibly can.

26:02How do I know when my kiwi fruit is ripe and ready to be picked?

26:07That's a really good question.

26:09And they're a fruit that's a bit hard to tell.

26:12So they ripen late in autumn, almost when the plant's dropping all its leaves off.

26:17And they don't ripen on the vine as such.

26:20They tend to ripen on your kitchen counter or something like that.

26:24So what I'd be doing is towards the end of autumn,

26:26feel around if any fruit's starting to go a bit soft.

26:30Pick a few, leave them inside for a couple of days and see if they're ready.

26:34But they are one of those tricky ones.

26:36There's no defined rule.

26:37Like, you know, with an apple, when it's ready to pick,

26:40you just give it that twist and it comes off in your hand.

26:42But kiwi fruit are a little bit trickier.

26:44So wait till the end of autumn, try some, bring them inside to ripen and see how you go.

26:57Now we're taking things down a notch.

27:00Not in quality, but in size.

27:03The gardens in this boutique category are each limited to five metres by five metres.

27:09With a much smaller footprint to play with, ideas and plants are even more concentrated.

27:18The competition in this category is always hotly contested.

27:22Teams enter a design concept and only a handful of finalists are chosen

27:27to bring their idea to life here at the show.

27:31Walking through all the different display gardens,

27:33it's been clear to see the underlying themes.

27:37Yes, it's all about a place of tranquility and respite for people to come

27:42and feel like they're getting away from the craziness of the world.

27:47But the other powerful theme throughout has been providing a place for nature.

27:55The plant palette we've used in this garden is 100% native plants to Australia.

28:00Over 60% of those plants are actually indigenous to the greater Melbourne region.

28:04I think people are receiving it really well.

28:06People are asking about the same few plants.

28:08Like, what's this?

28:09They're reaching out and feeling the foliage.

28:11It's been really great.

28:13A few of those are the Tamazia discolour.

28:15A really beautiful plant with grey, green foliage.

28:18Also gets tiny little pink, purple flowers.

28:21But that's a standout, just the texture and the foliage.

28:24We've also got Xerichysum viscosum.

28:27Really simple little plant.

28:29It's indigenous to the greater Melbourne region and beyond.

28:32And it just instantly attracts the little native pollinators.

28:35So even placing them the first few days on site, instantly we had trays of them just sitting next to the site.

28:41And we had pollinators come up and they were all over them straight away.

28:45Another favourite would be the banksia rober.

28:49You can prune it and train it to be really architectural.

28:52So I really love it for all that diversity.

28:54It might not surprise you that I always love the gardens that are a little bit out of the box.

29:08And this year, this is absolutely that.

29:11It's talking about contamination of different sites and phytoremediation,

29:15which means that plants are such powerful organisms when it comes to repairing and healing the damage that we've already done to so much of our landscape.

29:25And it's got lots of species that people are going to be a bit surprised to see.

29:29Things like ivy, which in so many contexts is an environmental weed and should not be grown.

29:35But the other hat that ivy wears is it's an incredibly good phytoremediator.

29:41It's good at cleaning up contaminated sites.

29:44And so this garden's not only incredibly cool to look at, it's also challenging us to look at plants and our landscapes and their role in our future.

29:55There's another category of small gardens that I always love to see.

30:00It's called the Avenue of Achievable Gardens.

30:03It's the space where emerging talent in horticulture and design have the opportunity to put their ideas on display.

30:11The plots are all five metres by four metres, so slightly smaller than the last ones.

30:17And another difference is that they're designed to be viewed from only the front.

30:22Oh, this is some of the students from Bendigo.

30:27I can see the ironbark used as mulch. It's so characteristic of that landscape.

30:32Yeah.

30:33Look at the artwork in the background.

30:36It's beautiful.

30:37Capturing the native species in the art.

30:40Oh, wow. Look at this.

30:42It's taking the corner out of the backyard, isn't it?

30:45So rather than thinking of that boundary space as narrow and awkward, it's an opportunity for a whole pallet of plants.

30:52That's so clever.

30:53Yeah.

30:54Oh, what a beautiful garden.

30:56Yeah, well done.

30:57Thank you so much.

30:58Fantastic.

30:59And I mean, look at the classic hills hoist.

31:04But look at the other details that are here.

31:06That's great.

31:07There is that creek line with a nice waterway with native plants and...

31:13I love a cheeky garden.

31:15Oh.

31:16Whoa.

31:17Wee, look at that pink wall.

31:18The flowers are popping off that feature wall.

31:21These are all Mexican plants.

31:24It's beautiful.

31:26Thank you so much.

31:27I know all about dahlias because my dad grows them.

31:30Really?

31:31Yeah.

31:32And dahlia is the national flower of Mexico.

31:33Yeah.

31:34So I included quite a few of them.

31:35Yeah, they're beautiful.

31:37Gosh, it's absolutely chocas.

31:39It is, isn't it?

31:40It is.

31:41So many people.

31:42And my favourite was the very colourful bright pink.

31:46It's quite distinctive.

31:48I feel like that garden is basically me in a garden.

31:51I wonder why.

31:52Yeah, I wonder why.

31:53My favourite garden here at the show has got to be memories of a summer holiday.

31:56It was a smaller lawn, but still had a cricket pitch and just some lovely plants for wildlife

32:01surrounding that.

32:02So just, I thought it was a real contemporary take on a classic Australian backyard.

32:06I love the Alaffia australis.

32:08It just felt with everything growing up top, feels like a green hug for the space.

32:13It's very comforting to be in.

32:15I think for me it was the shades of green garden.

32:17I really like the dense, lush, overgrown look.

32:20And I'm a bit of a sucker for ferns.

32:22So anything with ferns I'm going to like.

32:24I really loved the, I think it's like an Italian themed one.

32:28It had a beautiful big old olive tree.

32:31Just stunning.

32:33Because we're from Italy.

32:35Yeah.

32:36We love the colours and all the flowers.

32:38Beautiful.

32:39Yeah.

32:40This section of the show feeds me, Millie.

32:56Seeing the next generation of young designers sharing their ideas and people watching their

33:03reactions to what the designers are doing.

33:05It's, it's really brave.

33:06They're right there and they're talking one-on-one with people, communicating their ideas.

33:11And I just love to see, there's so much garden love in the air.

33:16Sophie, is there anything better than spending time chatting to all different plants people

33:31and absorbing their passion for what they do and share?

33:36I know.

33:37I just met a lady who knows everything about Noreen's.

33:40They are the real queens of unusual bulbs.

33:43Well, luckily for us, Jane is so loved wherever she goes that she's been invited back to their

33:50nursery and we get to go along for the ride.

33:53Can't wait to see it.

33:54I'm in the lovely Dandenong Ranges in Victoria and I'm looking to find a hidden gem.

34:06I know about a little family-run nursery up here that specialises in very rare bulbs and other flowery treasures.

34:14The GPS doesn't work so well up here, so the nursery owners have actually put out some coloured balloons along the roadside just to lead me along the correct path.

34:24I haven't found any yet, but I'll keep an eagle eye out.

34:27It might be hard to find, but this rustic nursery is worth the hunt.

34:36Hidden in the middle of the National Park, it's run by mother and daughter duo Shirley and Jane Tonkin.

34:43And what's special is that it's home to more than 150 species of rare bulbs from all around the world.

34:55Wow, what a lovely spot.

34:57But I must admit, I'm here on a very special mission.

35:02I've heard that there's a very special bulb that they have in flower here and I want to find it.

35:08It's the holy grail of bulb growers.

35:11It's called the Crown Imperial and I've never actually seen one in flower in Australia.

35:20If the setting doesn't take your breath away, then the selection of rarities will.

35:25Luckily, Jane Tonkin is on hand to guide me through.

35:29Come on through, Jane.

35:30Oh, this is a good old igloo.

35:31Yes, it's been around for a few years now.

35:32Oh, yeah.

35:33And how many foals have you got growing in here?

35:34Oh, lots of different species.

35:35Probably about a hundred different ones.

35:36Hang on, hang on.

35:37Oh, what's this?

35:38Oh, well, you wanted to come and see the Crown Imperial.

35:39I did, but I got diverted.

35:40I don't blame you.

35:41This is Narcissus asturiensis.

35:42It's a little species, miniature daffodil.

35:43It most certainly is.

35:44Yes, so native to Spain and Portugal.

35:45Oh, my goodness.

35:46To see a paddock of that, wouldn't that be just lovely?

35:47Oh, yes.

35:48Oh, yes.

35:49Oh, yes.

35:50Oh, yes.

35:51Oh, yes.

35:52Oh, yes.

35:53Oh, yes.

35:54Oh, yes.

35:55Oh, yes.

35:56Oh, yes.

35:57Oh, yes.

35:58Oh, yes.

35:59Oh, yes.

36:00Oh, yes.

36:01Oh, yes.

36:02Oh, yes.

36:03It most certainly is.

36:04Oh, look at that.

36:05Yes, so native to Spain and Portugal.

36:07Oh, my goodness.

36:08To see a paddock of that, wouldn't that be just lovely?

36:10Oh, yes.

36:11And pretty much along the riverbanks and things.

36:13Okay.

36:14But it's getting people to know that rare doesn't actually mean unattainable or that

36:20you can't grow it.

36:21Yeah.

36:22Because these do grow quite well in most areas of Australia except our more tropical...

36:27Humid areas.

36:28Okay.

36:29Well, they really are tiny treasures.

36:31What else have you got to show me?

36:32We've got this Crown Imperial, haven't we?

36:34Oh.

36:35Oh.

36:36Now, the Crown Imperial might be rare, but it clearly needs to join the queue.

36:42The pleasure here is in the journey and you don't really know what you're going to stumble

36:47upon next.

36:48Oh, hang on, hang on.

36:49We've missed something.

36:50Oh.

36:51Oh.

36:52Sneak around there.

36:53Oh, now, what's this?

36:55It's a Romulia.

36:56So, native to South Africa.

36:58Mm-hmm.

36:59So, it likes full sun.

37:00Okay.

37:01And in Australia we can grow a lot of the South African things because they have the

37:06similar sort of climates as we do here in Victoria, New South Wales and even Tassie.

37:11Isn't it spectacular?

37:12The markings on it.

37:13It looks like a little umbrella all furled up with these beautiful markings.

37:17And then the sunshine makes it come fully open like so and just beautiful inside as

37:22well.

37:23It's Romulia Monadelpha.

37:24It's Romulia Monadelpha.

37:26Mum Shirley has been here since the beginning, 50 years ago when her late husband Brian Tonkin

37:33began his obsession with collecting rare plants and flowers from all corners of the globe.

37:40Hey, Mum.

37:41G'day Shirley.

37:42Hello, Jane.

37:43How are you?

37:44It's good to see you.

37:45Yes.

37:46Yeah.

37:47You were doing some weeding.

37:48I was doing weeding.

37:49You can't stop yourself, Shirley, can you?

37:50No, I can't, Jane.

37:51You've got little fingers that go .

37:53Yeah.

37:54Well, we built the benches this high because they're nanny height and I don't have to bend.

37:57I've got no excuse not to weed.

38:00Good.

38:01Now, 50 years for goodness sake.

38:03Yes.

38:0450 years.

38:05I married Brian in 69.

38:07Yeah.

38:08He already had a love of bulbs because he came back from the war and was enthusiastic about

38:15growing stuff.

38:16What was his passion?

38:17Why did he have this passion?

38:19Anything that was hard to find or hard to grow was his challenge.

38:24He had to have a challenge.

38:26And we're standing right in front of these beautiful Galanthus.

38:31Yes.

38:32They're lovely.

38:33Now, let's talk about them because they're so special.

38:35They are.

38:36Commonly called snowdrops.

38:38This is the Nivalis which is found growing wild in England.

38:43And I love them because the sun comes out and she lifts her skirt and you can see her

38:47little knickers which have got a little green lace edge.

38:50It's really lovely.

38:52And it shuts up when the sun goes down and next day her knickers are in show again.

38:56She's a brazen little hussy, isn't she?

38:59She is.

39:00She is.

39:01Did Brian have a favourite plant at all?

39:03But there's a special one.

39:04And Recurva.

39:05There is the special one.

39:07The special one, Imperialis, was the one that he always wanted to be able to grow successfully.

39:15And now I think my darling daughter is the champion of growing for Larry Imperialis.

39:20That's nice to hear, correct?

39:22Because she can get it to flower for me.

39:25Brian Tonkin never got to see the Imperialis.

39:28In fact, it's taken 21 years for them to be successful.

39:33But lucky for us, we don't have to wait.

39:36Can you see it yet?

39:37Ah, yes I can!

39:40Oh!

39:43This is such a rare treat.

39:46It's Fritillaria imperialis.

39:49Its gorgeous downward facing flowers, topped by the crown of leaves, give it its name.

39:55Reminiscent of an emperor's crown and only flowering for a few weeks at a time.

40:02These are my babies.

40:03Yeah.

40:04My babies get checked every morning.

40:05That is really stunning, isn't it?

40:07Yep.

40:08So that's, I think, what makes it so impressive and the fact that it is rare in Australia.

40:13It's one of those things that Dad always wanted to grow because of its complexity and rarity here.

40:21This is why it's really exciting because now we can get our own fresh seed, sow it straight away and away we go.

40:28You know, it's seeing things like the Imperialis that make these specialist nurseries so rewarding.

40:34But it's also the inspiration they give.

40:37Rare doesn't necessarily mean difficult to grow.

40:41So if you're into the unusual, then search out your local specialist.

40:46And they will really make your garden stand out from the crowd.

40:51Plus, the hunt is really worth it too.

41:00Good day?

41:01It's been a fantastic day.

41:02Mm.

41:03Nice to have a little stop in the shade.

41:05Mm.

41:06Refuel.

41:07Refuel.

41:08Uh, normally I would compost this, put it in a little wax bag in my backpack, take it home.

41:13Yeah.

41:14What do you do?

41:15I generally put it in my keep cup and take it home.

41:17Right.

41:18Throw in the compost.

41:19But, um, I've been thinking.

41:21100,000 people over five days.

41:24It's a lot of banana skins.

41:26I reckon they've got a compost here somewhere.

41:28I might go find out.

41:29Yeah, check it out, Millie.

41:31I'm not the only one with waste.

41:33For five days, over 115,000 plant and garden lovers visit the show, generating an enormous amount of waste.

41:40It's a scary number.

41:41400 tonnes of waste.

41:43280 of that is that organic material.

41:46This year we've chosen to trial a new way of collecting it.

41:49We've tried to make it a bit more simpler.

41:51It goes in the general.

41:52We sort it all back here.

41:53Greg manages an on-site team whose job it is to collect the bins and sort through all the waste.

41:59Bring it in, process it, put it into another product, and you've got that true circular economy.

42:05But it's not just made up of food and packaging.

42:08There are hundreds of businesses at the show, many using organic materials in their displays.

42:14Some can easily deal with their own waste.

42:16I'm going to take all of these home and compost them on the farm back to feed all of my new flowers.

42:21For others, the closed-loop crew collect it for sorting.

42:24And organic waste like timber, soil, turf and mulch are collected by sustainability partner BioGrow.

42:32At the end of the show, more than 600 cubic metres of organic waste is collected and transformed into compost and other garden products like mulch.

42:42As gardeners, we know that what some see as waste is actually a valuable resource.

42:48So, it's great to see that this same approach is being applied at such scale.

42:53One of the things I love about the show are the competitions that are open to all, like the Hanging Basket Challenge.

43:17Everyone, from school students to garden clubs, nurseries, experienced gardeners and complete newbies can enter.

43:28And there's no limit to creativity or what plants can be used.

43:32Check out this one.

43:34Everything you need to make your own herbal teas.

43:37From lemon verbena and lemongrass, we've got mints and tea bags are included.

43:48Everyone who enters needs to use the same wire basket lined with coir.

43:52They start planting several months beforehand so that the plants have time to settle into the basket and fill out.

43:59Karina has entered the hanging basket competition multiple times and has even won best in show.

44:07What draws you to hanging baskets?

44:09I think they're a great way that anyone can have something in their own garden.

44:13Just put it where you want to, fill up a blank space.

44:18But what do I always think of the baskets?

44:20Like when you look here, they're something that you'd have in your own garden.

44:24And it's what I call a mini achievable garden.

44:27As a past winner, is there anything you're looking for in a basket?

44:32Well, usually you're looking for something that's full, uniform type of design.

44:37Something even to tell the story so you can use your ornaments to actually add to that particular story.

44:44Look at the imagination in this.

44:46I know, incredible.

44:47A little, little treehouse.

44:48So you've got your little house there.

44:50Isn't that amazing?

44:51You just delicately spin that one round.

44:53And just look at these.

44:56Aren't they beautifully done?

44:58Absolutely.

44:59And I quite like this.

45:01This is a good lot of imagination here.

45:04I just love these.

45:05They just make you feel happy when you see their smiling faces.

45:08They do.

45:09And we've got strawberries in there too.

45:11And we've got some edibles and nasturtiums.

45:14It's really nice and full, this one.

45:16And the beautiful marigolds.

45:18And we just start to have a little bit of a fall there too.

45:21So that's very nicely done.

45:23Now, up the end, there's an amazing one.

45:26Yes.

45:27They've actually taken a hanging basket and put it on its side.

45:29That is a very challenging thing.

45:32It's something that I haven't done.

45:41So if anyone's thinking of entering this hanging basket challenge, what would your words of

45:46encouragement be?

45:47Start early.

45:48Because to get a really good basket, to get all the plants looking mature and full, you

45:54really need about four months.

45:56Four months to actually start living in its home.

45:59So, after seeing all those glorious baskets, I'm inspired to have a go potting up my own.

46:16And I'm going to show you just how easy it is.

46:19Now, when you're choosing plants for your basket, you need to make sure that you choose

46:23plants with similar requirements.

46:25These are all native plants, so they're suitable for native potting soil.

46:29And make sure that you don't combine things that have different water requirements.

46:33Like putting a succulent with an indoor plant that needs a lot of water.

46:37So, to get started, here I've got this beautiful dwarf kangaroo paw called bush pearl.

46:44That's going to go in as my centrepiece.

46:46A bit of height in the middle.

46:48I'm going to put a little bit of potting soil around the edge.

46:50I've got a couple of beautiful native daisies, or Brachyscombs.

46:57They are fantastic to bring in beneficial buds.

47:01Ranging from ladybirds and hoverflies to lacewings.

47:04These are absolutely beautiful.

47:07Well, look at that.

47:11Gorgeous ground cover scavolas, which are really pretty.

47:15They might even bring in the native bees.

47:18And to finish it off, I'm going to use this gorgeous Dichondra silver falls.

47:22I'm going to split it up and place it around the edge.

47:25And that will actually hang down a metre or more.

47:27Okay, so, in theory, I like it.

47:37So, now I'm just going to add in some extra potting media.

47:40Now, it's essential that you use a premium potting mix suitable for the plants you're using.

47:46The most expensive mistake you'll ever make is using cheap potting soil.

47:50Water it in well and leave it for a few months for it all to grow in together.

47:55And that's going to be a picture.

47:58Hanging baskets take a little bit more work to look after because they dry out so rapidly.

48:03However, they add colour and joy to entrances and balconies.

48:07And they take your garden to a whole new level.

48:11Well, my question is, what citrus would you recommend for a beginner gardener?

48:27Now, most people would think that as a Greek, I would say Eureka lemon.

48:31Yeah.

48:32But I'm going to push the boundaries a bit.

48:34And I'm going to say, what about giving a pomelo a try?

48:37Ooh, I actually love them.

48:39Really?

48:40Yeah, absolutely.

48:41Big thick skin.

48:42Yeah.

48:43Would you put it in a pot?

48:44You could grow it in a pot.

48:45They do well in a pot or in the ground.

48:47And the big thick skin gives you something that you can turn into almost a sweet delicacy as well.

48:52Mmm, that's delicious.

48:54G'day.

48:55Hi, Millie.

48:56I'm Jane.

48:57Hi, Jane.

48:58I always loved seeing your partner in Gardening Crime on TV.

49:01Squid.

49:02Oh, yeah.

49:03Is he a help?

49:04And I hear he likes vegetables.

49:05What's his favourite vegetable?

49:07Oh, that's interesting.

49:08Because it's a she.

49:09Oh.

49:10But she doesn't care.

49:11She actually does have a favourite vegetable in that I have to cage the carrots.

49:16Because our old dog, bless him, now past taught her how to dig up your own carrots.

49:23And so now I have to sow a separate little bed for her.

49:26Oh.

49:27And I have to cage ours.

49:28Because otherwise she harvests constantly and we lose all the carrots.

49:31But thank you for asking.

49:32Probably.

49:33Squiddy is, I mean, look, every good garden deserves a good dog sleeping and observing it,

49:39don't they?

49:40Absolutely.

49:41Sophie, I've got this beautiful hoia inside, but it's just sticky.

49:44Like, I don't know what to do.

49:46It just keeps, it's just really sticky.

49:48Here's the, I've got on the leaves.

49:50Can you see that?

49:51Absolutely.

49:52So that is honeydew and that is a symptom of a sap sucking pest.

49:56Either mealybug or scale.

49:58I think we can even see the scale there.

50:00Yeah.

50:01So those tiny brown inanimate lumps, they're sucking the sap and secrete this sweet honeydew.

50:05Okay.

50:06And that sticky in it drips and ants will often come to harvest.

50:10Have you got ants?

50:11I've got ants, yes.

50:12Okay.

50:13So ants are the bad boys.

50:14They're coming to harvest that honeydew.

50:16Yes.

50:17And so they actually carry it from plant to plant to plant.

50:19So what you need to do, you need to stop the ants, right?

50:21That's really important.

50:22And you need to spray the scale with a horticultural oil, which smothers the scale's breathing apparatus.

50:28Okay.

50:29And it will kill it.

50:30But if you don't stop the ants, it will come back.

50:32So good luck with that.

50:40If a balcony is the only outdoor space you've got, then you know it's absolutely prime precious real estate.

50:48This year, there are five in competition.

50:51Each one has 4.8 metres by 2.4 metres to work with.

50:56There's a couple of really simple things we can take away from the design here.

51:00First of all, what they've done is rack and stack.

51:03So they've started with taller pots in the back and then dropped them down to this flat low water bowl feature.

51:10And that gives you this staggered effect.

51:13But they also protect each other and prevent the pots from drying out from the heat.

51:18And mixed in here, there's two pots of edibles so that this is a really functional garden.

51:27Here's another great idea.

51:30On balconies, your space is limited.

51:33But there's all this vertical space.

51:36In a lot of cases, balconies can be shaded or this vertical space could be south facing.

51:42But that's still an opportunity to bring the plants in.

51:45In this case, they've used a vertical garden structure and filled it with ferns that love that kind of microclimate.

51:54But then the structure itself has a built-in bench.

51:58And inside the bench, where space is limited, you can store all those things that we need.

52:04Some potting mix, your secateurs, your watering can.

52:07What a great solution.

52:09One of the biggest challenges with people that have a balcony is that you're not allowed to disturb the finished surfaces.

52:26You can't drill in and particularly if you're a renter, you're not allowed to repave because you can't bring extra heavy things in when something is already been engineered.

52:37Now, this system is absolutely fantastic.

52:40It's a platform system.

52:42So you can bring in a new layer of paving that doesn't affect the existing layer.

52:48It gives you this void like this where you can run pipes if you want to run irrigation or a tap or even lighting.

52:55You can run it underneath so you've got room to move.

52:58The other thing is that void means that you can sink some planting.

53:02So it's almost as though you're planting into the ground.

53:05And look at the effect of this ground cover here creeping over your pavement.

53:10But most of all, when you combine that lightweight system with lightweight pots, it means you can do so much on a balcony.

53:18And if you're a renter, the best part is you can pack it up and take it with you.

53:25Now I'm checking out the smallest of the garden categories, border gardens.

53:31With only 2.4 by 2.4 metres to play with, these displays are like a slice of a front nature strip, a corner in a courtyard or the border alongside a fence.

53:43These gardens are all about the plants. Designers are encouraged to show off their skills in planting design, plant arrangement and horticulture.

53:55Now, there's no small amount of competition, but this is my favourite.

54:00Take a moment and immerse yourself in this border garden.

54:07It fills my heart with joy to see, yet again, this movement back towards nature.

54:16This use of native plants, an understanding, a design with them, a rewilding, a natural approach where we're putting all of those features that nature would provide for insects and wildlife, for the birds.

54:33Bring it and they will come. And we can do this in a small space, on the verge.

54:40Just imagine what our cities could be like if this type of garden was everywhere.

54:48Well, I'm fired up, but I also want to know what everyone else is feeling inspired by.

54:54We've just been looking around at these little display gardens here and we've been noticing some of the different fencing textures.

55:01There's one just behind us here with our copper fencing. Hopefully we'll do that when we get home.

55:07Fantastic.

55:09I just went to a workshop on plants, you know, made easy, you know, easy lift.

55:15And I'm very interested in that because I don't have a huge amount of time, but I love a beautiful garden.

55:20So that's what I was really excited to see.

55:22A lot of landscaping ideas. I've got a big garden that I want to, you know, fill with plants and I'm building it still.

55:36So it's given me good ideas for that.

55:38I was very impressed in the flower section display in the main building where they use all the recycled bookcase, leather.

55:53They hang the flowers. I said, oh, geez, it's good. They recycle. No waste.

55:58Yeah.

55:59Yeah, that's inspiring. I think I'm going to go home and do it.

56:03Two people who love their weekend time in the garden. What are you up to, Millie?

56:17Well, I mean, this time of the year for me is cold, cold. We go minus seven.

56:22And so outside the growth really grinds to a bit of a halt.

56:25But I love that time for thinking and tinkering and designing.

56:29So I often head into the shed. I've got an idea to build a much larger heat mat using really affordable reptile heater, some sand, some timber.

56:39I want to get that designed, get it built.

56:41So in a few weeks I can start a lot of seeds for that spring season.

56:45So that's what I'm doing. Tinkering, thinking and doing a bit of building.

56:49Tinker time. What about you, Soph? What are you up to?

56:52I'm about to plant a new orchard and it's bare root season.

56:55So I'm going to get stuck into planting new seasons as deciduous fruit trees.

56:59Well, I can't wait till I can get over there picking some of that fruit.

57:04As for me, my summer balcony garden has been in shade for a while now.

57:09There's lots of leftovers in there.

57:11I'm going to clear it out, rejuvenate the soil with some compost, some worm castings, a bit of manure and just bed it down ready for my spring planting.

57:20Now, you can catch up with all the other jobs for the weekend on our website.

57:25Go on, get out there and get into it.

57:28What a fantastic time we've had together here at the show.

57:32I feel like my backpack is full of new ideas and inspiration.

57:37And remember, there are smaller garden shows all around the country and they all offer amazing things to gardeners.

57:43So be sure to check out one that's near to where you live.

57:46It's so true.

57:47I mean, in central Victoria, we have so many great shows.

57:50You've just got to hunt them down.

57:51Yeah, my diary is full of shows that are coming up.

57:56Time for me to pack my bag and head back to Sydney.

57:59We will see you all next week.