Mario Bautista
Well hello, hello, hello everyone and welcome back to your regular Friday dose of Gardening Australia! If I had a wheelbarrow full of compost for every time someone has asked me when we were going to be back on air, I reckon I could spread an organic layer about 100mm thick across the whole country! I’m as pumped as you are to know that the stories we have been filming are going to be plated up for you to enjoy.
There’s so much to feed your appetite this week – from Tammy’s story with Peter Nixon looking into some really good details around green walls and the importance of plant selection. Sophie is all about the bouquet as she dives into the scents of late winter and how you can be planting as much for your nose as your eyes. Now let me bring up the good old perennial question of pruning and the difference between a light prune and a hard prune. I suppose that’s something you might have to ask Tom Gleeson about. Actually in saying that, he’s constantly making a reference to us at Gardening Australia and love’s to utilise me as a target which absolutely cracks me up on a regular basis. If it’s flowers that you love, then wait for it… we have got a mega dose of daffodils, with two wonderful flower growers, Christine and Will Ashburner. Prepare for floriferous overload.
And speaking of floriferousness – Jane dives deep into the world of wholesale plant trials which look at newly bred varieties for their compactness, their longevity of flowering, their uniqueness, their self-cleaning capacity and their overall care and quality characteristics. It’s a fascinating story that looks into the work that goes on behind the scenes of new plants before they make it to the market. And finally, Jerry’s diving deep into insect control while Millie looks at the gardening long game and is planting potatoes and other root vegetables.
My story this week is a very special one. We had the privilege of going up to the Northern Rivers to film with the community of the small Northern Rivers town of Wardell which was absolutely inundated with 7m of floodwaters through their village. What we found at the bottom of the recovery story is that gardening and growing has been an incredible community glue.
I’m really so pleased that I get to introduce you to two of my favourite humans. Venetia Scott and Joel Orchard have been tireless in their efforts supporting and helping rebuild after the devastating floods that ripped through their district. Along with other wonderful locals, they helped establish Wardell C.O.R.E. (Community Organised Recovery Effort) transforming the old bank building into a hub where homegrown produce has been distributed as food boxes on a weekly basis and clothing, blankets, electrical appliances and everything needed for recovery has been available through the hub. And most importantly, there has been a place for people to sit, have a warming cup of soup or food and connect and feel supported.
One of the most important parts of this process has been the creation of a garden blitz activity, where a 6m x 6m modular garden was built for local residents on their own property. Every Friday, a free pizza night at the hub has an auction and when funds reach approximately $500, another garden is built. Seedlings are grown, a seed bank has been established and as you’ll see in the story, anywhere from 20 to 30 people turn up and the garden is built within two hours!
What’s key to take away from this process is that it turns on its head the idea that for a community to rebuild, a community garden would be the ideal solution. But when you investigate that thought a little closer, you realise that a community garden at a time when people are rebuilding creates another obligation and duty to turn up and be involved. But at this time, people and their energy and capacity is reduced and having something else to feel guilty about is exactly the opposite of what needs to be done. By putting a garden in someone’s home, it gives them the chance to see something transforming and growing from seed and to be a part of it and to feel like things are changing for the better. And the most important element of this is that not only does the family and the individual get the therapeutic and mental health benefits of gardening, they also have a chance to give some of their produce back and not feel like they are constantly taking. This was a real lightbulb moment in the process, – a real look at the idea of what is best on ground, not what is best on paper or what is best from the past. Joel and Venetia‘s capacity to build and nurture this idea is second to none. Speaking with some of the gardeners and seeing the impact that this little 6 x 6m plot has had on their wellbeing is breathtaking. I really hope this translates through the beautiful imagery that was captured during our filming days in Wardell.
I’d like to say a big thanks to the Wardell community for welcoming us with open arms. Every single person was so incredibly hospitable and at a time when lives are finding balance and purpose, to allow us into your world with cameras pointing is a privilege that has not gone unnoticed nor is it taken for granted. Spending time in your community has had a lifelong impact on me.
There’s plenty of great activities going on around the country this weekend. I know that Tammy will be over at the spring edition of the Kalamunda Garden Festival, so if you’re anywhere in W.A. Tammy and many other great local garden presenters will be sharing their knowledge, as will all the local stall holders with plenty of what we love – plants! Sophie Thompson has been as busy as ever preparing her display garden for the Royal Adelaide Show. Seriously, she is an absolute powerhouse and I can’t wait to see the garden and meet and greet lots of people inside the amazing garden and horticulture pavilion at the show which is open next week. Have a look at where things are at with Sophie’s garden. I’m really keen to get a handle on the theme that she’s sharing this year but here’s a taste.
I have plenty to do at the show because not only will I be doing things alongside the display gardens, but I will also be there as Costa the Garden Gnome along with Dirtgirl and Scrapboy doing a performance every day on the main stage, so keep an eye out for that because it is a lot of fun doing our ‘Grubby Bucket Show’ as well as singing with Dirtgirls’ band.
And of course, I have the privilege of judging the scarecrow competition with Sophie, and I believe there is close to 50 of them this year which is a highlight on my annual calendar. And if you’re in south-east Queensland, the annual Moreton Bay Eco-Fest is taking place on Saturday and I’m really looking forward to being a part of this wonderful local environmental festival.
You may remember native bee specialist, Kit Prendergast who we have had on the show. She will be there doing a talk through her entomology lens about native bees and pollinators alongside a packed list of talks and workshops and stall holders.
Now just before I go, I want to flag ‘Spray Free Spring’ which I know I introduced you to last year through Dr Lizzy Lowe and invertebrates Australia. More on that next week.
Have a great weekend in the garden – whatever the weather!
We’re baaack!!!!!!
Costa
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