Muddy Boots

In this episode: Raised garden beds Advice on lining treated-pine vegetable beds, including food-safe PE, LDPE or PVC options and contacting Modbox about food-grade liners. Lilly pilly beetle How to manage recurring beetle damage on lilly pillies, including the discussion of Eco-Neem and Eco-Oil, regular feeding and improving soil health. Building better vegetable beds Do you need every soil additive on the market? Keith discusses the importance of building a healthy, nutrient-rich soil rathe...

A garden without birds, bees and butterflies, just isn’t a garden’, says Elisabeth. Today we talk about the importance of attracting pollinators! Australia is home to over 1500 bees and pollinating insects. Here are some of the ‘bee magnet’ flowering plants. SalviasBuddleia (also a favourite with butterflies)Echium (check out the wildpretii variety)PoppiesCosmosAlyssumQueen Anne’s LaceCalendulaDaisiesPenstemonNatives such as wattles, bottle brushes, westringia, grevilleaHerbs such as - borage...

November is when the garden really starts to accelerate. With summer approaching, Keith and Elizabeth cover the jobs worth tackling now — from watering and mulching to planting, pruning, harvesting and getting ready for heat. Prepare for summer Consider installing a water tank, including slimline tanks that can be connected together.Get irrigation systems set up before the heat arrives.Mulch garden beds to retain moisture and suppress weeds.Aerate compacted soil with a garden fork.Consider sh...

Tough Plants for Tough Places This week on Muddy Boots, Keith shares some of his favourite plants for challenging garden conditions — from hot, dry and exposed sites to poor soil, coastal winds, heavy clay, frost and shade. We cover how to choose plants for difficult microclimates, improve challenging soils, and select plants that can thrive rather than simply survive. Plants mentioned Hot, dry & exposed Plane tree — Platanus digitataSalvia — Salvia spp.Santolina — Santolina spp.Rosemary ...

Muddy Boots: The Wonderful World of Roses This week on Muddy Boots, we’re talking all things roses with Stephanie Williams, International Business Development Manager for David Austin Roses. We explore what makes a great rose, how roses are bred, choosing roses for Australian conditions, soil health, feeding, watering, pruning, pests and disease — and why roses may be much easier to grow than you think. In this episode What makes a great rose — beauty, fragrance, vigour and disease resistance...