Open garden: Little Pond
LITTLE Pond, Northern Territory, is densely populated and a unique design.
LITTLE Pond, Northern Territory, is densely populated and a unique design.
7 Kilfoyle Crescent, Nakara, NT. Owners Geoff and Judi Samuels. littlepond.com
DESCRIBE YOUR GARDEN: We came to our 800sq m block in Darwin’s northern suburbs in 1985 when it was mostly grass. The way the garden is now is probably the ninth iteration, as I’m forever changing it. As our children grew, our needs changed. It’s an informal, densely planted tropical garden, with several ponds and irregular paths through the undergrowth. There’s no lawn as it got too shady. We’ve planted the nature strip with gingers, heliconias, ferns and hammerhead frangipani.
WHY THAT NAME: It’s my little joke. We have a Bigpond email address and I reckon our ponds are little. I wanted to make the whole front garden one huge pond but Judi said no, so it’s two ponds. The bigger one, about 10m x 2m, is fed by a tinkling waterfall and links to the smaller pond with a cascade. They contain water lilies, native fish, platies, guppies and freshwater shrimps.
WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL: It’s different! There are all sorts of nooks and crannies you can visit. Our grandchildren love to pretend they’re chasing tigers or fighting Klingons as they drag grandma round and round until she declares it’s lunchtime or sleep time. They like to hide and ambush her too. The garden attracts lots of birds, which we love to watch.
BIGGEST CHALLENGES: Digging planting holes and managing the palm fronds and fruit. The bush chooks (orange-footed scrub fowls) dig up the plants and spread the mulch on the road, apparently because I enjoy sweeping it up and putting it back.
FAVOURITE PART: We retire most evenings with a glass of wine to our chill-out zone in the back. We filled in the old swimming pool and made a paved area with a heated spa and water feature.
WHAT’S LOOKING GOOD: We harvested most of our rosella crop (pictured) but left some for the open weekend and to save the seeds. Some orchids are flowering and bromeliads starting to colour. We discovered that Judi, who has a brown thumb, can’t kill bromeliads, so she has become an aficionado.
EXTRAS: Tea, coffee and plants for sale. Funds go to Total Recreation, which provides activities and opportunities for people with disabilities. Our son Owen benefits from their care.
OPEN THIS WEEKEND 10AM TO 4.30PM
ENTRY $7, UNDER 18s FREE
FLORA
TWO new apps for gardeners offer ideas and information at your fingertips. The Yates My Garden app includes a Plant Finder of more than 1000 plant pictures, together with details of how to grow each plant. Garden Visualiser lets you take a photo of your garden and overlay plant images to see what the result might be like. There’s also a problem-solver for pests, diseases and weeds; a tool to find the best seed varieties to plant now; and a tracker tool to monitor progress of vegetables you’ve planted. Free at yates.com.au for iPhone, iPad or Android. Mr Fothergill’s Vegetable Planting Guide app uses postcode-based data to recommend vegetable, herb and fruit varieties and ideal planting dates, with growing informa-tion. Free from iTunes App Store.
TWIG
EARLY one Sunday a few carousing men stumbled into my front garden and broke two shrubs, a tea tree and a Metrosideros. The young trunks have partial jagged breaks. Can I repair them? HELEN NAJAR, SYDNEY
You can splint broken branches if the living bark is still intact, but success depends on how bad the damage is, how thick the branches are and how top-heavy the plant is. If they’re grown as shrubs, not trees, it’s probably better to prune out the damage and get them bushy again.
My Camellia japonica appeared to survive summer but recently the buds have brown edges and some leaves are going brown, limp and falling. Other leaves have little brown dots. MORAG GUNN, BRISBANE
Limp, falling leaves can indicate poor drainage and root rot. Yates AntiRot can help combat root rot. Browning buds could be a fungal problem or earlier sunburn. Little spots that scrape off with a fingernail are scale insects. Treat with PestOil, Eco-Oil or Natrasoap, sprayed thoroughly.
Is pelletised chook manure too salty for the garden, especially for vegetables and natives? At a native nursery they tested for salt content and found it too high. SHIRLEY STRANO, BY EMAIL
Most nutrients are in the form of salts. It is important to use products as directed and not exceed doses. Pelletised chook manure products are gentle and slow release. They are safe for natives, except those sensitive to phosphorus, and excellent for vegies.
What type of manure is best when creating an organic vegetable patch from scratch? JACQUI LAGALUGA, BY EMAIL
Local sources of unprocessed manures can be cheap or free. Horse, sheep, cow, pig, pigeon and chicken manures are useful. Check animals haven’t been drenched with worming agents. Do not use fresh but allow to age first. Poultry manures are much stronger than the others. Bagged products are ready to use and more convenient. A mix of different manures, plus compost, is good.