Roots and Shoots

Leonie Harris and wildflower queen Sue Leighton team up to tackle gardening questions aplenty.  02:40  How to get rid of a stubborn ant problem? 19:45  Special guest Digby Growns (Senior plant breeder at the WA Botanic Garden) walks us through what's keeping him busy this time of year. 49:07  How can I best nurture grass tree seedlings?  Subscribe to the podcast through the ABC Listen App , Apple...

Growing strawberries in old bras, pests and planting in this weeks episode.   01:14 Bonsai's and sooty mould (how to get rid of fungal diseases)  05:12 What is the best soil to grow your carrots in.    15:29 Everything Everlastings, including what mulch to use, time to plant and more. Subscribe to the podcast through the ABC Listen App or wherever you like to listen Listen to the program live on S...

Broadcasting live from Perth City Farm, Sab and Amber keep us company while the great Roots and Shoots Plant Swap takes place!  08:33  What are the pros of having white cosmos in my garden?  16:30  Update on the 2025 Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show! With organiser Sue Leighton.  38:42  How to help a droopy dwarf avocado. Subscribe to the podcast through the ABC Listen App , Apple Podcasts  or whereve...

A delight for your ears with bird calls galore! 00:23 Bird calls from Sab, Jo and ABC listeners pepper the show   19:52 What plant should you ignore and then it will grow? (According to Sab, it's a Banksia) 22:23 When is the right time to pick lemons off your tree?  Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App  or wherever you like to listen

Should I rip out my wife's favourite passionfruit? Sab and Amber serve up a fun mix of gardening advice and marital mediation. 01:35  Update on snail science! with PhD researcher Marta Karolak  39:33  John gets Sab's blessing to rip out his wife Diana's favourite passionfruit vine. 51:02  Diana responds! The passionfruit is set to go. All's well that ends well.  Subscribe to the podcast through th...

Sab's getting excited for the Saturday Breakfast Plant Swap at Perth City Farm on August 30, until then she's got your gardening questions covered.  06:03 Tips on training your silver princess to grow in different directions.  09:14 Got a problem with earwigs like ABC listener, Noel does? Here's how to solve it with soy sauce. 12:40 Is a chook pen a happy place to plant a Hong Kong orchid tree?  S...

Sabrina and Amber dive into discussions on fig trees, bamboo and grape vines 02:02  Is it too late to prune a fig tree? 13:39  30-year-old sacred bamboo looking very leggy, can it be trimmed back? 36:24  Preventing mould growth on grape vines Subscribe to the podcast through the ABC Listen App , Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen. Listen to the program live on Saturdays at 9:00AM on AB...

Perennials, weeds and magnificent flowers once forgotten with Sab and Jo. 11:15 How to kill clover but not the plant it's growing on.  12:19 Sab remembers how blooming glorious Tithonia (also known as a Mexican sunflower) are! (and gives tips on pruning the hardy plant).   18:21 If your compost heap is full of slaters, does that create a big problem?   Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Lis...

Sab and Amber get down and dirty with all your gardening questions. 4:15 How much can I prune off my brugmansia?  20:22 Help! What do I do about citrus-nibbling rats?  32:43 What lawn would grow nicely beneath old frangipanis?  Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen. Listen to the program live on Saturdays at 9:00AM on  ABC Radio Pert...

Native gardens, fungal disease and planting flowers with Sab.  01:18 Can molasses help control mites on your dahlias? Sab recommends dusting your tubers in sulphur before you plant them.  03:15 ABC listener Kate asked Sab if her hibiscus shrub would kill her native garden.  09:20 If you have a new house and a new space for a garden, here's what you can plant.  Subscribe to the podcast through the ...

Darryl Hardie (aka. Dr Bugalugs) joins Amber and Sab as they unpack all sorts of buggy and planty problems. 9:47 What to do for a poorly, yellowing Syzygium (lilly pilly). 22:57 How likely are we to see a fire ant outbreak in WA?  35:22 How does a hot summer affect insect populations?  Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen. Listen to...

Sab wants you to look at the root system of a plant before you decide what shape of hole to dig.  02:28 Should you dig a square hole or a circular hole when planting a new tree to help with root placement?  8:45 Moving large grass-trees involve a lot of work. Here's what you need to know.  14:35 A guide to keeping your beautiful indoor orchid happy. Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen...

Sabrina joins Amber from her tropical hideaway in Bali  4:44 Bad news for a passionfruit vine that has been struggling  9:27 How to encourage flowers on a wisteria vine that has never bloomed 11:21 Best trees for a tricky spot that is in full shade all winter and full sun all summer Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen

Sab is in Bali but even that can't stop her from solving your garden queries. 03:56 Pomegranates were popular in today's episode. Here is what you need to look out for if you're having problems. Continued at 16:47 05:19 If you have gall wasps this is what you need to do.  19:39 The iconic boab tree is found in The Kimberley, but did you know can grow a boab from seed in Perth? It's possible with s...

When an tree or branch infested with the polyphagous shot hole borer is cut down and mulched, what happens to the mulch after that?

Amber and Sabrina get clarification on using wood mulch on the Perth metro area, plus advice from Sabrina on delicious monsters, pruning very old frangipanis and keeping a dichondra ground cover under control. 17:14 Monstera deliciosa has brown and yellow tips on the leaves 31:33 Should a 67-year-old frangipani be pruned back? 45:42 Is the silver dichondra ground cover a native plant and how to ke...

Chicken poo, sheep poo, Sab and Dom have the answers of the right poo for you and your garden.  03:00 Prune your quince tree now? Yes. Your apricot tree? No. What fruit trees need some love now and which to leave alone.  16:56 If you want your hydrangeas to flourish, Sab says you have to check the pH of your soil before you plant. 21:51Need some poo for your orchard or veggie patch? Here's what po...

Jo and Sab talk are back with their high pressure hose antics, this time taking out moss. 03:28 Walk to the south side of the house and clean up the winter moss 08:07 Sab is stumped on where to find Mignonette (it doesn't happen very often) 22:13 Why are my potted blueberry leaves are turning brown? Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to lis...

Jo and Sab talk pruning, pests and the fun of high-pressure hoses.  05:55 If you're lucky enough to have a mango tree, here's how to prune it.  10:50 How to deal with a fungal problem on your tree. 28:50 Sowing flower seeds in winter — is it possible?  Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen

Leonie and Sabrina take a closer look at mulch, self-pollinating almonds and transplanting old camellias. 6:22     Transplanting three old camellias 9:54     Does a self-pollinating almond with a hard shell exist? 30:25  Hard wood mulch, can we use it at all now that we have shot-hole-borer? Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen. Lis...

Sab recommends wearing shorts when you're gardening even in the cold weather! 02:30 Why your Frangipani is going yellow — it's not as bad as it seems. 05:11 Breynia Ironstone Range gives your a deep red foliage year round, but how big will it grow?  18:59 Growing sweet potatoes. Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen.

Shot hole borer, the best natives for clay soil and bougainvillea gone ballistic  10:04 Best natives for a dolerite heavy soil 38:52 Bougainvillea gone ballistic 47:37 Will bull banksia tube stock cope with a heavy clay soil? Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen. Listen to the program live on Saturdays at 9:00AM on  ABC Radio Perth...

Sab might have tripped and hurt her arm, but her gardening knowledge will never be stopped!  00:34 Pimelea (otherwise known as rice flower) is known to be a hardy native shrub. So why is yours dying? 08:11 What is eating your bougainvillea?  09:34 How to get chives to germinate (Tip: wait til the heads of the plant are fully mature). Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Po...

Sabrina and Leonie dive into staghorn ferns, passionfruit and strawberries 5:11 The process of diving staghorn ferns 8:45 Strawberries green and not ripening 34:42 Passionfruit forming but not ripening Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcasts  or wherever you like to listen. Listen to the program live on Saturdays at 9:00AM on  ABC Radio Perth  and ask your questions...

Sab says it's time to get digging if you plan on transplanting any plants. 00:34 Do you have a leaning tree in your yard? Here's what you need to do about it.  03:54 Is a dwarf peppermint tree worth planting?  06:04 If you've been thinking about transplanting a tree, after the rain comes is the perfect time to move your plants.  Subscribe to the podcast through the  ABC Listen App ,  Apple Podcast...