Drinking Lemon Balm Tea Indoors with Plants

What’s On The Show Today?

Some hot tips on keeping your indoor plants happy in Plant Doctor, grow this most useful herb in Vegetable Heroes and " Useful & Beautiful" bigger shrubs in Design Elements .

PLANT DOCTOR

Looking After Indoor Plants.

You may have heard that having indoor plants make for a healthy home.
The reason is that the plants and in fact mostly the soil that plants sit in, absorb the VOC’s or volatile organic compounds that all your furniture, flooring, household cleaners give off.
But those plants are made of plastic so will need attention.

You may not have noticed that your indoor plant/s were in decline even though you've been walking past them everyday for most of the year.
Here are some pointers to get you started.
Let’s find out .

I'm talking with Steve Falcioni, General Manager of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au





The first tip: Top up that potting mix.

After 2-3 years, potting mix becomes compacted and shrinks down several cms.

Plus old potting mix needs replacing after a while anyway because of this "slumping" and becoming acidic over the years.

The second tip: Check if the soil has become hydrophobic.

Scratch the surface after you've initially water to see if it has actually penetrated.

If not, apply a soil wetting agent.

The third tip: Now your pest or disease.

If you have any indoor plant problems is important to first diagnose what is exactly happening with the plant.
Is it just the soil, or is it something that needs spraying. 

Because your plants are indoors I would recommend using organic sprays

If you have any questions either for me or for Steve, you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Lemon Balm; Melissa officinalis

Melissa officinalis, known as lemon balm, balm, common balm, or balm mint, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family; Lamiaceae.

Lemon balm is native to south-central Europe, and the Mediterranean region.
You may not be into scientific names but there are two subspecies of Lemon Balm; Melissa officinalis subsp.officinalis, is the commonly grown lemon balm; and Melissa officinalis subsp. altissima, naturalized in New Zealand and known as bush balm.

Apparently the scent of Melissa. officinalis. subsp. altissima is sometimes described
as fruity, herbal or powdery, but often doesn’t have any scent at all.

Did you know that Lemon Balm has been used for over 2,000 years?

• Another fact is that Lemon balm has white flowers that attract bees, and because of that, the genus name is Melissa which is Greek for 'honey bee'. 
• In fact the ancient Greeks believed that if you put a few sprigs of lemon balm in an empty hive, it would attract a swarm of bees, or if you planted some lemon balm near a beehive, the bees would never go away. 
• Officinalis of course means used in medicine and in the 11th century a Persian physician and philosopher named Avicenna recommended the use of lemon balm in treating depression and melancholy. 
• Would you believe that according to the London Dispensary (1696) lemon balm in wine could even prevent baldness? 

What does it look like?
It’s a fairly low to medium growing herb not growing more than 70 cm tall and being in the mint family, it has square stems.
You only need one plant because it spreads out quite a bit once it gets going, up to 1 ½ metres or more. 

Lemon balm leaves have a sweet lemon scent, and because it’s related to mint the leaves look very much like the leaves of common mint.

Those flowers that I mentioned occur during summer, and are full of nectar.

Interestingly although over 100 chemicals have been identified in Melissa officinalis, the main flavour comes from just two essential oils: oil of citral (neral and geranial), and citronellal, with a hint of linalool, geraniol and β-caryophyllene-oxide (1,90).

Why grow lemon Balm?

One reason to grow it is that sachets made with Lemon Balm and put under your pillow or near the bed are supposed to give you a refreshing, relaxing sleep.

• Lemon balm seeds are fairly easy to germinate and need light and at least 20°C 
• Seeds will germinate in 10 – 14 days and are best started off in a punnet. 
• TIP: The seeds don’t like being overly wet so after the first watering, let them alone but not completely dry out. 
• Lemon balm is probably one of the easiest herbs to grow and is ideal for beginners. 
• Lemon balm grows well in both sun and shade, soils of a wide pH, and either dry or damp conditions. 
• Lemon balm grows in clumps and doesn’t spread vegetatively (veggi-tate-ivv-lee) like mint does, that is putting down roots where the stems touch the ground or through underground rhizomes, but only spreads by seed. 
• If you don’t want it to spread in your garden, then cut back the clump after flowering so that it doesn’t self-seed. 

Where it grows

In mild temperate zones, the stems of the plant die off at the start of the winter, but shoot up again in spring.
Lemon balm doesn’t like temperatures much below 5 C so in cool temperate climates you may lose your plant unless you put some into a pot for replanting next Spring.
You could also just put some protective mulch over the spot when it dies down as long as you remember what you have growing there.
Lemon balm can also be propagated by dividing the rootstock in Spring or Autumn and planting straight into the ground after doing this.

How to use lemon balm?

The best time to pick leaves for drying is before it flowers.

However, you can pick leaves for use lots of ways from flavouring vinegars, teas, especially Early grey or green tea, marinades, dressings, jams and jellies, stuffings and sauces to using it chopped with fish and mushroom dishes or mixed fresh with soft cheeses.

Lemon balm complements many fruits, including honeydew, rockmelon, pineapple, apples and pears.

What about lemon balm with ginger in scones?

That’s the leaves, but the flowers can also be used as a garnish in fruit salads, drinks or with rice

Did you know that in the commercial food industry, lemon balm oil and extract are used to flavor alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, confectionary, baked goods, gelatin, and puddings.

Lemon balm is also an ingredient in liqueurs like Benedictine and Chartreuse.

Why is it good for you?
Lemon balm tea is good for relieving mild headaches and possibly helping with memory as well.
The crushed leaves when rubbed on the skin can be used as an insect repellant.

Lemon balm also has anti-oxidant and calming or mild sedative properties. 

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Useful and Beautiful Shrubs
We’re into the shrubbery but we’re not the Knights of Nee, for all those Monty Python fans listening out there.
So last week we outlined the sub-shrubs, in other words those plants that don’t grow too much over a metre, and most likely much less.
This week it’s shrubs that grow much bigger so won’t be at the front of the border.

These shrubs are larger but not more than 4 metres if that.

Rabbit Ears: Ruttya fruiticose photoM Van Der Schiff

Let’s find out what they are.
I'm talking with Peter Nixon, Garden Designer and  Director of www.peternixon.com.au

Peter mentioned these shrubs:
Rhinacanthus beesianthus –very luxurious looking, grows quite tall - around 2m or higher - and has large attractive quilted leaves which form a glossy background to other plants in a border.
Its clear white flowers, shaped like scalloped shells, begin to appear in March or April and continue for several months
Ruttya fruiticosa or Rabbit Ears, because the flower is dark red and looks just like a rabbit or from a distance a bit like Sturt Desert Peas.

Dichroa versicolour: photo M. Cannon

Iochroma fuschoides has an upright vase shape, with red trumpet flowers.
Dichroa versicolor - Evergreen Hydrangea is a nice alternative to the regular hydrangea with more like

If you have any questions about sub-shrubs , either for me or for Peter or have some information to share, why not drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Winter Flowers for Birds

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Spice it Up

with herb expert and author, Ian Hemphill for Herbies Spices.

You may not have heard of this spice before, but prepare to be surprised at what this spice can do. Let’s find out….

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The spice is tasty on grilled meats and fish or as a seasoning for rice. It complements lentils and other beans as well as vegetables.Substitute it into any dish that you need to use lemon juice.Sumac is used a lot in a tang tomato appetiser called Za’Atar. I’ll post that recipe up on the web. If you don’t have a computer, write to me and I’ll send you a fact sheet.Let me know if you’ve used Sumac before or send in your recipe to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675,  or post them on Real World Gardeners facebook page, and I’ll post a CD in return.

Za'atar-Tomato Appetizer 2 Tablespoons dried thyme 1 Tablespoon sumac 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 recipe fresh Flatbread In a small container with a lid, shake together the thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. This is a Middle Eastern spice blend called "zaatar."

Cut each of the cherry tomatoes in half placing them into a medium bowl as you go. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of the zaatar; toss well. Taste and add more of the seasoning, in small increments, until you have what you consider a tasty concoction. Serve right away along with the flatbread allowing diners to pile the tomatoes onto the bread for themselves.

Makes enough for 4 to 6, depending on serving size.

Vegetable Heroes:Winter Spinach

Spinach  or Spinacia oleracea. Spinacia comes from the Latin word for spine and refers to the prickly seed coat.
The oleracea part of the name, means a plant that is edible.
Did you try growing Spinach in Summer? It was alright for a while then when the humidity got turned up the stalks went a funny grey colour, then the leaves turned a sort of greeny-brown. Not that attractive or edible.
I had to pull them out, not a great experiment.
Spinach originates from the Middle East, most likely Persia or modern-day Iran. It was brought to Spain via the Moors somewhere between 800 AD and 1200 AD.
Did you know that Medieval artists extracted green pigment from spinach to use as an ink or paint.
Spinach seed was sent out from England in 1787 with the First Fleet but in the new colony they found it difficult to grow.
They found growing silverbeet much easier, which is why Silverbeet is sometimes called spinach in Australia, but true spinach has smaller leaves and a much sweeter, milder flavour.
When to Sow:
In Cool temperate zones, you can plant spinach from April until September.
In Arid zones, you’ve hit the jackpot because you can plant Spinach all year round.
In temperate zones you had from February until the end of May, and in sub-tropical zones, from April until the end of July.
These times are only a guide, and personally, I plant some vegetables and see how they go even though it might be a month or two out of their supposed best planting time. So, I have some Spinach seedlings coming up in my garden right now, even though I’m in a temperate district.

We’ve all seen or heard about Popeye the Sailor Man and his love for Spinach. His muscles would always grow huge after devouring a can of Spinach. Forget Popeye! Spinach contains many more nutrients than just iron.  More on that later.
Growing from seed is cheapest way of growing any vegetable and even herb in your garden. Saved seed is even better but if it’s not that easy to remember where you last put the seeds or if you’re not that good at recording how old the seed is, there’s plenty of packet seeds around in market stalls as well as supermarkets. Germination of spinach seeds can take anything between a week and 2 weeks.
Plant your seedlings / seeds around 7cm apart in rows about 30 apart.
For once a vegetable that grows well in partial to full sun.
Spinach likes a moist but not waterlogged soil. Using a mulch of straw or grass clippings can help to keep moisture and warmth in the soil.
Plenty of compost and the usual organic matter to so that your spinach will grow well. Having a worm farm or compost bin really does help your veggie bed no end!
Spinach doesn't like acidic soils, a good PH is around 6.3 -6.8. Add lime to the soil if you need to a few weeks before you put the seeds in.
Spinach like all leafy vegetables is what’s called a heavy feeder –ie, needs lots of Nitrogen to grow well.
If you haven’t already applied Blood and Bone or cow manures to the soil a month or two ago, your soil will run out of nutrients.
During the cooler months of winter, organic matter doesn’t break down that much and to get the needed Nitrogen, applying liquid fertilisers such as compost tea or fish emulsion often will be the best way to go
Another thing to remember is that Spinach grows on shallow roots, so don't dig vigorously around it. If you get weeds because you didn’t mulch, carefully hand remove them.
Water frequently to keep up with the fast growth of the plants.
In about 6-7 weeks, your Spinach plant has put on enough big leaves so you can pick them one by one like you might lettuce. The leaves will keep regrowing for quite a while. Otherwise pick the whole plant for Spinach pie etc. Make sure you wash spinach leaves well - soil is not tasty!
When you want to store Spinach in the fridge a tip to remember is that
Spinach is highly ethylene sensitive. To stop leaf yellowing don’t refrigerate with apples, or tomatoes.
What can go wrong with spinach?A problem you might get in the cooler weather is Down Mildew. Downy mildew (Blue mold). What is downy mildew- fungal disease, shows up as slightly yellow or chlorotic lesions of irregular shape on the top surface of the leaves and purplish sporulation on the underside. To prevent it, space plants for good air circulation and, when you water, wet the ground around the plants not the foliage itself
Why should you grow your own Spinach?
 Because Spinach is best eaten fresh. It loses nutritional properties every day.
Putting it in the fridge slows things down, but half of the major nutrients are lost by the eighth day after picking your Spinach.
Why is Spinach good for you. 
The amount of iron in spinach comes way down the list after vitamins A and C, thiamin, potassium and folic acid (one of the B complex vitamins).
Dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach, contain carotenoids. May help prevent cataracts.

If you have any questions about growing spinach or any other vegetable write in or email me.

Design Elements

Caring for Indoor Plants

There’s a program going round called Improve Your Plant Life Balance.
It’s not just for your garden outside, but indoors as well. Recent research has shown that indoor plants significantly improve a whole range of aspects of our indoor environment. 
From cleaner air to helping to lower stress and negative feelings,Let’s find how to look after these indoor plants?

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Air-conditioning systems are almost never designed to remove outdoor gaseous pollutants from air drawn into the building.

Plants greatly help in removing volatile organic compounds that are emitted from plastics/synthetics in furniture fittings, computers, printers and more.

These compounds cause loss of concentration, headaches, eye, nose and throat problems.

So, if you don’t have indoor plants because you thought it was a 70’s thing, forget that, get some today.

Ten Gold Rules of Indoor plants:

1.Don't Drown Them: Roots need air as well as water - keeping the compost soaked at all times means certain death for most plants. Waterlogging kills by preventing vital air getting to the roots and by encouraging root-rotting diseases. More plants die through overwatering than any other single cause; they are killed by kindness.  By the way, don't empty tea or coffe dregs into pot plants. Doing this attracts Psiarid flies.

2. Give Them A Rest: Beginners are usually surprised to learn that nearly all plants need a rest in winter. This means less water, less feeding and less heat than in the active growing period. Also make certain there are no draughts as this can be fatal. If plants are close to a door, pick a different winter location away from chilly temperatures. 

3. Accept The Loss Of 'Temporary' Plants: Some popular gift plants such as Cyclamen, Chrysanthemum and Gloxinia will die down in a matter of weeks. You've done nothing wrong, these types of flowering pot plants are only temporary residents.  Either throw them into the compost or for cyclamen, plant them into a shady spot in the garden.

4. Give Them Extra Humidity: The atmosphere of a centrally heated room in winter is as dry as desert air. Increase the air humidity placing plants in a moist area such as the kitchen or bathroom. You can mist the plants, grow pots in groups to increase the moisture surrounding plants or double pot the plant using an outer waterproof container and fill the space between the pot and the container with moist peat. 
5. Treat Trouble Promptly: Expert or beginner, trouble will strike some time. One or two scale insects or mealy bugs are easily picked off; an infestation may be incurable. Overwatering is not fatal at first, but kills when prolonged. Learn to recognize the early signs of trouble.

 6. Group Them Together: Nearly all plants look better and grow better when grouped together. The standard group consists of four to twelve clay or plastic pots closely grouped together to produce a pleasing arrangement in which both shapes and tints are varied. In the most usual grouping foliage plants are used to provide the permanent framework and flowering pot plants are used to provide splashes of colour. The taller plants, the darker greens and the larger leaves are placed at the back of the group.

7. Learn To Repot: After a year or two most plants begin to look sickly. In many cases the plant simply needs repotting into a larger container. The best time to repot is in spring so that the roots will have plenty of time to become established before the onset of the resting season.

8. Choose Wisely: Pick the right spot. Even the expert can't make a shade lover survive in a sunny window. After buying a plant monitor the activity for the first few weeks and make sure it's in the right place.  

9. Have The Proper Tools: Buy a watering can with a long, narrow spout and a mister for increasing humidity, reducing dust and controlling pests. You will need a good brand of potting mix and a collection of pots plus stakes and plant ties or string. Drip trays will keep water off the furniture; a bottle of liquid fertilizer and a safe pest killer will keep the plants looking healthy. To complete your tool kit include a soft sponge, an old kitchen spoon and fork and a pair of small sized secateurs.

10. Check The Plant's Specific Needs: Look up the secrets of success in an A-Z guide for each plant. This will prove invaluable as you will detect problems, maintain healthy plants and realize what plant is best suited for a specific location.Did you know that air pollution is almost always higher indoors than outside?

Plant of the Week:

Winter flowering Grevilleas

 

There’s a lot to choose from but before you run out to the nursery to buy up all the winter flowering ones for your garden. Let’s look at what conditions Grevilleas need to thrive.

Red soil is too heavy for many grevilleas. Sounds about right because my friends in Moree can’t grow many grevilleas  because of their heavy soil.

Grevilleas like air in the soil, so a light sandy soil is preferable,but you could easily just plant them on a bit of mound mixed with good compost and some light potting mix in it so they  can get established first..

Once they are older they don't seem to mind the heavier stuff..but yes drainage is a must.....and also down there the soil is a bit more alkaline so mix a bit of sulphur or compost of neutral pH, into the hole as well.

As grevilleas love more acidy soils......... just mulch and keep the water up to them in the beginning.

Once established they’ll tolerate dry periods but will want a deep soaking

Grevilleas require low phosphorus, slow release fertilizer so something with a Phosphorus number of less than 1.2 Most Important!

Yes, you have to read the back of the pack.

Blood and bone is good.

This can be applied during spring. Avoid using any fertilizer containing phosphorus as grevilleas, banksias, waratahs and other proteaceous plants cannot tolerate this fertilizer.Start tip pruning your Grevilleas when they’re little to make them more compact and bushy.

Only a few can tolerate a real hard prune when they get much older. I’ve just done G. moonlight. It was practically a tree, and it got chopped by half. Sprouting all over now.

 

What flower shall we go for.Where does one start? Probably picking ones that grow best in your region is a good starting point.

Ground cover Grevilleas like

G. Pink Lady, small 30cm x 1.5m with pink spidery flowers. Good for small birds.

G Bronze Rambler, 3-cm x 4m red toothbrush flowers all year, bird attracting also.

G. New Blood-Red flowers.

Bush Grevilleas to 2m

G. Cherry Ripe .5 x .5, small and compact, with cherry red flowers. Bird attracting.

G. Billy Bonkers 1m x 2m low growing plant with bright green foliage and bright pink flowers for most of the year. Tolerates frost to -3⁰ C

G. superb. 1.5 x 1.5m. Red to yellow flowers, Yellow tips on the stamens. Tolerates frost to -3⁰ C Bird attracting.(left picture)

 

G. coconut ice 2 x 1.5m. Reddish pink flowers through out the year. Dense semi-spreading habit. Not like coconut ice confection at all. Tolerates frost to -4⁰ C

G Honey Gem, an old favourite although rather big. 4 x3m Large leaves which are deeply lobed, dark green above silver reverse. The flowers cylindrical and bright orange which drip with sweet nectar. Bird attracting. Tolerates frost to -3⁰C
Grevillea 'Lollypops'1.5 x 1.5m is a cultivar. It is a bushy small shrub with attractive large clusters of bright raspberry pink flowers all year round. The leaves are grey green and finely
divided giving a feathery. Tolerates frost to -1⁰ C
(pictured left)

Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' grows to 1.5m x2m. with cream flowers which change to pink as they age. Flowers all year.

Brush flowering grevilleas (ie. Robyn Gordon, Moonlight, Honey Gem,...) are considered 'tropical' grevilleas, although they grow in the southern states if there's adequate drainage.
G. Orange Marmalade 3.5 x 3.5m.Large shrub with deep green leaves and bronze new growth. The bright orange spidery flowers appear in winter. Bird attracting.(pictured below left)

 

Winter Delight, Austraflora Cherry Ripe, Sunrise, Carpet Layer, Orange Marmalade, Red Sunset, Apricot Glow, Olympic flame... and Bonfire.

TIP: BE CAUTIOUS about planting grevilleas near plants that require a lot of fertilizer.

So good luck !