Don, Scott and Geoff visited Wilana Street in Ringwood in Victoria, to help residents with gardening, building and cooking problems.

Lawrie's garden

Lawrie Vernal had quite a few jobs for the team. Don set to work making over some garden beds and doing some pruning, while Scott mended a damaged flyscreen door.

Vine and tree pruning

Don presented Lawrie with a Fiskars telescopic pruning wand, to help her reach wayward tendrils on a vine. This kind of tool is ideal for cutting branches high up in the air while you stand safely on the ground. (A Fiskars telescopic pruning wand will reach 2.4 m - 3.9 m and costs around $150.)

Don pointed out that some low growing branches on a tree in the backyard could be dangerous, and may even poke somebody's eye out. Lawrie asked him to remove the whole limb, rather than just the offending twigs. Don demonstrated the correct way of pruning a branch:

1. Undercut the limb to prevent tearing.
2. Prune to the branch collar - do not leave a stub and do not flush cut. Flush cuts may look neat but they remove a tree's natural defences and leave it susceptible to insects, decay and the effects of temperature extremes.
   

Garden beds

After removing some tired-looking pansies from one area, Don dug in some fresh soil and then replanted. At the back of the bed, he put sweet box (Sarcococca confusa). This dense shrub has shiny leaves and white flowers followed by black berries. Pieris (Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire') was chosen for the middle of the bed, with liriope (Liriope muscari 'Evergreen Giant') at the front.

Liriopes were also planted in front of the hedge, along with hellebores (Helleborus x oriental 'Joy Bouquet'). Pieris and hellebores grow best in the cooler areas of Australia.

Fixing a flyscreen

Lawrie Vernal's son, 4-year-old Lachlan, rode through the flyscreen door on his scooter. Scott removed the beading around the door and pulled out the damaged flyscreen. He then installed some black, powder coated stainless steel mesh (cost $48m for 900mm width, and $60 per metre for 1200mm), which is strong, child-proof and pet-proof. New beading was tacked in place, then painted to match the front door (Dulux Weathershield costs about $30 per litre). For more information on this type of screen, contact flyscreen or security door manufacturers in your state.

Barbara and Gary's garage and house sale

Gary and Barbara Walton are holding a garage sale from 7am on November 8, at 14 Wilana Street. On the day we visited, they were tidying up the garden and clearing away the clutter as they prepare to put the house on the market. For more details on the sale of Gary and Barbara's house, contact the agent:

McLeans
Connie McCracken
Phone: (03) 9729 5544
Web: www.mcleans.com.au

Rose bush

Don and Scott met Gary Collyer, his partner Vicki Mahoney and their young baby. Vicki and Gary asked Don what to do to ensure their rose bush blooms in February, in time for their wedding. Don gave them a bag of Yates Rose fertiliser (around $5 for 3kg) and advised them to prune and fertilise the rose about 4-6 weeks before the wedding day.

Phillipa's shade garden

Phillipa McQuillan asked Don to help fix up an ugly, shaded area of the garden. She was very excited about Burke's Backyard visiting, but unfortunately she had to go out. Don assured her that the whole job would be done by the time she returned.

1. First, Don pruned back a large, variegated pittosporum (Pittosporum variegatum) and removed dead and dying plants from the garden.
2. Because the bed was full of tree roots, he added a little fresh soil. (Tip: be careful not to build up too much soil around the base of trees.)
3. Some mushroom compost was then incorporated into the soil. Mushroom compost is not so good around native plants, but it's an excellent soil additive for exotics. (Tip: if mushroom compost smells bad and feels hot to the touch, it is not ready for plants. It's best to go to the landscapers and check before you buy.)
   

Don planted the garden with happy, bright plants. They included

• silver lamium (Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver'),
• shade loving hostas (Hosta undulata),
• cheery fuchsias (Fuchsia cv.) ginger lilies (Hedychium sp.),
• clivias (Clivia miniata),
• liriopes (Liriope muscari 'Evergreen Giant') and
• heucherellas (X Heucherella 'Dayglow Pink') with their bronzy foliage and interesting flowers.
  

Tracey's garden

Tracey Lukin asked Don and Scott to help her create a 'minimalist' backyard.

1. Don potted up five New Zealand flax plants in Zen black ceramic pots made by Northcote Pottery (these pots cost approximately $60 each). The flax cultivar chosen was Phormium 'Maori Maiden', which has arching, dull pink coloured leaves fading to yellow pink.
2. Scott revived Tracey's bench by planing it back to raw timber, then applying natural tung oil with a rag. (Natural tung oil costs around $28 for 1 litre.)
3. A bed of pebbles was spread around the bench, and a timber edging strip installed to stop the pebbles spilling onto the lawn. Two potted flax plants were placed on the bench and the other three in front of the bench, creating a tiered effect.

New door

Scott discovered that a hollow-core, internal door had been incorrectly used as an exterior door. The door was falling apart and the bottom was rotten, so Scott installed a new, solid core external one. Tip: if the existing door fits the jamb correctly, use it as a template when cutting your new door. (Solid core, external doors cost approximately $130.)

Mrs. Vera Wigley's Garden

Don was impressed by Mrs. Vera Wigley's immaculate garden. Vera watches Burke's Backyard every Friday night for tips and ideas. Don presented her with a life subsciption to the Burke's Backyard Magazine.

Geoff's meringue heart dessert

Geoff Jansz showed Tracey how to make a fabulous meringue dessert. For the recipe, click here.

Does your street need saving?

Requests must be for an entire street and not for individual assistance. If you would like Burke's Backyard to come and visit your street to fix up problems, send a letter and photos to:

Come Save My Street
Burke's Backyard
PO Box 929
Willoughby NSW 2068

Note: please do not send original photos (unless you have copies), as photos sometimes go astray. Don't forget to send a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like your photos returned.

Copyright CTC Productions 2003