Curry leaves are a main ingredient in Indian dishes and this plant is easy to grow in Canberra with a little care, says gardening writer JACKIE WARBURTON.
Curry plant (Murraya koenigii) is a tropical plant that can grow to three metres, but here it can only survive as an indoor plant during winter and as an outdoor patio plant in summer.
The colder its environment, the more leaves it loses. Keeping it snug in winter will get a mature plant growing in a few years.
The foliage is what is used in the kitchen, and the bush needs to be one to two years old before harvesting. Remove the whole leaf stems, not individual leaves, to encourage new stem growth. Importantly, don’t harvest more than a third of the plant or it will lose its vigour for the next year.
During spring and summer, the curry plant produces clusters of small, creamy white flowers and is self-fertile with lovely black berries to follow.
The berries should not be eaten, but are useful for growing more curry plants from seed.
Propagating curry plants is best done with fresh seed and the temperature at a minimum of 20C. Sow in a seed-raising mix and keep moist. To get seedlings through the winter, a propagating heat bed might be required.
So, with a little patience, you’ll have an edible, indoor plant.
There is also another plant called a “curry plant” (Helichrysum italicum) but it’s a completely different plant. While it’s aromatic and smells like curry, the two must not be confused as the latter is not edible.
FLOWERING now – and has been throughout summer – is the well-known Kurrajong tree (Brachychiton populneus).
A local species, it can be seen in our nearby bushland. It was used as a street tree in old suburbs in Canberra, notably along Limestone Avenue in Braddon. These trees were planted in 1928 and have survived well on natural rainfall over all those years.
They are evergreen trees that shed some leaves in summer, but are not considered deciduous. They are slow growing, and the juvenile foliage is very different to the adult leaves.
The flowers have beautiful bell-shaped petals and are pinkish red inside and attractive to bees and wasps. Once the flowers have finished, the dramatic, large seed pods appear that burst open when ripe.
At 10 metres, the tree is too large for some gardens but a good choice in a large native garden – or just enjoyed in the local bushland.
I have one in my front garden that I grew from seed around 2010 and the tree is now about five metres tall and gets no supplemental watering.
If you want to grow your own, soak the seed in boiling water to break its coating and sow in spring or autumn, avoiding the hottest and coldest time of the year. Sow when the temperature is around 20C and pot into seed-rising mix and keep moist. Germination can be a little slow and it can take up to at least three weeks.
Jottings
- Plant out winter vegetables.
- Watch for caterpillars on callistemons and spray with Diapel.
- Plant herbs such as parsley, thyme and sage and get them growing strongly before autumn.
- Liquid feed all plants fortnightly.
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