Story: Spring Garden Highlights
Episode: 12
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane
Air Date: 7 October 2026

Trevor shares three of his favourite plants for Spring, highlighting their flavours, growing habits and tips for getting the best from them.

• First is the loquat, one of the easiest fruit trees to grow. This evergreen tree produces fragrant, creamy-white flowers in autumn before developing fruit over winter. The delicious fruit is best eaten fresh from the tree.
• Loquats can grow between four and six metres tall but can be kept manageable with pruning immediately after fruiting. Trevor also recommends looking for selected varieties, such as ‘Bessel Brown’, for more consistent fruit quality.
• Next is the Shahtoot mulberry, Trevor’s favourite for its distinctive sweet and tangy flavour, with a hint of sherbet. Originating from India, this compact variety produces an abundance of red fruit and grows to around 2.5 metres tall.
• Its smaller size makes it ideal for large pots and containers. Shahtoots can be difficult to find in garden centres, so Trevor suggests asking your local nursery to order one through a specialist grower.
• Finally, Trevor showcases the ‘Sunshine Blue’ blueberry, a productive variety that produces large, juicy fruit from early October through late January.
• Blueberries need acidic soil to thrive, so Trevor recommends growing them in containers using a specialist Azalea and Camellia potting mix. The same specialist approach should be followed when feeding them.
• With the right varieties and growing conditions, these fruit trees are a fantastic way to enjoy delicious home-grown harvests and make the most of the changing seasons.