Seasonal Tips : September 2010

Enjoy the spectacle of flowering trees such as the crab apple and flowering peaches and cherries.

Clear away winter annuals that have finished flowering. Do not dig over the beds to deeply as this tends to bring up weed seeds to the surface where they can germinate.

Remember to pinch out certain shrubs such as fuchsias and daisies to encourage side shoots and therefore more prolific flowers in summer.

Keep an eye on your topiaries. Spring growth is rather quick and you could loose the shape of the plant. Cut them back often to encourage bushy and full plants.

Watch out for snails and cutworm. As your new seedlings goes in, these creatures come out of hibernation.

 Roses need to be fertilized with 3.1.5. or 8.1.5.and watered regularly. Begin an early spray program to stop aphids, black spot, mildew and rust. Mulch your roses to reduce watering.

Winter flowering shrubs and climbers can now be pruned. This will allow enough time to develop new flowering stems for the next season.

Do not prune your frost burn shrubs too early. Only do so in the second half of September the damaged leaves will protect the new growth from further damage.

Time now to plant your summer bulbs such as Dahlias, Begonias, Gladiolus and all the special colours (Mango, Hot Shot, Black Centred Yellow, Pink and Red) of arum varieties.

Seasonal Tips : August 2010

Scarify the lawn. Remove the old thatch that develops under the grass in summer. Apply a thin layer of lawn dressing over the top filling any depressions and bare patches. Also apply a slow release fertilizer such as Fertilawn or 3:2:1 (28)

Remove spent blooms from your winter bulbs and keep fertilizing. The leaves must be allowed to die back on their own. Plant summer bulbs towards the end of August.

Hardier summer annuals such as alyssum, dianthus, marigolds and lobelias can now be planted. Remove spent blooms from your petunias and pansies to prolong their flowering season.

Tidy away all old winter growth and dead wood from trees and shrubs. Collect the last of the winter leaves.

Apply a general fertilizer to your flowerbeds to promote early growth. Smaller amounts more often is better and there is less risk of burning the roots

Remove weeds from your lawn as much as possible before you start with the fertilizing program (What is good for the grass is just as good for the weeds).  If any unwanted weeds emerge, use a selective broad leaf weed killer, to kill the weeds and not the lawn.

Now is the time to plant you lily bulbs for the summer.

Compost all your beds to retain moisture and improve the soil structure.

Seasonal Tips : July 2010

Check lawns for winter grass, a weed that actively grows when the rest of the lawn is weak. Pull put or spray with kerb (wp).

Pruning time for roses and fruit trees. Seal all cuts with Steriseal and spray with lime sulphur. It is a good idea to sterilize your pruners between each tree and bush. This prevents the spread of bacteria and viruses from plant to plant. A weak solution of jeyes fluid or Jik and water can be used for this.

Check your flowering annuals. Dead head those that have already flowered to promote new blooms also feed with multifeed.

Keep picking the sweet pea blooms to encourage new flowers.

Do something for the birds. Seeds and insects are in short supply at the moment. Put up suet, seeds and fruit as winter forage. Keep this practice through spring and summer to keep the birds in your garden.

Time to plant up new fruit trees into the orchard. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums and nuts.

Water Wise Gardening Tips

Containers
Coat the inside of porous terracotta pots with a sealant to stop moisture loss

Zoning
Practice zoning - group plants according to their water needs, and then water the high, medium and low water use zones separately

Water Wise Plant Choice
Water using sprinklers with a large droplet size and low spray, to prevent water loss from the wind blowing fine drops away.

Avoid using hosepipes to clean patios. A broom will do the trick.

Water deeply but less often to encourage plants to put down deep roots. Frequent watering encourages shallow roots, and these plants cannot reach the water deeper in the soil during dry periods.

Soil
Add water retaining crystals to potting mixes to reduce watering by half

Plant Choice
Indigenous plants need little watering, so grow these wherever possible. Indigenous plants also provide shelter and food for butterflies and birds.
 

Lawns
Lawns are thirsty, so replace lawn in areas it is not needed with logs, sleepers, pebbles or gravel. Water can still seep into the soil through these.

Tip:
To prevent the gravel and pebbles from sinking into the soil and getting muddy, first put down a layer of weed prevention fabric, which will allow water into the soil, prevent weeds from coming up, and will keep the gravel or pebbles clean. If you want to put plants in between the gravel or pebbles for a "dry river bed" look, simply cut an X into the fabric, fold the corners under, and put in the plant.