Step Into Spring
Newcastle Herald
Saturday January 27, 2007
This is the final instalment of our four-part garden planning series. Thinking and acting ahead are vital elements for successful spring and summer gardening.
OCTOBER: Plant out a bowl of hippeastrums, leaving their necks above soil level. Use a shallow bowl, fertilise and wait for their stunning long stems and blooms to appear. They will be quite happy to be taken inside when flowering. Fertilise garden grown hippies with cow manure to kick them into action.Roses should be deadheaded after their first flush then fed with Sudden Impact. Spring annuals should also be deadheaded to prolong flowering, feeding fortnightly with a foliant fertiliser such as Flourish. Spring bulbs should be allowed to die down naturally don't cut off growth. Fertilise to encourage protein storage for the next season. Azaleas should be fertilised after flowering finishes. Slow release fertiliser is the safest. Follow by applying peat moss over the roots surface.Gardenias can yellow at this time as they stress trying to produce flowers. Apply cow manure and chelated iron, maintaining regular watering. This treatment also applies to hibiscus which can develop iron deficiency that causes leaves to yellow.Lawns should have been treated for weeds and fertilised by now.NOVEMBER: Tropical trees such as mango and avocado can be planted now the weather is warmer. Keep an eye out for new season frangipanis: their perfumed blooms are ideal to add colour. They are definitely suited for containers as they are slow growing.Orchids can be repotted this month. Only divide if the plant has filled the pot as division will slow down the flowering process. Orchids are hardy plants which grow quite well in a shady spot in the garden but they do like regular fertilising which can be simply done each fortnight or encouraged by using fertilisers designated for particular times in their growth. This is only necessary if you become fanatical or have many plants, otherwise the simple fortnightly foliant food is adequate.Climbing roses can be cut back if necessary after flowering has finished. Follow with fertiliser. Other jobs include lifting of spring bulbs, additional fertiliser to be applied to summer veggies and preparation of Christmas flower beds with cow manure and an all purpose plant food. Planting should take place eight weeks before Christmas.DECEMBER: Watch for fruit fly attacking tomatoes and stone fruit. Lure in the female fly with Searles Fruit Fly Bait or paint the stake with a mix of Malathon and Vegemite. The most important job this month is serious mulching. Use mushroom compost, peat moss and sugar cane mulch for the task.Christmas colour should have been planted by now. Time is running out: it will be wiser now to plant instant punnets then fertilise with Flourish to give them a quick boost.Living Christmas trees have to be easier than dragging out that huge box, putting it all together, only to repeat the exercise again after New Year.Position a live tree in a well-lit position near a window or door where fresh air is available. Please remember to put a saucer underneath as it will require water at least once a week.Holidays should be enjoyable for you and the garden. Don't go away for weeks and forget it. A neighbour or relative will be needed to turn on sprinklers daily. Have an automatic timer on the tap to turn off the water to save them a second visit.
© 2007 Newcastle Herald