Wow, these two large frangipanis, just a block from the bay are looking stunning.
Autumn is here and to gardeners it is a turning point. It is the time when we get lots of glorious weather but without the harshness of the summer heat. It is also a trigger for seasonal plantings of many great plants, and here are just a few:
Aquilegia or Granny’s Bonnet looks spectacular in spring, but you must plant the seedlings before the winter, as they need that winter chill to inspire them to flower. Delphiniums also fit into this category and are best planted from seedlings as the seeds seem to take ages to germinate. Another one is foxglove, and even though it won’t flower for many months, it has beautiful foliage.
Bulbs also need a winter chill, and some people even put the bulbs in the fridge. My two favourites are daffodils, because they remind me of fond childhood memories at my grandparents farm near Daylesford, and tulips because they don’t flower for long in mild Melbourne weather which means you never get too much of them so that makes them special. I read a funny story about tulipmania once. It was back in 1635 when the price of rare tulip varieties had got to ridiculous levels (like the dot com bubble a few years ago). A new gardener at a very wealthy estate in Holland had found what he thought were a few onions and fried them up and ate them for breakfast in the servants quarters. He soon lost his job as it was found out he had cooked up 3 very rare tulip bulbs worth the equivalent of $50,000 in today’s money. I hope they tasted good !
Garlic, another bulb is not
that hard to grow. Just break the bulb into cloves and plant pointy
side up. They would look great in a big trough. And you can cut the
tips of the green shoots and use in cooking for a milder garlic flavour.
My favourite variety is Printanor, originally from France with a rich
garlicky flavour. There are a few more small garlic growers popping
up in Australia which is great because over the last few years cheap
imports have really lowered prices so local growers have had to do it
tough. Quality and interesting varieties have seen a resurgence in demand
for Aussie garlic. I tried some the other day called Shangtung Purple
that had a hot and spicy after taste – a Chinese variety but grown
in Australia.
For the last two months I have been to lots of farmers markets and seen just an absolute array of high quality vegies including red carrots, honeypod peas with sweet edible pods and stripey tomatoes to name just a few. The challenge now though is to keep the produce coming through over the next few months. Broccoli, kale, cabbage and cauliflower are all winter staples, but also continue with lettuce, silverbeet, carrots, leeks, radishes, beetroot and spring onions.
Give the roses another tidy up, remove any finishing spring vegies or petunias and maybe give the apricots and cherry trees a prune if you haven’t. They may just prefer it now so they can recover before winter. Consider grey water by checking your detergent’s salt levels at lanfaxlabs.com.au and don’t forget there is a range of grey water options at the Smart Water Shop at Gardenworld. Washing machines use heaps of water, so don’t be afraid to harvest some of it. It may only cost you $30 of tubing and it could be a turning point, for your garden. Don't store grey water for longer than 24 hours and maybe just use the second rinse.
Pennisetum grass looking stunning this season.
Flowers to plant this month:
Aquilegia, Calendula, Cineraria, Delphinium, Holyhock, Foxglove, Linaria,
Nemesia, Pansy, Primula, Polyanthus, Poppy, Viola.
Vegies & Herbs: Beetroot, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrots, Coriander, Garlic, Lettuce, Leek, Parsnip, Onions, Oregano, Radish, Turnip, Thyme
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