Well I can’t quite remember just how many times the lawn has been mowed in the last 6 months – but it has been a lot. It has also never been greener at this time of year, putting an extra bit of pace on the rubber cricket ball I have been zooming down to my son. People are starting to use a bit of the artificial turf, but I reckon you can’t beat a bit of frolicking about with the kids on the real stuff. Down at Gardenworld, we have a shop called the Smart Water Shop and they are experts on not only water capture, but all types of grass or turf. They can tell you how to control weeds and what type of turf would suit your garden. You can buy premium varieties of turf or seed.
People often ask for small evergreen trees and quite often they buy the dwarf gum trees. Included in these are the Silver Princess. (Eucalyptus caesia). This is the drooping gum that if you walk around most Melbourne suburbs, you will see many of. They will grow around 4 to 5 metres and once mature, the bark of the branches turns a silvery white. It is a very uniquely shaped tree that sometimes looks like the top half is growing upside down.
Much more compact and upright growing gum trees are the ones that have been grafted. The grower has spent many years working out what rootstock to use and what varieties to graft on to the rootstock. They’ve ended up with a tree that only grows 3 to 4 metres. There are even some newer varieties that only grow 1 to 2 metres, and they flower there heads off, called Mini Red and Mini Orange. These are perfect for nature strips as the will never reach the wires. You will pay around $50 for the grafted gums, but you will be amazed at their compact size and beautiful flowers.
Being the start of Autumn, it’s definitely the beginning of the end for the spring flowers and tidying up and dead heading flowers with a trim will neaten up the garden. These may include climbers, lavenders and callistemons. Roses could be given a light prune and many will flush again in 4 – 6 weeks. I am going to plant some delphiniums because their tall stately blooms will look spectacular at the back of the garden bed. Did you know that from sowing delphinium seeds until flowering takes 28 weeks ! That’s over 6 months so I think I will start them from seedlings – probably the Pacific Giants mix which is full of blue, pink and white blooms. Plant now to ensure they get that winter chill that perennials need.
Harvest time will be in full swing for apples and pears and some late peaches. Take the opportunity to remove excessive spurs and growth as you harvest. Other deciduous fruit trees can be treated this way too to generally thin out a bit. This will allow the remaining buds to mature and would reduce the amount of pruning required in winter.
Bulbs to plant this month:
Anenome. Daffodils, Dutch Iris, Freesia, Hyacinths, Jonquils, Tulips, Ranunculus
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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