I attended the Bonsai Show as well as the Kirstenbosch Garden Fair last
year which I would recommend.
Fame already ?
Tracy van Maaren’s garden is in the March issue of Garden and Home - Tracy
your garden is exquisite!
What does Flourish mean ?
According to the the Thesauraus : Bear fruit, be successful, bloom,
blossom, boom, develop, prosper, thrive
May your garden continue to flourish
Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
Venue: Tricia Simons, Newlands
Chairperson: Caroline Doyle
Apologies:
* Mandy Hewlett
* Dianne Norman
* Olga Constantatos
* Natalie Turner
* Alistair Simpson
* Emily Tyler
* Julie Erasmus
* Janet McCullum
Caroline Doyle welcomed everyone to the first garden club meeting and thanked the hostess Tricia Simons for opening her home to us.
General Items:
· Next Meeting: 1 March 2008 at Tracy Dunley-Owen’s house: Higgovale . Topic is: “What to do in your garden in March!” by Jenny Simpson. Please arrive from 8.45 for a 9am start! ****RSVP to Caroline Doyle: cjmdoyle at mweb dot co dot za
**** Announcements:
Initiatives:
Problem and Solutions (answered by Jeanette van Maaren and Glenda Bell):
| Name | Problem | Solution |
| Tracy | What to do with red locusts? | Cut them in half |
| Suranne | Black spots on roses | Remove the worst leaves with spots as this is a fungal disease and throw away in the bin and not on compost heap. Remember to leave some leaves on the bush!! Can use Neem oil (non-toxic) or bio-product. |
| Nikki | Black growing up rose bush | Remove dead leaves and flowers is all you can do in heat. Try cutting-back and feed with Kelpak which is a growth stimulant due to the “shock” of renovating. Remove plant from plastic bag as this is too hot and place in area that receives morning sun. |
| Alison | Red spider mites | Wash the affected plant down (especially the underside of the leaves). They should disappear when it is cooler. |
| Karen | Potato creeper has died back | Remove dead bits and to protect it from sun, place cloth or thick bark around the roots. Water it. |
| Caroline | Aphids on roses on new buds | Spray off with water. Or use ‘bio-kill’ if desperate! |
| Joanne | Fruit trees have old fungus | Rub off as much as possible. Improve the health of the plant and feed it with bounce back or compost. Vinegar is used to remove mould, perhaps experiment with a vinegar / water solution. |
Activities / Speakers:
General principles:
-oOo-
(Compiled by Lyn McCallum)
Remember to adhere to the water restrictions.
Keep all your flower beds well mulched. If you have a well-point or borehole, remember that it is better to water your garden less often, but deeply. This applies to lawns as well as flower-beds. Don’t waste your water just because it is free! Please use all water as sparingly and sensibly as possible.
December and January are the months hydrangeas look their best. Keep the bushes well mulched as they need lots of water and deep mulching helps conserve moisture. Before picking hydrangeas for the vase, make sure the flowers are fully mature. This is only once the tiny florets in the centre of the coloured bracts of the flowerheads are open. Before arranging, scrape the bottom 5cm of the stem fairly vigorously and plunge the stems up to their necks in cold water and leave overnight.
Continue deadheading your annuals and perennials to prolong their flowering time. Picking for the vase also helps prolong flowering time. Give the plants a boost by either applying a sprinkling of Rapid Raiser lightly dug into the soil around the plants, or a liquid drench or foliar feed of Nitrosol, Organiksol or Seagro
Containers need special attention during the hot, dry months of the year. Keep well watered and feed at least once a month with Rapid Raiser or a liquid food such as Nitrosol, Organiksol or Seagro. Mulching your containers will help conserve moisture.
Hanging baskets planted up for spring and early summer will probably be nearly over by now. Planting up baskets in the heat of summer is not recommended, as they dry out too quickly in the hot, windy conditions.
Continue to feed your lawn every 6-8 weeks with Blade Runner. Don’t cut the grass too short. Longer grass blades help the grass to make the food necessary for lush growth, helps conserve water, and protects the soil and root system. Water lawns deeply – about 30mm per application. This is best done in the morning, so it can dry out before night, thus preventing fungus diseases.
Feed your rose bushes with Sudden Impact, 3.1.5 Organic or well rotted cow manure. Keep dead-heading to encourage more flowers. Watch out for fruit and rose beetles! And remember to mulch!
Camellias and azaleas should be starting to put on new growth. Feed with a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants and keep well watered and mulched. Leaf mould made from either oak leaves or pine needles makes a perfect acid mulch for camellias and azaleas. Mulching is particularly important in these plants as they have a shallow root system. Check the drainage in container grown plants. Both camellias and azaleas hate to have wet feet. On very hot days azaleas will benefit from a spraying of water.
Summer annual bedding plants can be planted out now. Prepare the soil by removing weeds, dig in compost, Hoof and Horn or Bonemeal and Bounce Back, and water well. Plant out the seedlings in the cool of the evening, not in the heat of midday. Water in well and protect from slugs, snails and cutworms. At first, in very hot weather, give each tiny plant an umbrella of leafy twigs for sun protection. Newly planted out seedlings will also benefit from a watering of Kelpac.
Keep your vegetables watered and well mulched, which, as well as keeping them damp longer, will suppress weed growth. Shore up potatoes with soil to encourage good tuber formation. Harvesting vegetables such as peas, beans, tomatoes and “cut and come again” lettuces, every day encourages production of more pods, fruit and leaves. Keep a wary eye out for slugs, snails and caterpillars. Feed your vegetables with Nitrosol or Organiksol or Seagro, Bounce Back or Rapid Raiser. An application of compost will also be beneficial.
Prune summer flowering shrubs such as Mock Orange (Philadelphus), Bridal Wreath (Deutzia), Cape May (Spirea) and Weigela once they have finished flowering. To keep these shrubs in a good shape, shorten all the stems, and then remove a few of the oldest stems.
Turn the compost heap regularly and keep it damp in the hot, dry weather. Remember not to put weeds that have gone to seed on the heap.
Once bougainvillea’s have finished flowering, they can be trimmed to encourage midsummer and winter flowering. Remember, don’t give your bougainvillea too much water or food – this encourages leaf growth at the expense of flowers. But remember, bougainvillea’s in containers do need a moderate amount of water and some food.
(Compiled by Lyn McCallum)
Remember to adhere to the current water restrictions. If you are using water from a well point or borehole, please use it sensibly. Don’t waste it simply because it is free!
The best time to water the lawn is early in the morning. This allows the grass to dry off before nightfall, thus preventing fungal diseases developing. Mow at least once a week and feed with Blade Runner and water well. Lawns can be fed every 8 weeks throughout summer.
Continue to deadhead your flowering annuals and perennials to prolong their flowering period. Feed every three to four weeks with a liquid fertilizer Nitrosol, Organiksol or Seagro. Check on the mulch and replenish as required.
On hot days containers and hanging baskets will need to be watered every day. If there is a hot dry wind, baskets may well need watering twice a day. Remember, containers and baskets need regular feeding with a liquid food e.g. Seagro, Nitrosol, or Organiksol, as nutrients leach out very quickly with constant watering.
Keep your ferns damp and well mulched during the hot summer months. Feed with Seagro or Nitrosol, or use a food specially formulated for ferns – Shake and Grow Fern Food, which is sprinkled onto the soil and then watered in. Ferns benefit from having their foliage sprayed with water during hot windy spells. It is also a good idea to have a container of water near ferns to increase humidity in the area.
Water your summer flowering bulbs when necessary. Keep a watchful eye out for lily borer and amaryllis caterpillars; and thrips and gladiolus fly on gladioli.
Dahlias love a liquid manure. To make this, fill a large bucket with water. Use a bucket with a lid to keep away flies and to keep in the strong smell! Put some good quality cow or horse manure in a hessian or orange bag, tie securely and immerse it in the bucket for at least a week. Give the mixture a good swirl around every now and then. To use, dilute the liquid from the bucket with water until it is the colour of weak tea and water the dahlias with this. The manure in the bag will need to be replaced periodically, after about 6-8 weeks.
Cut off the dead flower stalks of delphiniums and foxgloves to just below the last flower to encourage the side shoots to develop and flower. Stake the flower spikes if necessary.
Deadhead roses regularly. Once their first flush of flowers is over and sprinkle a handful of Sudden Impact or 3.1.5 Organic fertilizer around each bush. Water in well. Check mulch, replenish where necessary and water deeply at least twice a week. Continue with your usual spraying programme.
Keep hydrangeas well watered and mulched. If the leaves are yellowing give each bush a watering with epsom salts – 1 teaspoon in 5 litres of water. Continue to apply aluminuim sulphate for blue flowers and lime for pink ones. Feed with Rapid Raiser, or 3.1.5 Organic fertilizer.
Garden pests will abound from this month! Keep a sharp lookout for the usual slugs and snails, as well as the caterpillars of the hawk moth and the cabbage white butterfly. Other nasties to keep a wary eye out for are aphids, tip wilters and fruit and rose beetles.
Keep a check on weeds and pull out before they set seed. This will save you hours of work in the future! Never put weeds that are in seed onto your compost heap. Rather throw them into a waste bin.
Once again, remember to conserve water and keep your whole garden well mulched.
Find out if there are water restrictions adhere to them. Water is a precious commodity, don’t waste it! This also applies to those of us who are lucky enough to have a well point or borehole.
Keep the basic garden maintenance jobs up to date. This month there are so many: weeding, deadheading, feeding and pest control to name a few. Don’t forget to keep everything well mulched during the hot, windy summer months.
Stake tall flowering annuals – delphiniums, foxgloves and larkspurs.
Feed summer flowering annuals and perennials every 3 weeks with a liquid fertilizer, Nitrosol, Organiksol or Seagro etc., especially those in baskets and containers. This will prolong their flowering period.
Keep your rose bushes well mulched and well watered and feed with Sudden Impact or well rotted manure.
Prune spring flowering shrubs e.g. Philadelphus (Mock Orange) and Cape May, once they have finished flowering, mulch and feed with Bounce Back.
As the weather warms up and plants start to grow and spread, check your irrigation system to ensure water is reaching the whole garden. Also check that all the sprinkler heads are working efficiently. Favourite plants have been known to die due to lack of water from blocked sprinklers!
Vegetables can also be fed every three weeks with a liquid fertilizer – use Organiksol, Nitrosol, or sprinkle Bounce Back or Rapid Raiser around the plants and keep well mulched, which will also help suppress weeds. Check for slugs, snails, caterpillars and other nasties.
Keep your citrus trees watered. Deep watering every 10 days to 2 weeks encourages deep root growth. Feed with Bounce Back, Rapid Raiser or 3.1.5 Organic fertilizer, well watered in.
Deadhead spring flowering bulbs and continue to feed those in active growth to help ensure that the plants make good bulbs for next year’s growth and flowers. Don’t lift the bulbs until the leaves have turned yellow. If you need the space, dig up the clumps of bulbs carefully and replant in prepared holes in a lesser-used part of the garden. Bulbs left in their place in the garden for next season should be marked to avoid digging them up or damaging them by mistake.
Don’t cut your lawn too short in the hot summer weather. If it is left slightly longer than during the winter months, it helps to conserve water and the longer grass blades will help to make the extra food needed to keep your lawn green and healthy. Fertilize with Blade Runner and make sure that the fertilizer is well watered in to avoid burning.
The compost heap should be kept moist and turned regularly. It should not be necessary to turn autumn leaves kept to make leaf mould, but remember that leaf mould takes much longer to make than compost – at least 12 months. It should also be kept moist.
Once azaleas have finished flowering, cut off any tall branches that are growing well above the rest of the bush to encourage the dormant buds at the base of the plant to grow. Mulch with an acid compost (available from nurseries) or leaf mould made from oak leaves or pine needles. Azaleas like to be kept cool by sprinkling them with water on hot, dry, windy days.
Regular deadheading of your winter flowering annuals will keep them flowering for longer. Pull out any annuals that are starting to die and consign them to the compost heap.
Dig over flowerbeds – not deeper than a spades depth – to prepare them for summer plantings. Add old, well-rotted manure or bounce back, as well as compost, and a light dusting of hoof and horn.
Plant out annual seedlings on a cool day, or late in the afternoon, water well with a solution of Kelpac (see instr. on container) and protect the plants from slugs, snails and cutworms. Thereafter feed seedlings every 2-3 weeks with a suitable liquid food – Nitrosol, Seagro etc. It is a good idea to alternate the food. Once the plants are well established, feed with a food rich in potassium such as Organiksol to encourage flowering.
Vegetable seedlings need to be kept weeded and free of slugs, snails and other pests Feed with Nitrosol, Organiksol or Seagro, using alternately, and don’t forget the mulch!
Give your winter flowering bulbs a feed with a food rich in potassium and go on watering until the leaves turn yellow. Now is the time to plant out summer flowering bulbs e.g. gladioli and liliums. Remember to mulch with compost. Give irises an application of fertilizer.
Overgrown ground covers should be cut back to neaten them up and promote new growth. Don’t forget to mulch and feed them as well.
Feed roses. Give each bush a handful of fertilizer 3:1:5 Organic or Sudden Impact or well-rotted manure, as well as a handful of epsom salts. Water each bush very well after this application. Put mulch around each bush, but make sure it is kept away from the stem of the plant.
Give your lawn its first feed. Use an organic fertilizer such as Upsurge and water in well.If the lawn is compacted it will benefit from being aerated – spike with a garden fork, being careful not to accidentally spike underground irrigation pipes!
The whole garden will benefit from an application of Bounce Back or Rapid Raiser and compost, as well as a generous application of mulch.
Winter flowering trees, shrubs and climbers that have finished flowering can be pruned this month. Feed and mulch.
Pinch out growing tips of fuchias to make the plant bush out. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer or an organic equivalent to encourage flowering.
Feed hydrangeas with Rapid Raiser or 3.1.5 Organic fertilizer. A solution of iron chelate can be watered in to the root area. After a fortnight, if the leaves are showing signs of yellowing, water in a handfull of epsom salts around each plant. Remember to apply aluminium sulphate for blue flowers, or a light application of lime, which will enhance pink flowers. Hydrangeas have a shallow root system, so apply a generous layer of mulch to conserve water.
Camellias and azaleas are acid loving plants. Once they have finished flowering, feed with a fertilizer for acid loving plants and mulch well as these shrubs also have a shallow root system. Leaf mould made from oak leaves or pine needles is a good mulch for these plants.
Pruning and spraying of roses should be done by mid-August. After pruning, spray the bushes with lime sulphur, repeating after 10 days. Be careful - the lime sulphur will burn the leaves of plants growing under the roses – wash it off at once with water. Feed rose bushes with a high nitrogen fertilizer such as Sudden Impact and spread a good quality compost or well rotted kraal manure around the base of the bushes – not too close to the stems.
Divide your perennials this month. Water the plants to be divided the day before, then lift out the clumps carefully, divide and discard the old inner core. Replant the outside bits that are showing signs of new growth into well composted soil. Feed and water well.
Regular deadheading of your annuals and bulbs is most important to keep them flowering for as long as possible.
Hydrangeas should have been pruned last month! Feed the plants with Rapid Raiser, Bounce Back or 3.1.5 Organic and mulch well. To make your hydrangeas blue you can use acid peatmoss or milled pine bark or sprinkle 25g of aluminium sulphate around the roots and water in well.
Start feeding fuchias with a high nitrogen fertilizer such as Bounce Back or Nitrosol to encourage new growth. Apply a good layer of mulch.
Fertilize camellias and azaleas once they have finished flowering. Remember, both these shrubs like acid soils, so feed accordingly. Mulch with an oak or pine leaf mould.
Plant up your dormant dahlia tubers in containers and water to help start growth. Plant out in beds once the weather warms up.
Keep a sharp look out for slugs and snails – the best time is after it has rained, especially at night. Protect your susceptible plants, especially newly planted seedlings by sprinkling crushed eggshells, wood ash or sawdust around. For container plants, either rub the base of the pot with a thick layer of vaseline, or fix a strip of sandpaper to the rim of the pot.
You can still prune summer flowering shrubs to help keep their shape, but don’t prune spring flowering shrubs (wisterias, viburnums etc) until they have finished flowering.
Pot on any indoor or outdoor plants that have outgrown their present containers and fertilize. Revitalize the rest of your pot plants by scraping out the top layer of soil and replacing it with fresh soil and compost and fertilize these plants too.
It is still cool enough to transplant any shrubs that may be growing in the wrong place in your garden. Remember that proteas, leucodendrons and leucospermums don’t transplant – they hate having their roots disturbed.
Start checking your garden for weeds and remove them before they set seed.
Keep your beds well mulched – this will help prevent weeds from germinating and will also retain moisture and keep the soil cool once the hot months arrive.
(Compiled by Lyn McCallum)
Those of you who have boreholes with automatic irrigation systems are reminded to make the necessary adjustments, so that they do not come on during or just after rain.
Remember that spite of good rains, there are some parts of the garden that can remain relatively dry. Check beds in the shadow of hedges, under trees with dense canopies, on the south and east side of high walls and under the eaves of buildings. These areas may not be getting sufficient water.
Mulching in winter helps the soil from becoming compacted by heavy rain, as well as helping to suppress any weed growth. Keep the mulch away from the stems of plants to prevent rotting. Mulch should be at least 10 to 15mm deep for annuals and perennials, but can be as deep as 50mm for trees and shrubs. Coarse compost, well rotted kraal manure, bark chips or milled bark, pine needles (for acid loving plants) and straw all make a good mulch.
Deadhead your annuals and winter flowering perennials regularly to encourage more flowering. Sweet peas and Iceland poppies will further benefit from having their flowers picked regularly for the vase. Feed at least once a month with a liquid foliar feed or soil drench such as Nitrosol, Organiksol, or Seagro if the weather is fine. During wet spells, sprinkle Bounce Back, Rapid Raiser or 3.1.5 Organic lightly between the plants, and fork into the soil gently, but be careful of 3.1.5 Organic. It is very strong and can burn. Weed between the plants when necessary and keep a watchful eye out for those persistent slugs and snails. Don’t forget to mulch.
Many of the spring flowering bulbs are starting to come up, and snowdrops (Leucojum) and some narcissi are beginning to flower. Feed regularly with Hadeco bulb food, and keep on removing weeds, as well as slugs and snails. Mulch!
July is the month to plant Lilium bulbs. These bulbs require a cool, moist place to grow, with well-drained soil that has been dug over lightly to a depth of 20 cm. Incorporate a generous amount of well-decomposed compost or leaf mould and plant the larger bulbs in groups at a depth of 10 cm. The smaller varieties should be planted, also in groups, at about 7 – 10 cm depth. Once the bulbs start to sprout, mulch with a good compost and ensure that they do not dry out or become waterlogged. Liliums prefer their bulbs to be in cool soil, but they do like their leaves and flowers to be in the sun, so choose where to plant the bulbs with this in mind. They can also be planted in pots, one large bulb or 3 smaller bulbs per pot. Deep containers are best. The rim of the container must be at least 3 cm away from the bulbs, with 10 cm of soil below the bulbs.
Impatiens don’t like cold, wet, windy weather! However, they can and do still grow well in a sheltered spot, and will brighten up the winter garden with a welcome show of colour. Remember to water with a solution of Condies Crystals 1 teaspoon in 5 litres of water to prevent fungal problems. Cut them back as soon as the stems become “leggy” (yes, even if they still have flowers!) and dig in a handful of Rapid Raiser and compost, which will also loosen the soil around the plants.
July is the latest that summer flowering shrubs can be pruned. Leave it any later, and you will interfere with the new growth that starts appearing later on this month and in August and September. Winter flowering shrubs such as Ribbon Bush (Hypoestes aristata), Salvias, Wild Dagga (Leonotis leonuris) and Barleria can be pruned as soon as they have finished flowering. Coprosma, eugenias and myrtles, which are evergreen, should be trimmed now to maintain their shape.
Camellias and azaleas should be flowering now, giving a colourful lift to dark, damp winter days. Remember not to feed these shrubs until their flowering period is over.
Compost heaps should be covered to prevent them from becoming waterlogged during the rainy periods. Regular turning – at least every 6-7 weeks- will speed up the decomposition process. Wood ash from your winter fires can be added to your compost heap, but not coal or anthracite ash.
Roses should not be pruned before the end of July. If you are unsure of how to go about pruning, contact Starke Aires in Rosebank, who normally have a rose pruning demonstration during July.
Indoor pot plants are adversely affected by the lack of humidity in heated rooms. To compensate for this, stand pots on pebbles in a tray of water, or place a saucer of water near the pots. Don’t overwater your indoor plants during winter!
It is a good idea to check the drainage of all your outdoor pots and containers regularly. Most plants hate being waterlogged, which damages the fine root hairs that take up the moisture and nutrients needed by the plant for growth. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a plant is drooping because it is not getting enough water! At this time of the year, it could quite easily be dying from too much water due to poor drainage. Ensure that the drainage holes of the pots are not blocked, and stand them on pot feet, bricks or anything that will raise the pot off the ground by at least 2cm. If the plant has become waterlogged and is showing signs of dying, repot it as soon as possible into fresh well draining potting mix such as Master Patio Mix, into a pot with good drainage. Cut the plant back lightly and hope for the best!
Plants in pots and hanging baskets need feeding more often than those planted out in flowerbeds, as the nutrients are leached out by continual rain and watering. A feed of Nitrosol, or Seagro or other water soluble plant food should ideally be given every 2 to 3 weeks. Once the plants have reached maturity, use a plant food rich in potash – Organiksol- to encourage flowering. Don’t forget to deadhead regularly to encourage and prolong flowering.
Aloes and most other succulents don’t like too much rain. Most of these plants come from desert or semi desert regions and too much water will make them more susceptible to diseases and could even cause their roots to rot. If necessary move pots with these plants to a dry spot in your garden for the duration of the winter.
Continue to feed your winter vegetable patch with a suitable food – see June Tips. Mulching will help the soil from compacting and will also keep down weed growth. Harvest peas and broad beans regularly to encourage further pod formation. Don’t forget to keep a wary eye out for slugs, snails and caterpillars.
(Compiled by Lyn McCallum)
Remember to adjust your automatic sprinkler systems running off your wellpoint or borehole, taking into account the increased (hopefully!) rainfall.
Traditionally, winter is the month for pruning most shrubs and trees, but not the spring and summer flowering deciduous shrubs like spireas, mock orange and snowball bushes. Pruning these shrubs in winter will remove the wood where next season’s flower buds are growing. Check that your pruning equipment is in good working order. You can cause damage to trees and shrubs if you use blunt equipment. Take your clippers, loppers and pruning saw to your hardware store or garden centre to have them oiled and sharpened.
When pruning, remove any dead wood, thin out and shape the shrub. Remove any plain green branches on variegated shrubs. Summer and autumn climbers that are overgrown and unruly should be tidied up with judicious pruning. On wisterias cut out any long canes, leaving short spurs with 2-3 buds each. For large trees it is perhaps a good idea to employ the services of a reputable, professional tree feller or arborist. He will be able to advise you on matters such as removing any potentially dangerous branches and lifting tree canopies to allow in more light and sun.
Hydrangeas can be pruned this month. Keep some of the prunings to take hardwood cuttings. Put the rest of the cuttings through a chipper and place on the compost heap.
To enhance the blue of hydrangeas, dust the soil around the bushes with sulphur 50 – 75g for each established plant (or use aluminium sulphate - 1tsp dissolved in 5l water, apply around base of plant). To enrich pink coloured bushes, sprinkle a small handful of dolomitic lime around each bush at the root zone. Then you can either wait for the winter rains to wash these applications into the soil, or give the ground a good soaking with your hose.
Make sure that your spring bulbs are kept moist, especially if our expected rainfall does not materialise. Feed with a foliar feed such as Nitrosol, Organiksol, Seagro, , or Hadeco Bulb Food, about once every 2-3 weeks.
Pinch out the first flowers from annual bedding plants such as pansies, violas, primulas, stocks, calendulas etc. This will encourage branching and bushy growth, and will also help the plants to produce more blooms. Once the plants are flowering freely, remember to deadhead, which will prolong their flowering period. Feed every 3-4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer – Nitrosol, Organiksol, Seagro etc. Winter flowering perennials such as Hellebores and Bergenias should also be fed every 3-4 weeks with a liquid food. Deadhead regularly and keep the beds free from weeds. Slugs and snails abound at this time of the year. Go out at night and check your plants with a torch and hand-pick these nasties and dispose of them. The alternative is to use a “safe” snail bait, such as Ferramol - natural slug and snail bait. According to the information on the packet, the snails eat the bait, which causes them to stop feeding, and they eventually die.
Sweet peas should have germinated by now! As the climbing varieties get taller, help their tendrils up the stakes by tying gently with soft string at intervals. Feed with Organiksol, Bounce Back, or Rapid Raiser.
During winter your lawn will not need to be mowed more than once every 2 – 3 weeks, depending on weather conditions. Take this opportunity to have your lawnmower serviced. Check the blades and either have them sharpened or replaced. Check the spark plug on motor mowers and, on electric mowers, ensure that the electric cord is still in safe working order. Waterlogged lawns should be spiked to a depth of 5 – 8 cm, using a large garden fork, to help improve drainage. If the blades of grass start to show signs of fungus growth – usually brown spots on the blades, water with a solution of condies crystals 1 teaspoon dissolved in 5litres of water. Rake up fallen leaves on the lawn and use to make leaf mould.
Winter is a good time to move roses. Cut the bush back hard and dig up carefully, keeping as much soil around the root ball as possible. If you are going to replant in a place where another rose bush was growing, it is a good idea to remove the old soil and replace it with some soil from a Garden Centre – Rose and Shrub Mix is suitable. Do not prune your roses until late July or early August.
Before we are hit by more winter gales, it would be a good idea to check your plants and tie up any that may be damaged by wind. Use old pantyhose, hessian webbing or any other material that will not damage the soft stems or bark of the plant. If you use rope or wire, put these in a length of old hosepipe to protect the stem of the plant. After strong winds, check your garden and cut down any broken branches, before they tear the plant, or fall on anything growing under it, causing more damage.
In winter, indoor plants do not need watering as often as in summer. Most indoor plants do not like cold water, so use slightly warm water when watering. Remember, overwatering will damage your plants, so make sure that the pots are not standing in saucers full of water. Feed your winter flowering indoor plants such as calceolarias and cyclamen with a suitable indoor plant food. Cyclamen will benefit from being put outside at night – they like the cold!
Feed your vegetable plants at regular intervals – about every 3 – 4 weeks, with Nitrosol, Organiksol, Bounce Back, or Rapid Raiser. You could also use a “tea” made from Bounce Back or Rapid Raiser: Measure 500ml of Bounce Back and put in a 10 –15 litre bucket. Top up with water and mix well. Cover tightly and let it stand for a few days, stirring occasionally. Keep the lid on, otherwise the smell will attract flies! Dilute the resultant liquid until it is the colour of weak tea, and water your vegetables. Carrots will benefit from an application of epsom salts - 1 teaspoon dissolved in 5 litres of water. This will improve their growth and make them taste sweeter. Keep weed growth down and check for slugs and snails regularly.
Now is a good time to lift and divide rhubarb plants. Using a sharp spade, cut the plant into sections and replant. Water in well with Kelpac, which will help the plants recover from the shock!
During rainy periods, when it is too wet to garden, take the opportunity to tidy your garden shed and greenhouse; or you could stay indoors, light a fire, snuggle up in a comfortable armchair and read a good book!
Autumn is the month to collect the leaves fallen from deciduous trees to make leaf mould. It is best to leave the leaves that have fallen under established shrubs and trees where they are, as a natural mulch, but those that have fallen among smaller plants and on grass and paving should be raked up and put in black bags. If they are dry, dampen well, sprinkle on a handful each of lime, crumbled, well rotted manure, and bone meal. Tie up the bags and keep in an out-of-the-way place until they decompose. Although this is a long process – it could take 12 months – the resultant leaf mould is excellent to enrich your soil.
Keep your compost heap covered to prevent them from getting too wet, which will inhibit the action of the soil microbes, which break down the plant matter. Continue to turn the heap regularly, at 6 to 8 weekly intervals. Well rotted manure – cow or chicken added to the compost heap will speed up the breaking down process.
The weather and therefore the soil should have cooled down by now, so make sure all your spring flowering bulbs are planted before its too late! (See April Tips)
Finish planting out winter and spring flowering annuals. Primulas, foxgloves, cinerarias, pansies and violas are suitable for shady areas, whilst other annuals, such as Virginian stocks, calendulas, Bellis perennis, snapdragons and Iceland poppies do well in sunny spots. Remember to feed regularly with a food such as Nitrosol, Organiksol, Seagro, or Rapid Raiser. Alternate your food for best results. Watch out for snails, slugs and other nasties that will decimate your young plants in a very short time!
Even though the weather has cooled down, it is a good idea to keep all your beds mulched. This helps the soil from becoming compacted by heavy rainfalls (hopefully!) and also protects the plants from the cold. Adjust your automatic irrigation systems to take into account the increased rainfall. Remember that in some areas, such as under large, leafy trees and the eaves of the house or the lee of walls and hedges, rain may not be reaching the plants, which will probably need watering.
Plectranthus plants have made a wonderful show during the past month. Once they have finished flowering, cut the plants back hard to encourage new, strong growth for next season. Plectranthus plants are easy to grow from slips, so take this opportunity to take cuttings and grow more plants to fill your garden next season. The cuttings should be about 5cm in length and cut just below a node. Remove all the leaves except the top pair or two and place the cuttings in a very well drained medium, such as washed river sand, to root, which should take about 14 days. Keep the cuttings damp, but not too wet, and in a place that has adequate light, but not direct sunlight. Remember to label. After about a month, rooted cuttings can be planted out into suitable pots to grow on until large enough for planting in the garden.
Cut off the flower stalks of Japanese Anemones once they have finished flowering and tidy up clumps of perennials such as Michaelmas daisies, golden rod and obedience plants, and apply a layer of compost. These perennials can be moved this month if needs be.
Fertilise winter flowering shrubs now with Rapid Raiser and replenish the mulch. But note, this does not apply to Camellias and Azaleas. These plants, if fed at this time of the year, will make too much leaf growth, which will hide the flowers. These plants will, however, benefit from an application of acid compost or leaf mould made from oak leaves or pine needles.
Roses should be dormant by now, so feeding and deadheading is unnecessary. Collect any fallen diseased leaves and burn to prevent the spread of the disease. You could water or spray the plants with condi’s crystals - 1 teaspoon in 5l of water - to harden them in time for the late winter pruning.
Cyclamen plants will have started their new growth. Keep the plants in a cool place in bright filtered light, but never in direct sun. (Cyclamen like the cold, so you could stand your plants outside at night.) When watering don’t pour the water directly onto the tuber, which could cause it to rot. Rather water from below, but never leave the pot standing in water for more than about 10 minutes. Don’t water the plants too often – the plant will come to no harm if allowed to dry out between waterings. Feed with a suitable pot plant food every 2 to 3 weeks.
If you are planning to plant trees and shrubs for their autumn colours, now is a good time to visit the nursery to see which species and cultivars produce the most attractive and colourful foliage.
In the Cape, May is the month to sow sweet pea seeds. Dig a trench about 75cm deep, mix some compost and well-rotted manure with the soil and replace. Soak the sweet pea seeds in warm water overnight to soften the hard outer coat to assist in germination, and plant the seeds in holes about 5cm deep. Remember, sweet peas need full sun and are greedy feeders, needing plenty of water and a food high in potash every 2 weeks. The soil MUST be well drained. Why not try the bush varieties in a container for a change.
Winter is a good time to grow spinach, onions, carrots, leeks, peas, broad beans and turnips, as well as most of the brassicas. Keep your vegetables mulched and feed with a suitable food – Bounce Back, Rapid Raiser, Nitrosol, Organiksol or Seagro etc. Nip out the growing tips of broad beans to encourage the setting of pods. Shore up your cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli to stop them being blown over by north-west gales. Keep a lookout for slugs and snails, as well as the caterpillars of the Cabbage White butterfly on the brassicas.
Check your gutters and stormwater gullies and clean out leaves and any other debris to prevent flooding when we get the expected heavy winter rains.
