Autumn Is Coming!
Hello and welcome to the February Garden Notes. Our weather is a little changeable at the moment and while cooler days are appreciated by both us and our gardens the main thing to keep in mind is that we are not getting enough rain to adequately water our gardens. This means that we need to be watering plants and lawns deeply, especially if a hot spell is coming, while trying to not overwater as that can be worse for plants than being a bit dry. As always mulch can be the key to keeping your plants happy so I will remind everyone to get out and apply a good layer of mulch if you haven’t already done so.
Don't forget your flowers this Valentine's Day
February, while the shortest month of the year, does still have a bit going on. Apart from being my birthday this month there is a little event called Valentine’s Day which is perhaps slightly better known. Flowers, in particular roses, are the traditional gift for Valentine's but there are lots of other options to be found in the Garden Centres. Moth Orchids make a lovely living gift. They come in a wide range of colours, different styles of flower and will bloom inside in a well-lit position for months and months. Apart from plenty of light they need a weekly watering and a liquid fertiliser applied monthly. Anthurium (Flamingo Flower) are another long flowering indoor plant in stores now. Apart from these two there are plenty of other beautiful plants and pots that would be wonderful gifts, come in and check them out.
Damaged plants & what to do
If your garden is like mine, you may have some plants looking a bit worse for wear with scorched foliage where they copped the brunt of the heat on the hot days. The temptation now is to go out and prune all that burnt foliage off to make the plant look better, but don’t do that yet. It’s almost guaranteed that we will get more very hot days, February and March can both be extremely hot, and by pruning that damage off you encourage the plant to send out new, more delicate growth which is even more susceptible to the heat. Those damaged leaves will at least provide some protection for the rest of the plant underneath them and can be removed in 5 or 6 weeks’ time after the worst of summer has passed.
Start thinking about your veggie patch
Strange as it may seem it is actually time to start thinking about getting your veggie patch ready for planting the winter crops. Cabbage, cauliflower and the rest of the brassica family are what we call “gross feeders” meaning that they like, and in fact need lots of nutrients in their soil to perform well. Digging in a healthy dose of compost and animal manures like cow or chicken manure now will provide the perfect start for your plants when you do put them in. If you like to grow your veggies from seed it’s time to look at starting a few to have ready to plant out in 8 weeks or so.
It’s a good time to plant citrus too; reasonable stocks are still available for most varieties. Citrus do not thrive if planted into cold soil so don’t delay too long or your plant will sit and sulk for months, if not years before it gets going again! Remember to keep up a regular feeding schedule; a light feed monthly keeps them ticking along nicely. If your passionfruit is anything like mine at the moment it’s loaded with fruit just about to colour up. Keep up regular weekly deep watering and a monthly light side dress of fertiliser to help them produce plenty of delicious pulp. The fruit is ripe and ready to eat when they fall off the vine, all you have to do is collect them off the ground every day or so.
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Driving around at the moment you will see the Crepe Myrtle in flower. As well as the more common small tree (3-5m) varieties there are some shorter, shrubby forms available including the dark leaf Diamonds in the Dark series which grows up to 3m and the Enduring Summer series which gets to about 1.5m. This family of plants is a great addition to any garden, very hardy and smothered in red, pink, mauve or white flowers at this time of year. Another group of plants looking wonderful at the moment are the Bougainvillea family. Available as the traditional climber or you can have one of the “Bambino” range, these grow much smaller, to roughly 1.2m.They are great for pots and even hanging baskets, I have one in a smallish pedestal pot and it flowers for months! Don’t forget though that Bougainvillea loves the sun, so choose a very sunny spot and they will reward you with a glorious display of colour late summer and autumn.
Final notes
While February is considered a “transition” month, almost over summer but not quite autumn, it’s still a good time to be out and about in the garden. There is always something to do, dead heading roses, pulling the ever-present weeds etc, just remember to be sun safe while you’re out there, and don’t forget to come and see us for that special Valentine's gift!
Ask one of our knowledgeable garden staff members for advice if you have any questions regarding anything having to do with your garden, indoors or out. We would be pleased to lead you on the correct path. Call us on 1300 165 165 or visit your local store.