On the Coast – Over 55 Issue 31 I September/October 2019 | Page 20
Springing into the garden
BY VICKEY TAYLOR
S
pring is certainly in the air and we
cannot wait to get out into the
garden. There are a huge number of
things we can do in the garden this month!
Spring Tips
It’s lovely to see the arrival of spring
after a late cold winter. September is the
month where more change can happen
in the garden than any other month
of the year. Blossom season is well
underway with new flowers appearing
every day but many plants are still
dormant or just waking up at the start
of the month but are flying along by the
end of the month. Now is the time to
encourage, promote and shape to get the
best out of our plants.
Tomatoes are in season and lots of
interesting new season stock available.
A lot of the new season
veggies can be planted
this month and some
cold sensitive
veggies like chillies,
cucumber and
zucchini will be
available later in the
month.
September is the time to
feed everything! Plants
emerge from winter
at best rested but
depleted and looking miserable so a good
complete fertiliser applied now helps our
established plants get most out of spring.
Feed all lawns, especially warm
climate lawns such as Buffalo,
Kikuyu and Couch, as they need help
recovering from winter. Use a slow
release lawn builder to keep them
going over the coming months
If you are quick, still prune hedges to
shape before it gets too warm. This
will ensure new growth comes where
and how you want it
Prune into shape shrubs that have
flowered winter/early spring such as
Camellias
Prune cold sensitive perennials like
sunpatients, calibrchoas, and salivas
and feed them to stimulate new
growth and flowers
Start planting new season Petunias,
plant-spreading petunias in hanging
baskets give such a great display
Protect your Citrus trees with Citrus
traps. You can further protect your
Citrus tree by pruning back 10% when
new growth appears. Feed with a high
potassium, low soluble nitrate citrus
food to further increase pest resistance
Protect new growth on roses with rose
gun, mancozeb and liquid copper.
It’s time to plant! Whilst soil and air
temp is mild, get your plants in and
established before summer. Always
improve the soil at planting to
factilitate growth.
Vickey Taylor is the owner of Burbank House
& Garden, Kincumber. Phone 4368 2220
Plant of the month
Tomatoes
Plant early varieties of tomatoes like
the Roma, a traditional Italian tomato
medium sized fruit small growing
variety, Healthkick, a 50% higher in
antioxidant than a normal tomato,
plum shaped smaller growing variety,
Sweet Bite a sweet cherry producing
masses of fruit in clusters needs
staking. Plant warm season varieties
like Grosse Lisse a little later.
Rules to successful
tomato planting
Plant into soil that been improved
with compost or manure to
prevent blossom end rot
Water regularly but do not feed
until the first pea sized fruit shave
formed. Early feeding promotes
growth instead of flowers,
postponing fruiting and increase
disease problems.
Dust regularly to prevent pest
and disease problems and feed
with high potassium, low soluble
nitrogen fertilizer when the plant
is in a flowering/fruiting mode.
Burbank
Café
the perfect spot for a coffee!
Located inside Burbank House and Garden Nursery at Kincumber,
our cafe is open 7 days. See over for our weekly specials.
30 Empire Bay Dr, Kincumber Ph: 4368 2220
20
ON T H E C OA S T – OVER 5 5
Burbank
house & garden