The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 3 Summer 2012 | Page 26

What to do

What to do in the garden this summer
• Feed annuals every two weeks with Grow easier or
ZFC Best Bloom and remove faded flowers.
• Keep a look out for Downy mildew on the underside
of the leaves of your Busy lizzies and spray with
Ridomil weekly.
• Watch out for snails this month so put out snail bait
around newly planted seedlings before you forget.
• Stake plants that are falling over in the winds and
rain. Use a bamboo stake; push it in deep close to
the plant. Use string or raffia to loop around the plant
and then around the stake in a figure of 8. Tie a loose
knot leaving extra string for adjusting.

DEC

Christmas isbrings new
This month just around
the corner and thewith
delights everyday
gardens are full of
all the blossoming
colour again. The rains
and blooming.
are here and everything
Remember to maintain
should be looking
a regular programme of
lovely and lush.
deadheadiing, fertilising

• Continue to water and mow your lawn regularly.
If necessary, fertilise your lawn every six weeks in
summer with Lawnfert.
• Cut back poinsettias by a third to promote growth
and flowers.
• If you have planted dahlia tubers, remember to feed
them with a general fertiliser as well as staking them
to protect them from being destroyed in the wind
and rains.

• January is the time for cutting back and trimming
hedges, shrubs and perennials such as shasta daisies,
lavender, daisy bushes, diascia and felicia.
• Shrubs that flower in autumn and winter are already
forming buds so don’t cut back at this time.
• Remember to cover your compost heap with plastic
during the heavy rains.
• If your garden has received lots of rain, feed with
a general fertiliser. If it is dry, water deeply, then
fertilise.

Jan
26

Now the festivities
are over, it’s time to
remove the Christmas
excess! So, bring out the
mowers, trim the hedges
and remove weeds and
old flowers to create a
fresh start!

• Mulch the ground to retain moisture and it also helps
to reduce weeds.
• Mow the lawn, trim the edges and remove weeds.
Again, apply Lawnfert when necessary and remember
to water it in well after applying or do it before the
rains come.
• Don’t forget about your pot plants, which need
frequent fertilising and watering.