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Shrubs/Trees Abutilon Alloxylon flammeum Ardisia Azaleas Bauhinia Bougainvillea Brugmansia Brunfelsia Buddleia Calliandra Calodendrum capense Callistemon Dombeya burgessiae Echium Eremophila Eupatorium (mist bush) Euphorbia cotinifolia (new leaves) Fiddlewood (turning yellow) Gardenia Graptophyllum ilicifolium Grevillea robusta Grevillea shrubs Hibiscus Jacaranda Lorapetalum Photinia Polygala Pomegranate Raphiolepis indica Robinia Pseudo-acacia ‘freesia’ (new leaves) Rondaletia Roses Ruttya fruticosa Schotia brachypetala Spiraea cantoniensis Viburnum |
Acanthus Mollis Aloes Angelonia Begonia Brillantasia Cleome Coleus Coreopsis Cosmos Daisies Dianthus Evening Primrose Gaura Gerbera Heliotrope Impatiens Justicia Kalanchoe Lavender Leonitis Mandevilla Nasturtiums Nicotiana Orlaya Orontium (water) Pansies Papaver Pelagoniums Pentas Plectranthus Russellia Salvias Scutilleria Statice (perennial) Torrenia Turnea Waterlillies |
Orchids Arpophyllum spicatum Cattleya Cymbidium Epidendrum Oncidiums Phaius Phalaenopsis Softcane Dendrobiums Zygopetalums Vandas Bulbs Alstroemeria Arthropodium (Renga Renga lily) Bulbine Cliveas Day Lilies Gladioli candidus Hippeastrums Iris Lousiana Iris versicolor Knifofia Lapeirousia grandiflora Lilliums Ornithogalum Rhodophiala Tulbaghia Watsonias Bromeliads Aechmea Billbergia Guzmania Hohenbergia Tillandsia Vriesia Vines Clytostoma callistegioides Cobaea scandens Banksian Rose Dalechampia Jasminum Mandevilla Maurandya (climbing foxglove) Pandorea pandorama Phaseolus caracalla Tecomanthe ‘Roaring meg’ Wisteria |
CLIVEAS
IRIS VERSICOLOUR
PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID
WHAT IS FEATURING IN THE GARDEN IN OCTOBER:
We have had a wetter spring so far than normal, which is very welcome and has seen the garden blossoming beautifully. Before the hot weather really comes, do all the jobs like, mulching, cutting back and planting. Mulching will help to keep the soil cooler and moisture in.
Propagating
The warmer temperature and higher humidity is a great opportunity to take a few cuttings. Particularly of the subtropical plants like Carphalea, Crotons, Ixoras, Justicia, Eupatorium and Mussaenda. Take a soft stem cutting with a joint, take off the lower leaves and cut off any flowers. Plant a few of these cuttings in small pots with the joint just below the surface of the soil. Put the pots in a shade house or under a tree and make sure they are watered daily.
Salvias are wonderful fillers in the garden and if you have large clumps, you can simply dig up a small clump with roots and spread their cheer around the garden in the bare spots, keeping in mind the size of the clump and the colours. Taking cuttings is just as easy, just cut a green, soft stem just below a node, cut off the lower leaves and the top including the flowers. Plant the stem with the node just below the soil in a pot and keep moist and in a bright or sunny spot. Once established in the garden, most Salvias are very drought hardy and come in a wonderful range of colours.
Mediterranean plants are best propagated in autumn or spring when the nights are cool. These include; Pelargoniums, Santolina, Statice, Rosemary, Rue and Tagetes.
Tropical plants are best propagated in Summer to give them as much warmth as possible to establish roots before the cold weather.
Many plants can be started as seeds by sowing in trays in spring and then they can be potted on. I have a small metal tray that holds about 2 cms of water and I keep all my newly sown seeds and propagation pots in that for about 2 weeks in the bush house which have sprinklers that go on everyday for 5 minutes.
I don’t use a rooting compound and I use sandy loam as my soil. You can use honey but it has to be natural otherwise its anti-bacterial qualities are lost.
The Irises are putting on a wonderful show. They look particularly good planted en-masse as most bulbs should be planted. Some like water and others like to be baked dry. Louisiana and Versicolour like their feet in water. Versicolour is blue and Lousiana come in a range of colours from white, pink, yellow and blue. You can put them in pots in the pond if you raise them so that they only have about 5 -10 centimetres in water. Alternatively you can plant them at the edge of a pond or in a pond with shallow water.
Iris tectorum is a lovely shorter Iris which is blue and thrives in a dry spot on the edge of the garden. Irises have a rhizome and can be easily divided by cutting a good size piece of rhizome with at least 1 section of leaf.
Jobs to do:
Cut back Eranthemums, Senecio petasites, Poinsettias, Spiraea, Photinias, Banksian Rose and Eupatoriums after they have finished flowering. It is always wise to take cuttings of perennials in case you lose them or if you want more plants to put in. The cuttings can be put in a pot and put in a shady place and keep well watered. The Poinsettias will strike better if they are left a week to dry out a bit before you put the cutting into a pot of soil. Early morning is the best time to take cuttings.
Collect seeds from Sweet peas and nasturtiums for next year’s crop. Store them in an envelope and mark with date and name. I also do this with vegetable seeds as I think it is better to re-seed tried and true vegetable strains than buy in ones you don’t know. When I collect seeds from Frangipani trees or vines which are large, I tie a paper bag around the stem so that they automatically disperse into the bag instead of the air and loosing them.
Nasturtiums are browning off with the heat, so rake all the long runners onto the garden beds and mulch over the top. Being from the pea family they do provide a good nitrogen source for the soil. They will come back again next year from this year’s seeds which you can leave or collect to sow them in a different place in autumn.
Vegetables:
Watering is essential in the vegetable garden in this hot and dry period. It is very rewarding to be able to pick a variety of herbs as well as silver beet, beans, lettuce and tomatoes.
Orchids:
Repot any orchids that have over filled their pot or the media has broken down. A good sign that orchid media has broken down is if there are weeds in the pot or if you see a white mould in the base of the pot. Roots hanging over the side of the pot or basket is not a problem as the roots of orchids search for food and water
Good Gardening
Jan
Propagating
The warmer temperature and higher humidity is a great opportunity to take a few cuttings. Particularly of the subtropical plants like Carphalea, Crotons, Ixoras, Justicia, Eupatorium and Mussaenda. Take a soft stem cutting with a joint, take off the lower leaves and cut off any flowers. Plant a few of these cuttings in small pots with the joint just below the surface of the soil. Put the pots in a shade house or under a tree and make sure they are watered daily.
Salvias are wonderful fillers in the garden and if you have large clumps, you can simply dig up a small clump with roots and spread their cheer around the garden in the bare spots, keeping in mind the size of the clump and the colours. Taking cuttings is just as easy, just cut a green, soft stem just below a node, cut off the lower leaves and the top including the flowers. Plant the stem with the node just below the soil in a pot and keep moist and in a bright or sunny spot. Once established in the garden, most Salvias are very drought hardy and come in a wonderful range of colours.
Mediterranean plants are best propagated in autumn or spring when the nights are cool. These include; Pelargoniums, Santolina, Statice, Rosemary, Rue and Tagetes.
Tropical plants are best propagated in Summer to give them as much warmth as possible to establish roots before the cold weather.
Many plants can be started as seeds by sowing in trays in spring and then they can be potted on. I have a small metal tray that holds about 2 cms of water and I keep all my newly sown seeds and propagation pots in that for about 2 weeks in the bush house which have sprinklers that go on everyday for 5 minutes.
I don’t use a rooting compound and I use sandy loam as my soil. You can use honey but it has to be natural otherwise its anti-bacterial qualities are lost.
The Irises are putting on a wonderful show. They look particularly good planted en-masse as most bulbs should be planted. Some like water and others like to be baked dry. Louisiana and Versicolour like their feet in water. Versicolour is blue and Lousiana come in a range of colours from white, pink, yellow and blue. You can put them in pots in the pond if you raise them so that they only have about 5 -10 centimetres in water. Alternatively you can plant them at the edge of a pond or in a pond with shallow water.
Iris tectorum is a lovely shorter Iris which is blue and thrives in a dry spot on the edge of the garden. Irises have a rhizome and can be easily divided by cutting a good size piece of rhizome with at least 1 section of leaf.
Jobs to do:
Cut back Eranthemums, Senecio petasites, Poinsettias, Spiraea, Photinias, Banksian Rose and Eupatoriums after they have finished flowering. It is always wise to take cuttings of perennials in case you lose them or if you want more plants to put in. The cuttings can be put in a pot and put in a shady place and keep well watered. The Poinsettias will strike better if they are left a week to dry out a bit before you put the cutting into a pot of soil. Early morning is the best time to take cuttings.
Collect seeds from Sweet peas and nasturtiums for next year’s crop. Store them in an envelope and mark with date and name. I also do this with vegetable seeds as I think it is better to re-seed tried and true vegetable strains than buy in ones you don’t know. When I collect seeds from Frangipani trees or vines which are large, I tie a paper bag around the stem so that they automatically disperse into the bag instead of the air and loosing them.
Nasturtiums are browning off with the heat, so rake all the long runners onto the garden beds and mulch over the top. Being from the pea family they do provide a good nitrogen source for the soil. They will come back again next year from this year’s seeds which you can leave or collect to sow them in a different place in autumn.
Vegetables:
Watering is essential in the vegetable garden in this hot and dry period. It is very rewarding to be able to pick a variety of herbs as well as silver beet, beans, lettuce and tomatoes.
Orchids:
Repot any orchids that have over filled their pot or the media has broken down. A good sign that orchid media has broken down is if there are weeds in the pot or if you see a white mould in the base of the pot. Roots hanging over the side of the pot or basket is not a problem as the roots of orchids search for food and water
Good Gardening
Jan
THIS MONTH
IN THE GARDEN
with Jan
OCTOBER
IN THE GARDEN
with Jan
OCTOBER
HIPPEASTRUM
CATTLEYA ORCHID
HIPPEASTRUM
Let nature be your guide
SALVIA MYSTIC SPIRES
