It certainly has been a wet time out in the garden but at the same time the weather has been quite mild so far, and we have had the odd few calm days and a little bit of watery sun. It is a good time to get some spraying and pruning done.
Some of our bare root trees have been arriving – the magnolias, the flowering cherries and soon our fruit trees will be arriving. Colour is really what always sells shrubs and annuals and at the moment the polyanthus are looking superb.
Erica’s are still flowering as are the winter roses hellebores, these are always a winter favourite.
You will find some good early varieties of potatoes Liseta,Swift or rocket. Heather is the first red and still a favourite and the good old Jersey Bennes for the Christmas spud.
Some good young veggie seedlings can be planted now and they will be mature before all the pests and diseases arrive. Cabbage, cauli, broccoli and silverbeet all mature within three months. It is a good time to prepare the veggie garden, dig under any green crop, mustard lupin or oats and pea straw the lot, empty the compost bins and sprinkle any old leaves over the garden as well. This will take about a month to break down for an incredible mulch.
Some blood and bone or sheep pellets are also another good organic addition to improve your soil structures.
What should we be doing? It is pruning time get everything trimmed and sprayed with winter oil and copper, check the lawns for Moss. A top dress with lime can be beneficial and help deter moss prone areas such as under trees and in shady corners. Moss killer is best applied after the first mow and then the grass will grow into the dead patches.
We are often asked about the word dwarf as in dwarf fruit trees. However at a conference we attended in Perth a guy got up and spoke and said that the biggest myth of all time was whoever invented the word dwarf in regards to fruit trees and at the same time he held up a pair of secateurs and said whatever is wrong with these. We tend to go along with this line of thinking as well as it is of no use to have all the fruit high up in the trees that you cannot harvest and it is only good for the birds lol.
If you have any planting to do and you require plants in bulk we have a fantastic special which is a permanent special in our five for $20 range, it is a wide range of plants as well.
Last week I went with real journeys on a cruise to Stewart Island and it was the most wonderful experience. Saw Kiwis in their natural habitat. The bush was simply stunning. I would thoroughly recommend this to anybody – give me a bell if you need any further updates.
Cheers, go well, keep warm
Gus
