Gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON looks at another week in the summer garden.
A native plant that puts on a show in the summer heat is the woolly bush (Adenanthoas sericerus).
Endemic to the sandy soils of WA, but unfortunately most deaths of these plants in our region is from wet feet in clay soils in winter.
So they need drainage and a little protection from the cold winds. Nevertheless, in the right spot, they create a good screen and are terrific for a small space.
With grey, textured leaves and small red flowers, its velvety growth is irresistible to touch.
Pruning needs to be little but often as they won’t regrow if pruned too hard. They don’t like their feet disturbed or moved, so if transplanting, don’t tease the roots, just relocate with native potting mix or native garden soil and water in.
Keep them more on the dry side and they’ll grow well.
NOW’S a good time to propagate lots of shrubs, such as camellias, viburnums and grevilleas or any plants that have semi-hard wood growth.
Good propagating material is twig growth that has not flowered and is brown-green in colour. Ideally, select a stem about 10 centimetres long with three or four growth points and healthy-looking leaves. These twigs can be bunched up and planted into a small pot with a propagation mix.
Another method to try is the propagation ball. This is the work-smarter-not-harder method and now I use them to propagate rare camellias and unusual shrubs that are not sold in the commercial market.
The propagation boxes are reusable and, from start to finish, take about six weeks to grow and form roots. Use is a mix of core peat and sphagnum moss wetted before placing around the stem of the plant.
When the box is full of roots, it can be snipped from the main stem of the parent plant and potted. Propagation boxes can be bought online and are a very cost-effective way to propagate favourite plants.
MORNING is the best time to catch snails and do some light weeding and watering before the day gets too hot.
There still are a few plants for the vegetable garden that can be sown and grown now, but will take a little more TLC. Seeds to try are silverbeet, radishes, lettuce and carrots. All can be sown into punnets except carrots. They like to be directly sown on to the soil they’re going to grow in.
Carrots need good soil that has drainage. Mix the fine carrot seed with sand for more even distribution and plant into a furrow. The seed can be covered with shadecloth to stop the soil drying out and the seeds not germinating.
Plant carrots close to tomatoes as they make a terrific companion plant.
OUR plant knowledge has expanded to the internet and to mail order plants, garden webinars and seminars, garden blogs and podcasts, too. Overall, gardens are now incorporated into our digital life and information is at our fingertips.
However, let’s not forget about the hands-on knowledge that comes with gardening in our changing climate and the folklore that keeps our local traditions alive.
My January tradition is to stay indoors, reading and enjoying my gardening digital life by ordering autumn bulbs.
Jottings
- Remove any fallen fruit to prevent fruit fly infestations.
- Deadhead and fertilise roses for autumn flush.
- Keep lawns and gardens watered.
- Keep overgrowth on kiwi fruit in check now the fruit has formed.
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