“It will take time to train, but wisteria has many seasonal benefits with green summer foliage, autumnal colour and deciduous in winter,” writes gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.
Showing that spring is truly here is the flowering of old-fashioned wisteria.
Wisteria can be grown on a hot wall as an espalier or over a large arbor.
It will take time to train, but wisteria has many seasonal benefits with green summer foliage, autumnal colour and deciduous in winter to let in natural sunlight.
Its root systems can be a little strong, but planting in a raised concrete pot will keep the size down.
There is Japanese wisteria (Floribunda) and Chinese wisteria (Sinensis). Their difference is in the length of the flowers. Also, the Chinese wisteria twines counter clockwise and blooms on bare stems, while the Japanese variety twines clockwise and its foliage and flowers are together and longer in length.
Colours range from white to all shades of blue.
First choose the spot, then consider the variety and its size to ensure it’s not too big for the space and becomes a future problem.
Trim tendrils as they grow in summer to lessen the congestion of growth and prune little, but often.
AS the soil warms, summer flowers can be sown directly into the garden or into punnets.
Plant seedlings in the next few weeks to have them blooming into the festive season.
BLUE flowers are plentiful in the garden and the most popular plants to look out for are from the mint family.
Plants such as lavenders, salvias and edible herbs such as basil, rosemary, lemon balm, thyme and, of course, mint all grow well in our climate.
This Laminaceae family is very easy to identify. Most, but not all, shrubs have square stems, are generally tough plants and need little water or care when established.
THE leaves of bulbs such as daffodils, erlicheer and snowdrops will be dying back. But continue to feed the withered foliage to encourage better flowering of bulbs next season.
Allow this foliage to die back for so long as you can and, when dry and brown, add it to the compost.
PLANTING bulbs now for summer (and autumn) can be done in the next month or so. The most popular, easy care summer flowers to grow are liliums.
They have big trumpet flowers and come in a range of colours and sizes. They do well in pots or in the garden. Liliums don’t not store as well as true bulbs and need to be planted as soon as possible into compost soil that has good drainage.
AN unusual plant that can be grown in a sheltered spot is the shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana).
Although I’ve seen it doing well in the climes of Sydney, it was a delight to see it growing in the ground of a Canberra garden last year.
I have nurtured a cutting over winter and am looking forward to planting it into the garden.
There are also other Justicia species that also grow well in Canberra, such as Justicia carnea, which has lovely salmon or white flowers. This variety dies down over winter, emerging as the weather warms. It will slowly sucker over time.
Jottings
- Repot citrus with good quality potting mix.
- Liquid feed vegetable gardens fortnightly for quick growth.
- Sow summer crops such as tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini.
- Divide herbs such as thyme, tarragon and oregano.
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