Weather was the main player in what success we had in our gardens this year, and what survived our long, cold winter with little sunshine, says gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.
The rain has been steady and has helped many plants survive over the past few months, but now with summer upon us, irrigation is the most important to keeping the garden alive in the heat.
THIS year David Austin Roses released a rose called The Kings Rose at The Chelsea Flower Show. A shrub rose, it is the first striped rose for the Austin collection with deep pink and white petals with a light-medium fragrance.
One new rose, available now, that was released this year is Endless Love, specially developed to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Australian Breast-Feeding Association.
It is described as elegant and fragrant with white blooms tinged with pink that grows to 1.5 metres tall. It is bred for cut flowers, potpourri or as a long-flowering shrub in the garden.
It is developed by Australian grower Wagner Roses who have been around for more than 70 years.
Ordering roses in autumn ensures the stock is available and in winter, when the plants arrive, they can be planted in prepared soil.
If you’re unsure which roses grow well in our climate, visit the rose gardens at Old Parliament House. The roses are named, and you can see their growth and size to judge what’s suitable in your garden. And enjoy the fragrances, too.
IN the vegetable patch this year I have had an abundance of cucamelons, tomatoes, carrots and zucchinis.
Cucamelons are cute mini-watermelons that hang on a vine and taste like cucumbers. One or two plants is all that’s needed for a family, but they don’t store well.
I grew Roma and Donkey Balls tomatoes this year, having sown them from seed collected in autumn.
In the carrot patch, I let a few carrots flower in autumn to attract beneficial insects. When the flowers were spent, the flower stalk was bent over and seeds fell, creating another carrot patch!
The Black Jack zucchinis grew well and from three plants I made a dozen jars of zucchini relish and still had enough to give away. Email me for the recipe for zucchini relish.
In spring last year, I planted Queensland Blue pumpkins in someone else’s garden. When they were ripe for picking in autumn, there were more than 10 medium-size pumpkins. I prefer to grow Queensland Blues because they are hard to find in the shops. They store the longest and are the most versatile in the kitchen. It’s easy to keep and store seeds, but they must have room to grow.
UNFORTUNATELY, the rats have been a pest this year and ate all my pears and apples. But now, for the first time in 20 years, I also have a possum problem.
After trying every home-made remedy or deterrent spray, I reckon mechanical measures are the only solution to keep wildlife from eating your produce.
Jottings
- Plant the last of the dahlias.
- Trim chrysanthemums so they bush up in autumn.
- Turn compost regularly and add water if it is too dry.
- Place water dishes out for wildlife.
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