WHAT a wonderful weekend of weather and activity we’ve just experienced, which is a reminder that we need to consider Autumn as a valuable growing season rather than as the onset of winter.
The many events around town last weekend were a real credit to the hard-working organisers and the town looked a pretty picture in the sunshine after recent rains.
If you're thinking of doing any major work in the garden, now is a great time.
A change in season always brings with it a change in what we can plant.
The milder Autumn temperatures and increased rainfall ensure the planting options are almost endless.
Autumn is the ideal time of the year to do serious planting.
The hotter, drier weather is over and new plants will have a few months of milder weather to get established.
Pansies and Violas are in flower and will soon be followed by Azaleas and Camellia sasanqua flowers.
There are also a large range of perennial salvias that can be planted out now.
They are hardy, easy to grow and will continue to flower until winter.
In fact, now is a good time to cut back existing Salvias to get a late autumn flush of flowers.
You might not think it, due to their hardy reputation, but Box hedge or Buxus species require three feeds a year in Spring, Summer and Autumn with a complete fertiliser.
The Autumn feed is crucial to prevent box from turning yellow or orange in winter.
Feed them now and get your Buxus plants prepared for the colder months.
Plant hack
AT THE garden centre, we’ve had some fun using groundcover natives in hanging baskets and have enjoyed watching the results.
Natives are looking great in Autumn and with many great varieties available it provides opportunities for trying something new and different.
In their traditional growing environment, trailing or groundcover plants develop their growth habit in the search for optimal conditions.
In hanging baskets, these plants continue their growth and flowering providing they get the right amount of sunlight, water and food.
Wire hanging baskets can be lined with natural things from the environment such as bark, to create an interesting look and planting more than one plant in one pot can provide a stunning contrast.
Easy remedy for powdery mildew
IN CASE you missed Gardening Australia last week, they had a simple, non-toxic solution for powdery mildew.
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants.
It is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as its symptoms are quite distinctive. Infected plants display white powdery spots on the leaves and stems.
Powdery mildew grows well in environments with high humidity and moderate temperatures.
So as a preventative, you can mix one teaspoon of bi-carb sofa and a small dollop of vegetable oil in four litres of water.
Make sure you spray the underside of the foliage as well.
Why leaves change colour
WITH shorter daylight hours and resulting cooling of temperatures, deciduous trees and shrubs start the process of cutting off nutrient supplies to leaves and storing energy lower down the plant for winter.
Chlorophyll, or the ‘greening’ agent in the tree is broken down in the leaves when the nutrient supply is cut and the residual chemicals left behind show up in a varied range of colours from yellow to red to orange.
Garlic
TIME to get some organic garlic ready for planting.
When we refer to ‘organic’ garlic we are really stressing the need to avoid planting store bought garlic.
While this may taste okay in cooking, imported stock is often sprayed with agents to prevent it from sprouting and thus designed to give it a longer shelf.
You are not likely to get much of a strike rate from planting and those that do survive can quickly rot in the soil.
Rhubarb
RHUBARB is one of the most giving plants in the garden if you like the taste.
A single plant can last many, many years and it can grow equally well in sun or shade.
Autumn is the time to rejuvenate your larger rhubarb corms by digging up and dividing for new plants.
Just cut the plant vertically with a spade, looking for new growing points on the top part of the plant.
Plant in soil worked through with compost or manure with the growing points upwards.
Crop rotation
SOME people have systems around how they use their veggie patch each season, but most experienced gardeners agree that rotating your crops helps prevent disease and pests in both the soil and the plants.
When you think your summer veggies are done, it’s a good time to clean out the patch and replenish the soil with adequate fertiliser and aged compost for whatever you plan to plant next.
After planting out your winter veg and salads, any spare spots that were taken up with summer kitchen plants could be planted with a green manure, or nitrogen fixing and other nutrient rich plants that can be dug through the patch before spring to replenish the space.
Plant of the Month
PINEAPPLE GUAVA
THIS plant produces a lovely tropical fruit that actually does very well in our area.
Although it is commonly called a guava, it actually belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is also known as Feijoa sellowiana.
The fruits have an unusual taste that some say is a combination of strawberry and pineapple flavour.
The Feijoa can be made into an edible hedge that is super easy to grow.
Another lovely fruit whose common name is Strawberry Guava (Psidium littorale) is a plant that has delighted us over the last few summers.
Fruits are strawberry flavoured and if you watch out for the crimson rosellas feasting on them, you know when they’re ready to eat.
We had quite a good harvest last year and had plenty to share at the produce swap.
Both these plants are self-pollinating, so they only require one tree to produce fruit.
Encourage pollinators, like bees to your yard by planting bee-attracting lavender, salvia, nasturtiums or catmint.
‘To Do’ this Month
