Episode: #3 16/09/2006
Presenter: Melissa King

Gloves on because spring is a great time for planting. The striking pink Magnolia called ?Ricki? has beautiful tulip shaped blooms. Magnolias love deep, fertile, well-drained soil, so dig plenty of compost and well-rotted organic matter, even water holding peat, into the soil before planting.

The ancient evergreen Magnolia casts a lot of shade and sucks a lot of moisture from the soil. The Clivea variety does brilliantly but you don?t see it so often. It is called Clivea nobilis and it has a softer, more delicate looking flower. It is one of the best plants for those tough, dry shady areas.

When you think of winter-spring flowering bulbs you usually think of daffodils and tulips but a more unusual beauty that is definitely worth a place in the garden is the Cape or Forest Lily (Velthemia bracteata) from South Africa. It has a large rosette of leaves with a red flower spike, a bit like a red hot poker. It is a great, dry tolerant option for early colour.

It is fairly common for citrus leaves to turn a bit yellow over winter and now that it is spring we can give them a big feed. Yates Citrus food can be used it to fertilise every type of fruit, not just citrus. It contains all the nutrients the plant needs, plus trace elements. Always water in well after applying. It won?t be long before your plant is looking nice and green again.

The week?s permanent water saving rule:

Automatic watering systems (the kind you set to turn on and of automatically) can only be used between 10pm and 10am, any day of the week.

Teena Crawford?s garden is an absolute picture in spring filled with great planting and design ideas and it is open on the 23^rd and 24^th September as part Australia?s Open Garden Scheme. Don?t miss it!

Teena Crawford's garden
19 Bates St, Malvern East
OPEN 23-24 September

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Yates Citrus Food
-          Specially developed granular fertiliser for feeding garden planted citrus.
-          Balanced blend of nitrogen for healthy foliage growth and phosphorus and
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-          Also contains trace elements for all round citrus health.