Garden Questions Answered
Presenter: Sue McDougall
Episode: 21 (15 September 2007)
The beginning of spring signals gorgeous new growth. As the weather warms up the warmer climate plants such as Frangipani and Bougainvilleas are starting to grow. They can look a little tired at this time of the year with a few yellow leaves and spent flower stalks. An application of a fertiliser such as Dynamic Lifter will give them a boost and very soon those pale leaves will be bright green and growing brilliantly. A sprinkle over the whole garden at the moment will give plants a good start to the warmer months.
In recent years with the shortage of water has meant there is less annual colour going into the gardens which is a real shame. We can use annuals we just need to get smarter at using them to work with the seasons and not try to battle the elements to have the perfect garden.
Chalet daisies are a great fast growing annual that looks brilliant in winter and spring. They self seed every year after the first rain and die back down when the weather gets too hot. They are great plants to cover great area of the ground economically.
A wonderful plant is the flowering quince, this tough upright small to medium shrub that is very hardy and will flower magnificently without much additional water in summer. Unfortunately this plant is not that common anymore although it should be, it makes the most outstanding colourful informal hedge you’ll ever see.
You may find it a little hard to get hold of so after its finished flowering you can grow some cuttings easily. Take semi hardwood cuttings about the thickness of a pencil and about 15-20cm long; dip them into hormone gel and into some propagation mixture. Keep in a shade house or protected position and keep damp until you can see roots forming out of the pot, you can then split them up and plant in the ground or in a pot to grow on.
When looking in the garden centre for plants try to look for something a little different. Look past flowers and foliage for plants with other interesting attributes. Think about selecting a tree for its trunk or bark.
The Lagerstroemia, or Crepe Myrtle, is a wonderful tree with amazing bark. Crepe Myrtles are available in a huge range of flowering colours and tree sizes. They are perfect for both small and large gardens.
Gardening and spring go together so if you are looking for somewhere to start, why not join the Garden Gurus online garden club. Check our website for more details and If you join this month you have the chance to win a Holman industries pack full of quality reticulation gadgets to help you save water.
The Products
Yates Clonex
Propagation Mix
The Plants
Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia Hybrid cultivar)
Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
Chalet Daisy (Chrysanthemum sp. ‘Chalet’)
Episode: 21 (15 September 2007)
The beginning of spring signals gorgeous new growth. As the weather warms up the warmer climate plants such as Frangipani and Bougainvilleas are starting to grow. They can look a little tired at this time of the year with a few yellow leaves and spent flower stalks. An application of a fertiliser such as Dynamic Lifter will give them a boost and very soon those pale leaves will be bright green and growing brilliantly. A sprinkle over the whole garden at the moment will give plants a good start to the warmer months.
In recent years with the shortage of water has meant there is less annual colour going into the gardens which is a real shame. We can use annuals we just need to get smarter at using them to work with the seasons and not try to battle the elements to have the perfect garden.
Chalet daisies are a great fast growing annual that looks brilliant in winter and spring. They self seed every year after the first rain and die back down when the weather gets too hot. They are great plants to cover great area of the ground economically.
A wonderful plant is the flowering quince, this tough upright small to medium shrub that is very hardy and will flower magnificently without much additional water in summer. Unfortunately this plant is not that common anymore although it should be, it makes the most outstanding colourful informal hedge you’ll ever see.
You may find it a little hard to get hold of so after its finished flowering you can grow some cuttings easily. Take semi hardwood cuttings about the thickness of a pencil and about 15-20cm long; dip them into hormone gel and into some propagation mixture. Keep in a shade house or protected position and keep damp until you can see roots forming out of the pot, you can then split them up and plant in the ground or in a pot to grow on.
When looking in the garden centre for plants try to look for something a little different. Look past flowers and foliage for plants with other interesting attributes. Think about selecting a tree for its trunk or bark.
The Lagerstroemia, or Crepe Myrtle, is a wonderful tree with amazing bark. Crepe Myrtles are available in a huge range of flowering colours and tree sizes. They are perfect for both small and large gardens.
Gardening and spring go together so if you are looking for somewhere to start, why not join the Garden Gurus online garden club. Check our website for more details and If you join this month you have the chance to win a Holman industries pack full of quality reticulation gadgets to help you save water.
The Products
Yates Clonex
Propagation Mix
The Plants
Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia Hybrid cultivar)
Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
Chalet Daisy (Chrysanthemum sp. ‘Chalet’)
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