Welcome to 2017. We're looking forward to a great start to the year with great new release plants and plenty of things happening in the garden.
A happy new year to all of our garden clinic friends. We wish you all the best of happiness and success in the garden this year.
In our mid-summer garden it's all happening! The veggie patch is over-flowing, the frogs are filling every available water-well, and last night we had
over 11 Queen of the night flowers filling the house with the most incredible perfume. There are another 22-odd buds coming into bloom tonight.
These flowers came out last night. Photo - Graham Ross
Linda has Queen of the night flowering too! These awesome flowers came out last night, and made a beautiful display. Photo - Linda Ross
Its time to
January jobs to do now
Hold off feeding plants during hot weather. Many go dormant and fertiliser will only force them into growth, the last thing they want.
Wack a few Confidor tablets under your azaleas to protect them from those common azalea pests.
Citrus need regular spraying of EcoOil to prevent stink bugs, citrus leaf miner and scale. If you're already battling those pesky Bronze-orange-bugs (AKA
'Stink Bugs') give them a regular dose of Yates Natures Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray.
Vegies need liquid feeding every two weeks. We like Powerfeed, Harvest and Uplift. Or use homemade comfrey tea on fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes,
eggplant, and cucumbers.
When you have 30 minutes
Take soft-stemmed summer cuttings of perennials such as coleus, cane-stemmed begonia, queen of the night cactus and fuchsia. Dip cuttings into root hormone
gel to improve the strike rate. Use a 'dibbler' to make a hole before inserting the cutting into potting mix to prevent damage to the cutting tip.
Keep out of the sun during summer.
Bush Garden
Eucalyptus cinerea – Argyle Apple
An upright gum tree with stunning blue foliage of both circular juvenile and traditional adult gum leaves. It's leaf colour is a real stand out amongst
other trees.
One of the many Eucalyptus cinerea, 'Argyle Apple' interspersed through the skyline of Canberra. Photo - Graham Ross
Native to poorer soils in NSW and Victoria it is also frost tolerant.
Best grown from tube stick as it will quickly double and triple its size in 12-18 months.
White flowers appear in mid spring to early summer.
Perfect in a garden for light shade and ornamental leaf colour. Long lived.
Eucalyptus cinerea
Bugwatch
Carte blanche spraying is a thing of the past
It used to be the way gardeners controlled pests in the garden - spray strong, noxious chemicals all over the garden as liberally as one
wished. But thankfully
we have come to see the error of our old ways.
Carte blanche blanket-spraying not only kills the pests but also the beneficial bugs, like this butterfly, that we need for pollination.
So if you want the best out of your plants avoid broad garden spraying to control all insects and target individual pests instead.
A beautiful garden visitor on a scabiosa flower. Photo - Graham Ross
Come away with us
Gardens of China & National Peony Festival
On the 2017 Gardens of China tour you will journey back in time to the Middle Kingdom, a place where child emperors ruled, wonders of the world were built and the exquisite peony was
the flower of royalty.
The Temple of Heaven - Day 5 on your China tour 2017
China is one of our longest-running international tours, and full of incredible highlights from the birthplace of modern horticulture.
The 2017 tour includes the National Peony Festival on day 7 where you can snap photos of thousands of divine ruffled petals of peony flowers on show. The
peony, huawang, is the floral symbol of China – breathtaking!
Come along with us in April 2017 and join our tour leader and expert horticulturist, Paul Urquhart on the China tour. Book now by calling Roslyn or Royce
at Ross Tours on 1300 233 200, or visit the Ross Tours website.