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Garden Radio Round Up July 15 - 16

Winter chill in the air to greet us this morning, but should warm to a mostly sunny day in the garden.

Perfect conditions for getting our hands dirty and taking care of those winter garden jobs.

And it's a great time for winter specials at the Garden Clinic. For those of you who missed our 2017 Winter Master Gardeners’ Eco-Organic Offer we have just added the fantastic 8L battery-powered sprayer from Swagman to the Garden Clinic Shop page. It's the best sprayer we've seen yet, and is now available online.

Winter specials can also be found in the Books section, with 'Frangipani - A practical guide to growing frangipani at home' and 'From the Ground Up - A complete guide for NSW gardeners' reduced to clear!

Get your copy now while stocks last at the Garden Clinic Shop page.

You can join or renew your Garden Clinic Membership online at Platinum level this weekend and get your 2017 Feed my Flowers Pack including all the ingredients you need to keep your flowers happy throughout the year.

Join today and we will send this fantastic to your door at no extra cost.

 


Join or renew your membership today.

 

It's time to

Admire

Admire winter blooming annuals such pansies and violas. Their cheery faces brighten a dull day, they’re perfect companions for spring bulbs and terrific in pots or hanging baskets. Liquid feed fortnightly for brilliant results.

 

In the subtropical garden

Find an expert!

Book a qualified arborist (a member of the Arboricultural Association) to assess the trees in your garden and remove dead, damaged and potentially dangerous branches. Now is the best time to undertake this work, while the humidity is low and there is less likelihood of fungal infection.

 

Want more winter jobs to do in your garden? Check out the full articles here - It's time to: Temperate gardens, and In the Subtropical Garden

 


Make sure to use a member of the Arboricultural Association to assess the trees in your garden.

 

Bugwatch

Caterpillars on Edibles

Cabbage White Butterfly moths are laying eggs on many vegetables at the moment including herbs.

I noticed this caterpillar on some mint during the week.

If not controlled they will devour your crop overnight.

They are easily picked off and thrown to the birds or the chooks.

Chemically you must be wary of sprays on edible plants but Yates have their organic Nature’s Way Vegie and Herb spray, or their targeted control with Yates Success Ultra spray. Being a liquid it mixes easier than the old Dipel.

 


Cabbage White Butterfly, if not controlled they will devour your crop overnight. Photo - Graham Ross

 

Incidental Pruning

While most plants are dormant it can be a handy time to remove dead wood from maples. By testing the twigs and branchlets for viability you can quickly determine if they are alive or not.

By removing them now you help focus the plants growth into live stems in spring. It also removes decaying and potentially diseased wood from the plant.

Gumtrees that have produced low sucking growth can be trimmed now as well.

If you wish to prune crepe myrtles back anytime in July is suitable. This will focus the tree into new growth that will carry all the summer flowers.

Be careful not to prune spring flowering ornamental blossom trees like, peaches, plums, cherries as they are about to flower in 4-6 weeks time.

 


Gumtrees that have produced low sucking growth can be trimmed now. Photo - Graham Ross

 

Bush Garden

Grevillea 'Ruby Jewel'

One of the many new grevillea hybrids in garden centres today.

‘Ruby Jewel’ is a hybrid between G. rhyolitica and G. victoriae.

It grows into a compact small shrub about 1 x 1.5m in size.

It was developed by Ian Shimmen from Bushland Flora and its most attractive feature is its bright red spidery flowers.

It is hardy, requires little maintenance and its flowers will attract birds and bees into the garden.

The plant is adaptable to cope with dry conditions and light frosts.

There are many grevilleas around of this size and flowers but ‘Ruby Jewel’ has strong, reliable parents that are already proven in the garden.

 


G. 'Ruby Jewel'. Photo - Graham Ross

 

Come away with us

Melbourne Flower Show 2018

Stimulate your senses with a dose of botanical inspiration admiring new trends, world-class show gardens and an exhibition hall full of flowers. It’s the southern hemisphere’s biggest garden festival. We’ll sample a few of Melbourne’s flowery and operatic treats for a 4-day break!

Come along and join us in 2018! The Melbourne Flower Show leaves March 20, 2018. Seats are limited, so go to the Ross Tours website, or call Royce or Roslyn at Ross Tours on 1300 233 200 before we sell out.

 


The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, March 2018.

 

Put it in your diary: The 2018 Ross Tours launch will be held Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at the Lion Gate Lodge, Mrs Macquaries Rd, Royal Botanical Garden, Sydney at 11am.

Come along, meet the Ross Family over morning tea and learn about our Garden Tours for 2018.

Bookings are essential! Call Ross Tours for more information on 1300 233 200

 

Garden (bad) News

Garden vandals ruin it for everyone

It saddens and annoys me to hear a growing number of incidents where the front gardens of homes are senselessly vandalised.

We unfortunately have another to add to the list.

Our Garden Clinic Helpline this week received a call from a member in Blackwall on the Central Coast of New South Wales after theives had uprooted and stolen 20 established roses from the front garden.

 


before & after.

 

The garden, according to the owner, was a community fixture, with passers-by often mentioning to the owner how beautiful the roses were and how they love to walk past and admire them. The garden was like the glue of the community, the catalyst for having a chat over the roses.

The owners feels as though they have lost that connection to the local people now. Many have also walked past recently since the theft and are devastated.

I am simply appalled that this sort of thing goes on. At $30 each this was actually a $600 crime and should be reported to the police. People who do this sort of thing have no consideration of others, and nothing to offer to the human race.

 

The owner's message to the thieves.