Elizabeth Swane has the low down on summer jobs in the temperate garden.
It's time to keep it cool, and get gardening.
Corymbia 'Summer red'. Photo - Byjenjen / Shutterstock
Plant now
Warm-climate gingers and cardamom can be divided and replanted now. Lush, leafy foliage makes them perfect gap fillers.
Plant a shade tree. Invest in an advanced specimen so you can sit under its leafy boughs sooner.
Frothy crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia) are at peak flowering now and in plentiful supply. Sizes range from small shrubs to large trees.
Long-flowering, colourful hibiscus love the summer heat and are perfect for a poolside planting. Prune to size or choose new compact varieties.
Do now
Strike cuttings from healthy plants including camellia, rosemary, lavender, daphne, plumbago, fuchsia and geranium. Remove lower leaves, dip cut ends into
hormone gel and insert into damp cutting or seed raising mix. Keep moist in a protected, semi-shaded spot.
Summer-prune roses by trimming off around half the growth and the spent blooms. Apply rose food, top up mulch, water in well and expect a rewarding flush
of autumn flowers.
Shear summer flowering annuals then follow up with liquid fertiliser every two weeks to rejuvenate tired plants, stimulate new growth and lengthen the
flowering season through to autumn.
Top up mulches to 35 mm thick, especially around shallow-rooted plants such as azaleas to keep roots cool and slow evaporation from the soil surface.
Flowering now
‘Summer Orange’ flowering gum: an outstanding small tree with masses of bright orange summer blossoms. Prune after flowering to maintain a compact shape
and boost next year’s display. Not a fan of orange flowers? Choose pink or red.
Trees: Illawarra flame (Brachychiton), frangipani, Sydney red gum (Angophora costata)
Shrubs: gardenia, plectranthus, heliotrope, crinum lily, hibiscus, buddleia
Annuals: zinnia, petunias, cosmos, paper daisies
Perennials and bulbs: canna, daylily, drumstick allium, dahlia, flannel flower
Ground covers and climbers: myoporum, native violet, convolvulus, mandevilla
We hope you have enjoyed this article so far.
One of the many benefits of Garden Clinic membership is full access to our website. Members please log in to view the complete articles.
If you are not a Garden Clinic member and wish to access our website as well as enjoy the many benefits of membership, including access to our Helpline 7 days a week, please visit the link below to join us.