Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

Marching into Autumn

Although it's hard to believe, we're officially into autumn now, according to the calendar. This is the time of year when gardeners like me shake off their summer lethargy and leap into action. There are lots of things that can be done this month, but considering it's still so hot, all heavy work should be carried out in the cooler hours of the day. Below is a small sample of autumn tasks awaiting our attention.

• Feed camellias with granular camellia food and water in well. Don't forget containerised specimens should be fed too, but use slow-release pellets for these.

• Check azaleas for lace bug and spray with Confidor before the infestation becomes too widespread.

• Remove summer annuals that have become straggly or ceased their production of flowers. Dig over the soil and incorporate some compost and complete fertiliser in preparation for planting winter annuals.

• Order winter annuals and bulbs from your garden centre if you're after specific colours and varieties.

• Trim up perennial plants that have finished flowering, and prune back those that have become overgrown.

• Dig over vegetable beds and check the pH of the soil in preparation for planting over the next month. Most vegies like slightly alkaline soil so a dose of lime or dolomite now will pay dividends later.

• Spike and top-dress lawns where summer traffic has made them compacted and the grass sparse.

• Repair any damage to paths and steps caused by recent heavy rains.

• Tidy up shade houses, discarding dead plants and weeds, to make room for cuttings taken during the next few weeks.

• Walk around your garden and make a note of any big pruning jobs to be done as the weather cools down. Set aside a date in your diary to do them.

• Treat yourself to a beautiful new plant as a reward for doing all this hard work.

Lismore Garden Club News

The April 1 monthly meeting has been cancelled because of the club's Hunter Valley tour.

It's time now to prepare your garden for autumn / winter vegies and spring flowering annuals. It's a good plan to add a liberal amount of well rotted animal manure or pelleted chicken manure or blood and bone, dust with dolomite and dig the lot in.

Then leave these gardens until first week April for planting. You can use seed or seedlings. They will power away in the mild April conditions. (Be sure to water in with "Seasol").

What to plant

Flowers - Alyssum, Calendula, Candytuft, Carnation, Clarkia, Cornflower, Dianthus, Everlasting Daisy, Forget-me-not, Godetia, Honesty, Linaria, Livingstone Daisy, Lobeua, Nemesi, Nigella, Staice.

Vegies - Broad beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrot, peas, silverbeet, turnip, lettuce, tomatoes (Frost Free Areas).

Gardening Tip

Seedlings need watering once a day (morning). Feed with half strength liquid fertiliser fortnightly.

Happy Gardening
Ron Burns.