 Growing
Gardens
with Anita Morton
A blaze of glory
 I
hope you are all enjoying the annual glory of the azaleas as they bloom their
little hearts out - there are few garden sights to match a bed of these shrubs
in full flower. I think they look best when planted either as a group of mixed
colours in a dense bank, or one colour only and dotted about the garden. Separate
shrubs of different colours never quite work for me.
However you plant them, there are a few cardinal rules to remember for happy
azaleas. They are a plant of the forest understorey, so therefore they like dappled
shade and slightly acid soil which is rich in organic matter. Underneath either
deciduous or lightly-foliaged evergreen trees is a good spot. Fortunately, azaleas
are very shallow-rooted, rarely penetrating the soil by more than 20 cm, so it's
very easy to 'plant' them under a tree by knocking them out of the pot, sitting
them on the ground and then building up a nice organic soil mixture around the
root ball. Make a wide mound around the plant and mulch it well.
Azaleas dislike poor drainage, so on very heavy soils it's a good idea to make
a mound or bank to plant into. They also dislike drying out, which stresses the
plant and makes it susceptible to red spider. Install a watering system which
sprays up underneath the azalea foliage so that you can maintain a humid atmosphere
around the leaves, and you should control the pest. Another trick to try is spraying
the entire shrub, including the underside of the leaves, with seaweed solution.
Finally, if you have successfully killed every azalea you've ever tried to
grow, follow the planting tips above and try these old-fashioned favourites; Alba
Magna (white), Splendens (salmon pink), Alphonse Andersen (pink) and Magnifica
(purple). They're all very tough.
Lismore Garden Club News
The first signs of spring can be seen in the garden already: the first jasmine
blossom, birds busily gathering nesting material, and blossom on peach trees.
It's happening all around us. Have you noticed it too? If you haven't, do yourself
a big favour and go for a walk around your garden and neighbourhood to observe
nature waking up after its winter recess.
Jobs to do now: Aerate the lawn and dust it with dolomite and water in. On
the warmer elevated country you can do your spring planting of flower or vegie
annuals. In frost-prone areas it's best left another month. Lift and divide gerbera's
and ginger. Prune roses, passionfruit and kiwi fruit in frost-free areas, a little
later in frost-prone areas.
Next Garden Club is on October 6. There's no September meet, due to the Garden
Competition.
Finally: "If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."
Vincent Van Gogh.
Happy Gardening
Ron Burns
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