Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

The Bold and the Beautiful

Have you noticed how small plants seem to disappear in the glare of the summer sun? The most successful tropical and subtropical gardens feature species with big, bold leaves to grab one's attention and bring the whole design together.

Owners of large gardens have the perfect opportunity to think big, using an exotic variety of plants to compose the layers of a well-structured plan. Groves of tall palms such as bangalows, fishtails and foxtails provide shade to tree ferns - the dicksonias and cyatheas whose presence instantly transform an ordinary garden into a cool, lush oasis. Stands of clumping bamboo and giant Strelizia nicholai add to the drama and form a canopy over shade-lovers such as philodendrons and monsterias, whose huge leaves can reach to almost 1m in length.

Got a hot spot? Agaves can grow to an immense size and produce leaves with interesting variegations and colours. Team these up with a bold sweep of Aptenia 'Baby Sunrose' which forms a dense carpet of succulent green leaves spotted with pink flowers.

Perhaps you've got a well-drained slope in semi-shade which is difficult to cultivate. Cycads are a solution to this problem, and while not fast growing, will eventually develop into substantial plants that will last for decades with very little maintenance. The most popular in this region are Cycas furfuracea (the cardboard palm), C. revoluta (the sago palm) and the feathery Lepidozamia peroffskyana.

In a suburban block gardeners would be mad to contemplate such massive growth, but the same effect can still be achieved by focusing on scaled-down versions of similar plants. Shallow-rooted palms and tree ferns can still be used as above, but substitute the philodendrons and monsterias with alocasias, birds' nest ferns, bromeliads, cordylines and dracaenas as the underplanting. All these plants provide maximum effect for minimum effort.

Lismore Garden Club News

The first meeting of the Lismore Garden Club for 2003 will be held at Lismore Workers Club, Thursday, February 6, at 1.30pm. Everyone welcome. Phone Mary on 6621 5293.

If you're like me and have decided not to plant any more vegies or flowering annuals until the drought breaks, be very sure not to leave any unplanted garden soil exposed to the elements. A 5-10cm layer of mulch will conserve existing moisture, prevent erosion, suppress weed growth and promote earthworm activity.

Jobs to do now

Liquid fertilise pot plants fortnightly. Disbud roses and watch new tip growth for aphids, Spray aphids with pyrethrum. Take cuttings of your favourite plants - now is probably the best time to get a good result. Be sure to top up the water in the bird bath twice a week - our feathered friends get to depend on this source of water in dry times.

Gardening tip

Gather any fallen and rotting fruit and place it into a black garbage back and leave in full sun for a week before disposing of it. This should kill any residual fruit fly larvae. You can also use the black garbage bag method to sterilise weeds before adding them to the compost heap.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns

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