Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

Results with rondeletias

I always get a thrill when I see the first flower buds appearing on my rondeletias, which are among my favourite spring flowering shrubs. Right now they are on the brink of their loveliness and can be purchased at garden centres and planted immediately for a wonderful display in early spring.

Rondeletia amoena is the species most widely adopted in Australia from its native Central America. Its exotic appearance belies the toughness and reliability of its nature. Its leathery deep green foliage withstood months without water during the worst of the drought in my garden without once wilting, although I had taken the precaution of mulching the root zone generously when planting a couple of years ago.

The rugged foliage is a complete contrast to the delicate, frothy pink flowers and sets them off to perfection. The blossoms appear as clusters of tubes, whose long throats contain nectar which birds find irresistible. Humans are lured by the wonderful cloud of perfume that hovers around the bush on warm spring days.

The flowers appear at the end of the branches, which is a good reason to prune the shrub each year to promote bushier growth. Pruning also removes the spent flower heads, which are among the ugliest and untidiest of the plant world.

For the best results grow your rondeletia in a sheltered, sunny position, in compost-enriched, free-draining soil. They prefer a slightly acidic environment so make ideal companion plants for azaleas, camellias and gardenias. They reach a maximum height of 3m but I like to keep them at head height so I can enjoy all the flowers. Sadly they do not last well when picked, so can't be brought into the house in a vase.

If you would like to have your rondeletia close to you, plant one in a pot and keep it well watered on a sunny patio or balcony.

Lismore Garden Club News

Lismore Garden Club Meets on the first Thursday of each month at 1.30pm at The Lismore Workers Club. For further information regarding the Garden Club or the Annual Garden Competition, which is held in September, phone Mary on 66215293.

A creeper that is flowering at the present and is very worthwhile growing is the orange trumpet creeper (Pyrostegia Ventusta). It thrives in the Lismore district and is a very easy to grow plant. If you have an unsightly fence or shed in a sunny location the Orange Trumpet Creeper will cover it in next to no time.

Jobs to do now: July is pruning time, but don't prune anything now that flowers in August, September or October. If you don't have any secateurs or what you have are cheap and not so good invest in new ones. You will pay $40 to $100 for quality secateurs and with care they will last you for years and be your most valued garden tool.

What to plant now: flowers - roses can still be planted in July but not much else. Vegies - broadbean, beetroot, cabbages, capsicum, carrot, herbs, Asian greens, lettuce, spring onion, parsnip, silverbeet, spinach, tomato (frost free areas).

Gardening tip: in frosty areas protect small trees and shrubs with hessian. Wrap smaller plants with newspaper tubes. Hose down frosted plants before sunrise.

Happy Gardening
Ron Burns