Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

Plant personalities

Oriental Lillies fill a room with a sweet scent

Have you ever gazed at a flower and realized how sexy it is?

Oriental lilies, heavy with pollen and perfume; daylilies with petals so dark and velvety purple they are almost black; and the bold hippeastrum, a scarlet lady if ever there was one. I remember one famous garden writer telling me he thought gardenias smelled like ripe virgins.

By their nature, plants have to make themselves attractive to the insects that pollinate them and the nectar-feeding birds that are such an important part of our environment. Humans are subliminally attracted to plants on many levels too, and literature abounds with passages of prose extolling their virtues.

People are often likened to plants - a voluptuous older woman might be described as a full blown rose; a new baby likened to a little bud; or a teenager referred to as sprouting. In some cases people are called green when they are inexperienced, or accused of being an old chestnut if they are tough and world-wise.

If having a sense of humour can be attributed to plants, then pansies with their cheeky faces or smiling sunflowers are both quirky contenders for the comedy club.

Some plants have a sinister appearance or behave in a menacing manner. Stapelias are a prime example, producing flowers that resemble dead meat in colour and texture in order to attract pollinating flies. Venus fly traps are also somewhat scary, designed to suck their food into their sticky traps.

The appearance of some plants is deceptive and sometimes garners them bad publicity. Cacti spring to mind here, those prickly individuals that gardeners either love or loathe. Cacti are often misunderstood, but from them come many valuable medicines and potions of benefit to humankind. Like many humans described as having a prickly personality, they have to be tough to survive our often harsh environment.

Lismore Garden Club News

The Club is a bunch of friendly people whose main interest is gardening, they often have club trips to visit interesting gardens, nurseries & the like. It meets on the first Thursday of each month at 1.30pm at The Lismore Workers Club. For further information phone Mary on 6621 5293.

Now is the time to prune Hibiscus, cut them back by around one third. Water deeply & fertilise with Nitrophoska slow release fertilise & water deeply again. Then mulch with 10-15cm organic mulch, they will reward you with lush growth & lots of flowers.

Jobs to do now

Water Lettuce daily or they will go to seed. If you are lucky enough to own a Mulberry tree, you will need to be out of bed early each day to pick them & beat the birds to it. If there is any part of your garden un-mulched, the end of September is the deadline to get it done before the really hot weather sets in.

What to plant now

Flowers - Alyssum, Aster, Balsam, Candytuft, Celosia, Delphinium, Marigold, Lobelia, Nasturtium, Petenia, Phlox, Portulaca, Salvia, Sunflower, Zinna.

Vegies - Beans, Capsicum, Corn, Cucumber, Herbs, Eggplant, Lettuce, Radish, Tomatoes, Cucurbits.

Gardening Tip

As the weather heats up, keep the bird bath topped up with cool clean water is the best way to attract birds to your garden.

Happy Gardening
Ron Burns