Gardening Australia – September 2019

TEXT

JUDY HORTON

PHOTOS

KIM WOODS RABBIDGE, ISTOCK

YOUR

PLANNER

STARTA GARDEN DIARY

Spring is a good season to begin keeping a formal record of what’s going on in

your garden. While this may initially seem like just another chore, eventually it will

become an invaluable resource. Paste in labels of plants you buy, adding a note

about where and when you planted them. Put in photos of the garden and plants

looking at their best – they will cheer you up in the gloomy times. Note failures

and losses. This can be a bit painful but will be very helpful for future decisions.

Write down dates for seed sowing and germination, and record the onset of pests

and diseases so you’ll be prepared next year. Also jot down weather patterns:

the arrival of the fi rst frost or monsoon; the rainfall, if you have a gauge; and any

extreme event that causes damage. Of course, if you’re tech-savvy, you can

recordeverythinginanelectronicformat.

Dryfreshflowers

Flowerswithpaperypetals,

suchaspaperdaisiesand

statice(left),canlastfor

monthswithasmallamount

ofpreparation.Pickmature

bloomsinthemiddleofthe

day,afterthedewhasdried,

andremovetheleavesfrom

thestems.Hanginbunches

upsidedownforafew

weekstodry,thenusethem

tofillvasesoraddthemto

mixedarrangements.

I’s time to...

Pull out and bin forget-me-nots

(above)thathavebeeninfectedby

powderymildew

Tidy winter irises after they fi nish

floweringbyremovingdeadblooms

andtattyleaves

Prune evergreen hibiscus and

feedwithafertiliserthat’slabelled

assuitableforhibiscusorroses

Cut back shabby-looking

ornamental grasses at ground

leveltopromoteafreshflushof

newshoots

Trimwinter-andsummer-flowering

salviastoencouragenewgrowth

Take leaf cuttings from succulents

(below), allowing pieces to dry and

form tiny shoots before potting

Liquid-fertilise bulbs every week

afterfloweringisover,continuing

whiletheystillhaveanygreenfoliage

Top up hollows and dips in the

lawn using a light, sandy soil mix,

withoutcompletelysmotheringthe

grassleaves

Apply a soil wetter around the root

area of new and established plants to

encouragewatertopenetratewhere

itcandothemostgood

Take a notepad into the garden

to jot down ideas for future jobs

or improvements

TOP JOB

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GARDENING AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019 73