2019-05-01 Your Home and Garden

Text by Carol Bucknell. Illustrations by Pippa Fay.

May’s checklist

• 
  

  Withthemaingrowingseasonoverit’sa
  goodideatoassesswhereyourgardenis at,
  whatplantsneedshifting,cuttingbackandso
  forth.Graba notebookanddoa slowtourofthe
  entiregarden,notingdownthechangesyou’d
  liketomake.Thiswillhelpformanactionplan
  tobecarriedoutduringwinterwhenplantsare
  dormantandthereforesafertomove.

  
  


• 
  

  WonderingwhattogiveMum

  
  

forMother’sDay(12May)?If she’s

a gardener,forgetthecutflowers

• a plantis a muchbetteroption,

especiallyonewitha drop-dead

gorgeousscentsuchasdaphne

orgardenia,ormaybea fabulous
topiaryora sculpturalcycad.

Combinewitha beautifulpotand

she’llneverforgetyourgift.

• 
  

  Incolderareas,containerplantsbothinside
  andoutoftenneedprotectionduringwinter.
  Frost-tenderpottedplantssuchascitrus,
  hibiscusandfrangipanishouldbemovedto
  a shelteredspotorcoveredwithfrostcloth.
  Inside,manyhouseplantswillneedwarmth
  overwinter,somovethemawayfromdraughty
  cornersandcoldwindowsills.Conversely,
  overheatedroomsarelessthanidealformany
  plants,soyoumayneedtogetthespraymister
  outtokeepthehumiditylevelsup.

  
  


• 
  

  Makesurethere’ssomelife
  andcolourinyourgardenduring

  
  

autumnandwinter,evenif you’re

notouttheremuch.Thinkabout

plantinga fewwinter-blooming
shrubs– suchascamellia,

banksia,gordonia,hibiscus,Indian

hawthorn,pieris,tibouchinaor
viburnum– ina spotthatcanbe

seenfrominsidetochaseaway

thosewinterdoldrums.

• Whodoesn’tlovea niceclumpofdaffodilsor
  freesias?Springbulb-plantingseasonis nearly
  over,butit’snottoolate,evenif theselection
  inyourlocalgardencentreis nolongerthat
  extensive.There’splentyoftimetoplantlilies
  (Asiatic,Christmasandoriental),though.
  Remember,liliesliketheirfeet(roots)inthe

Tulipshavesomanyenchanting qualities. From the

excitementofwaitingforthetips of new shoots to

emergefromthegroundinspring to the glorious colours

ofthebulbsinfullflower,it’shardly surprising that tulips

havebeencaptivatinggardeners for hundreds of years.

Onceonlydeemedsuitableforcolder climates, there

arenowmanyvarietiesthatdowell in a range of

temperatures.Mostpreferfullsun though they’ll tolerate

a littleshade.Soilshouldbewell drained and fertile for

tulipstodobest.Poptheminthe crisper drawer of the

fridgefor3-4weekstospeedup flowering, then plant

Flowerthemincontainersorinthegarden.

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OUTDOOR DIARY

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shade and their heads (flowering stems) in the

sun. For plenty of blooms, feed with bulb food

before and after flowering and water during hot

weather. Drainage also needs to be top-notch.

Lily bulbs are generally available online and

in garden centres at this time of year. Choose

plump bulbs and don’t allow them to dry out.

+ Kōwhai, abutilon and many

other ornamental shrubs and

trees are a magnet for lemon tree

borer (which also attacks citrus

trees). Prune out branches with

tell-tale borer holes; these often

have a tiny pile of sawdust beside

them. If the branch is too big to

remove, squirt borer spray into

the holes then plug with pruning

paste. Alternatively, poke fine

wires into holes to skewer larvae.

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