Gardening Australia – September 2019

PHOTOS

ISTOCK, GARDEN PHOTO

COURTESY

OF

MYOPENGARDEN.COM.AU

YOUR

PLANNER

78 SEPTEMBER 2019 GARDENING AUSTRALIA

Keepaneyeoutfor

clustersofblackcitrus

aphidsonthe softnew

shootsofcitrusplants.

Squash them with

your fi ngers, or hose

them o­ the plant

with a jet of water.

Baganydevelopingfruittoprotect

itfromfruitfly,sap-suckingbugsand

otherdamagingpests

Tidybambooclumps,removing

lowerfoliagetoshowattractivestems

Pickripepassionfruitregularly

toencouragemorefruittodevelop

Digupanddivideestablished

lemongrass,wearinglongsleeves

andglovestoprotectyourarmsand

handsfromthesharpleaves

Plant jade vine (Strongylodon

macrobotrys) in a prominent spot

where it can show off its beautiful

dangling panicles of turquoise-blue

blooms (below)

In  e tropics

Pest

alert

Many white fl owers use perfume rather than colour to attract pollinators, and you

can take advantage of this to add fragrance to your garden in summer. In warmer

areas, consider planting a non-seeding form of Murraya spp. It makes a great hedge

that produces a perfumed display in spring, then again in late summer to early

autumn. Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia spp.) gives you large, fragrant bells on a small

tree, while frangipanis are essential in the warm-climate garden in late summer,

as are climbers such as Beaumontia spp. and Stephanotis spp. In colder areas, grow

Chinese star jasmine or the deciduous Mandevilla laxa. Possibly the most-loved

white summer bloomers, gardenias come in a range of sizes to suit most gardens.

Plant white bloomers

TOP JOB

CLOCKWISE

FROM TOP LEFT

Fragrant frangipani;

a Beaumontia sp. with

frilly blooms; angel’s

trumpet; a classic

gardenia.

Set out cuttings (slips) of sweet

potato vine into mounded beds that

haven’tbeenusedtogrowsweet

potatoesinrecentseasons

Place the tops of cut-off plastic

bottlesoveryoungbeanplantsto

protectthemfrombeanflyattack

Buy soft-cane dendrobium

orchidsinfullbloom,andhang

themondisplayfromatree

Fertilisegardenbedswith

pelletisedorganicfertiliser

Sow seeds of fl at-leaf parsley

in pots so they can be moved

under cover when the rains come