Gardening Australia – May 2019

GARDENING AUSTRALIA MAY 2019 61

TEXT

JUDY HORTON

PHOTOS

GAP PHOTOS/VICTORIA FIRMSTON, ISTOCK

YOUR

PLANNER

I’s time to...

Mow and collect fallen leaves, and bag

themforafewmonthstoproducegood

mulchintimeforspreadinginspring

Be inspired by Compost Awareness Week,

whichisonMay5–11,andresolvetomake

morecompostforyourgarden

Add fragrance to the winter garden by

plantingdaphneandluculiainpositionsthat

willreceivemorningsun

Reduce watering of indoor plants, and

remembertode-chillthembyaddingatiny

amountofhotwatertothecoldwater

Remove the dead stems from all of your

autumn-floweringbulbs,butleaveanygreen

foliagetocontinuefeedingtheplant

Takeconifercuttings,includingasmall

pieceoftheolderwood(calleda‘heel’)

Finish pruning hydrangea fl ower heads,

andkeepthosewithgoodcolour,asthey

willlastformonthsinavase

Liftbegoniatubersoutofpotsoncethe

leaveshavegone,andstoreinacool,dryspot

Plant lily-of-the-valley rhizomes in cold-

climategardensfortheirattractiveleavesand

delicatewhite,bell-shapedflowers(below)

Choose new sasanqua camellias for your

garden while they are in fl ower

TOP JOB

FINISH PLANTING SPRING BULBS

Remaining spring-fl owering bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths,

should be planted out now in most areas. Don’t forget those that have

been chilling in the fridge. Most bulbs are planted pointy end up, although

anemones and ranunculus are exceptions. With anemones, the pointy

end goes down, and ranunculus, with their claw-like corm cluster, are

also planted with ‘claws’ facing down. The planting depth is generally

governed by the size of the bulb – the bigger the bulb, the deeper into

the ground it goes. Almost all bulbs rot if they are too wet, especially

in cold weather, so keep this in mind when choosing planting positions.

Top

ip

Cacti hate being out

in the rain during cold

weather, so this is the

time to move potted

cacti under cover, where

they can stay dry

throughout the

cooler months.