Better Homes and Gardens Australia — December 2017

in the garden

Photography Tony Fawcett, Adobe Stock. Prices are approximate and a guide only

Prepare for a dazzling
summer with random
plantings of geranium,
vinca and impatiens. Do it
now and they’ll bloom their
heads off by the new year.
Check out the stunning
hydrangeas now in
nurseries and choose
a couple for an indoor
colour-up over Christmas.
They’ll need plenty of
light and regular water
to be right for a few days
indoors before being
moved back outside.
Give drip systems the
once over to check they’re
working properly and
each plant gets its share.
Keep fruit trees happy
over warmer days with
regular water. As a treat,
sprinkle potash around

finishes. Repeat-flowering

roses can also be lightly

pruned to encourage a

repeat show in autumn.

Blanket sow cosmos seed

in bare patches of garden.

Come late summer you’ll

have a vibrant carpet of

daisy-like blooms. For big

impact, choose a mix with

different coloured blooms.

Be alert to caterpillars

munching through your

vegie patch. Spray with

an insecticide or simply

flick them off with a

finger and squash.

Don’t leave hoses lying in

the sun as temperatures

soar. Not only will the

hot water in them scald

plants, they will start to

wear and perish faster.

Give companion planting

a go with marigold, blue

borage and ageratum

among your vegies. They’ll

look good and lure in lots

of pollinating insects.

Keep tomatoes happy

by watering regularly,

fertilising often once fruit

appears and pinching

out the growing tips to

encourage bushiness.

Get in early if planning a

summer holiday by lining

up a neighbour to do a

spot of watering and to

keep an eye on things.

what’s on

Soak up the scent with

a stroll through the

lavender at Victoria’s

Warratina Lavender

Farm open day

(November 18-19).

Take in craft demos,

stalls, music and even

lavender scones. The

farm is at Wandin

Yallock, about an hour

from Melbourne in

the Dandenongs. Visit

warratinalavender.com.

au. Entry is $10 adults,

$25 family, under 12s

free, with proceeds

to the Country

Fire Authority

brigade.

mini pond

Set the scene for summer living with

an instant water feature. Simply fill

a container with water then add

flowers. Easy! A galvanised bucket

with wooden handle makes a great

portable pond with a rustic feel.

And don’t forget to float a candle

to light for extra ambience when

the sun goes down. For a real pond

look, add water lilies and floating

plants such as fairy moss.

BRIGHTEN

UP BEDS

by growing a few

colourful chillies

among the

ornamentals.

trees to encourage sweeter

fruit, and water in with

a seaweed solution.

Be proactive and prune

back once-flowering spring

roses as soon as blooming

A society

grows great

when old men

plant trees

whose shade

they know

they shall

never sit

in

GREEK PROVERB

Nasturtium

OUTDOOR INSPIRATION

88 BHG DECEMBER 2017