What a joy it is to be able to open our doors to you again after so long! Rather appropriately, the end of lockdown has coincided with many of the plants in the nursery and our gardens coming into bloom. Perhaps they're celebrating too!
Our team are ready to help you with all your garden needs and we must say the nursery is looking gorgeous. The Oaks Cafe is also open, with plenty of space for both indoor and outdoor dining.
Tony's Tips
November 2021
It’s been the wettest, coolest start to the season that I can remember for years but we are finally allowed to open and invite you in! Melbourne’s gardens are looking fabulous for all the rain but I’m now hoping for some warmth to bring on the flowers and fruit.
The first of the warm season stock will start now with New Guinea Impatiens, Stephanotis, and summer perennials like Gaura, Salvias and Calibrachoa looking lovely.
It is now warm enough for Vinca seedlings and we have just received our first delivery of the season. They are very colourful, heat-loving and drought-tolerant plants that will flower until late autumn. Perfect for a low-water garden!
Geranium Rozanne is a low mound-shaped perennial that bears masses of mauve blue flowers from October all the way through to April. Rozanne loves the sun and good drainage so it's great for our summer climate. It was named the Plant of the Century at the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show.
Things to Do
- If you haven’t planted your tomatoes yet, there is still time but be quick! We have a large selection of varieties available. Whilst you're at it, plant basil as a companion plant.
- Many roses have flowered earlier this year. Trim off spent flowers and feed with Blooming Roses or Sudden Impact to have them back in flower for Christmas.
- The cooler, wetter weather has been ideal for fungal diseases, so spray your roses and dust your tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers to prevent disease.
- If you had a bad outbreak of Azalea Lace Bug last autumn, at least one treatment of Conguard or Bug Killa is recommended now as those eggs begin to hatch. Regular high potassium feeds and regular watering will also improve natural resistance.
- Keep feeding Gardenias with Harry’s Gardenia Food to ensure they bring all their flowers to fruition.
- Cut back all horned and winged lavenders this month as hard as you can but leave a covering of viable foliage to power the regrowth. Never prune lavenders to bare wood!
- Plant new season seedlings now so they are well established and putting on a great display for Christmas.
- There is a lot of Bindi-eye (a small ferny-leafed plant) in Melbourne lawns this spring. Treat now with a selective weedicide to prevent their summer crop of prickly burrs. Bare feet and paws will thank you!
- We’ve already had customers in with Lawn Beetle Grub in their lawns. They are hatching now so treat the issue before it becomes a bigger problem.
Plant of the Month
Pierre de Ronsard Climbing Rose
Our favourite climbing rose is the classic Pierre de Ronsard. It has masses of soft pink flowers in three flushes over the warmer months. The first and biggest flush is starting now. Pierre de Ronsard is tough, versatile, very productive and always beautiful. Come see ours in the car park for an example!
