Entering into the last month of summer, the warm weather is in full swing. We're harvesting tomatoes and other veggies and absolutely loving the seasonal colour. 

Don't forget to give your garden some extra water on particularly hot days. Your plants will certainly thank you!

Tony's Tips

February 2025 

February may be the last month of summer but our gardens are hardly winding down just yet. This is a month of colour and productivity! Tomatoes and other fruiting veggies should be incredibly abundant, whilst Petunias, Impatiens and Vincas are blooming like crazy. 

Japanese Windflowers are flowering now. They are ideal for semi-shaded situations and bear masses of white or pink single or semi-double flowers through late summer and into autumn. 

Things to Do:

• Feed Cymbidium Orchids, Camellias and Azaleas with a high potassium fertiliser to encourage flower formation. 
• February is the last month to prune and feed hedges, evergreen Magnolias, roses and perennials and get a recovery flush of growth before winter. It’s too late to hard prune Camellias, Azaleas, and Wisteria as you will remove all the new season flowers.
• Spray Citrus with Pest Oil during cooler weather, ideally below 25 degrees. This prevents and controls infestations of Citrus Leaf Miner in new growth. They are already active!
• Fertilise Citrus trees to encourage flower and fruit formation over the coming months. 
• Pest problems: Lawn Beetle Grub is prevalent and causing lots of damage. The warm dry summer has also seen lots of Azalea Lace Bug on stressed Azaleas and Viburnums. Control with Conguard or Bug Killa.

Plant of the Month 

Hydrangea Paniculata Candlelight

Our feature plant this month is Hydrangea Paniculata Candlelight, a late summer and autumn flowering shrub that bears masses of white cone-shaped flowers that turn pink as the flower ages. More sun tolerant than traditional Hydrangeas, these showy plants prove a spectacular display in sun or semi-shade. Also worth a look are Hydrangeas Sundae Fraise and Diamond Rouge, both spectacular but with a semi-weeping habit.