We may be in the second month of spring but this is when things really get going in the garden! Whether you want to grow your own veggies, plant something special, or just update things with some annual colour, now is the time to do it.
Tony's Tips
October 2022
This is the time for growth! There is so much happening this month with roses flowering and veggie and herb seedlings ready to go in the ground. We have over 40 varieties of tomatoes and a wide range of chillies, as well as an expanding range of new season perennials.
October is the start of Hydrangea season, with the first flowers on the traditional ball types starting this month. We will have numerous varieties, colours and types over the next two months. It’s also warm enough for Impatiens seedlings and the first potted New Guinea Impatiens now. All impatiens like fertile, moist, semi-shaded positions.
Things to Do
- Last season’s Azalea Lace Bug are starting to hatch now. If you had problems with silvering foliage on Azaleas, Viburnums, or Portuguese Laurels last year, protect new foliage with Bug Killa or Conguard.
- Lawn Beetle Grub is also becoming active again. Protect your lawn with a grub control product.
- I’m seeing lots of Bindie-Eye weed coming up in lawns. Control it with selective weedicide before they set prickly seeds.
- If you haven't already, feed and prune Magnolia Little Gems for a more attractive, floriferous plant.
- Continue to feed Gardenias every month of spring and roses every second month to encourage healthy new growth and flowers.
- Feed and prune Grevilleas by about 25 per cent and weeping cherries by raising the skirt after they flower.
- Plant salad veggies now to ensure a plentiful supply of fresh, flavoursome foliage and fruit through summer and autumn.
- Feed your Cymbidium orchids with a high potassium fertiliser and repot them if needed.
Plant of the Month
Geum Jazzy Fiery Tempest
We have six different colours of Geums in the nursery, including the bright red Fiery Tempest. These new Jazzy Geums were released a year ago and have really proven their worth. Neat, compact, hardy plants that bear masses of pastel pink through to electric red or yellow flowers over the warm months starting in October. They are easy to grow and have spectacular colours.
