It might still feel like the dead of winter but having passed the solstice, our plants and gardens are well on their way to spring blossom and new growth. Any work you put into your garden now will pay dividends when the weather warms up. You'll be very glad you pruned, planted and prepared!
The Hand Rejuvenation Duo is a nourishing and cleansing set to nurture skin and protect it from the winter chill. Includes both an SLS-free hydrating hand wash and botanically rich hand and cuticle cream to keep hands hydrated and moisturised.
Our new overcoats are the perfect thing to throw on over any outfit to make it instantly both chic and snuggly. It has a relaxed fit, press stud closures and a large collar to keep out the chill. available in black, navy and cream.
Tony's Tips
July 2021
We are past the shortest day, therefore past the lowest point in the yearly growing cycle. Although it is mid-winter, the Melbourne winter is quite mild and many of our plants are starting to move forward as the days slowly get longer. Pansies and Primulas are now flowering well and Camellias are still blooming spectacularly. The first of the blossom will begin this month, as will the early Magnolia flowers.
Daphne, Boronia, Osmanthus and Sweet Box are filling the air with winter fragrance and roses will soon start to shoot away from their June prune. If your garden isn’t giving you any joy at the moment then there are plenty of options to brighten up your winter, from an established Camellia, spectacular Helleborus or a pack of flowering Pansies.
We also have a great range of Cliveas, which are great to grow in shaded areas where other plants tend to struggle. They are an attractive, hardy, and easy underplanting for trees.
Winter is the best time to plant 90% of plants. This gives them time to settle in and establish so that they can react positively come springtime.
Things to do:
- If you haven’t already done so, prune your roses! A rough prune is better than no prune. If you’ve had disease problems, spray over and around your pruned plants with 20ml Lime Sulphur per litre of water to kill fungal spores and mite eggs.
- As pruned roses begin to shoot, feed them with a high potassium rose fertiliser like Blooming Roses to maximise flowering and increase disease resistance.
- Plant certified seed potatoes, rhubarb and asparagus crowns now into enriched soil.
- If you have Azalea Lace Bug on plants such as Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Viburnums, Portuguese Laurels, come see us for a solution. It's easily fixed and even more easily prevented.
- Stake new Cymbidium orchid flower spikes and protect them with safe Multiguard snail pellets.
- Do the hardest, most structural prune of the year on Box plants and hedges now so that the spring growth comes in a desirable shape not all over the place.
- For the best blue Hydrangeas, start the blueing process now.
- Prune existing fruit trees or plant new ones. We have a great range of citrus and deciduous fruit trees including popular multi graft trees, which are great for small spaces!
- Eradicate moss in lawns by dosing with high-iron Moss Killer. You should see results overnight!
Plant of the Month
Roald Dahl Bush Rose
Most of our new season roses are in now, including the best of the tried and true favourite varieties and a few new releases that are grabbing our interest. Roald Dahl rose from David Austin Roses was released to celebrate the centenary of his birth and it is a cracker! It has won medals here for both superior disease resistance and all-around performance. The rose has large cupped apricot flowers with a fruity tea fragrance on a compact and bushy shrub with few thorns.
The other pick of the new releases is Delightful Parfuma, a deep cerise pink floribunda rose with a very good perfume, good disease resistance and good repeat flowering.
