It certainly doesn’t feel like it but our gardens are telling us that spring is on the way! Magnolias are always the first to bloom and ours are in bud and starting to put on a show. Many deciduous plants, including roses, are also sending out fresh new shoots. Slowly but surely, things are starting to wake up!

If you’ve been thinking about planting larger trees, this is the very best time to do it. No matter your gardening project, our team of horticulturalists are here with expert advice and planting suggestions.

Tony's Tips

August 2022

August may be the last month of winter, but it's the start of spring for many plants. Our roses are shooting away nicely, the blossom season has started and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel after a very cold and wet winter.

Now is a good time to do any major plantings so that they can settle in and are ready to take full advantage of the spring flush of growth.

Magnolias are always one of the first spring flowers to appear and they are already starting. Look out for their spectacular display whilst all around is still mostly dormant. Plant up on a mound of improved soil for best results.

The winter and spring flowering Lavenders are starting to flower now and will continue through to late spring. My favourites are Purple Reign, Princess and Snow Princess, for their clean colours, excellent breeding and improved performance. Plenty of other fragrances are around this month, with Brown Boronia, Daphne, Osmanthus and Sweet Box all delighting the senses.

Things to Do:

• Feed roses now with a high potassium, organic-based rose fertiliser like Blooming Roses or Sudden Impact to encourage new growth.
• Spray Peach and Nectarine trees with Kocide as they start to bud to prevent Peach Leaf Curl. This product is also great on roses for disease prevention.
• Prune cold sensitive evergreens such as Fuschias, Salvias, Gauras, Plumbago, Plectranthus and Catmint this month to promote shapely new growth in spring.
• Remove all galls from citrus trees to prevent reinfestation of gall wasps.
• I've seen a lot of moss and broadleaf weeds in lawns. You can address this with Moss Killer and Buffalo Pro.
• Later in August, feed your evergreen shrubs and perennials growing under deciduous trees to give them a head start before the tree becomes active.