SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

48
& OUTDOOR LIVING & OUTDOOR LIVING Supporting our leading nursery & garden centres WINTER 2015 SA’s OWN GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING MAGAZINE Edited by Jon Lamb FREE Winter Lawns Birds and bees Pansies that tumble Home grown fruit Blue Eyed Daisy

description

SA Garden & Outdoor Living is a specialist free magazine focusing on practical gardening and making the best use of outdoor living spaces. Its content is purely South Australian, written and edited by prominent local garden writer and ABC talkback radio host Jon Lamb. Editorial content is specifically targeted to South Australia’s unique gardening environment, its climate, soils and plant varieties. SA Garden & Outdoor Living is published four times a year.

Transcript of SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

Page 1: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDENSouth Australian

& OUTDOOR LIVING& OUTDOOR LIVING

Supporting our leading nursery & garden centres

WINTER 2015SA’s OWN GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING MAGAZINE

Edited by

Jon Lamb

FREE

Winter Lawns

Birds and bees

Pansies that tumble

Home grown fruit

Blue Eyed Daisy

Page 2: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

June 21st 10am Perennial vegetables

12noon Gardening for small spaces

July 19th 10am The good soil

12noon Learn to espalier

Aug 16th 10am Growing root crops

12noon Vegetables for warm seasons

Garden workshop program

Come and visit the Diggers team at the Diggers Garden Shop in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

We stock a complete range of Diggers heirloom seeds, plus books, garden hardware and a selection of plants for South Australian gardeners. Dig a bit deeper! Expand your garden knowledge at our regular workshops that focus on all things gardening.

All the information and advice you need for gardening success!

Full range of the best heirloom seeds for your vegie

and flower garden.

All the plants you need to build a great garden and

the advice to help you to garden success.

We are Australia’s largest garden club, helping gardeners from Hobart to Cairns. Your membership supports the Diggers Garden and Environment Trust that is helping to preserve heirloom seeds, plants and our best garden traditions.

Join the Diggers Club

Join the club at our shop for great member offers and discounts

Join in at a Diggers gardening workshop in the Adelaide Botanic Garden. For bookings phone 08 8232 8671.

Join and shop online at

...at Adelaide Diggers Garden Shop

Friendly staff, happy to help!

Gardening inspiration & advice

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GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 3

Published by Jon Lamb Communications Pty Ltd, 31 King St, Norwood, SA 5067

Editor Jon Lamb (08) 8362 5417 [email protected]

Publishing, sub-editing, layout Steve Swann (08) 8365 0596 [email protected]

ADVERTISING HWR Media & Communications 109b Conyngham Street, Frewville, SA 5063 (08) 8379 9522 Fax (08) 8379 9735 www.hwrmedia.com.au [email protected]

Regular contributors Trevor Nottle, Kathy Errey, Lydia Paton, Marie Collett, Stefan Palm, Sam Luke, Alan White

Disclaimer Although all reasonable care is taken in preparing information contained in this publication, neither Jon Lamb Communications (JLC) nor its officers, staff or suppliers involved in the editing and production of this magazine accept any liability resulting from the interpretation or use of the information set out in this document. Information contained in this document is subject to change without notice and is of a general nature and should not take the place of professional advice. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the publishers or editor. No responsibility is accepted by Jon Lamb Communications for the accuracy of information contained in advertisements in SA Garden & Outdoor Living. Publication of an advertisement does not constitute endorsement by JLC of any product or service, or warrant its suitability.

© Copyright: Editorial material published in SA Garden & Outdoor Living is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the Publisher or Editor.

Printing Lane Print & Post, 101 Mooringe Avenue, Camden Park, SA 5038

Our supporters

WINTER 2015

18

GARDENSouth Australian

& OUTDOOR LIVINGEdition number 18

5

FEATURES

5 Pansy Tumbles tops in SA The spreading pansy of choice

9 Creating a Lavender Sensation The new range of Australian lavenders

23 Time for a Kangaroo Paws The latest Australian bred Bush Gems varieties

REGULAR COLUMNS

10 The Cutting Edge A welcome rose resurgence

15 Lawns Tackling the common winter problems

GOOD GARDENING

18 Re-potting cymbidiums Do they need re-potting and if so, when?

20 Pruning roses – where to start? Try the 50/50 method

34 Insect control Winter offers a great head start

GUIDES 4 New plants and products

24 Seasonal garden guides

46 What’s on Calendar of SA gardening events34

www.gardenandoutdoorliving.com Find us on Facebook

23

OUR COVER: Hardenbergia violacea, commonly known as ‘Happy Wanderer’. Photo by Kathy Errey.

Page 4: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

4 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

New plants and products

What’s new at your garden centreThe latest new products and plants available from leading SA garden centres

Rose – Purple Glow

A very compact Floribunda rose (1m) with outstanding disease resistance. Magenta purple blooms open to show golden stems. Each stem produces masses of flowers.

Silver medal winner from Adelaide’s National Trial Gardens. www.treloarroses.com.au

Self watering planters

Contemporary and modular in style. Designed for growing vegetables, fruit, herbs or flowers. Manufactured from UV stabilised food grade plastic. Suitable for indoors or outdoors. Ideal for small gardens, patio or deck. www.malvernmitre10.com.au

Hardenbergia Purple Spray

An upright but also spreading form of hardenbergia that grows quickly to produce a canopy up to 2m across. During winter and early spring, this is covered with clusters of purple pea-like flowers. Good tolerance to dry conditions.www.ramm.com.au

Correa Ring A Ding Ding

A natural branching but very compact form of correa producing a profusion of deep orange bell-shaped flowers from late autumn through to spring. Glossy green foliage (50cm high x 60cm wide). Recommended for container growing, informal borders and hedging. Bird attracting. www.pma.com.au

Pineapple lily

An improved form of the very hardy easy to grow perennial, producing a mix of pink, white and burgundy shades. The flowers have an extremely long life. Tolerates sun or part shade. Ideal for mass planting or borders. www.mrfothergills.com.au

Cape Angels - Purple

An attractive purple flowering form of this popular winter flowering Plectranthrus. Ideal for semi-shaded gardens with flowers held well above

compact dark green foliage from late autumn through winter.www.oasishorticulture.com.au

Coprosma Pacific Sunset (Sunrise)

Sunset and Sunrise are the latest forms of Pacific Coprosmas designed to be used as colourful specimen or container plants or alternatively, mass planted in a landscape. Sunset has glossy waved shaped foliage of vivid red with a chocolate brown margin (Sunrise – hot pink with brown margin). www.tesselaar.com.au

Page 5: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

Pansy Tumbles tops in SA

Tumbles is certainly the spreading pansy of choice if you’re looking for easy to grow, long lasting

colour to brighten your garden through winter, spring and early summer.

Since spreading pansies were launched in SA three years ago, Tumbles has earned the reputation of best tumbling pansy for baskets and feature containers.

In SA, advanced seedlings established in winter will quickly spread over 20cm but as temperatures rise in spring, their low growing (20cm high) canopy will ultimately cover up to 60cm and often more.

This spreading growth habit makes Tumbles ideal for hanging baskets and feature containers.

However, the plants look just as good spilling over the edge of a raised garden bed

or used as a colourful edging to a pathway or maybe group planted to produce a great splash of colour.

Feedback from SA gardeners last season indicated Tumbles also looked great when planted as a vertical garden.

Unlike many of the earlier, small faced, spreading violas, Tumbles produces medium sized blooms up to 5cm across.

Tumbles Blueberry Swirl with its cat’s whisker face along with white, yellow and blue petals is a gardener favourite. Also available in purple and white.

These can be grown as single colours or combined to produce a stunning mixture.

Why Tumbles? Easy to grow Very compact but spreading growth habit

Ability to hold their blooms through winter Lush green foliage Excellent recovery after rain Ability to flower in full sun or semi shade.

Tumbles pansies are available from most garden centres in 10cm pots.

Plants grown in containers, hanging baskets or window boxes should be grown in a premium quality potting mix.

However, a fortnightly application of a liquid foliar fertiliser once the plants have started to spread in spring is recommended to ensure their optimum flowering potential is achieved.

In garden beds, make sure the ground is well drained and again, once the plants are established, apply a liquid fertiliser on a regular basis.

Pansy Tumbles Blueberry Swirl

Pansy Tumbles Purple Pansy Tumbles White

Page 6: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

6 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

For a dramatic visual effect in the garden, you must try Blue Eyed Beauty, the latest Osteospermum or Cape Daisy to be released in SA.

This compact, easy to grow daisy really radiates colour with bright buttery yellow petals, radiating from circular eyes of dark blue and purple.

Blue Eyed Beauty (Osteospermum ecklonis) has a neat compact, slightly mounded habit that only grows 25-35cm high with a spread of 35-50cm.

Like most of the latest Osteos, each main stem produces a very large number of side branches, resulting in masses of flowers over a very long growing season.

On the Adelaide Plains, the bushes flower lightly in winter, build to a dramatic crescendo through spring, fade a little in summer and then produce masses of blooms in autumn.

Blue Eyed Beauty grows quickly and because of its compact shape, it doesn’t take long to fill a container, resulting in an eye-catching ‘wow’ or feature plant.

However, it also adapts well as a border plant or in a mixed perennial border.

While Osteos are sun lovers, Blue Eyed Beauty flowers well in semi-shade. It also adapts well to most soils providing the drainage is good.

Osteospermums respond quickly to regular watering (but don’t overwater) and also to a liquid fertiliser applied while the plants are growing rapidly in spring and autumn.

Blue Eyed Beauty is being released through SA garden centres this winter, providing gardeners with an opportunity to establish their plants ready for their spring performance.

Blue Eyed Beauty set to turn heads

Winter colour

If there are no flowering plants in the garden at the moment, take a walk around the neighbourhood and make a note of those you would like to grow. Your local garden centre will have a large range of plants in flower at the moment, along with sound advice on what’s needed to make them grow.

Houseplants

Indoor foliage plants that looked spectacular inside during summer may be trying to tell you they don’t like being kept inside while the gas or oil heater is going. Consider moving them outside to a protected, warm position that gets morning sun, but no wind.

Reminders

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GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 7

Good gardeningGood gardening

For home gardeners who treasure the thought of being able to pick fruit they have grown themselves fresh from the tree, the availability of high quality, high yielding dwarf

trees is the breakthrough they have been waiting for.It now means even in the smallest garden or courtyard, there

is room for at least one fruit tree. Because dwarf trees are ideally suited to large container growing, there is also scope for those living in high-rise apartments to ‘grow their own’ on a sunny balcony or verandah.

But that’s not all. For those who live in suburbs where there is still room for a reasonably large garden, consider this.

By downsizing to dwarf fruit trees, it’s possible to grow a selection of eight to ten different fruits in the space required to grow three or four standard sized fruit trees.

Obviously, yield will be reduced but harvest should still be well worthwhile. As a guide, yields are expected to be about 50 percent lower than standard fruit trees.

This should mean 15 to 20 kilograms of peaches or nectarines, and slightly more for apples.

There are, of course, other benefits. It is relatively easy to pick all the fruit from a tree that is only 1.5-2.5m high and it is certainly much easier to protect the trees from birds when netting is required.

Because the trees are capable of producing high yields very early, it is essential to assist the developing root system through adequate staking - ideally use one heavy duty stake to support the trunk at the point where the tree was grafted, as this is the weakest point in a dwarf fruit tree.

This support is particularly important when the tree is loaded with a heavy crop.

Most new dwarf stone fruit trees are self fertile and do not need cross pollinating with another variety. They also have a low chill requirement, making them well suited to growing in districts with a mild winter.

Dwarf or super dwarf?While the range of dwarf trees (2-2.5m) is new and exciting, they

should not be confused with what is termed ‘super dwarf ’ fruit trees.

These have been available for some time and are designed to only grow 1-1.5m high.

Super dwarfs are ideal for container growing or producing fruit when there is only space available for a small sized tree.

Dwarf fruit tree bonanza for gardens big and small

It doesn’t matter if you’re starting a garden from scratch, setting up a veggie patch or just giving an established garden a makeover, we love gardening as much as you. Talk to our experienced and friendly staff who know and understand YOUR local climate to provide the best advice on what will work in YOUR garden.

Visit your locally owned Plants Plus garden centre today and share your passion with us. After all... we know gardens!

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Page 8: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

8 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

A lthough just 20cm long (including tail) and weighing just 50g, the Yellow-footed

Antechinus is a distant relative of far more hefty marsupial predators such as the Tassie Devil and Thylacine.

And like its cousins, the antechinus is a carnivore who loves nothing more than gobbling up insects, making it an asset around the garden.

Many householders may not even realise they’ve had a close encounter with these delightful creatures as they skitter through the garden in pursuit of moths. They are fantastic climbers and can even run upside down on rough timber and rock surfaces.

They do also occasionally take up residence in cupboards or drawers and make nests with chewed up paper or plastic. While this can be inconvenient, antechinus will contribute to the household by eating any cockroaches or baby house mice which might be around!

If antechinus do move in to the home, they can be caught with a live capture trap which enables both mice and antechinus to be caught, and the latter released unharmed. Using grain to bait the trap will help minimise capture of antechinus whilst still capturing mice.

Different bodiesSadly due to their superficial similarity,

antechinus may be mistaken for domestic mice and killed. But the two are quite different: the tail of the antechinus is shorter than the body, while the mouse tail is longer.

Antechinus have double lobed ears, while mice ears have just one lobe. Antechinus are active both night and day (mice are mostly nocturnal), and antechinus lack the musty smell associated with mice.

To encourage antechinus to dwell in your garden, ensure there’s some native vegetation left around the place, and consider leaving fallen trees and logs where they are for habitat.

For this cheeky fellow to survive in the long term in the Adelaide Hills, we will need to retain and restore the dense shrubby vegetation that still remains in small pockets around the hills. Clearing under- and mid-storey layers of native vegetation will lead to local extinction of this species.

Wild sideAntechinus are a protected species and

classified as Vulnerable under the National Parks and Wildlife Act and rated as Rare in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region. Their breeding behaviour has brought them notoriety: all the males die shortly after a frenzied period of mating, leaving pregnant females to keep the species going. They breed once a year in what is a highly synchronised breeding season (generally late winter and early spring), which is triggered by an increase in day-length after the winter solstice.

So, you may be most likely to see

antechinus out and about as winter draws to a close and the warmer weather triggers the antechinus to begin their unusual breeding behaviour.

Natural Resources AMLR is always keen to hear of sightings of the Yellow-footed Antechinus or other threatened species. If you think you’ve seen one, please contact Luke Price, Natural Resources AMLR Threatened Fauna Ecologist at [email protected] Find out about the mammals that Natural Resources AMLR is working to protect:www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges and search for ‘mammals’. This article adapted from a story by Luke Price in the autumn 2015 edition of Urban Biodiversity News.

SA Garden & Outdoor Living supporter:

www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges

Antechinus ain’t no house mouse!A tiny rare marsupial often mistaken for a house

mouse may be living in your Adelaide Hills garden.

Photo: Luke PriceAntechinus eat cockroaches and even baby mice.

Page 9: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 9

Good gardening

Creating a Lavender Sensation

I t’s the best free flowering lavender I have seen. In a garden display, the effect is stunning.”

These are some of the accolades being used to describe Lavender Sensation, a new range of Australian lavenders developed specifically for their ability to perform in Australian gardens.

It’s taken the breeders, Paradise Plants in NSW, 20 years but the end result is a range of very attractive, relatively small (75cm), self branching bushes that have an ability to flower profusely through autumn, winter and spring with spot flowering during summer.

The flowers are fragrant and produced well above silver-grey aromatic foliage.

Included in the Sensation range: Purple – deep purple to black flowers with dark purple wings Blue – deep purple/blue flowers, soft lavender wings Rose – cerise pink flowers, deep rose pink wing White - soft-grey blue flowers, clear white wings.

Because of its Australian breeding, Lavender Sensation has excellent tolerance to heat, drought and high humidity. It has slight tolerance to frost and like all lavenders will not tolerate soils with poor drainage.

In trials, Lavender Sensation showed it was an excellent plant for attracting butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects and birds into the garden.

Because of its relatively small but compact shape, it will adapt well to container growing as well as growing as a low hedge or garden plant.

TipWhen establishing, dig the planting hole twice the width and

depth of the pot that is being planted. Back fill with top soil that has been improved with organic matter. Make sure that the root ball is no lower than the surrounding soil.

Lavenders are very drought tolerant once established, however, moderate watering for the first few months after planting will encourage a stronger more vigorous plant.

Mulching is important to protect surface roots from extremes of temperature and help retain soil moisture.

Shear back to shape after flowering by removing spent blooms as this encourages a new flush of flowers.

Seedlings ~ Plants ~ Trees ~ Topiary ~ Pots Giftware ~ Garden art ~ Mulches & potting soils

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Lavender Sensation Rose

Lavender Sensation Blue

Page 10: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

10 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Great to see Ross Roses, one of South Australia’s oldest rose nurseries has published a new

catalogue of roses that features a huge array of garden roses including wild and old-fashioned types which were initially introduced to Australia by Deane Ross in the 1960s.

Changing garden fashions saw the business turn in other directions like landscape and charity roses to make its way during the last thirty years or so.

This new catalogue rings in the changes as Ross Roses returns to providing diversity and a wide range of choice roses to customers Australia wide.

That is taking quite a punt on the success of the idea; a decision that should be supported by home gardeners, garden designers and the landscape industry.

Why is this so? It is so because the roses on offer now will enable consumers a real choice in what they can grow. So if the sweet-heart rose ‘Cecile Brunner’ has been on your wish-list for ages, now is the time to order.

What about planting a thicket of wild roses to create bird habitat? Think of Rosa eglanteria, Rosa fotida lutea, Rosa foetida Persiana and ‘Fruhlingsgold’.

Need a flowering hedge? Try the Rugosa family of dense, floriferous shrub roses.

Longing for roses with real rose perfumes? Look no further than the Tea roses re-introduced this year by Andrew Ross – ‘Octavus Weld’, ‘Safrano’ or ‘Mrs B.R. Cant’.

Something to go with a 1920’s villa? Why not roses such as ‘Lady Hillingdon’, ‘Anna Olivier’ and ‘Perle des Jardins’?

Beware the sagging gabionLooking around town one sees an invasion

of gabion walls almost everywhere. Very popular with cost-conscious developers and landscapers, these rock-filled cages of

galvanised steel rods and wire constructions can be very appealing.

Take a look at those outside Loreto College on Portrush Road where the carefully selected rocks have been put together in colour waves.

With a few rambling roses thrown over the top here and there the look is substantial and attractive.

Likewise at Trinity Gardens Primary School just down the road.

These have substantial footings and strong construction materials so they have been designed to last.

That is good. Parents can feel confident the walls will not collapse.

But elsewhere short-cuts and economy measures can be observed, particularly in the specifications for the rods and wire, and for the packing and consolidation of the rock in-fill.

It is rather worrying to see after just 6 months that chicken mesh meant to last for years is sagging outwards under the weight of the loosely packed in-fill: too loosely packed if the rock can settle like that in such a short time.

What is the expected lifespan of gabion walls? Is there a construction standard? Do maintenance schedules exist?

Are landscape labourers trained in stacking and consolidation rocks when erecting gabion walls? Are specifications and construction guidelines available to DIY home owners?

Gabion walls are a great innovation and can be very attractive solutions to difficult

landscaping situations but they must be properly built and maintained for our own safety and peace-of-mind.

Flower Shows, Floral Festivals and Garden Galas

It is that time of year again when gardeners hunt in large packs for new plants, bargains, fresh ideas and good information.

One has only to attend a few garden shows in autumn to see how keen gardeners are to keep up with their favoured pastime.

At the recent ABC Gardener’s Market I met a handful of shoppers who had come with $500 to spend, and spend they did. I also chatted with a home gardener who had recently bought a blue hippeastrum – Worsleya procera – offset for $105 via eBay.

Real hippeastrums on sale from a mail-order business from up to $70 for some new varieties. The customers are out there.

But where are the traders? Where are the suppliers? Where are the specialist growers?

The Collectors Plant Fair held at Clarendon outside Sydney in April had fifty three nurseries and seven allied traders selling to an enthusiastic crowd of home gardeners.

What has happened to the once vibrant scene in South Australia? We did have shows and exhibitions that sold heaps of plants in great variety with specialists arriving from interstate to offer their stock to keen buyers here.

Who decided these events should be taken over by BBQ salesmen and spa-tub spruikers?

Were the plantsmen (and women) priced out by entrepreneurs? Before setting an entry cost for vendors first maybe the event owners need to consider the costs vendors must meet in bringing new plants to South Australia.

An interstate enterprise would have to sell a lot of plants before breaking even.

A welcome rose resurgence

SA garden writer TREVOR NOTTLE keeps

an eye on gardening’s latest issues.

The Cutting Edge

Page 11: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 11

Good gardening

For houseplants, this mist is a must

In winter, try misting the leaves of your houseplants instead of watering their roots.

This may seem to over-simplify the needs of your houseplants, but there is much less likelihood of your plant dying of thirst than drowning.

In reality, plants that needed watering every 2-3 days during summer may only need watering every 2-5 weeks in winter, particularly if the leaves are misted regularly.

In most homes, the light can only be described as ‘average’ and temperatures fluctuate from around 5ºC, first thing in the morning to over 25ºC

when the heaters are turned on – so life as a houseplant can be quite a struggle.

This struggle is intensified where

houseplants are constantly plied with water, regardless of their needs and expected to sit through winter with their roots surrounded by soggy soil.

In most cases, misting the leaves with a very fine spray of water daily (and more often when the room heaters are operating) will satisfy much of your plant’s moisture needs.

Now, I am not saying houseplants don’t have to be watered during winter. The roots need moisture at all times. It is the amount of moisture they need, or more to

the point, that they don’t need, that is important.

Heyne’sOur business is growing

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287-289 The Parade, Beulah Park | Ph: 8332 2933 | www.heyne.com.au/gardencentre

Extensive range of plants and garden products.Dwarf Fruit Tree

Camellia

Pansy Carrington

Page 12: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

12 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Ending the chemical warfare

I sn’t it time we declared an end to chemical warfare in the garden? In SA’s big horticultural gardens where

fruits, flowers and vegetables are grown commercially, growers are well down the track towards adopting integrated pest management (IPM).

This is where chemical control has largely been replaced by a combination of pest control strategies that are not harmful to the environment.

The most important of these involves a better understanding of nature’s ability to pit one insect against another and keep populations in balance.

However, it also includes selecting plant varieties that are resistant or unattractive to major pests along with strategies that will prevent pest populations from building to a stage where they can cause significant damage.

Using a jet of water to dislodge aphids from rose tips or trapping snails, earwigs

and weevils, are good home garden examples.

While chemicals are sometimes still required, their role is to support control methods that are environmentally acceptable.

In most cases this means selecting chemicals that have minimum or no toxicity to the environment or are designed to control pests without d e s t r o y i n g nature’s predators.

In reality, there is an extremely large range of ‘beneficial’ insects happy to work as ‘pest controllers’ in your garden.

Ladybirds are often seen eating aphids on rose bushes, but if you look closely you will also find wasps, predatory flies, spiders and assorted beetles hard at work reducing the pest populations.

All too often these beneficial insect populations are decimated because it is easier to take the easy way out and spray with a toxic broad-spectrum insecticide that kills everything including the beneficial insects.

Home gardeners now have access to a range of new age chemicals that have minimum or very low toxicity within the

environment, but are quite specific in the range of insects they control.

Horticultural oilsThese are highly refined light

oil products that have minimum toxic effect on the environment,

but control a range of soft-bodied insects including

aphids, scale, bugs and mites.

Their action is to suffocate insects rather than killing them through poisoning.

Many home gardeners will already be familiar with Dipel,

a natural bacterium that is toxic to most forms of caterpillars but nothing else.

When sprayed on a plant, it is ingested by the caterpillar and within a few days, the caterpillars are dead.

Success A very low toxic product based on a

natural bacterium found in distillery waste. It specifically targets destructive caterpillars.

ConfidorAnother low toxic chemical designed

to kill sap sucking insects such as aphids, white fly, scale and a range of bugs including mealy bug.

Pest Control

Caterpillars Dipel, Success

Aphids, scale, sap sucking bugs, white fly

Pest oils, Confidor

Mites Pest oils, wettable sulphur

Leaf miners Pest oils

Earwigs, weevils, snails, slugs

Trapping

Environmentally friendly insect control

Choose chemicals that do not harm the environment.

FREE email Garden Reminders direct to your inbox

every Friday

Jon Lamb’s

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Page 13: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 13

Good gardening

While the arrival of winter means many of us are longing for warm spring

days, there are always hidden winter treasures to capture your interest.

This winter, discovering these treasures will be easier thanks to two new identification charts; Fungi of the Adelaide Hills and Native Orchids of the Adelaide Hills.

These colourful fact packed charts are a collaboration between Natural Resources Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges, the Native Orchid Society of South Australia and the Adelaide Fungal Studies Group. The charts are suitable for school children and adults to use in the field, illustrated with beautiful colour photographs, descriptions of each plant and keys to expand the user’s knowledge. Different species of fungi and orchid appear all year round, so there’s always something interesting to discover, no matter what season you go hunting.

FungiMost commonly appearing in autumn

and winter, fungi come in many shapes, sizes, colours and levels of toxicity (no fungi growing in the wild should ever be eaten). One dangerous yet familiar winter sight is the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), originally from the northern hemisphere. With its white ‘warts’ dotting a bright red cap it brings to mind the ‘toadstools’ which appear in many fairytales. This poisonous

fungus grows mainly in pine forests.Other fungi you may see throughout

winter include the Weeping Bolete and Green Skinhead. Fungi have an important role to play in maintaining the health of gardens and natural environments by decomposing and recycling dead plant and animal material. In addition, fungi can form vital relationships with plants to help them take up nutrients.

OrchidsIn almost every month of the year, at

least one native orchid will be flowering somewhere in the Adelaide Hills. Winter flowering orchids include the Blood Greenhood, Mosquito Orchid, and the Winter Gnat Orchid.

Many of South Australia’s native orchids differ from those available at florists or garden centres. The local orchids are often small and delicate, difficult to propagate

and sometimes hard to find. But they more than compensate for their cryptic nature with a startling array of ingenious methods of pollination. One pollination strategy is for the orchid flower to resemble the shape or smell of its pollinator. For each orchid in the new identification chart, a pollinator key is included which shows what insect or process pollinates that particular orchid.

Orchids have tubers under the ground that may put out a leaf one season, a flower the next, or even lay dormant. When they grow in colonies a mixture of leaves and flowering plants can be seen.

Whether it be a delicate orchid or gaudy fungi, there’ll be something to delight the eye this winter in your local reserve or park, or perhaps even at the bottom of your native garden.

Download a copy of the orchid and fungi identification charts at: www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges (just search for fungi or orchid). Article and photos by Jason Tyndall, Natural Resources Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges.

SA Garden & Outdoor Living supporter:

www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges

Hidden winter treasuresAs the seasons change, so do plant communities in

our gardens, suburban parks and conservation reserves.

The fairy-tale Fly Agaric fungi. The Blood Greenhood orchid.

Page 14: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

14 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

The Cutting Edge

Beating leaf curl on peaches

Late winter – not early spring – is the critical time to spray peaches and nectarines to protect them from the leaf damage disease, peach leaf curl.

Leaf curl is a fungus that thrives in showery weather when conditions are mild (12-22ºC).

During the past 10 years these conditions have occurred during mid to late August rather than the traditional month of September.

During late winter, myriads of fungal spores will be released from cracks and crevices within the trees. Many will land on developing leaf buds just as the protective covers begin to open.

Spores landing on unprotected tissue inside the buds quickly take hold destroying sections of the ‘leaves in miniature’ while they are still wrapped up inside the bud.

The only way to control peach leaf curl is to place a protective chemical barrier in the form of a fungicide between the fungal spores that are blowing in the wind and the target buds on your tree. Its role is to prevent the disease from starting rather than eradicating it once it’s established.

Once the bud opens and the leaves begin to develop, it’s too late to spray. Leaf growth will be quite distorted and within a few days many of these will fall to the ground.

The only way to prevent damage is to spray the trees just as the leaf buds are beginning to open.

With peach and nectarine trees, the best time to spray is when the buds are just starting to crack open and you can see the first signs of new leaves. This is often referred to as the bud swell stage.

Aim at covering as much of the bud’s surface as possible. This will be achieved by adjusting the spray nozzle to produce medium to fine droplets.

However, the droplets should not be so fine that they drift in the air before hitting their targets. Effective fungicides include copper based sprays, such as liquid copper, Kocide or Cuprox.

These sprays will also help to control later developing problems such as brown rot.

Reminders

Deciduous fruit trees worth considering

Persimmon – small tree with beautiful autumn leaf colour of bronze and red. Lovely looking fruit with a sweet mild flavour. Eat fresh or dried.Quince – big pink blossom on a beautiful tree that can be trimmed to a bush. The fruits are easy to cook and they also make luscious desserts or jelly.Mulberry – traditional hardy tree that grows well all over the state. The best varieties produce large berries in summer. Excellent fruit for jam.Pomegranate – an easy to grow attractive small tree or shrub producing bright red ornamental fruit in autumn. These can be eaten fresh or used for cordial or syrup.Loquat – shapely evergreen tree with showy orange fruits that are the earliest to ripen in spring. Good grafted trees yield large and tasty fruit.

Page 15: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 15

For the most part, you’ll notice lawn growth rate is slowing and some of its colour will no doubt

fade away – this is all fairly normal but if it goes beyond this, you should start asking questions - because winter’s cold and wet conditions can lead to some adverse effects.

Your lawn may thin out, irregular dead looking patches may appear or even worse, your whole lawn could appear to die off.

You could just chalk this up to the cold weather but it could be a treatable or better yet, preventable issue.

The most common winter lawn issues include fungal diseases, bacterial build-ups or moss and algae (as a result of waterlogged soil). They are all brought on by cold wet conditions and are all treatable.

Winter Fusarium (Fungus)Symptoms include a small circular patch

with a distinct smoke ring apparent in winter. May also show a pink ring with a white centre. Spots can be large but generally are less than 20 cm. Patches may bleach as leaves wither and die. The crown and root system of the lawn is not affected.

Control: Apply Yates Zaleton or Mancozeb

Leaf Spot (Helminthosporium fungus)

Leaf spot can occur in late winter and early spring. Symptoms initially appear as small, brown or black spots or flecks on the leaves or sheaths.

As the lesions expand, they cause dieback

of entire leaves or plants leaving large irregular dead looking patches.

Control: Apply Yates Zaleton or Mancozeb

Moss and AlgaeMoss and algae can grow anywhere where

there is cool, damp and shady conditions. Algae usually looks like a green or black slimy scum on the surface of the soil.

If your grass is thinning out, have a look between the thatch of the grass - you might be surprised by what you find.

Moss and algae can successfully out compete a grass during winter.

Control: Apply Wet and Forget or Paul Munns Velvas. Look for and solve any drainage issues causing moisture to sit on the surface for too long.

Anaerobic bacteria in soils This is where the soil stays waterlogged for

extended periods of time without drying out. Oxygen is depleted from the soil

resulting in it turning black accompanied by a sulphide smell (smells like rotten eggs).

The lawn roots can’t grow in these conditions and you’ll see serious die back in your lawn.

Control: Alleviate any drainage issues. Coring helps reduce soil compaction often accompanied by this problem.

Prevention better than cureHere are some simple measures that can

help prevent problems from occurring. Avoid over fertilising. Instead, stick to a

recommended three times per year regime as some of these issues (particularly the funguses) thrive in nitrogen rich environments.

Make sure your mower blades are kept sharp so as not to tear the grass blades allowing fungal spores to grow.

Don’t leave autumn leaves piled up on your lawn. A thick coating of leaves could invite winter-bred fungi. Remove them completely or use your lawnmower to mulch them into the grass.

TipAs soon as you notice out of the ordinary

things happening to your lawn, get advice from a lawn specialist. The sooner you get onto a problem, the faster you can treat the issue and stop it from spreading further.

Stefan Palm is a lawn consultant with Paul Munns Instant Lawn.

Question time for winter lawnsEach season brings with it a new set of questions for

our lawn consultant, STEFAN PALM. Here are just a few.

Lawn Care

www.paulmunnsinstantlawn.com.au

356 Brighton Road, Brighton, 5048South Australia

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The beginnings of winter fungal problems. Notice the discolouration on the lawn blades.

Page 16: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

16 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Most gardeners are familiar with powdery mildew, rust, black

spot and brown rot. These are common problems caused by damaging fungi.

But some fungi, particularly those that live in the soil, are closely linked to the survival of plants through the formation of a beneficial symbiotic relationship called Mycorrhizal Fungi.

Up to 90% of all plant species rely on this symbiotic relationship to increase their uptake of essential nutrients or increase their resistance to disease and tolerance to drought.

Up to 15% of the biomass of all plant roots are actually fungi with individual fungal colonies covering up to 15 hectares and weighing 100 tonnes.

Mycorrhizal fungi feed on dead organic material and act as vital recyclers in the environment.

The good news is you can harness their amazing benefits for your garden. As their network of thread-like filaments (called mycelium) seek out suitable organic matter (such as dead leaves, compost, twigs, even animal wastes), they break it down with enzymes for re-absorption.

The nutrients in solution (extra water for your plant) are then passed back directly to the plant through specialised root-fungi interface zones, providing direct benefits to the host plant.

Benefits for the gardener: A big increase in the surface area of the

plants root system - through increased soil contact.

Nutrients such as phosphorous, zinc, copper and several forms of nitrogenous compounds are transferred from the fungi to beneficially infected plants in exchange for sugars produced by the plant.

Increased drought tolerance through extra water from the fungi and the extended root area.

Some protection from pathogenic fungi. Harmful fungi can be kept from infecting the roots of the plant if a beneficial infection already exists. More than one species of fungi can infect the roots of a plant connecting large numbers of plants in one area.

Soil type and texture may influence the species and effectiveness of mycorrhizal fungi in your garden.

However, good gardening principles will encourage these fungal relationships i.e. opening up heavy soils with gypsum and the addition of compost and organic mulches.

While some mycorrhizal fungi occur naturally in most soils, you can inoculate your new or existing plants directly by using a pelletised fertiliser such as Troforte M (available from many good nurseries).

Not all plants have a relationship with fungi, for example some native families including Proteaceae (banksias, grevilleas, woolly bush and others), Chenopodiaceae (saltbush, bluebush, etc.) as well as Cyperaceae and Juncaceae (both groups of sedges).

These plants have alternative methods for dealing with the cycling of small amounts of vital nutrients. In this case, there is no benefit from applying an

inoculating tablet. Attracting beneficial fungi can help save

precious water and nutrient resources as well as make your gardening experience easier and more sustainable.

Harnessing their benefits can save you time and money, as well as making gardening more fun through better results.

Mark Thomas runs Gondwana Landscapes & Consultancy, 0400 583 161

Garden fungus – meet the good guys

Not all fungi cause damaging spots and rots.

Native landscape consultant MARK THOMAS explains.

www.gondwanalc.com.au

Mycorrhizal Fungi

Page 17: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 17

Good gardening

Planter box gardening made easy

F lowers, herbs and even vegetables don’t have to spend their life growing on the ground.

So long as their roots are covered in soil and they have enough air and moisture, they will grow almost anywhere.

If you live in a high-rise apartment with only a balcony for outdoor space or a small courtyard with wall to wall paving, it’s simply a matter of growing your selection in a large pot, planter box, purpose built container or small raised garden.

Imagine looking through your window onto groups of pansy faces raising a smile at you during the depths of winter or a mini host of daffodils or freesias in spring and perhaps pale blue and white petunias through the heat of summer.

And your thoughts don’t have to be confined to flowers. Herbs were made for growing in a container. Parsley, thyme,

spring onions and mint are a few of the herbs to select from. Some of the thymes and small mints are extremely ornamental as well as being edible.

If you like the thought of growing your own garden fresh vegetables, there’s the prospect of growing lettuce, particularly the new salad types that don’t mind having their outer leaves picked as they continue to grow. In fact, vegetables that can be picked as they grow offer good value.

At this time of the year, you can also grow silver beet, baby broccoli, mini cabbage and peas.

All of these can be grown from well established seedlings.Flowering annuals can also be started as seedlings, but if you

can afford the luxury, buy ‘bloomers’. These are plants in small containers that have been grown to the stage where they are just starting to bloom.

Pansies, violas, primulas, polyanthus and cinerarias are all worth considering at this time of the year.

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Garden fungus – meet the good guys

Page 18: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

18 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Re-potting cymbidiums: it’s not compulsory

Cymbidium orchids are easy to grow, but do they need re-potting and if so, when?

In reality cymbidiums will grow and flower quite happily in a crowded container. It is only when the plants are overcrowded that re-potting is needed.

Plants that do not produce flowering spikes and are not overcrowded do not need re-potting. Lack of flowering is likely to be caused by not enough light, poor drainage, incorrect fertiliser or a pH that is too high.

The right time for re-potting is immediately after flowering. This gives the plants plenty of time to recover and build up energy for next year’s flowering spikes.

Plants that did not flower but need re-potting should receive attention during late winter or very early spring. The operation should certainly be completed before the end of October.Small plants growing in small containers

should not be divided. Simply move the plant into a slightly larger container. This way the root system is not disturbed.Dividing a large plant can be difficult as the roots

are usually very tangled. Use secateurs or a sharp, strong knife to cut between the bulbs, trying not to damage too many roots.Avoid the temptation of trying to multiply the

number of orchids you have by chopping the clumps into small pieces.

Each clump should have three to five active bulbs if it is to flower next year. Small pieces will grow but they may take a number of years before they flower again.

The outer bulbs will be the best. Anything that is dead or weak should be discarded.

Bulbs without leaves are also best discarded. However, these ‘back bulbs’ can be ‘grown on’ by placed in the bottom section of the bulb in a chunky orchid mix. It may take three to four years before the plants flower.

To re-pot, hold the plant or section inside the selected container with one hand and place quality potting mix between the plant and the container.

Thump the container two or three times and allow three or four centimetres at the top of the container for watering. The crown of the plant should be just below the top of the potting mix.

Slow release fertiliser should be added to the potting mix. It can also be spread around the root systems as the container is filled.

Water the root system after re-potting to consolidate the potting mix and keep the containers in a protected shady position for a week or two.

Order Trees For Life native seedlings

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Simple soil boosterOne of the easiest ways of protecting your garden plants from hot dry conditions during summer is to boost the soil with as much organic matter as possible. We’re talking about adding compost, aged animal manures and, if these are not readily available, commercial soil improver. The latter is readily available by the bag from garden outlets and in bulk from landscape supply yards.These materials can be dug into the topsoil but at this time of the year, while the soil is damp, it is quite ok to spread the material over the ground.

Page 19: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 19

Good gardening

So you’re looking for a long lasting splash of winter colour but something a

little different. Check out Nemesia Elite Lemon.

Lemon has just been released as an Elite Nemesia to complement Nemesia Elite Berry (red), Pink Swirl (dark pink) and Tropical (deep orange).

These have been selected for their ability to flower almost year round although their main display occurs through autumn, winter and spring.

During trials, Nemesia Elite Lemon had the strongest lemon/yellow colour with its blooms lasting almost twice as long as non Elite lines.

The plants also have a more compact growth (40cm x 40cm) compared with traditional perennial nemesias.

This makes them ideal for producing quick,

long term colour in containers or growing as a border or maybe underneath larger trees and shrubs.Because of their

breeding, Elite nemesias respond quickly to regular

watering and mulching through the warmer months.

They will also benefit from an all-purpose garden fertiliser applied in spring and again in autumn.

The Elite range is grown by Poplar Grove Nursery and is available from your local garden centre.

Lemon charged nemesias

Ruby – an Elite daisy with magic colours

There’s something quite magical about Ruby, the first truly red-

petalled osteospermum that changes its colours as the flowers open.

Ruby joins the Elite plant label launched in SA last year to help gardeners identify new plants that have been trialled under local condition and shown to be better than average.

Like all of the latest high performing osteospermums, Ruby produces a low mounding but vigorous compact growth (30-40cm high and 35-60cm wide). Ruby has excellent side branching, resulting in masses of blooms almost year round with the main flushes in spring and autumn.

Ruby is more compact and more vigorous and has stronger flowering stems than the line it replaces. However, it is very hardy, has excellent drought tolerance and can be used in a range of landscaping positions

including borders, perennial beds and feature containers.

Elite Ruby will thrive in most well drained soils with little attention. However, it will respond quickly to a little organic fertiliser in spring.

The Elite range is grown by Poplar Grove Nursery and is available from your local garden centre.

Page 20: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

20 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

I f you have never pruned a bush rose before, try the 50/50 method. This involves removing 50 percent of the

existing branches and then cutting the remaining branches back by 50 percent.

That’s it. Clean up the mess and walk away.

If the bushes are healthy you can expect a magnificent display of blooms in spring.

While the 50/50 method of pruning will get you started, take a good look at the bushes before you start cutting, as the amount of new growth they have made in the past season is a good indicator of overall health.

Knowing this can be used to help improve your pruning technique.

As a general rule, hard pruning stimulates the bushes into even stronger vigorous growth.

The end result is fewer branches and fewer, but larger, flowers. Hard pruning is often practised by rose lovers who like to produce magnificent blooms for indoor displays and showing.

However, it is worth remembering that continued hard pruning will eventually weaken bushes that are not fed regularly and kept in very good heart.

If you are growing your roses for garden display, it is likely the quantity of blooms will be more important than individual quality.

If this is the case it may be better to prune lightly by removing say 40 percent of the branches and only reducing the branches by 40 percent.

The result should be a larger number of less vigorous branches and more numerous, but smaller, blooms.

Old bushes and those that are not growing in ideal conditions often lose their natural vigour.

When this occurs it is possible to stimulate them back into stronger growth by hard pruning. Try removing 60 percent of the branches and reducing the remaining branches by 60 percent.

However, if you have to cut back hard

each year simply to stimulate growth, it may be better to have the bush replaced. This will give you an opportunity to improve growing conditions before you start again with a strong, vigorous new

variety.Standard roses are amongst the

easiest of roses to prune as they are grown for their landscape display. Here the ‘prune lightly’ rule applies.

This way you will have numerous branches and the greatest number of blooms.

If you are growing the white flowered ‘Iceberg’ or one of the multi flora varieties with their

multi stems and small blooms, you can take to the bushes with hedge clippers.

It’s quick, easy and the result will be just as good as giving the bushes a detailed pruning.

Bushes classified as landscape roses are by

nature extremely vigorous. If you cut them back hard they will go berserk.

Because they naturally produce numerous small blooms, pruning with hedge clippers or trimmers is again quite okay. The aim is to remove no more than 25 to 30 percent of the growth.

However, strong, vigorous branches growing in the wrong direction should be removed completely.

When it comes to pruning make sure you are well protected from the razor sharp thorns. Wear a thick jumper and strong trousers, and buy yourself a pair of cotton pruning gloves.

During winter, all Plants Plus garden centres in SA will carry a comprehensive range of new and popular roses.

Pruning roses - where to start

Gift of Friendship: a stunning new quick to repeat flowering Floribunda rose with cherry red fully double blooms from Treloar Roses. Decorated with many international awards. Treloar Roses will donate $1 from the sale of each rose to Inner Wheel, Australia’s National Project supporting Cord Blood Research.

Page 21: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 21

Good gardening

I t’s not generally realised that potatoes grow best when soil temperatures are quite cool – 10-20ºC and air

temperatures are between 20-25ºC. However, the plants are also very frost

sensitive and so planting should be staged to begin four weeks before the last frosts in your district are likely to occur.

Across Adelaide and most coastal districts, this means late July, August and early September. In the Adelaide Hills and frost prone districts, waiting until October or November is advised.

Home-grown seed potatoes are usually planted 10cm deep, 30cm apart with 70cm between rows.

Potatoes should be planted into moist soil but hold further watering until the plants are well established.

Check the soil doesn’t dry out over the next few weeks and once flowering begins,

begin watering on a regular basis i.e. once a week.

After 150 days, crops should be mature. At this stage it is advisable to withhold watering and allow the tops to dry off.

Tubers should be dug soon after the tops die down and stored in a cool, dry position.

Seed potatoesIf possible, buy certified seed tubers from

your local garden outlet. These are small tubers selected for their high yield potential and freedom from disease.

Kitchen potatoes can also be used with large tubers chopped into big chunks that contain at least two growth buds or eyes.

Regardless, the seed should be aged and allowed to sprout before planting.

This process will speed up the development of new growth by a number of weeks and significantly increase your

potential yield as the plant’s root system will reach the tuber setting stage while the ground is still cool.

Heavy feedersPay particular attention to crop nutrition

as high yielding crops use up large quantities of fertiliser.

Fertilisers blended specifically for vegetables and fruit trees contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, calcium and sulphur and are ideal.

When planting, rather than spread the fertiliser on the ground, place it in a band close to but not touching either side of the tubers. Use approximately 150gm per metre of row.

Once the plants are established, add a further 25gm of fertiliser. This application should be repeated just before the plants begin to flower.

A cool start for hot chips

Page 22: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

22 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

A little soil magic for your summer tomatoes

The best tomatoes in town each summer are grown by home gardeners who have learnt to use a

little magic at this time of the year.Well, not real magic, but something that

produces the same effect. We are talking about good old fashioned

animal manure and for many tomato growers it’s simply a matter of spreading a thick layer of sheep, horse, cow, chicken or poultry manure over the garden beds destined to grow next season’s tomatoes and walking back inside.

And why not? Over the next six to eight weeks the material they spread over the ground will be attacked by hordes of minute naturally occurring soil organisms.

The feeding frenzy that follows will see the manures broken down to soft black or brownish sticky material known as humus, as well as a range of valuable plant foods.

Each time it rains parts of the humus and most of the plant foods will be washed gently into the top few centimetres of soil.

By the end of September when it’s time to plant out your tomatoes the condition of the topsoil will be dramatically improved and also crammed with plant foods ready to go.

It is worth pointing out that all of this happens without you or I having to do anything.

Is it any wonder that tomato plants established into such conditions produce

strong healthy growth right from the start.Invariably such plants have greater

resistance to disease, better tolerance to stress and as a result end up producing more fruit over a longer period.

The benefits of spreading animal manure over the ground during winter or even better, digging it into the topsoil, are not confined to tomatoes.

The same wonderful effect can be achieved for the rest of the vegetable garden and for beds set aside for summer annuals.

Animal manures are readily available from garden centres and hardware outlets by the bag and you can often find bulk supplies by checking the classified advertisements in The Advertiser.

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Are animal manures and fertilisers made from organic material better than those that have been manufactured?

From a plant’s point of view it doesn’t matter if the nutrients it receives come from animal manures or manufactured fertiliser.

In fact the only way the nutrients can be taken in by a plant is when they are completely dissolved and in a form of a liquid.

Manufactured fertilisers are soluble and many are in a form ‘ready to go’.

Organic fertilisers on the other hand have to be converted by the soil’s micro organisms into a soluble form.

It is also difficult to know how much of each element the material contains.

Problems arise with manufactured fertiliser when you use too much. The material is very concentrated and excessive quantities will quickly damage root growth.

The biggest difficulty with organic fertilisers is achieving the right balance between nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Most animal manures contain reasonable levels of nitrogen, but very little phosphorus and potash.

Plants like humans are in a constant state of growth and need constant feeding. The aim is to match your fertiliser program to the plant’s growth.

The fertiliser dilemma - organic vs manufactured

Page 23: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 23

Good gardening

Time for a Kangaroo Paws

When it comes to Kangaroo Paws – size matters. Take the latest Australian bred

Bush Gems varieties. These have been developed as distinctive

types and grow to different heights, making them ideally suited for varying locations in the garden.

While Kangaroo Paws are uniquely Australian in character, they are particularly suited to South Australia’s climate where they are stimulated into active growth by winter rains.

However, the warm, dry growing season that follows, results in a magnificent performance of long lasting, disease free flowers.

The Bush Gems varieties have been bred to create tough disease tolerant plants that produce large flowers in a wide range of vivid colours.

In the warmer parts of South Australia, the first flowers are likely to appear in winter with colour continuing through spring, summer and well into autumn.

Kangaroo Paws blend well into a range of gardening styles but look particularly good

when grown next to plants with strappy or architectural leaves.

The flowering stems can also be cut and generally have a two week vase life.

Kangaroo Paws grow well in most SA soils providing the drainage is good. In heavy clay soils, try growing your plants on a raised mound or add gypsum to the area. Alternatively, grow them in containers.

Bush Gems varietiesThese are medium size (50-80cm),

selected for the consistent quality of their blooms that repeat flower almost all year round. Compact growth, excellent tolerance to disease.

Top varieties include:Bush Inferno – bright red, height 60cmBush Pearl – bright pink, height 60cmBush Pizzazz – deep magenta, height

70cm.

Bush Gems ‘Landscapers’Generally taller (1m-1.5m) and developed

to meet the demand for low maintenance,

these long lived Kangaroo Paws will flower for more than six months of the year. Excellent tolerance to disease.Top varieties include:Bush Fury – dark crimson,

height 1.2mBush Pioneer – golden yellow,

height 1.5mBush Revolution – orange, height

1.5mBush Endeavour – dark red, height 1.8m.

Top Paws for a good causeRampaging Roy Slaven, a popular repeat

flowering Landscapers Bush Gems variety has been relaunched to raise funds for Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT) (10 cents from every plant sold).

Excellent tolerance to heat and drought. Bird attracting, height 1m.

Bush Gem Kangaroo Paws have been developed by Australian plant breeders, Ramm Botanicals. They are readily available from most SA garden centres.

Rampaging Roy Slaven is raising funds for charity.

Page 24: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

Winter garden guide Jon Lamb’s seasonal checklist

24 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Herb Easy to grow Comment

Coriander *** Adds spicy flavour to Asian foods, curries and vegetables.

Chamomile ** Use leaves for tea or as a mild garden fungicide.

Curry herb (Helichrysum sanctinum)

*** Provides real curry flavour when added to food at the end of cooking.

Mint (many flavours) ** For roasts, sweets or a refreshing tea.

Parsley *** Add chopped to meat dishes and soups.

Spring onions or chives *** Ideal where onion flavour is needed.

Sage ** Strong flavour for rich meats and seasoning.

Winter tarragon (Tagetes lucida)

** A form of marigold. This provides fresh tarragon flavour during winter.

Rosemary *** Strong flavours for lamb, roasts and seasoning.

* The more stars the betterMost of these winter herbs can be added to fresh homemade soup or a weekend stew and established plants are readily available in small pots from most garden centres.

Herbs for a winter gardenHerbs that tolerate the cold are easy to grow in an attractive planter box or raised garden and allow you to use a range of cooking flavours fresh from the garden.

Fruit Problem Time to spray Chemical

Apples/pears Woolly aphids Dormant. (Late July-Aug) Winter white oil

Black spot Bud burst. Green tip. (Sept) Copper based spray

Codling moth After petal fall. (Sept) Spinosad (Success)

Peaches/nectarines Aphids Dormant. (Late July-Aug) Winter white oil

Curl leaf Bud swell. (Late July-Aug) Copper based spray

Shot hole or Freckle

Bud swell. (Late July-Aug) Copper based spray, Mancozeb

Brown rot Bud swell. (Late July-Aug) Copper based spray, Mancozeb

Vines Leaf blister mite Late bud swell. (Late Aug-Sept) Wettable sulphur

Fruit tree spraying for late winter-early spring

Annual Height Sun Semi shade

Main colours

Alyssum 8-10 √ Pink, mauve, white

Cineraria dwarf tall

30-40 50-70

√ √

√ √

Pink, blue, white

Lineria 30 √ Blue, pink, white

Lobelia 15 √ √ Blue, white, pink

Pansy 20 √ Multi colours

Polyanthus 30-40 √ √ Multi colours

Poppy 40-50 √ Orange, yellow, white

Primula 30 √ √ Pink, mauve, white

Snapdragon 20-40 √ Red, yellow, white

Viola 20-30 √ √ Multi colours

Splashes of blooming colourBloomers - Small plants already in flower and sold in ready to plant out six or 10 cell containers will splash colour in your garden through winter and well into spring.

SoursobsDon’t waste time trying to control soursobs by cultivation, new growth will just keep on reappearing. Wait until they are mature, just before flowering, and spray them with a systemic herbicide containing gylphosate.

Winter flowersCamellias, azaleas and a range of winter flowering Australian natives are being featured by most nurseries. Let the flowers be a guide to your choice, but check also on the plant’s shape and growing habit.

Fruit TreesAll fruit trees and vines should be pruned before the second week in August, but why leave the job any longer? Vines and Chinese Gooseberries may bleed if pruned late.

OrnamentalsWhile pruning fruit trees, vines and roses, don’t forget summer flowering shrubs such as hydrangeas and Crepe Myrtle. However, spring flowering shrubs such as flowering cherries, plums, peach, etc should not be pruned until after they have finished flowering.

FuchsiasPlants that were not cut back in autumn should be pruned in June. However, if they are still in flower, you can wait until the end of July when the best of the blooms have faded. Don’t wait any longer as new growth will be starting.

WINTER PRUNING

Page 25: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 25

Name Prune in winter

Pruning after flowering

How much

Abelia √ H

Berberis √ L

Cotinus (Smoke bush) √ H

Chaenomeles (flowering quince)

√ √ L

Crepe myrtle √ M

Hibiscus (deciduous) √ H

Hydrangea √ M

Malus (flowering plums/apples)

√ L

Deciduous vines √ H

Prunus (flowering plums/apricots/peaches)

√ L

Roses √ H

Wisteria √ L

H = hard M = medium L = light

Pruning guide for deciduous trees and shrubsSome but not all ornamental deciduous trees and shrubs need regular pruning during winter. However, those that flower in spring should not be pruned until after flowering.

Vegetable Seed Seedling Container June July August

Artichoke √ - √ √ √

Asian vegetables √ √ *** √ √ √

Asparagus Crowns - √ √ Early

Beans broad √ * √ √ Early

Beetroot √ ** Late

Broccoli √ √ * √

Cabbage (small) √ √ ** √

Carrots √ ** Late

Lettuce hearting √ *** √ √ √

Lettuce non hearting

√ *** √ √ √

Onions white √ √ * √ √ √

Onions brown √ √ * √ √ √

Parsnips √ * Late

Peas √ √ *** √ √ √

Potatoes Sets * √ √

Radish √ *** √ √ √

Rhubarb Crowns ** √ √ √

Silver beet √ √ *** √

Tomatoes √ *** √

* ok * * good *** excellent

Which vegetables to plant?

Plant Weeks of colour

Suitable for indoors

Alyssum 20 +

Azaleas (new hybrid cultivars) 8-10 √

Cyclamen 8-12 √√√

Lobelia 20+

Orchids, cymbidiums 4-6 √√√

Pansy/viola 20+

Polyanthus 8-10 √

Primula 8

Snapdragon 8

Zygo cactus. Schlumbergeria 4-6 √√

√ OK √ √ Excellent

Standout potted colour

Moss in your lawn?Moss growing in the lawn usually indicates poor drainage, lack of light or lack of air movement. If possible, remove or overcome the cause. Meanwhile, the moss can be controlled with a mixture of two parts sulphate of iron plus three parts sulphate of ammonia. Use 150 grams in two litres of water for each square metre.

Now is the time for gypsumHeavy clay soil can be improved through the addition of gypsum during

winter. This can be spread on the ground at the rate of 1 kg to 2 sq metres. The gypsum should be allowed to leach into the ground during winter. Gypsum can also be spread over established lawns if it is watered in well. If flat weeds are smothering lawn grass, try spraying with the herbicide MCPA.

MowingLawns should never be cut when they are wet, even if the grasses are becoming long. If the lawn becomes rank, never remove more than 25 percent of the foliage in one cut.

Germinating veggies for springThe seed of spring vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicums should be germinated in late July or early in August if you want seedlings for planting out in spring. However, you will need to grow them in small containers in a warm, protected position. The containers should be covered by glass or plastic until the seeds have germinated.

Try a cover cropIf you don’t intend to grow winter vegetables, try improving the soil and keeping out the weeds by planting a green cover crop. Oats, barley, rye, lupins, even wheat will make prolific growth during winter and can then be dug into the soil in August.

Page 26: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

26 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Talking about the birds and the bees

The clearing of SA’s native vegetation to accommodate our continued urban sprawl, the

increased use of chemicals in and around the garden, a rise in pollution, climate change and last but not least the dramatic decrease in size of the Aussie backyard are taking their toll.

Unbeknown to many, we are literally driving away the birds, the bees, the butterflies as well as many other plant related insects responsible for pollinating our plants.

It’s worth remembering approximately 80 percent of all plants rely on the above creatures for pollination and as such, their future survival.

Enticing a range of pollinators back to the garden requires a trip to your local nursery. Speak to the horticulturist and perhaps take a mud map of your garden with you as they can give you expert advice on what to grow and where to plant it.

Keep in mind you will need to cater for both the insect pollinators, as well as birds that feed on nectar, seeds and fruit.

Birds especially will also need shelter from cats, strong winds, rain and Adelaide’s hot summers.

Try to create multi levels of ‘accommodation’. Lots of ground covers and grasses are ideal for bugs and spiders to set up house.

Ground covers also provide a good source of food for the birds and great nesting material as well.

A broad variety of bushes, shrubs and trees will provide wildlife with a constant supply of food as well as much needed shelter and security.

Encourage your neighbours to do the same thing. Think of it as forward planning for our future and theirs.

Placing a bird bath on a pedestal and hanging a bird feeder in your garden is a

great idea. Birds need to feed, drink and bathe in safety away from predators. Just be mindful not to offer them too many seeds and fruits as you don’t want them relying on you for food.

Grevilleas are one of Australia’s favourites. They are hardy natives that produce plenty of nectar and seed bearing flowers. Their

bright colours (especially yellow and red) attract birds while their dense habit provides a great home.

There are many different varieties to choose from.

However, I love my herb garden and so do the bees and butterflies. Plant favourites like coriander, basil, thyme, sage and chives, just to name a few.

Salvias and lavenders are tough, while producing amazing colours and strong scents. Your garden won’t just look and smell beautiful it will attract many other guests as well.

Nadine Crampton is a pet and garden lover and co-owner of Semaphore Pets and Gardens, combining the serenity of the garden with the love of pets.119 Semaphore Rd. Semaphore 8242 7302

Maintaining healthy populations of nature’s pollinators is

essential to good gardening, as NADINE CRAMPTON explains.

Page 27: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 27

Good gardening

Bacopas are one of the latest perennial plants to really benefit from a

breeding makeover. The latest ‘wow’ plants produce

masses of small but delightful five petal flowers on cascading stems. This display begins early in spring, pauses a little over summer and then continues through autumn.

However, on the Adelaide Plains and in the milder districts, they will flower well into winter. These new bacopas are quite compact, only 20-30cm high, while spreading 30-40cm wide. This makes them ideal for container growing and planter boxes.

While there are a number of new lines coming into the market, in

SA you will find bacopas carrying the Elite label have been selected for their reliable flowering, large blooms and ability to flower early.

They have a compact but trailing habit and tolerate both full sun and semi shade. Varieties include Elite White, Pink and Violet.

Those belonging to the Bacopa Colossal series are also extremely reliable, free flowering with large blooms covering the plants over an extended growing season. Colours include white, blue and classic pink.

These bacopas are better

Could this be the most beautiful nursery you have ever seen?

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3186 Barossa Valley Way,

NURIOOTPA

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Best Group Garden Centre

Bacopa Colossal White

Page 28: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

28 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Many of SA’s horticultural and viticultural growers are now growing native vegetation

where weeds once grew.They know weeds can harbour damaging

insects that can also spread disease. On the other hand, native vegetation acts as a valuable refuge for the pest insects’ natural enemies.

Specific native vegetation also attracts pollinators such as native bees. The Australian Blue Banded Bee, for example, a buzz pollinator is prized by tomato growers who currently rely on manual pollination. This is an exercise which is estimated to cost producers about $16,000 per hectare per year!

In vineyards, improving biodiversity is helping to enhance a range of complex interactions between flora, fauna and the environment’s natural balance.

The conservation of remnant vegetation, the planting of shelterbelts around vineyards and/or planting native grass species such as Wallaby grass in mid rows is also providing a direct economic benefit.

Benefits include pest control, protection from wind and reflected heat, soil improvement and managing erosion.

Likewise, on-farm productivity for the dairy, cattle and sheep industries is being improved through the conservation of remnant vegetation as well as revegetation.

Windbreaks are protecting livestock from heat, cold and wind, while reducing the negative impacts of salinity. Soil erosion and unhealthy waterways are also being addressed through native vegetation.

For nearly 34 years, Trees For Life has played an important role in helping South Australian farmers and landholders protect their existing remnant vegetation.

It is also allowing primary producers to access low-cost bulk native seedlings for the revegetation of their properties.

In a collaborative approach, many suburban householders throughout Adelaide are growing native seedlings in their backyards specifically for planting out on properties.

To date, more than 33 million native seedlings have been grown for this purpose.

This season, 460,000 seedlings have been grown by more than 1,000 volunteers!

Trees For Life’s annual ordering season is now open so that primary producers and others undertaking revegetation works can again access low-cost seedlings.

They are available for just 15 cents each, which equates to just $100 for 300 native seedlings (this also includes TFL membership).

Trees For Life is also calling for volunteers, particularly home gardeners, who want to grow the native seedlings for their country counterparts.

It’s a very rewarding role in not only helping the South Australian environment as a whole, but also helping farmers look after their land, crops and livestock.

For more information on the annual ordering season or becoming a volunteer grower, phone Trees For Life on (08) 8406 0500 or visit www.treesforlife.org.au Species lists and ordering forms for the 42 SA zones are available for download from the website.

Native plants – a home for beneficial insects

Growing native plants instead of weeds can help manage problem

insects in the garden, says TANIA KEARNEy from Trees for Life.

The blue banded bee

Page 29: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 29

When you pick apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, cherries

and more from your own garden, the fruit is always going to be fresh.

While commercial growers need to pick their fruit while it is still very firm – so it doesn’t bruise on the way to market – garden grown fruits can be left on the tree to fully develop their natural sugars, juices and flavours.

In SA, home-grown fruit can also be grown free of unwanted chemicals. Because the state is fruit fly free, there is no need to spray the trees regularly with an insecticide.

By using organic products to control other problems, it is possible to enjoy fruit that has never been sprayed with a toxic chemical.

Growing your own fruit trees is not hard and if space in the garden is limited, there is now a wide range of dwarf (2-2.5m) and super dwarf (1-1.5m) varieties available.

These produce the same sized fruit as a standard variety but on a smaller canopy.

During the bare-rooted winter season, most garden centres carry an extensive range of both standard size and dwarf fruit tree varieties, but they are more than happy to order a particular variety if it is not readily available.

Incidentally, if you have room in the

garden, why not choose your favourite fruit and grow a number of varieties which ripen at different times.

This way you can enjoy your favourites throughout the harvest season.

Tips for growing top home-grown fruit

Because you’re only growing a few trees, it’s possible to give each one a little extra attention.

In terms of the quality of the fruit you harvest, this can be very rewarding.

Feed the trees with plenty of organic matter, along with a fruit growing fertiliser in spring and autumn.

Make sure the trees receive plenty of water particularly as the fruit matures (fruit is full of water and at this stage, the trees should not go thirsty).

Check the trees late in spring and if they are carrying a heavy crop, thin the clusters.

It’s sunshine that helps develop healthy fruit buds mature into delicious fruit. Grow your trees in the sunniest position possible.

Sam Luke is a fruit tree specialist and manages Balhannah Nurseries, fruit and ornamental tree supplier to SA garden centres.

Trees

www.balhannahnurseries.com.au

Why home-grown fruit tastes better

Home gardeners are rediscovering the benefits of

growing their own fresh fruit. SAM LUKE knows why.

Dwarf nectarine Valley Gold

Page 30: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

Good gardening

30 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

A s a small garden tree, the Crepe myrtle should be grown more widely. It thrives in hot, dry

conditions and once established, it has excellent drought tolerance along with reasonable frost tolerance.

Until now, its Achilles’ Heel has been its susceptibility to powdery mildew, a fungus that affects the leaves and new growth.

However, a new range of long flowering powdery mildew resistant hybrids is now available under the ‘Indian Summer‘ label.

Apart from flowering from 70-100 days they also come in a range of tall, weeping and low bush types.

Crepe myrtles really do best in full sun. In fact the lower leaves will drop in situations where there is insufficient light.

Although they are drought tolerant, flowering can be increased and extended considerably by deep soaking just before and during flowering.

Buds that fail to open or turn brown are a sure sign of water stress.

The trees adapt well to most soils providing it is fully drained. Planting can be carried out from mid autumn to well into spring.

Keep the plants well watered during the first 6-10 weeks if planted during autumn or spring.

Mulching the root system during summer and autumn is recommended and a light application of a complete fertiliser in spring will also keep the plant producing maximum flowers. But don’t overdo the fertiliser.

After flowering, remove any spent blooms. Heavy pruning or reshaping is best carried out during winter.

The following is a selection of the latest disease resistant long flowering hybrids:

SiouxIntense medium pink flowers, 90 day

bloom time. Coppery-bronze autumn leaves, pinkish-caramel under-bark. Four metres high at maturity. Densely upright and multi-stemmed.

TontoDark fuchsia coloured flowers, 75 day

bloom time. Cinnamon coloured bark, exfoliating

to reveal a lighter cinnamon under-bark. Three metres high at maturity. Produces prolific blooms. Good for massed borders, hedges.

OsageClear bright pink flowers, 100 day bloom

time. Red to dark red autumn foliage, vivid chestnut-bronze under-bark. 4.5 metres high at maturity. Semi-pendulous, spreading crown, multi-stemmed small tree.

MiamiDark pink flowers, 100 day bloom time.

Orange autumn leaves. Bark exfoliates to reveal a mottled dark chestnut under-bark. 6.5 metres high at maturity. Upright, multi-stemmed tree.

HopiClear bright pink flowers, 100 day bloom

time. Orange-red to dark red autumn leaves. Bark exfoliates to reveal a grey-brown under-bark. Four metres high at maturity. Multi-stemmed small tree with a spreading habit.

ZuniDark lavender coloured flowers, 75

day bloom time. Orange-red to dark red autumn leaves. Exfoliating bark reveals a light grey-brown under-bark. Three metres high at maturity. Rounded semi-dwarf, multi-stemmed shrub.

NatchezWhite flowers, 110 day bloom time.

Reddish-bronze autumn leaves. Exfoliating bark reveals a pinkish-brown under-bark. Six metres high at maturity. Upright, multi-stemmed tree with a broad spreading crown.

A Crepe myrtle comeback

Page 31: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 31

Good gardening

Planting? Dig wide not deep

P lanting deciduous trees and shrubs involves more than digging a hole and burying the roots. In fact, how

you prepare the ground for this operation will influence the way it grows, flowers or fruits for the rest of its life.

When the ground is moist and soft, trees and shrubs send out an extensive network of food absorbing roots.

As a rule of thumb, this network extends sideways 1.5 times the plant’s current height. It means if the bush or tree you are about to plant is 3m high, the roots will extend up to 4.5m from the trunk.

While tree and shrub roots are opportunistic, they are not miracle workers and they find it difficult and in many gardens impossible, to explore beyond the planting hole because the surrounding soil is hard and possibly severely compacted.

Problem solverThe remedy is obvious. Before planting,

loosen the soil up to 20cm deeper than the existing root system, but over an area extending at least 0.75cm from the centre of each planting hole.

Whether the soil is sandy or compacted clay, take the opportunity to improve its structure by incorporating at least 10 litres of well made compost or soil conditioner (available commercially from garden centres) to each planting hole. This simple operation is likely to result in a dramatic improvement to the plant’s growth, particularly during its critical early years of development.

Moving plants

Deciduous trees and shrubs including roses, fruit trees, ornamentals and vines can be moved with safety at the moment. Take as much soil as possible with the roots and trim the top branches back by a third to compensate for the reduced root system. Water well after planting even if the ground is moist.

Reminders

Page 32: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

Good gardening

Planting for hot summers

www.diggerscom.au

Persian Rose (above) and the bottle tree (above right)

W ith the news now confirmed that much of Australia is heading for an El Nino, it’s

timely to think about plants and trees we can incorporate into the garden to create welcome shade while producing flowers to delight.

Magnificent shade trees are a great start and there are so many that do well in hot summers and need little water.

Examples of large trees are the cork oak, Quercus suber with its graceful evergreen shade canopy and distinctive textured bark.

Other large oaks to consider are the holm oak, Quercus ilex which unlike the English oak, thrives in our dry climate and can be kept trimmed to 5m x 3m for a dry climate green screen.

The scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea which is rarely found in Australian gardens provides wonderful shade and a blaze in autumn of intensely crimson leaves.

Other Mediterranean trees that are worth considering are the stone pine, Pinus pinea, also known as the umbrella pine for its umbrella-like shade.

It has been cultivated in the dry Mediterranean regions since pre-historic times because it is tough yet elegant and produces delicious pine nuts perfect for pesto and muesli.

The carob, Ceratonia siliqua is a tough, drought tolerant shade tree with the added

beauty of delectable showy pods that are used as a substitute for cocoa when ground.

Worth considering are some of our Australian native rainforest trees that will need a little more irrigation than a Mediterranean tree, but are still quite robust once established.

Interesting examples are the bush kurrajongs, Brachychiton discolor which is a

superb specimen tree with a profusion of wooly, cup-shaped pink flowers

on leafless branches at Christmas, followed by a dense canopy in time for the peak of summer heat.

The bottle tree, Brachychiton rupestris can be grown in pots in cooler climates or in the garden with its hallmark swollen trunk. The wild plum,

Harpephyllum caffrum is a terrific choice for smaller gardens

as it only grows to 8m, but is fast growing so provides shade quickly.

But what about summer flowers? The Persian rose is hard to beat!

Englishman Chris Warner recently developed a new series of disease-resistant repeat flowering roses using a unique desert species.

Rosa persica, native to the dry, baked hillsides of Iran, gives sumptuous poppy-like flowers with an evocative dark central blotch on each petal – just like poppies.

These ‘new’ roses thrive in our dry summer heat, continually blooming well

into autumn. The cultivar For Your Eyes Only Rosa

x persica is new to Diggers and is the gardener’s rose by any count as this award winning specimen ticks all the boxes for a gardener. It is heavenly scented, repeat flowering, mildew resistant and has a neat compact shrub-like form that works well with other garden shrubs and perennials.

Another of the Persian roses is Blue For You which is the most garden worthy blue rose available, producing a unique succession of semi-double lilac mauve flowers which fade to a soft slate-blue.

Golden stamens radiate from a white centre and with a compact form that’s bound to please, not to mention a fragrance as sweet as violets.

Eyes For You is the third rose in the Persian group and has cream buds opening to mauve-pink flowers with golden feathered stamens.

These mature dramatically, revealing a bright purple eye that intensifies until the petals fall.

Regular deadheading will encourage waves of exquisite flowers appearing over a rounded shrub. After the final autumn flush, vibrant elongated hips will carry colour right up to winter.

All these are available through Diggers at www.diggerscom.au or call 8238 8671the Adelaide Garden Shop at the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

32 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Page 33: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 33

I t’s surprising how many simple but very practical watering tasks can be carried out at this time of the year.

Let’s start with a thorough inspection of some important (but often overlooked) irrigation components.

First inspect the filters, drippers, sprays and sprinklers. Are these leaking or damaged, do they need repairing or replacing? What about the ratchet clamps and hose connectors? Are they damaged – do these need replacing, along with any irrigation timer batteries?

When these elements have been checked, it’s worthwhile carrying out a working check to ensure all drippers, sprays and sprinklers are operating efficiently.

Winter wateringIn many gardens, there are plants that

still need watering through winter. These include those growing indoors, along with those in gardens, pots and hanging baskets under house eaves or in protected locations such as greenhouses, nurseries and glasshouses. However, make sure your watering program is reduced to a minimum as the aim should be to ensure adequate moisture levels without ‘over-watering’.

Water savings from system shutdown

It’s surprising how much water is wasted when irrigation systems are not turned off

during the wetter months. Practical suggestions include:

Tap and isolation valves that supply water to tap timers, etc should be turned off to prevent off-season blowouts.

Coil up garden hoses along with other irrigation devices (sprinklers, etc). These should be packed away in the shed or garage out of harm’s way and protected from the elements.

Turn off all battery timers and auto controllers and remove all on-tap devices. This will prolong their life usefulness by reducing the exposure to the elements.

Set auto timers and irrigation controllers to a rain setting or zero the percentage adjustment on timers with that facility. This will save water during the ‘wet months’, by effectively turning off the automatic watering programs.

Cap or install bug caps on drip lines, as well as micro and hose systems that require a hose connection for operation. This reduces bugs, nesting insects and foreign material entering the hose line and thus prevents blockages next season.

Planning new watering systemsDuring winter, cooler weather and ‘soft’

soils make it much easier to dig irrigation trenches, resulting in far less stress when preparing for a new watering system. At the same time, you will find irrigation store staff and professional irrigation installers are more readily available. In addition, there are significant advantages in preparing and purchasing your irrigation equipment during the off season rather than the busy spring and summer months.

All things considered, it may also be time to treat yourself to that new irrigation system you were ‘gunna’ install last summer.

Alan White is marketing manager at SA based irrigation company, Antelco Pty Ltd.

Waterwise gardening in winter

IRRIGATION

www.antelco.com

Winter may be the ‘off’ season but it’s the right time to check

your watering system for the season ahead, says ALAN WHITE.

Page 34: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

34 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

I t seems odd to be talking pest control when the leaves are on the ground and any sensible bugs are tucked up tight

in their winter hideaways! However, as dark as the days may seem right now, warm spring weather will soon be here.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) requires more than just hitting the spray bottle when a pest emerges, so here are some tips for winter pest management.

Pruning trees to remove dead, diseased or damaged branches is essential for IPM.

On fruit trees, any mummified fruit should also be removed and discarded in the compost or green bin.

These leftover fruit can carry all sorts of disease spores and breaking the disease cycle in dormancy is one of the most effective controls you can do.

Similarly, any deciduous plants that refuse to lose all their leaves (yes roses, I am talking about you!) then it is a good idea to remove this remnant foliage.

Do not leave this material lying around, but compost or remove it from the garden.

Winter oil sprays can be really effective on some hard to get to pests that build up in summer.

If you have had scale problems on deciduous fruit trees, a winter oil can knock numbers down now without damaging foliage, fruit or the good guys.

Other pests that can be controlled with this dormant spray are aphids and mites. Apply sprays after pruning and full defoliation of the plants to maximise coverage.

You may be lucky enough to occasionally find an overwintering mass of ladybird predators.

These will clump in massive numbers

for protection over winter, and it is not unheard of to find thousands in one tree.

If you see this, take a photo as it may be a once in a garden lifetime occurrence. Then leave them alone!

Needless to say, don’t spray that part of the tree if you do find them!

Consider replanting badly infested parts of the garden now.

Trees or shrubs that are always targets for pests are better off being replaced.

Plan for improved airflow and sunlight into diseased parts of the garden.

Design garden beds with lots of flowering plants, including grasses, shrubs and annuals.

The greater the mixture of flowering and foliage plants, the greater the attraction for good bugs.

Pruning and (diverse) planting to manage

pests and diseases is a key to pesticide free gardening.

And finally, great pest control starts with great soil health.

Assess what is needed to get the maximum soil health in your garden. Build up the organic matter and soil structure as much as you can.

No amount of toxic pesticide can replace good soil health when it comes to bug management.

So enjoy your winter gardening with an eye to a pest free garden next spring.

Stuart Pettigrew runs Bug Central, an Adelaide based company supplying horticulturalists and home gardeners with insect predators to control a range of insect pests, (08) 8121 5612, [email protected]

Winter is the perfect time for home gardeners to prepare next

season’s insect pest control strategies, says STUART PETTIGREW.

Winter offers a head start on garden insect control

Aphids are quickly mummified (left) by a small parasitic wasp or devoured by ladybirds (above).

Page 35: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 35

Good gardening

A flower-adorned mermaid and a garden designed for all ages will be the showpieces of the

Horticulture display at this year’s Royal Adelaide Show.

Designed to connect children with the beauty of flowers, the raven-haired mermaid will be hiding in her ancient rock pool garden in the Goyder Pavilion, surrounded by treasures collected on her sea adventures.

Coordinator Heather Robertson, from the Show’s Horticulture Committee, said the Show Mermaid was a mystical and magic creation that would appeal to the younger generation and adults alike.

“Children are the nature warriors of the

future and I want them to fall in love with flowers and to see and feel the magic they can create, whether in a floral display or their own garden,” she said.

Heather has been working with Matt Jonsson, from Virtual Life Productions, to create the raven-haired beauty and surrounding display, which will be on show throughout the Show.

“The mermaid’s three-metre tail will be made from thousands of blooms and flowers will also enhance her secret rock pool garden,” Heather said.

The other main horticulture feature at the 2015 Show will be Sophie Thomson’s Garden for Life, and there will be a

strong focus on 2015 as the UN International Year of Soil.

An extension of Sophie’s 2014 gold-medal winning display, Backyard for Kids, Garden for Life will feature spaces to suit people

of all ages - from children, teenagers and young couples to empty nesters and those in their latter gardening years.

Displays of competitive entries in the Horticulture Section will also feature, and South Australian gardeners are encouraged to enter their efforts into one of the many competitive classes.

For entry forms or more information visit www.theshow.com.au or (08) 8210 5211.

Garden for all and floral mermaid features in Royal Adelaide Show

Page 36: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

36 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Kids in the garden: for the love of dirt

There is a magnetism between kids and dirt – it looks like chocolate and tastes like freedom. Just add

water and it’s an artist’s medium! Instead of fighting it, get smart:

Create ‘gardening clothes’ – choose hard-wearing, non-white(!) outfits that they like to wear and you won’t stress about.

Consider a ‘gardening apron’ for baking mud-pies (note: wiping hands on thighs seems to be an innate practice that not all apron designs protect from, choose wisely!).

Make shoes an optional choice. If there’s no reason to wear them, don’t insist. Who really wants to be scraping clods out of treads or doing a stained sock test with the leading brand of washing powder? Not me!

Include the broom in their set of gardening tools. Kids form habits just as much as adults. A final sweep up afterwards isn’t as far-fetched as it may first seem.

You can also rest easy in the knowledge that playing in dirt with all of its wonderful bugs and bacteria builds your kids’ strong immune system.

Exercising their immune system in this way allows it to grow and fully develop to be able to fight off illness and disease.

Kids love dirt because their natural instinct tells them that it is beneficial for them, and helps them grow up healthier.

Finally, let the kids remind you how much fun getting dirty really is.

Get in there and get reacquainted with just how delicious mud pies can be!

Label with careNow that the dirty work is done, the

kids’ handiwork could benefit from some labelling so they know what’s planted

where (and importantly, whose is whose!). Kids will love the creativity involved with

sign-writing: they may choose to colour-code the different types of plants or to draw what they’ve planted (especially great for those still learning how to write).

It’s often helpful to put the date of planting on the labels to help them learn to appreciate the long-term benefits of growing your own (versus the instant gratification of buying food from a shop).

Don’t feel as though labels need to be store-bought.

If you have older kids with whittling skills, any small branch can be transformed into a plant marker by carefully shaving off a flat section to write upon.

An even easier option is to use paddle pop

sticks. Surprisingly, pencil tends to last longer

than permanent texta as the natural carbon in the lead doesn’t wear off as much in rain and sunlight.

Best of all, these plant labels can be reused over and over by giving them a quick rub down with sand paper to remove the writing. Hannah Thwaites is Owner of The Productive Garden Co., an Adelaide-based business specialising in the design and installation of edible gardens and all about “Growing gardens you can eat!”

How do you stop the kids from getting dirty in the garden?

Simple answer – you don’t, says HANNAH THWAITES.

www.productivegardenco.com.au

Page 37: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 37

Good gardening

Do yourself a healthy favour with DIY vegetables

Growing vegetables through winter really is easy. The biggest problem of keeping your plants

watered is solved thanks to regular showers and occasional rain.

It is surprising how many types of vegetables grow steadily during the colder months.

Small headed hybrid cabbage such as Superette, should be top of the list, as seedlings planted now will be ready to harvest in 10-12 weeks.

If they are spaced 40cm apart, you can plant your punnet of 6-8 seedlings in a relatively small area. Larger headed varieties including Ballhead, take a few weeks longer to mature and should be spaced 60cm apart.

Broccoli is just as easy to grow with Green Dragon, spaced 45-55cm apart, also maturing in 10-12 weeks.

Broccoli produces a single large green

head, but once this is removed, the plant will produce side branches and numerous small heads.

Silverbeet produces lush, green leaves and edible stems. It is also very productive as you continue to harvest the outer leaves once the plants start to mature.

Leafy vegetables should have 50 grams of complete fertiliser per metre of row worked into the topsoil before planting out. For extra growth, try applying liquid fertiliser every two to three weeks once the plants are well established.

If you have plenty of room, brown and white onions are worth considering. They will grow readily from seedlings but will need 25-30 weeks to mature.

For a sunny spot in the garden, there are peas and dwarf broad beans. Both take 12-14 weeks to mature but provide you with a continuous harvest. Peas and beans are best grown from seed.

www.easycolour.com.auAvailable at leading Nurseries

and Garden Centres

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Reminders

Lawns

Don’t mow lawns when they are wet, the plants bruise easily. If the grass becomes rank, don’t be tempted to reduce the height in one operation. Again, you may damage the grasses. Aim at removing no more than 25 per cent in one operation.

Page 38: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

38 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

Dormancy comes for many exotic plants in our South Australian winter, like deciduous trees, roses

and herbaceous shrubs, revealing others.The bare trunks and branches of exotic

trees often contrast well with the solid, structural shapes of evergreen conifers and hedged walls. Light levels are lower and so colour intensifies.

Sun and warmth can be captured in gardens protected from cold winds by hedges or walls. One of my favourite hedging plants for our climate is the Viburnum tinus. It is a hardy, evergreen shrub with dark green leaves and of a moderate growth rate.

In late autumn, tight pink flower buds form, opening during winter to large creamy heads of fragrance, made up of many small flowers.

The flowers are followed by dark blue, ornamental berries. Once flowering is complete, the plant may be trimmed but will keep a compact tidy appearance without pruning.

Tolerant of many soil types, but preferring well drained soil and full sun or part shade, establish this frost-hardy plant over its first few summers with deep watering that reaches the roots.

If your boundaries are defined with colourbond fences or unsightly sheds,

a winter-flowering climber for quick cover is the Hardenbergia violacea (commonly known as ‘Happy Wanderer’ or ‘Sarsaparilla’).

Give the plant something to grow up and you’ll have a wall of purple pea-like flowers in late winter to early spring. It is not a rampant grower, only growing to about a metre in width.

A pale pink variety known as Hardenbergia ‘Rosea’ is available and another pure white named Hardenbergia ‘Alba’. These plants prefer well-drained soil and will tolerate light frosts. Trim back after flowering if you want to maintain a close, tidy shape.

During our winter months, birds and

Winter’s wonders come out of the shadows

Deciduous trees and shrubs are dormant through winter, allowing

other plants their moment in the limelight. KATHy ERREy explains.

Arctotis – now much longer flowering.

Hebes produce masses of flowers. Viburnum tinus for creamy heads of fragrance.

Page 39: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 39

Good gardening

beneficial insects need food and shelter. In particular, red flowers attract nectar eating birds.

Paper daisies (botanical name, Bracteantha bracteata) are available as both annuals and perennials and can be grown from seed or bought as potted plants in nurseries.

Some are groundcovers and others have a more shrub-like, upright habit.

Colours range from red to orange, pink, yellow and white. The red one pictured here flowered in winter in my own garden but they can flower throughout the year.

Paper daisies require full sun, soil that is open and friable and should be cut back lightly after flowering.

Hebe ‘Inspiration’ originates from New Zealand and is a compact, wind and frost tolerant shrub growing to only 70cm x 70cm.

It is evergreen and produces masses of

purple flowers (and a few white) in late winter to spring.

Plant breeders are not only bringing us more compact, longer flowering plants through careful selection and time-consuming trials, but also plants that will flower outside their traditional season.

The Arctotis plant originally from Africa is now available in hybrids that flower from late autumn through winter to spring.

The Arctotis is a hardy, groundcover plant with large, daisy-like, brilliantly coloured flowers on a background of soft, silvery foliage.

It grows best in free draining soil and has low water requirements. Deadhead the plant during flowering to encourage more blooms.

Curb the enthusiasm of weeds coming into spring and fertilise your garden as soon as the soil starts to

warm and your plants begin to grow.We are lucky to have four distinct seasons

in South Australia – it makes gardening so much more interesting. Include highlights for each season in your garden.

Kathy Errey is a passionate gardener with many years experience in growing both new and traditional plants.

Paper daisies - easy to grow.

NEWRELEASE

Page 40: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

40 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

The fertiliser dilemma: when and how much?

Does the garden need feeding each year? Which fertiliser is best, animal manures or one of the

manufactured blends and what happens if you use too much?

Let’s start with the basic question. Do you need to fertilise the garden each year?

If your landscape comprises largely of trees and shrubs and they are suited to your garden soil, the answer is probably no.

Trees and most shrubs have an extensive root system capable of gathering the nutrients they need from the natural elements in the soil – providing of course you allow the leaves and small branches that fall on the ground to remain there – where they can be broken down and returned to the soil.

If, on the other hand, you regularly remove branches or rake up the leaves and consign them to the rubbish heap, some form of fertilising is called for.

This brings us to the issue of how much fertiliser is needed.

The answer is ‘replace what you remove’. For example, vegetables and flowering annuals are planted close together and so the competition for available nutrients in the soil is quite intense.

In both cases flowers, fruits or leaves are removed and after harvest the spent plants are also removed from the growing area.

They will of course provide a bigger

harvest or plenty of blooms over an extended period if the plants are stimulated into strong vigorous growth, particularly in the early stages of their development.

When it comes to growing vegetables or flowers, fertilisers that promote vigorous growth for fruits and flowers are called for.

As a general rule, fertilisers that contain high levels of nitrogen promote strong vigorous growth, while elements such as phosphorus and potash stimulate root growth and encourage fruits and flowers.

The lawn is another area where the individual grasses are subjected to intense competition.

They are also required to grow vigorously over an extended period and all too often the surplus material (clippings) removed on a regular basis.

Again a fertiliser with high levels of nitrogen is required to stimulate and promote strong leaf growth.

However, it is important not to overlook the roots. They need a little phosphorus, particularly early in the season when the plant is about to make strong growth.

Potash is also necessary as it plays an important role in toughening the cell walls of plants and in this case protecting the lawn grasses against the constant wear and tear of mowing and the threat of lawn diseases stimulated by mowing and watering.

Rose bushes and other shrubs that are constantly cut or required to grow vigorously like vegetables and flowers, will need to be regularly topped with a fertiliser that is high in nitrogen as well as having reasonable levels of phosphorus and potash.

FREE email Garden Reminders direct to your inbox

every Friday

Jon Lamb’s

Join the email list atwww.gardenandoutdoorliving.com

Page 41: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 41

Good gardening

Colour my hydrangeas blue – or pink

I t is very easy to change the flower colour of hydrangeas by amending the pH of the soil around the plants’ roots.

Acid soils like those in the Adelaide Hills produce blue flowers, while those growing in alkaline soils, and that includes much of the Adelaide Plains and country districts, are pink.

Changing flower colour is easily achieved if your soil is only slightly acid or slightly alkaline.

However, it is very difficult when the pH is at either extreme.

Your best bet in this case is to grow your plants in containers where you are in charge of the potting mix and the materials you add (particularly the fertilisers) which will determine whether the pH is either acid or alkaline.

To produce pink flowers add half a cup of garden lime to the plant’s root system in

late autumn and again in early spring. If the plants are in containers, use one

tablespoon of lime to 10 litres of potting mix (10 litres should fill a typical 30cm diameter container).

You may have to use three or four applications if the soil is very acid, but if the leaves start to turn yellow, stop the treatment and apply iron chelates both to the leaves and root system as the change in pH is locking up the plant’s supply of iron.

For blue flower heads in neutral to slightly alkaline soil, use a proprietary hydrangea blueing mix according to directions.

An alternative is to apply aluminium sulphate using one heaped teaspoon dissolved in two litres of water every two months starting in May and continuing through November.

Grown locally, we offer plants that perform in seedlings, flowering annuals, perennials and landscaping packs.

Available at: Big W, Bunnings, Home Timber and Hardware, Mitre 10, Plants Plus, Thrifty-Link Hardware and Garden Centres

Page 42: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

42 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Good gardening

I s your landscape a statement about your passion for a particular flower or colour?

It is easy to get caught up with garden fashion and end up with a landscape that is not in harmony with either your house or the surrounding environment.

The right garden design should compliment the architectural style of your house and if possible, the trees, shrubs, buildings and other features in the neighbourhood.

Above all, it should reflect the lifestyle of the people who live within the house.

Present Mediterranean or Tuscan style landscaping incorporating rows of standard roses flanked by clipped box or lavender hedge, may suit an old colonial style house and possibly pre-war bungalows, but this style looks quite wrong around the 1960s triple fronted brick veneer.

On the other hand, houses from this era, with their low box shapes blend perfectly with plantings of straight upright plants such as conifers, flax and ornamental grasses. They also can be complimented with large sweeps of open lawn.

Houses from the 60s, particularly those with darker bricks, often need masses of medium sized dense shrubs close to the house and with a few well chosen taller trees in the background, give the feeling that the house and garden are one.

ColourIn the quest for colour in the garden it is

easy to become over enthusiastic.When choosing colour or colours for the

house, most pleasing effects are usually achieved by selecting one or two colour themes and have them repeated in different areas.

The principle works just as well in the garden. It is very easy and fun to create a kaleidoscope of colour all over the garden.

But the overall effect will be far more pleasing if you select one or two colours or

at least colours that are complimentary to each other i.e. blue and mauve or mauve and pink.

Alternatively, you can use two colours that contrast such as white and yellow or red and blue.

The overall effect in the landscape can be increased considerably by repeating colours in different parts of the garden.

Furthermore, on most plants, the blooms are there for a ‘short time only’. For evergreens, it’s the foliage that remains 12 months of the year.

In many gardens, selecting plants for the colour and texture of the plant’s foliage will produce a more dramatic and certainly a more extensive effect than those selected for their flowers alone.

For example, the dark green of a clipped boxed hedge planted next to the low grey soft foliage of Nepita (cat nip) or Santolina, is both permanent and dramatic.

FrontToo many gardeners design their

landscape from the front road rather than the front window.

This style may please the neighbours, but as a resident of a house, your main view will be the backs of shrubs that also tend to block out light from the windows.

The alternative is to flank the side walls with screening plants to give privacy from your neighbours while providing attractive feature plants well away from the house which allows the resident to look out into what could be another room of a house or at least an attractive colourful painting.

LawnThe lawn doesn’t have to be

confined to one large dominant shape at the back or front of the house.

Even in relatively small gardens it is possible to have two or three small lawn areas divided or separated by trees or shrubs of varying size.

Again the idea is to create the effect of two or three small intimate rooms or spaces rather than one large vast open expanse of grass.

Exception to this may be when the family is at a stage when a mini football field is a distinct advantage.

RockBe wary of the wonderful array of pavers,

bricks, driveway materials and ornamental rocks.

Pavers, clay bricks and moss rocks make it very easy to turn pathways, drives and retaining walls into an attractive feature.

But take care not to introduce too many textures and colours. Instead of producing a feature you may create a visual eyesore.

Look at the colour and texture of housing materials and existing paths.

Where possible, choose feature materials that blend with those already in existence. In other words, choose sandstone pavers around a house that is made of sandstone or yellow colour bricks.

Moss rocks may look quite spectacular as a feature in the garden.

But too many moss rocks around the garden, particularly if you already have large areas of red paver bricks can look completely out of character.

There’s a lot to learn about landscaping

Garden design should reflect your lifestyle.

By JON LAMB

Page 43: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 43

In my experience, home gardeners are very skilled at recognising irrigation problems in their own garden. At the

same time, they are continually looking for ways to improve the way their garden is watered.

In reality, winter is a very good time of year to collect information on irrigation efficiency. In this case, we are talking about emitter types and technological advancements and how these can be used to improve the effectiveness of your own home irrigation system.

Efficient irrigation means applying the right amount of water at the correct pressure for the right period of time.

The selection of an emitter should be based on the soil type and the slope. As a general rule, the slower and more gently water is applied – the more chance it has to soak into the soil and benefit your plants.

Irrigation manufacturers are working very hard to develop new, water efficient home garden products.

This includes drippers, emitters, sprinklers and in particular, weather sensors that control irrigation run times. Advancements in recent years have been substantial and have been to the benefit to those home gardeners who have embraced the new technologies.

Programming your irrigationMany gardeners with an automatic

irrigation system set their program in September and run the same program through to April when there is usually a significant rain event.

There are now affordable, smart weather stations such as the Hunter Industries Solar Sync weather sensor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJyZkguynjg) that are designed to adjust the run time of your irrigation controller to your local weather conditions.

These stations are easily connected to a suitable irrigation controller and will increase the irrigation run time in hot weather but reduce the run time in cooler weather. These devices can offer real savings.

In recent days, I have seen my home

weather station control my irrigation system through a cycle of OFF (following rain) to 30% of normal delivery run times. It is now sitting at 50% of delivery run time. This affordable technology is significantly reducing how much water I am applying according to the on-site conditions.

Many of these technologies are designed to work together – a good control system must control an efficient irrigation system to provide maximum benefit. However, if the budget is tight, I would recommend improving the delivery system first and improve the control system as the budget allows.

The technology now available in the irrigation industry is designed to offer home gardeners both effective and efficient irrigation.

If you are looking for further information, contact an experienced irrigation contractor. Your local irrigation shop can supply a list of local reliable operators. Friends or family who have recently installed a new system are another good source of information.

Richard Wilson is an independent irrigation installer and consultant and runs Adelaide Pumps & Gardens. Contact 0409 094 847.

Smart thinking for efficient watering

IRRIGATION

To find a local dealer and inquire about the HUNTER SOLAR SYNC® & SOIL-CLIK® please call:

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Tel: +08 8341 0008Toll Free Fax: +1 [email protected]

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www.hunterindustries.com.au

It’s a good time to think seriously about the way you water the

garden. Irrigation consultant RICHARD WILSON explains why.

Weather sensors like the Solar Sync are designed to allow your irrigation programmer to apply the right amount of water at the right period of time.

Page 44: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

44 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Winter a busy gardening season behind the scenes

Nursery & Garden Industry South Australia

GET GROWING

Cold weather and rain certainly slow down some of our gardening activities. However, behind the

scenes there is plenty going on in SA’s nursery and garden industry.

This activity is not only for the spring season ahead, but for summer and the seasons beyond.

Most plants are grown in pots or bags and these are supplied by Australia’s major pot supplier Garden City Plastics.

“Right now, wholesale nurseries are busy potting up roses or bagging bare-rooted plants so we have been busy supplying their pot needs,” says Graham Brown SA manager for Garden City Plastics.

“We also supply a broad range of other products widely used in the production nurseries.

“Those growing plants from cuttings use

hormones to promote the growth of roots as it is important to get the plants off to a good start.

“For established plants in pots, pre-emergent herbicides are important to stop weeds from growing over the wetter months,” says Graham.

Of course, the media in which plants are given their start in life is also important and in South Australia, there are several major producers who not only supply bagged products for home gardeners, but bulk quantities to the nurseries.

Van Schaik’s Bio Gro is South Australia’s only potting media producer which meets the industry’s highest standard of NIASA Biosecure HACCP. Based near Mount Gambier it supplies most of the potting

mix for plant growers. ‘Production’ nurseries are those where all the plants are grown for distribution to retail garden centres and nurseries.

Depending upon what they grow, they are all busy most of the year.Right now, production

rose growers are amongst the busiest, digging and bagging plants for the seasons ahead.

In SA, Knights Roses at Gawler is one of Australia’s biggest rose suppliers. Knights are responsible for varieties such as Black Caviar, and the new releases ‘LOVE YOU’ and ‘We Will Remember Them’ (recognising the contribution of Australian forces on the Western front during World

All bagged up and ready to go. Balhannah Nurseries Manager, Sam Luke surveys some of the 200 deciduous fruit tree varieties ready for sale through garden centres.

Page 45: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 45

Get Growing

For local gardening advice there is a wide selection across radio, television

and print in South Australia:

RADIO ABC 891am - Talkback Gardening with

Jon Lamb - Saturdays, 8.30am-10.00am; Talkback Gardening with Malcolm Campbell - Sundays, 10.30am-11.30am

5aa – 1395am - Weekends with Michael Keelan, 6am -10am, Saturdays & Sundays

Coast FM - Gardening with Lorraine Poole from Fern Forest Nursery, 10.15am, 2nd Monday of the month

PRINTThe Advertiser - Gardening with Jon

Lamb, Saturdays, Weekend Extra The Sunday Mail - Gardening with

Sophie Thomson, Sundays Messenger Newspapers – Home &

Garden with Malcolm Campbell, Wednesdays

TELEVISION

Better Homes & Gardens – 7 Network, Friday nights at 7.30pm

Gardening Australia - ABC TV, Saturdays at 6.30pm and on iview

Get Dirty with Milton Vadoulis – Channel 44, Thursdays at 7pm, plus repeats

In the Garden with Kim Syrus – 9 Network, some Sundays at 5.30pm

Gardening advice on tap

From small cuttings big trees grow.

Propagating rooms at Native Plant Wholesalers, Mt Gambier are always busy through winter.

War 1). “We source new releases from overseas, mainly France, Germany and the UK, and some from Australia,” says Daniel Knight.

“However, it can be up to eight years in planning, importing and trialling before we know they are suitable for our conditions and are released onto the market.

“It takes around 10 months for a bare-rooted rose to be grown and prepared for sale.

“Over the year we would prepare around 400,000 roses for dispatch, but our busiest time is from the end of March through to August.”

Near Mount Gambier is one of Australia’s biggest native plant growers, aptly called Native Plant Wholesalers. According to Nursery Manager Jason Dawe, during winter most of the work is carried out indoors.

“Our propagating room is busy through winter preparing cuttings, not so much for spring but the seasons beyond,” says Jason.

“Many of our plants are produced by dividing advanced specimens such

as dianella. Over the year we probably produce more than 40,000 new plants through division and growing them on.

“Planning is a very important aspect of producing sufficient quantities of different varieties which is always a challenge.

“We generally plan 8-12 months ahead, but we never know what the demand will be because of factors like the weather.”

Winter is also a busy time of the year for Balhannah Nurseries which has been digging and bagging deciduous (ornamental and fruit trees) for winter sale.

Sam Luke from Balhannah Nurseries says by mid June all their trees have been prepared for sale and most have been delivered to retail nurseries.

“This season’s bare-root fruit tree list, including new varieties, was sent to retail garden centres late last November,” Sam said.

“Balhannah Nurseries has over 200 different varieties on its stock list.

“We also pot up two year old stock and ‘dormant budded root stocks’ for sale later in the year.”

Page 46: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

Garden Alerts

JUNE6-7 South Australian Regional Orchid Council (SAROC) Orchid Fair. (Sat 9am-5pm), (Sun 10am-4pm). Drill Hall, Torrens Parade Ground, King William Rd Adelaide.

JULY26-Aug 1 Gawler and Districts Orchid Club Winter Show. Golden Grove Village Shopping Centre, cnr The Golden and The Grove Ways, Golden Grove. During normal shopping hours.

AUGUST15-16 Camellias SA Annual Show. (Sat 12noon-4.30pm) (Sun 10am-4.30pm). Carrick Hill, 46 Carrick Hill Drive, Springfield.

SEPTEMBER4-13 Royal Adelaide Show, Adelaide Showground, Goodwood Rd, Wayville. Visit the Royal Adelaide Show website for more details

13 Herb Society Spring Propagating Day (2pm-4pm), Findon Community Centre, 222 Findon Road, Findon

Waite Arboretum regular walking tours Free guided walks of the Waite Arboretum are held on the first Sunday of every month from 11 am - 12.30 pm. Meet in front of Urrbrae House, Waite Campus (enter via Fullarton Rd)

Botanic Gardens guided walks (walks last 1.5 hours) Adelaide Botanic Garden - leaves Schomburgk Pavilion, 10.30am daily (except Christmas and Good Friday)

Mt Lofty Botanic Garden - leaves lower car park, Lampert Rd, Piccadilly, 10.30am every Thursday

Wittunga Botanic Garden - leaves car park, Shepherds Hill Rd, Blackwood, 10.30am first Tuesday in August to end of November

Are you running a gardening event? For listing in SA Garden and Outdoor Living, contact Jon Lamb Communications [email protected] or send details to 891ABC gardening noticeboard.

Join Jon Lamb for South Australia’s top rating talkback gardening program every Saturday morning 8.30-10am - part of Weekends with Ashley Walsh on 891ABC Adelaide.

1. Open Gardens South Australia / 2. A legume / 3. A hand / 4. Cherry /5. RedQuiz answers

DO YOU KNOW?

(Answers at the bottom of the page)

1. What is the name of the new group in South Australia taking over from Open Gardens Australia?

2. The peanut is not actually a nut, what is it?

3. What do you call a bunch of bananas?

4. Which fruit includes a variety called Morello?

5. What colour is the new Gallipoli Centenary Rose?

Compiled by Ashley Walsh who presents the 891 ABC Adelaide Toughest Quiz in Town on weekends, Saturday 10.30 am.QUIZ TIME

Charming gardens and grounds surround the original home and studio of renowned Australian artist Sir Hans Heysen, as well as the studio of his daughter Nora. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4.30pm. Closed Mondays, except for public holidays. Guided tours of the house and studio at 11am and 2pm during winter. Heysen Road, Hahndorf. Ph 8388 7277

A RICH HERITAGEArt and Roses at The CedarsSunday, November 8PUT THIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY NOWwww.hansheysen.com.au

The Cedars, Hahndorf

SA’s gardening calendar : compiled from the 891ABC gardening noticeboardWhat’s on

46 GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015

Page 47: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

GARDEN & OUTDOOR LIVING / WINTER 2015 47

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TRADE DIRECTORy

Nursery and Garden Industry SA members

Akers Of Lawn 578 States Rd, Onkaparinga Hills 8326 3255AridSmart Nursery Stuart Highway, Pt Augusta 8641 9116 •Banner Mitre 10 Stores Norwood, Glenelg, Mt Gambier, Millicent,

Blackwood, Naracoorte, Mt Barker8362 8992

Augusta Garden Centre Lot 102 Stuart Highway, Pt Augusta 8642 4022Balhannah Mitre 10 37 Onkaparinga Valley Rd. Balhannah 8398 7800Barossa Mitre 10 7 Gawler Street, Nuriootpa 8568 6005Barossa Nursery Barossa Valley Way, Nuriootpa 8562 2288 •Clare Plant Nursery & Outdoor Garden

3 Blanche Street, Clare 8842 2331

Cleveland Nursery 91 Mt Barker Rd, Stirling 8339 1595 •Corporate Roses Pty Ltd 81 Main South Rd, Myponga 8558 6055Crafers GC & Landscape 2 Piccadilly Rd, Crafers 8339 5949Daisy Patch Nursery 1 George Tce, Coonalpyn 8571 1172Fern Forest Nursery 175 Main Rd Willunga 8556 2818Garden Grove Supplies 1150 Golden Grove Rd, Golden Grove 8251 1111 •Garden Spaces & Outdoor Places 6 Fifth St, Koolunga 8846 6126Glenunga Mitre 10 499 Portrush Rd, Glenunga 8379 9866Glynde Mitre 10 Solutions 8 Glynburn Rd, Hectorville 8337 2344 •Heynes Garden Centre 283 The Parade, Beulah Park 8332 2933Homestead Gardens 6 Paterson Rd, Pt Paterson 8641 3220Hutchisons Nursery 72 Stewart Tce, Naracoorte 8762 3566Ibis Siding Nursery Lot 2 Kessell Road, Goolwa 8555 1311Kallinyalla Nurseries 10 Shaen Street, Port Lincoln 8682 2725Littlehampton Nursery 67 Main Rd, Littlehampton 8391 0022Mr B’s Garden Care 22 Goodwin Court, Para Hills 8281 1808Malvern Mitre 10 321 Unley Rd, Malvern 8272 8566 •

Manor Nurseries “The Old Mill”, Oakbank 8389 7744Morgan Park Garden Centre 66 Welch Rd, Victor Harbor 8552 7866 •McCourt’s Garden Centre 48 Davenport St, Millicent 8733 4566Milang & Community District Nursery 24 D’Aranda Tce Milang 8537 0808Misty Creek Garden Centre 9 Victoria Crescent, Mt Barker 8391 5329Munn’s Instant Lawn 356 Brighton Rd, Hove 8298 0555Newman’s Nursery North East Rd, Tea Tree Gully 8264 2661 •Norwood Garden Centre 299 Portrush Rd, Norwood 8431 5644Perry’s Fruit & Nut Nursery Kangarilla Rd, Mclaren Flat 8383 0268Potted Thoughts 11 Seventh Ave, Cheltenham 1300 655541Protea World Yundi & Victor Harbor Rd, Yundi 8556 0274Semaphore Pets & Garden 119 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore 8341 5915 •Serenity Nursery 201 Mannum Road, Murray Bridge 8532 1141Simpson’s Rices Creek 104 Saddleworth Rd, Auburn 8849 2323State Flora Belair Belair National Park, Belair 8278 7777 •Stratco Gepps Cross, St. Agnes, St. Marys,

Goolwa1300 185185

The Conservatory 80 Unley Rd, Unley 8272 9657The Earth Works Old Sturt Highway, Berri 8582 3775The Garden Depot 14 Secker Road, Mt Barker 8391 6262The Plant People SA Main Rd, Gumeracha 8389 1393Vadoulis Garden Centre 554 Main North Rd, Gawler 8522 3400 •Virginia Nursery Gawler Rd, Virginia 8380 9560Wealdview Gardens Main Rd, Ashton 8390 1223 Wild Mulberry Garden Centre 117 Park Tce, Bordertown 8752 2722Yankalilla Landscaping & G/C 184 Main Rd, Yankalilla 8558 2461YorKreation Garden Centre 14 Third St, Minlaton 8853 2844 •

• Denotes Accredited Garden Centre

www.ngisa.com.au

Retail members

Landscape Association of SA memberswww.landscapesa.com.au

Australia

Page 48: SA Garden & Outdoor Living magazine - Winter 2015

COMBINING THE SERENITY OF THE GARDEN WITH THE PASSION OF PETS

COMBINING THE SERENITY OF THE GARDEN WITH THE PASSION OF PETS

A 119A Semaphore Road, Semaphore SA 5019 P (08) 8341 5915

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COMBINING THE SERENITY OF THE GARDEN WITH THE PASSION OF PETS