Dahlia's are taking center stage now, they are making it into more and more flower borders and look great mixed with late summer perennials. Dahlia tuba's are a good investment for the garden because they increase in size from year to year and in time can be broken up to plant as gap fillers. Dahlias bring vibrant colour into summer gardens with a style and colour for every situation - cacti, singles, pompom and more, a bright splash of candy pink, almost black, vivid red or sassy orange and they remain through until the frosts force them back into the ground.
Tall perennial phlox put on a fantastic show in our garden with it's tall frothy pinks and white. They are also a great investment for the garden because one plant will grow into large clump in no time and not only do they look beautiful the perfume from a clump of tall phlox can be intoxicating wafting about the garden. most tail phlox succumb to mildew, spraying with a herbicide when they start to leaf up helps to hold mildew back for a while. Once finished flowering cut large clumps down to the ground and remember to soak spray the crown when new growth appears.
Plant annual flower seeds now to give colour in the winter like Iceland poppy, primula malacoidies, Virginian stock (a great plant for winter hanging baskets) wall flower, and flowering kale. Have any of these at budding stage before the frosts arrive and they will push on and flower. This applies to coastal gardens only not further in land unless you have a frost free sheltered spot.
I have found over the years that if petunias in pots are cut back when they have finished flowering they will green up and flower again, I have one that is in it's third year of lowering and is into it's second flowering for this year. This works well for potted petunias but in the garden the ground would get too cold over the winter for them to last from year to year.
Pea straw is available again thank goodness, I could not garden as I do without the cover of pea straw over winter. Ross & Sue McCullough Phone 034326844 are offering large and small bales off the paddock.
Lawns
Lawns have really benefited from that last lot of rain it is strange to see them so green at this time of the year. As I mentioned last week grass grub is on the munch again but I have just learned that the only brand of grass grub prill's offered have been taken off the market! A water on product is available but I have never used it so cannot rate how effective it is, but I do know that if this product is used the lawn needs a good soaking down to the grass roots to enable the product to get down to where the grubs are feeding, however if too much water is applied it could wash the product past the root depth.
Veg &fruit Many edibles are peaking in production to enjoy at the moment. Water in the morning or evening before or after the full heat of the sun, otherwise there’s too much evaporation for the plants to thrive. I swear my pumpkins grow every time I turn my back on them! a bumper crop this summer I feel.
I have been free flow freezing veg when I have the time, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, courgette's beans, peas and corn all keep well after blanching in hot water then freezing in the free flow method. For those not familiar with this, after blanching I spread the veg out on oven trays, freeze then bag.
This is the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside. Examples are lettuce, spinach, celery, cabbage, cauliflower.
Cheers, Linda.
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