Kniphofia caulescens… more blue foliage than its counterparts and flowers late summer, early autumn. Photo: Jackie Warburton
Long-lasting red hot pokers are becoming popular as a flower for the vase as well as a low-water plant for the garden, writes gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.
Pet-safe red hot pokers (not all of them are red) attract bees and insects when they’re in flower.
Jackie Warburton.
Now is the time to remove any tattered winter growth and allow light to get into the crown of the plant to prevent it rotting. It grows as a rhizomatous plant and will get bigger over time.
It needs good drainage. Plant on a slight mound to prevent crown rot. To ensure repeat flowering, water well in the hot months and grow it in full sun.
Fertilise with a high potash, flowering fertiliser, one that’s low in nitrogen.
Kniphofia caulescens has more blue foliage than its counterparts and flowers late summer, early autumn. I’m trialling K.northiae in my garden and it is said to be the largest flowering of this species with thick, flowering spikes. It grows to at least 1.5 metres tall. It doesn’t self-seed and is a well-behaved plant in the garden.
NOW the soils and night temperatures are warm, the summer vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplants, capsicums and, of course, tomatoes, can be planted.
Zucchini plants are best grown in full sun and need a room to grow and spread out.
They have prickly plant hairs that can irritate the skin, so gloves should be worn when handling them.
I grow black jack zucchini because of their versatility in the kitchen, but there are many to choose from.
Golden zebra zucchinis is a hybrid squash and is bright yellow and worth a try. It grows to a nice bush-size plant.
Grow zucchini fast and pick when it’s no bigger than a hand, then move to cold storage as soon as possible.
Don’t plant it beside potatoes and other cucurbits (such as squash and pumpkins) to give them the best chance of growing.
Two plants a family is all that’s needed.
Eggplants, capsicums and tomatoes, all from the same family, all prefer the same growing conditions and don’t inhibit each other.
Tomatoes are the largest of these. So make sure that, as they mature, they don’t shade out smaller plants such as the eggplants and capsicums.
In a crop-rotation plan, plant solanaceae in the ground where the root vegetables and alliums were planted over winter.
Lilac… flowering now, one of the most fragrant flowers and a supreme pollinator as well. Photo: Jackie Warburton
FLOWERING now is the lilac, Syringa vulgarus, one of the most fragrant flowers of all. It is a supreme pollinator as well.
The fragrance from just a single flower in a vase is enough to fill an indoor space with honey scent.
It’s an old-fashioned, drought-tolerant plant that stands the test of time.
Lilacs not planted on root stock will sucker and can be hard to remove. Grafted lilacs will behave better. They’re usually grafted on privet rootstocks to ensure that the sion, the top part of the plant, doesn’t die.
Lilacs aren’t fussy plants; they don’t mind poor soil, but don’t like a lot of fertiliser. A good dose of lime in spring and autumn will keep the soil sweet and the pH high, which is what they like.
They flower on branches that grew last year so it’s important to lightly prune after flowering to keep them from getting leggy.
Jottings
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around seedlings.
Fertiliser all fruit trees and keep mulched.
Prune azaleas after flowering.
Plant lemongrass as an annual crop.
jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au
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