September
Chores
The weather mightn’t be markedly different, nor does the garden suddenly spring into life. But there is no doubt that the official arrival of spring on September 1 is accompanied in a gardener’s mind by an undefinable yet definite lightening of spirit, a fresh sense of hope and expectation.
Early birds
Northern gardeners can start sowing basil, chillies, eggplant, melons, cucurbits (pumpkin, squash and courgettes), peppers and tomatoes under cover (in glasshouses, cold frames or sunny window ledges). Gradually expose them to the outdoors and the cold as they mature. Those in cooler regions are best advised to wait until later in the month.
Again, while southerners and those in cooler parts could hold off for a few weeks, northerners may sow directly into the garden beetroot, carrots, chives, coriander, celery, celeriac, kale, leeks, lettuce, bok choy, parsnip, peas, radish, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, spring onion, swede, sweetcorn and turnips.
Flower seeds can be sown now, but first check seed catalogues, books and the internet for the best timing
How to make glass cloches
Traditional cloches will protect tender young plants from frost and cold, and are bell-shaped and made from glass. Posher ones with knobs to make carrying easier can still be found, but the knobs can concentrate the sunlight and burn a plant’s leaves. While these bought cloches tend to be larger (at least 20cm across), smaller ones are just as effective and, by the time most plants outgrow the large cloches, the need for them is long past. Any glass jar, from a jam jar up, is suitable, and more attractive in the garden than plastic soft-drink bottles, which are also suitable. For aesthetics, matching jars and those with more bulbous shapes are preferred. Alternately, if you have access to a glass cutter, the top third of clear-glass wine bottles make excellent cloches.
On the move
A colour combination failed to please? Textures clashed? Are the heights out of sync? Many perennials may be lifted, divided and replanted now – and moved around, with ease. That’s much of the joy of ornamental gardening, improving on the last season, trying to get it perfect. Best to keep plants out of the soil for the shortest time, then water in well.
Steal this look
Purples, blue-greens and hazy whites combine to create a restful garden scene – so cooling in the heat of midsummer. Simplicity is the key to this sophisticated arrangement. While restraint is needed for these dichromatic colour schemes, planning makes them easily achievable. The purple flowers are the fabulous Verbena bonariensis, a perennial that self-seeds gratifyingly readily. Borne on long, thin stems, the clusters of tiny blooms appear to float above the garden like flocks of violet butterflies. Any of the many variegated grasses and associated plants would be suitable for the ribbon of strappy blue-green and white foliage edging the border. Consider Carex ‘Everest’ with its pleasing arching foliage; Iris pallida (aka I. glauca). Which has the benefit of beautiful mauve blooms; or Dianella variegata, with its striking upright leaves. The gentle grey-green mounds of lavender in the foreground contrast beautifully with the variegated.
At stake
Place stakes and supports in now while plants are still small. Many larger perennials, especially, need them to avoid flopping. These include dahlias, peonies and delphiniums. Check stakes on larger trees to ensure they have not become too tight and are rubbing, damaging the trunk.
If the shoe fits…
Perfect for at home or pottering around the garden, the Merry People Billie Clog, $149.95, features a cosy neoprene lining, built-in arch support and enhanced traction for slippery surfaces
October
Chores
October is a most glorious time in the garden – the greens are seldom brighter nor the flowers fresher. Rose buds are swelling, along with all those gorgeous early bloomers – wisteria, delphiniums, Queen Anne’s lace, stock, snapdragons, lavender, sweet peas, roses, poppies, freesias and gladioli. In the edible garden, the young shoots of asparagus are ripe for cutting, the first of the broad beans, so tender and sweet, ready to pod for the pot.
In they go
In warmer northern parts, tomatoes are traditionally planted over Labour Weekend. If it’s too chilly and the soil is not warm enough, grow them under shelter, such as on a sunny window sill, in a glasshouse or under an eave – anywhere protected from frosts or cold winds. The same goes for courgettes, pumpkins, eggplant and peppers. The warmer your region, the sooner these can be planted out. Southerners are advised to wait until early November. While cold mightn’t kill young plants, it will set them back.
Summer croppers
Plant potatoes once shoots are about 3cm long in a sunny spot. Those potatoes already in will need mounding, that is piling earth up around the leaves until they are about 30cm tall. This encourages more tubers, protects tubers from greening in sunlight and lessens frost damage. Potatoes take three to four months to mature, according to the variety and whether they’re early, middle or late types. Plant citrus in well-drained soil in full sun.
Kūmara junction
The easiest way to propagate ku¯mara is by placing a tuber in a glass of water with its bottom submerged. Keep it somewhere warm until shoots and roots form, and all danger of frost is past. Then gently prise them off and plant in a sunny spot in well-drained soil. Or in a container, which is especially good where summers are shorter.
Young at heart
Give vegetable seedlings, perennials and annuals a boost with regular applications of liquid fertiliser. Also, continue sowing or planting manageable quantities of lettuce, radish, spring onion, carrot, beetroot and so on. Little and often is the key with these.
Steal this look
Lawdy, Miss Gaudy! The shrubbery of azaleas and rhododendrons is unashamedly flashy – boldly upholding the premise that nothing in nature clashes. In spring, both species tend to be smothered in the most magnificent blooms, be that because of their size or their amazing colour. Usually these obscure much of the foliage and by omitting a good proportion of green the colour saturation. And the impact – are amplified. Given there are thousands of varieties, shapes, colours, shades and sizes (from diminutive shrubs to mighty forest giants) of these two closely related species, how you interpret this look is an open book. Just remember they tend to like filtered sunlight, well-draining, moist and slightly acidic soil. A good layer of leafy mulch never goes astray, especially when the plants are young.
How to mulch
Effective mulch preserves moisture in the soil, suppresses weeds, and in the case of organic materials such as compost, straw, leaves, grass clippings and compost, stimulates microbial activity in the soil as it breaks down. Mulch ideally should be applied about 10cm-thick around plants, but not piled up against stems or trunks, or smothering seedlings. Avoid using sawdust from treated wood as it can be toxic to soil life. Spread mulch around any time of year – in spring, compost will mainly feed the plants and improve the soil; whereas straw applied in early summer helps conserve moisture in the hot months. Placed over a perennial bed in autumn, straw will protect plants from the worst ravages of frost.
Landscape 101: Mosquito madness
The arrival of outdoor living is usually accompanied by the appearance of mosquitoes and sandflies. Eradicating them may be impossible, but they can be discouraged from hanging around with some judicious planting.
A citronella plant itself won’t repel mosquitoes, but its leaves, crushed and rubbed on clothing, will send them seeking more amenable subjects to bite. The attractive clump-forming grass can grow 1-2m tall by one metre, so plant with forethought. Preferring sub-tropical to temperate regions, it will need to be grown in a pot anywhere colder and brought inside or under cover over winter.
When its leaves are rubbed on the skin, catnip is considered even more effective than Deet for repelling mosquitoes. Ageratum with its pretty floss flower, however, needs merely to grow to be repugnant to them thanks to its odour.
Other plants with strong fragrances to repel insects include lavender, especially the more pungent French varieties; and marigolds, a well-known repellent. A bed of geraniums with scented leaves will help too, especially citronella and peppermint varieties. Talking of which, pop in some lemon balm and some mints (forget apple mint and concentrate on the more pungent peppermint and spearmint varieties). As well as its culinary uses, basil will repel insects, so grow it close to the outdoor kitchen where a pluck is a mere arm’s-length away.
Other herbs to grow close by are rosemary and sage. Both can be used in the pot or on the barbecue itself – throw some leaves on now and again to create a smoke that insects absolutely loathe.
November
Chores
November in the garden is busy – staking, weeding, deadheading, planting, sowing, feeding and picking. But it’s a lovely time to be outside in the warmth among the new growth. It’s so vibrant and vigorous that you can swear you can see it growing.
Tropical notes
In warmer climes, tropical blooms are easily grown outdoors. Consider these: Hibiscus and gardenias need rich soil and regular feeding. While hibiscus loves the sun, gardenias prefer it in the morning, with filtered afternoon sunlight. Give bird of paradise light soil in a warm spot, sheltered from cool winds. The mandevilla vine likes rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Amaryllis is best planted from now until early autumn in well-drained soil, with the bulb neck above the ground. Let it bake in summer and do not lift.
Steal this look
There is little call for flowers when there is paint nearly as beautiful in the vicinity. The fabled Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech was created by (no surprises here) a French painter, Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s. After his death in the early ’60s, the gardens fell into disrepair until restored in the ’80s by fashion designer Yves St Laurent. We all can’t possess such a Moroccan jewel, but we can steal so much for our own oases.
Throughout the 9000sqm garden, a stunning cobalt paint is used lavishly yet judiciously on walls, fountains, pools, pillars and assorted other architectural features. A yellow so acid it borders on acrid is the main accent and is employed sparsely. Actual blooms are flashy but few. Here’s to a stormy crimson bougainvillea engulfing an outhouse; a flock of imperious orange birds of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) peering over a low wall. As fingers on a piano keyboard, so the eye dances lightly back and forward from the bold bursts to the restful greens of the cacti, palms and other lush tropical plants.
You say tomato, I say…
If you haven’t yet planted tomatoes, do so somewhere sunny. Planting them a couple of centimetres deeper than you might otherwise enables roots to sprout from the buried stems. Anchoring the plants more firmly. This willingness to sprout roots means prunings will also take if inserted 10cm or so deep into the soil.
How to kill slugs… without harming the soil
Apparently, the average garden is home to about 20,000 slugs – all waiting to devour your seedlings the moment you pop them in. Sure there must be “something better than wasting good beer”, a reader found on the internet this organic solution for killing slugs. She has had so much success with it, she even feared she might be attracting all the slugs in the neighbourhood. Mix together 2 cups water, 2 tsp flour, 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp yeast. Place in shallow dishes, such as plastic takeaway containers, around seedlings. The slugs love it, but unfortunately for them, they also drown in it.
Landscape 101
Creating a fernery and capturing some of the beauty, atmosphere and smells of our native forests is a fantastic way to transform a dank, shady space, be it that grotty area on the south side of the house or the narrow path down by the garage. Of course, the fernery need not have started life as an unattractive spot – many are formed purely because they’re so beautiful. And when the summer sun gets too hot, who isn’t glad to have somewhere cool to hang out?
Here are some pointers:
While a shady site is desirable, many ferns are quite happy with morning or late afternoon sun. A death knell is the midday sun. Moisture is a must. Never let ferns dry out and water deeply during dry periods. On the other hand, they suffer if their roots sit in water or waterlogged soils as it interrupts their much-needed oxygen intake. So avoid clay soils. Rather, the soil should be free-draining and humus-rich. Incorporating into it plenty of rotted sawdust, rotted straw, compost or leaf mould never goes amiss. Some landscape suppliers stock “forest floor”, which makes an excellent mulch. Or use bark or wood chips.
While the world might seem your oyster when it comes to choosing what to plant, to create a realistic aesthetic and sustainable habitat, get a mix of tree and ground ferns, and plant only native ferns to minimise risk to our native bush through garden escapees. Some of the easiest to grow are aspleniums and Blechnum penna-marina, a pretty little thing found naturally in all but the Far North. It makes huge sense to grow those ferns native to your particular area. Check with the local DOC nursery for advice.
Getting the fernery established is the hardest part; once that’s done, ongoing maintenance is minimal – keeping them moist in drought and tidying up for aesthetic grounds, while some gardeners recommend an annual feed of blood and bone.
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