Rose lovers wanted! - Sep 12, 2013
Dear gardening friends
Beautiful spring weather here again today! We didn't like that plus 30 degrees on Saturday and neither did our garden.
Karyn has been busy treating all our gardens with Wettasoil. This fantastic product breaks down the oily barrier and allows your soil to get wet again. You can buy it in a "hose on" bottle that treats 100 square metres or you can buy it undiluted and mix it yourself. The undiluted one goes much further and it works out much cheaper. Simply mix 15ml of Wettasoil in a 9 litre watering can and apply over 4 square metres. If you do buy the hose on bottle don't throw it away. The hose on bottle can be recharged by adding 375ml of concentrate and topping up with water.
Treat all your gardens, lawns and pot plants. Wettasoil doesn't replace water it just makes your water go further.
I did a home visit yesterday to a customer who was having trouble getting her plants to grow. Her house was at Maroubra. As I drove down the street I could see that all the plants looked grey.
When I arrived at the house I noticed the Buffalo lawns leaves were curling up. Plants are very smart. When it gets too hot and dry the leaves curl up so they are less exposed to the sun. This helps the plant transpire less water. When I looked at the problem hedge I noticed that the Buffalo lawn had been allowed to grow right up around the base of the plants. Grass is surface rooting so it gets all the water.
I dug up one of the plants to discover the soil in this part of the world is sand! It was like trying to grow something in a sand pit. I put the hose in the hole and ran it for 10 minutes and the hole never filled. The hole had a hole in it! To get plants to grow in this environment you would need to dig in heaps of organic matter. It is the organic matter in the soil that holds the water.
There was also no mulch on the garden. Mulch stops up to 80% of the water evaporating. If you mulch, the plants get more water so they grow better. I keep telling people that gardening is all about maths.
We have had lots of customers coming in to replace plants that have died in hanging baskets and pots over winter. The secret to getting plants to grow in pots is to buy big pots. Potting mix holds the water so the more potting mix there is in the pot the more water it will hold. Remember gardening is all about maths! If you have small pots then use these only in shady spots. Put your big pots in the sunny positions and choose plants that grow in the hot sun. Ask us for advice. We guarantee our plants so it is in our interest to sell you plants that will survive.
We have had heaps of interest from gardeners wanting to Topdress their lawns. Spring is the best time to fertilise and topdress your lawn. Modern topdressing is made from recycled green waste mixed with sand and manure. When you spread this over the top of your grass it fills in between the grass runners. When you water the topdressing it absorbs the water and releases it slowly into the soil. Your grass now gets heaps more water so it goes green and takes off. Have I told you that gardening is all about maths?
But because Topdressing is made from recycled greeenwaste if you put it on your lawn and don't water it will dry out and become hydrophobic! Once this happens it repels the water and it can actually make your lawn sick. So don't topdress your lawn if you aren't going to water it! We have topdressing here in bags for small areas or we can deliver it in bulk. One cubic metre of Tim's Topdressing will cover 80 square metres of grass. One cubic metre of Tim's topdressing costs $48.00 plus delivery. Fertilise at the same time with our Tim's Rapid Results lawn food and you will have the greenest lawn in the street.
If you love roses we need your help urgently. This year we potted our bare rooted rose bushes into our Tim's Best Potting mix. What a disaster! They have grown so big and bushy they are taking up too much room. Ryan has made the problem even bigger by spraying them every week with Seasol. The plants are massive. They are also all covered in buds and they are all starting to flower. Most are only $14.99 each. At this time of year we couldn't buy them from a wholesale nursery this cheap so you are getting them at below cost. The best news is they are flowering now so you can sniff the blooms and choose the ones with the best perfume. Talk to Ryan if you need help. He is our rose expert.
I have been waking up every morning to an explosion of orange flowers. I have a bed full of Clivias just outside the bedroom window. Clivias are so easy to grow in shady positions. The most spectacular variety is the Belgian hybrids. These have bright orange flowers with broad green leaves. Once you have one they can be split up every year or just leave them to multiply. Simon has made friends with a nurseryman who grows Belgian hybrid Clivias as a hobby. He supplies us each year with his best plants. They are huge plants covered in flowers. These would make a great gift too. Clivias grow well in pots or gardens and they are almost death proof! Come and see our display. Prices start at $17.99.
Are you looking for a nice small tree? One of the most spectacular spring blossom trees is a Cercis Forest Pansy. I have one in my garden and it is the shape of a giant umbrella. Perfect for small gardens it is covered in small purple pink flowers now. Soon its new purple red leaves will come out to add much need shade to my garden. Check out the photo of this Cercis I took in Tivoli. It definitely has the wow factor! We only have a few in stock so you will have to hurry.
Come and see us if you need help in the garden.
I hope you are enjoying our newsletter, pass it on to your friends and help them to become better gardeners too.
Best wishes
Tim