Flowers make you happy! - Sep 19, 2013
Dear Gardening Friends
It was so nice to get some rain last week. We have been waiting for some rain before we fertilised our lawn. Blake spread our Tim's Rapid Results lawn food on Monday afternoon. He used one of those Scotts fertiliser spreaders. They are a handheld spreader that shoots out the fertiliser evenly as you turn the handle. This is much better than those metal, push me fertiliser spreaders because it is made from plastic so it doesn't rust. We are hoping for a bit more rain now so the fertiliser can reach its full potential.
Our Tim's Rapid Results contains 21% Nitrogen so it can turn your grass bright in 14 days. The fertiliser is coated so it can't burn your lawn. It only releases when you water it or it rains.
It releases over 3 months so you won't become a slave to the lawn mower.
Simon fertilised his lawn a couple of weeks ago with Tim's Rapid Results and his lawn has never looked greener. Check out the photos.
Remember fertiliser doesn't make plants grow it makes plants that are already growing grow faster. After last weeks rain now is the time to fertilise your lawn and garden. We had great success last year with an organic fertiliser called "Rapid Raiser". This palletized organic fertiliser can be used on all plants growing in your garden. You can also use it in pots and vegetable gardens.
Rapid Raiser comes in a 20kg bag and it only costs $20.99. Put a handful around the drip line of all your shrubs. Put 2 handfuls around fruit trees. It will release over the next 3 months.
It does smell for a day or two but the smell goes away sooner if you water it in every day for a week.
You will often see the word "drip line" on fertiliser bags. This is directly below the outer leaves of your plant. This is where the feeder roots are. If you put fertiliser up against the trunk you could make your plants sick. Remember this when you are feeding plants in pots.
Fertiliser helps plants to fight off disease and insects and it makes your plants get more flowers in the future. Never fertilise plants that have just been planted. Fertiliser contains salt and this salt draws water out of damaged roots and kills plants. Don't fertilise your lawn or garden if you aren't going to water it.
I am enjoying looking at all the flowering plants in gardens around Macarthur. I got busted taking photos of a beautiful Wisteria growing on a fence in Camden. This head popped up wearing a lamp shade as a hat just as I was getting into position. We both nearly had a heart attack. I put a photo of my garden on Facebook last week and it got 1400 hits. It is a photo of my Belgian hybrid Clivias with a Cercis Forest Pansy Tree flowering in the sunshine. We sold out of Clivias last week but Simon has got some more. We are approaching 1000 friends on Facebook so please help us get past this landmark by becoming a friend.
I know you are probably getting sick of hearing about Manchurian Pear trees. I know my kids are! There are so many different varieties and they all flower at different times. One of the best flowering varieties is one called Pyrus Bradford. This grows into a beautiful shade tree. My trees came into flower this week so I have taken a photo to share with you. These trees are planted on the western end of my house so they shade the metal roof all summer long saving me heaps in electricity. The white flowers look sensational and at times it looks like it is snowing as the petals fall from the tree. In a couple of weeks the glossy green leaves with appear to shade my house. If you are planting one of these trees now make sure you cut the bottom of the pot away with a saw. Plant the tree then slide the pot up the trunk and cut it up the side to remove it. This way you won't disturb any of the roots.
Lobelia is a bit out of fashion these days but it makes a fantastic border plant and it is easy to grow. I drove past a house in St Helens Park this morning and the garden looked spectacular. I stopped and took a photo to share with you. This variety is Lobelia Crystal Palace. The colour is so intense. You can buy this from us now in a punnet. Simply take them out of the punnet and plant each plant 30cms apart. They will grow better if you have prepared the soil first by digging in some cow manure. Water daily and don't forget the snail pellets. Plants will flower in around 6 weeks. Once established you only need to water twice a week. They also look great in pots. They will flower for 4 or 5 months non stop.
Some early flowering Hydrangeas have arrived. Simon gets these from a nursery up north so they flower much earlier than ours. These make great flowering gifts. Much better value than a bunch of flowers and once they finish flowering you can plant them in your garden or in a pot. Remember Hydrangeas love a morning sun position with protection from the afternoon heat. They love lots of water.
If you love colour come and see us. Our nursery is packed with flowering plants. We should be charging an entrance fee. It is better than Floriade.
Garden Club Members get in free!
Happy gardening
Tim