Summer time! - Dec 01, 2014
Summer is a great time to spend time in the garden. If you are finding it to be too hot outside it means you need to plant more trees in your garden.
Crepe Myrtles have started to flower in gardens around Macarthur. These drought hardy fast growing trees are perfectly suited for today’s courtyard sized gardens.
The Indian Summer range of Crepe Myrtles are resistant to powdery mildew. This fungus disease can damage the leaves and flower buds so it makes sense to plant the Indian Summer varieties. One of the nicest varieties is one called Tuscarora. It has Water Melon pink coloured flowers in profusion. We have this growing on our lawn here at the nursery and it can flower for up to 100 days.
Other ways to bring shade into your garden is to grow climbers over your pergolas. Wisterias and Grape vines are fast growing vines that will give you shade fast. The good news is they drop their leaves in autumn so the winter sun will shine through the bare stems to warm your house. We also stock Ornamental Grape vines if you don’t want to worry about the fruit.
Your rose bushes will be suffering from black spot and two spotted mites at this time of year. Yates Rose Gun has a systemic fungicide and insecticide that controls just about every pest and disease that roses get. Spray this on every 3 or 4 weeks and your roses will grow better. Cut off any damaged flowers and foliage before you spray. Check your Hydrangeas for powdery mildew damage. Yates Rose Gun will control Powdery Mildew on Hydrangeas too.
Your lawn will be getting yellow patches at this time of year. Yellow patches can be caused by dry conditions. The ground dries out in patches first and these patches become hydrophobic.
Treat your entire lawn with Wettasoil. This detergent based product removes the oily barrier and allows your soil to accept water again. Treat all your gardens and pot plants with this fantastic product too. Reapply every 3 months for best results.
Yellow patches in lawns can also be caused by a fungus disease known as Dollar Spot. The lawn will go yellow in round patches. It looks like a space ship may have landed on your lawn overnight. Early in the morning you will notice a white spider like webbing over the top of the yellow patch. Eventually the grass turns brown and dies. Spray your lawn with a product called Mancozeb Plus. This is poisonous so you will need to cover up.
A late crop of tomatoes can be planted now. We are having great success with Tim’s Fruit Fly Resistant Tomato. These super sweet tasting apricot sized fruit have a leathery skin that naturally makes them fruit fly resistant. There are no nasty chemicals required to grow this one! Grow it in a pot or garden and water daily for best results.
If you need help in the garden come and see us.
Happy gardening
Tim