Here come hot lips! - Nov 06, 2014
Dear Gardening Friends,
Jacarandas have burst into bloom this week. They are looking fantastic on all the hills around Macarthur.
These fast growing trees can shade your house from the western sun and save you hundreds of dollars in electricity bills. Yes they do drop flowers but they are worth the extra effort.
The Jacarandas in the main street of Camden are looking sensational. They were going to pull these out a few years ago but it caused such a kerfuffle council decided to keep them.
We have had heaps of comments on Facebook about how people love these trees but they would be unwilling to have to clean up the mess. With the world getting hotter someone is going to have to be willing to clean up the mess.
Have you noticed when you go to a carpark at this time of year you are always looking for a shady spot to park your car? Trees can keep your house and car cool all summer long.
If you would like to plant a Jacaranda tree come and see us or just look under an existing tree and you will often find seedlings at this time of year.
One tree has decided to help prevent global warming. Silky Oaks are self seeding in gardens throughout the Macarthur District. Botanically known as Grevillea Robusta they are one of the most spectacular flowering native trees.
They produce large golden/yellow staminate flowers leading up to Christmas. They look fantastic planted near Jacarandas and Illawarra Flame Trees.
You would need to have a very large park like garden to accommodate all three trees. 20 years ago Grevillea Robusta was often planted by mistake because gardeners saw the name Grevillea and just assumed they were planting a shrub!
They are hard to find in nurseries these days because house blocks are so small.
Bougainvilleas are starting to flower now and I spotted a beauty growing on a hill in Brownlow Hill near Camden.
This Bougainvillea was hit by lightening about 5 years ago and burnt to the ground. Amazingly it has bounced back to its former glory. It looks like a tree because the goats have eaten around the base to form a trunk. Goats are very good at pruning!
The secret to growing bougainvilleas is to prune them yearly like a grapevine. Train them along your fence or pergola and enjoy the flowers throughout summer without the hassle of them getting out of hand.
We often get asked for a thornless Bougainvillea. If this does exist it has not been sighted in 26 years at Tim’s Garden Centre.
Hotlips Petunias have arrived this week. There are numerous plants called Hotlips so it can get a bit confusing even for us.
This Spreading Petunia has raspberry red flowers with white stripes on the petal. It looks very Christmassy.
They are great in pots or hanging baskets and they are covered in flowers now so you will get instant satisfaction. Plants cost $15.99. They will spread up to one metre wide in the garden
If you want to attract butterflies into your garden then plant BUZZ the BUTTERFLY BUSH. Butterflies have become almost extinct!
Remember when kids got butterfly nets for Christmas and they spent the holidays chasing butterflies? I can’t remember the last time I saw a Butterfly go past.
I am not counting Cabbage white butterflies because there are heaps of those. BUZZ the BUTTERFLY BUSH produces large almost bottle brush like flowers throughout the warmer months. It comes in Velvet, white or pale blue.
The Velvet flowering variety is my favourite. Prune off the spent flowers and this will encourage even more flowers. The label says it grows 1metre x 1 metre but you will need to prune it often to keep it this size.
The plants are flowering now so come and check them out. They only cost $15.99 less your garden club discount.
Some of you may have noticed that we got the photo wrong last week for the new Geranium called Raspberry Twizzle.
This spectacular new Geranium gets pink and white splashed flowers. It almost looks hand painted. Geraniums are loving this hot dry weather. They thrive in pots or plant them in your garden.
These new varieties stay more compact than the varieties granny grew and they flower much longer. They make great potted Christmas gifts for just $15.99.
We have 50 Garden Clinic gardening magazines to give away at the counter. It’s a great read with lots of gardening ideas and beautiful photos.
Thanks to Graham Ross from 2GB for giving us these magazines. Simply pick yours up at the counter.
Pig has been up to mischief this week. He got scratched from the race that stops the nation for being too itchy.
He did put $10 on a horse but it stopped to smell the roses.
I think we all need to slow down a bit and take time out in the garden. If you need help come and see us.
Happy Gardening
Tim