Another get rich scheme - Jul 24, 2015

Dear Gardening Friends,

Fell off my push bike on Sunday and woke up in an ambulance. I was racing my son Dan along the footpath that runs beside Camden equestrian centre. Clipped Dans back wheel, jammed on the brakes then went flying through the air! Nothing broken luckily but I have been a bit sore. I was wearing my helmet and this saved my life.
If you have kids make sure they wear their helmets.

Meanwhile back at the nursery pig was lucky to escape a shark attack. He had been wondering why his friends had been slowly disappearing. Sharks obviously love bacon too!
I hope you've been keeping your bacon safe.

Bumped into one of our customers at a birthday party during the week. He has just got back from an overseas holiday where he visited numerous countries who all have strict laws about trafficking plants and seeds. When he returned home he discovered that he still had our "Free Pumpkins Seeds" in his wallet. We gave these heirloom seeds away in autumn. He could have ended up in a foreign gaol because of those seeds. I hope your seeds are in a safe place?

Karyn pruned our rose bushes yesterday so it must be time! She doesn't miss. I wouldn't trust her to give me a haircut! I might lose an ear or two? But it doesn't matter how you prune yours just do it. Roses flower from new growth so if you don't prune them you won't get so many flowers. Our plants are covered in white scale on the stems so we will be spraying them with Lime Sulfur.
You will need to spray your peach, nectarine and fig trees with Lime Sulfur too.

If the Chinese are right I should be getting very rich in the next few weeks. Our Chinese Money plant which is growing in a big pot out the front of the nursery has come into flower! This amazing plant is so hardy and easy to grow. I love the red margin on the glossy green leaves. The pretty pink flowers are another feature. Grow one of these at the front door and you may never have to work again? Plants cost just $7.99? Seems too cheap for a plant that does so much.

Remember I was telling you in autumn how the longest flowering Camellia is a variety called Volunteer? Well it's still covered in buds and flowers now! We have these beautiful Camellia Japonicas flowering in the shade house. As the weather gets colder the flowers get bigger! These are great in pots or gardens. It has glossy green leaves and always looks good. If you need a flowering gift one of these would be perfect.

We sprayed our lawn for bindi yesterday. We had bindi, clover and other broadleaf weeds starting to take over. The best time to spray weeds is when they are actively growing!

We've had great success with Richgro Bindii Killer for Buffalo Lawns. It's safe for all types of grass. Use it at the 30mls per 5 litres of water and add a squirt of dish washing liquid. Spray this over 50 square metres.
Spray the lawn when it is long. Wait for the dew to dry before spraying. Spray again in 7-10 days for best results. Don't mow between sprays. Keep dogs and children off the grass until it dries.

Don't spray on windy days or the spray drift will damage your roses and grevilleas. These plants are highly susceptible to weed killers. It makes the new growth sprout out deformed and twisted.

Make sure you wear long pants and long sleeve shirt. A mask is a good idea too.
Never wear thongs while spraying!!!!!!
Or "Japanese footwear" as my old school teacher used to call them.

Hope your still upright and getting excited about spring fast approaching.
It's Planet Ark plant a tree day this Sunday. Check your local councils website for tree planting sites. Most offer a free BBQ lunch.
Take the kids along and they can watch the trees they plant on Sunday grow up with them. There is nothing more rewarding than planting a tree.

Happy Gardening
Tim