Give your lover a rose? - Sep 22, 2016
Dear Gardening Friends,
You have probably noticed just how fantastic your rose bushes are looking at the moment.
Roses have all sprouted fresh new growth and buds are bursting into bloom. Vases will be getting filled, and that amazing rose fragrance will be wafting through windows.
If you bought rose bushes in winter then you might also be discovering that some of the roses you bought have no perfume at all. We have a beautiful Rose bush here called "Love" which has no perfume at all. While winter is traditionally the best time to plant roses you cannot see or smell the flowers. If you purchase rose bushes now you can pick out a perfumed variety with your own nose.
You can also look at the foliage and choose a variety that has good disease resistance.
We have over 1,000 roses to choose from but they sell very fast at this time of year.
If you have roses at home then you will notice they are getting Aphids on the new growth. If you don't treat these with something safe like Pestoil then the flowers will come out looking distorted. Spray the plants now and you will have flowers to pick for the next month.
Here at the nursery we use Yates Rose Shield to keep our plants insect and disease free. Our sprinklers come on every night so we need to use a systemic solution that won't just get washed off. With so much rain about this could be a good option for you too! You can buy it "Ready to Use" but it works out much cheaper if you mix it yourself. Yates Rose Shield controls all the insects and diseases that roses get so it makes growing roses easy.
If you haven't fertilised your lawn yet then you are wasting time. We fertilised our lawn here at the nursery on Sunday while it was raining and it has turned bright green in just 4 days. This unique fertiliser can't burn your lawn like Sulphate of Ammonia and Shirleys No 17. Tim's Rapid Results is encapsulated so it only releases when it gets wet. This is much safer for lawns and the environment than old fashion fertilisers.
Fertiliser makes your grass grow thick and bushy, leaving less room for weeds. The more often you mow the thicker your lawn will grow. Get rid of your grass catcher and your grass will grow even thicker. We don't use a grass catcher because we use a utility mower. It chops up the grass clippings and puts them back into the soil. Organic matter holds the water so this makes you grass go greener.
Chilli plants have arrived this week and with a changing demographic these have become one of our biggest selling plants. All our Chilli plants have a heat rating out of 10 on the label so it makes it easier to choose a variety to meet your needs. Chilli's are perennial plants that can last for several seasons. Grow one in a pot on a sunny patio and you can enjoy the white flowers and the interesting colourful fruit. Pick them green or let them ripen and turn red. The longer you leave them the hotter they get!!!!
Use Tim's Best Potting mix and you will have success.
We have so much colour in the nursery at the moment. So many plants are in flower, it looks amazing. We find lots of people come in at this time of year just to look at our flowers. It's cheap therapy and you will always feel better after a visit. You might even buy something and when you take it home and nurture it, you will feel even better. African Daisies are one of the most giving plants and one of the easiest to grow.
We have a new range of herbs that are so big you can eat them now or plant them in pots or gardens and have a ready supply of fresh herbs to spice up your cooking. They are on the herb bench in the seedling area and people can't believe that they are only $5.25 or 4 for $20.
TV Gardeners have promoted herbs to be easy to grow in small pots but herbs need lots of sun so tiny pots dry out quickly and the herbs usually die. Choose a big pot at least 45cms across and use Tim's Best Potting Mix. You could plant 3 herbs in a pot this size. Water daily for best results. Grow larger herbs like Rosemary, Lemon Grass and Mint in separate pots. Eat often to keep them bushy.
If you have a hedge prune it now. A lot of people don't prune hedges because they want it to grow fast. Hedges actually grow faster the more often you prune them.
A thick layer of mulch and a dressing of "Rapid Raiser" fertiliser will also make your hedge grow faster. If you need a hedge at your place plant it now. We have heaps of options so come and talk to our horticulturists. "Goodbye Neighbours" is hard to beat if you need a fast growing hedge.
Pig has been trying to get Angelina's attention this week and we did get a complaint about pig being insensitive.
He can be an insensitive pig sometimes but he is only trying to make you smile!
Come and see us if you need help in the garden. Our new Tim's Gardening Service franchisee named Mario is looking for more work if you'd like us to do the work for you. Ring him direct on 0415 055 109.
Happy Gardening
Tim