A Mandarin with no seeds? - Apr 21, 2017

Big snake found in garage.

Dear gardening friends

I've been wondering why the alarm has been going off in my garage for the last few days? My wife tried to open the garage door this week only to discover a 3 metre long Python wedged in the gap. It seems this friendly snake has decided to move into our garage to get out of the cold.

Apparently they eat rats and mice and they only bite you if you tread on them so I'll be keeping my eyes open from now on.
My son Bailey filmed the snake so check it out on our Tim's Garden Centre Facebook page.

I'm not a fan of snakes and I accidentally left my window down in the car overnight and now I'm petrified the snake has climbed in. If you hear a scream it's just me.

If you have kids or you just love Mandarins then you really need to plant a Robbie Engall's Seedless Mandarin. I've got one growing in my garden and it must have 400 Mandarins hanging down like grapes at the moment. They are so easy to peal and so sweet and they really are totally Seedless.
This makes them extra kid friendly and you won't find pips around the house.

I've got mine growing on a mound of IGC Planting Compost Improved soil. I really wasn't having much success until I started watering it twice a week with a bucket full of water. The summer rain has also helped it produce a bumper crop. There are so many Mandarins the branches are all drooping down to the ground. My favourite Mandarin has always been the "Emperor" but now Robbie Engall's Seedless Mandarin is on top of the list. We have these trees in stock so come and get one. Never feed Citrus trees at planting time or you will kill them.

Camellia sasanqua's have burst into bloom around Macarthur. These old fashion screening plants are slow growing in our horrible clay soils and modern Gardeners are too impatient, so they plant Lillypillys instead. But if you are prepared to raise your garden beds up with some free draining, Compost improved soil, then you will have success.

Camellia sasanquas can grow in sun or shade so they will grow in the narrow space between houses. They can be pruned to any size with a hedge trimmer. They need lots of water.

We have heaps to choose from with prices starting at just $6.99. For best results mulch around the base with Sugarcane.

Another hedging plant has just been released. "HIPHIGH" is a new dwarf Murraya that only grows hip high. It's perfect for a small hedge and it gets those highly perfumed white flowers that we all love. It has lush green, small leaves so it almost looks like Buxus. We think this plant is going to be a winner!

To make a hedge plant them 500mms apart. Trim often to make them grow bushy. Advanced plants are just $24.99 less your Tim's Garden Club Discount.

Cabbage White Butterfly's are driving Gardeners crazy at the moment. These pesky Butterfly's lay their eggs on Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale and Broccoli. The caterpillars then eat holes in all your Winter vegetables. Luckily Yates have a solution. Yates Vegetable Dust has an earth friendly naturally occurring bacteria that kills caterpillars with harming you. Simply sprinkle the dust onto the leaves every 3-4 weeks.

This is a fantastic product that I use all the time. I even sprinkle it over my Geranium plants to keep away the caterpillars. Come get some this weekend.

The Garlic I planted last week is popping up already. Home grown Garlic is amazing. It's full of juice and it smells Devine. Garlic keeps you healthy and it wards off Vampires too.

Simply buy an Australian Grown Garlic Clove from us and split it up into scales. Plant the scales 20cms apart in a prepared garden bed and watch it grow!!!!! Harvest in spring when the leaves turn yellow. We have Organically grown Cloves for just $2.50. Yes you can grow it in a pot using Tim's Best Potting Mix.

We are open all weekend so come and see us. We are closed on Anzac Day.

If you need help in the garden come and see us.
Happy gardening
Tim