Pink Flamingos flying out? - Dec 08, 2017
What’s attacking your tomato plants?
Dear gardening friends
We have 100 fresh cut Christmas trees coming tomorrow morning, so come and see us, if you want your house to smell like Christmas. The biggest trees always sell out first so get up early if you want a monster! We open at 8.30am.
The hottest Christmas gift this season are these retro Flamingo planters. We’ve had 10,000 hits on Facebook. Who would have thought these kitch planters could be so popular? We’ve had people contacting us from all over Australia. The smaller one is $7.99 the biggest is $19.99.
It’s better if you sit an indoor plant in them rather than repotting it. These planters don’t have drainage holes so plants could die if they get wet feet. They are super popular office gifts. They will look amazing on your office desk and the indoor plant will help reduce the dangerous toxins in the air.
If you want one, don’t leave it to the last minute. They are flying out!
NSW Christmas Bush are selling well too.
We have a grower up north who just grows us the best plants that are covered in red Christmas Bells. Huge plants are only $32.99 and we can gift wrap them for you.
These make great floral gifts or buy one for yourself and use it as a table decoration.
More Hydrangeas have arrived this week. The best Flowering Hydrangeas come from nurseries in Victoria. The climate down there just makes them grow bigger and better with more flowers. Our plants are huge. You can buy a potted Hydrangea covered in flowers for $32.99. That’s cheaper than a bunch of flowers from the florist. We had a lady come in yesterday who bought a Hydrangea for all her staff for Christmas.
Hydrangeas can be put inside for a week so you can enjoy the flowers then plant them in your garden or into big, big pots. They like morning sun followed by afternoon shade. They like lots of water. Use our Tim’s Best Potting Mix for best results. We have all your favourite colours. Come see.
Crepe Myrtles are blooming in gardens around Macarthur. If you are looking for a small tree, that flowers for 100 days over summer, this is the perfect tree for you.
The one in the photo is a variety called “Tuscarora”. It’s my favourite. We have plants from just $24.99.
Crepe Myrtles grow very fast and they thrive in our hot dry climate. Of course if you water them often and improve the soil with IGC Planting Compost and mulch around the base with Sugar Cane, then it will grow even faster!
We have at least 5 colours to chose from. We also have the “Diamonds in the Dark” Crepe Myrtles. These amazing trees have dark purple, almost black foliage. They grow 3 metres high making them the perfect size for today’s courtyard sized gardens. We have red and pink flowering varieties. Come see.
We’ve had lots of inquiries about tomatoes. Two Spotted Mites are attacking plants due to the dry weather. These sap sucking insects attack plants that are under stress. Tomatoes that are growing in pots or near patios and brick walls seem to get attacked the most. These insects suck nutrients out of the leaves causing them to turn silver and brown.
Two Spotted Mites weren’t a problem in the past because chemicals used to control fruit fly like Rogor and Lebaycid killed the Mites too. These chemicals have been banned. The secret to avoiding damage is to make your tomato plants thrive. Water them daily, mulch around the base. Liquid feed with “Harvest” weekly. Water it over the foliage too.
If your plants have Two Spotted Mites you will need to spray under the leaves with Pestoil or Natra soap. You need a sprayer with a long handle to do this. These sprays are non poisonous and safe. Spray several times early in the morning or late afternoon.
Two Spotted Mites have been attacking lawns in Macarthur too. I’ve never seen this happen before. Hopefully as we get more rain these insects will perish.
Unfortunately when we get rain and heat over Christmas we get Grass Fleas!
I’ve been enjoying home grown Tomatoes and Cucumbers this week. It’s so nice to be able to grow these fruit in the back yard.
Dinner is so simple to prepare. A few chops on the BBQ with a simple salad and a glass of white wine. Life is good!
Hayden sent me a message this week. “We need a Christmas Tree in the shop”.
So true, we sell them and all the staff take one home so it just makes sense that we need one in our shop too. Hayden did an amazing job with the decorating. So simple and stylish. Check it out when you visit us this weekend. Our shop smells like Christmas now.
Don’t forget our $50.00 Christmas Gift Vouchers are only $40.00. Perfect for fussy friends or mad gardeners. Not redeemable until after Christmas. See shop for more details.
Happy gardening
Tim