Last minute Christmas Gifts. - Dec 21, 2018

Merry Christmas from Pig and Crew.

Dear Gardening Friends
Thanks for reading our newsletter.
I hope we are teaching you to become better gardeners, while we have some fun. Pig floated back just in time for Christmas. Shreks happy, The Swamp is back baby!

If you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping yet, don’t panic. You can get your last minute Christmas Gifts from us.
We have easy parking, fast service and free gift wrapping.

Indoor plants are back in fashion so your friends will be happy if you give them a plant. We have all your favourite indoor plants, plus collector plants like The Watermelon plant. This has round silvery coloured foliage that just looks great.


The secret to growing indoor plants is bright light and good quality Potting mix.
Use our Tim’s Best Potting Mix and your plants will grow. If you buy an indoor plant and a small ceramic pot we will repot it for you for free!

Watch out for Blossom End Rot on your Tomatoes!
If the bottom of your tomatoes are turning black you’ve got Blossom End Rot.
It’s caused by a Calcium deficiency brought on by lack of water. Yes the soil dries out so quickly as the weather gets warmer. When it’s not raining, you need to water tomatoes every day.

We have been picking fruit from our Tim’s Fruit Fly Resistant Tomato Plant at work.
The fruit are bright red and so sweet to eat.
Remember to eat the fruit before they split in this wet weather. Once the fruit split, they are not fruit Fly Resistant. It’s the leathery skin that protects the fruit from damage.

If you’ve got other varieties growing in your garden pick the fruit early and ripen them inside on the window sill to avoid fruit fly. Pick the fruit as it turns yellow.

Shohel Mostafa rushed in to buy a Neem Tree this week. Neem Trees are “Medicine Trees” according to Shohel.

In Bangladesh, his people dry the leaves and grind them into dust. Then they consume this with a glass of water. ”It’s good for stomach aches and indigestion” he told me.
They also boil the leaves, then when the water cools, they pour it over their heads after showering. It runs down over the body and helps with eczema and itches.
It has other uses too, for insect control.
Shohel is not a doctor. He drives a taxi in the city.
He lives in Ingleburn.
His mate rang him while I was talking to him. His mate wanted a Neem Tree too.
The grape vine has been replaced by Facebook.
“This tree is native to my country” says Shohel.
He speaks beautiful English.
We have a laugh.
If he gets his Neem Tree past the first winter it will survive.
Plant it in your garden on a mound of IGC Planting Compost Improved Soil I tell him. Neem trees are $16.99.
Last year a Chinese man came in and bought the lot. They must be big in Chinese medicine too!

Another collector plant called Moringa or Horseradish tree turned up this week.
Every part of this fast growing plant is edible.
Delicate fern like foliage and fragrant white flowers makes this a charming tree for your garden. The fact that the leaves, flowers, roots, pods and seeds can be eaten is an added bonus. The leaves should always be cooked and along with the flowers they are highly nutritious.
The long pods resemble drum sticks and can be cooked like Okra when young.
This tree is often called The Drum Stick Tree.
Prized by our Indian Community. It’s a hot seller. Plants cost $16.99. They can be grown in a big pot using Tim’s Best Potting Mix.

Arabian Jasmine or Jasmine Sambac has arrived. This glossy green, climbing plant,has beautiful highly perfumed white flowers, throughout the warmer months. It grows beautifully in a big pot. Grow it on your patio, in a sunny spot, and the fragrance will waft in thru your windows.
Grow it in a wire cone or use stakes to make a teepee. It’s easy to grow but hard to find in nurseries. We’ve got beautiful plants, covered in buds and flowers now.
Use your Tim’s Garden Club Card to get a discount.

Thanks for all your support this year.
I know it’s not easy to drive all the way to Tim’s Garden Centre. You pass plenty of places on the way that sell plants and Potting mix. We appreciate your support.
We try and sell better products, so you have success. We are gardeners too.
Enjoy Christmas with your family.
If you don’t have family, adopt your neighbours for the day.
Stay safe.

We are closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day to spend time with our families.
We are closed New Years Day.
See you soon
Merry Christmas
from Tim and Team.