Our Rose Bushes are flowering! - Sep 23, 2022
Don knows the who's who.
Dear gardening friends
Our Rose Bushes are coming into bloom today. The fragrance is amazing. I've been sniffing a few.
I've talked to customers who have just been hanging around the roses. One guy said he had a collection of 16 so far.
He was drooling over our roses.
They really are looking fabulous. We've been spraying them every week with Harvest. This organic liquid fertiliser, also contains seaweed. Our roses love it. The leaves are huge and I've never seen so many flower buds.
The plants are growing so big.
They are amazing value.
They will flower now for 9 months or more.
If you're a rose lover, don't be shy, come and hang around our roses. You might bump into another rose lover, just hanging around too!
We have the full range of Osteospermum African Daisy's here today. These super hardy small shrubs, thrive in Macarthur's hot climate. They will flower like this for months.
They only grow 45cms high by 45cms wide so every garden has room for an African Daisy.
These new varieties don't self seed and become weeds in your garden. They stay nice and compact, and they flower longer.
They can even be grown in pots in sunny spots. Use our Tim's Best Potting Mix and you'll be amazed how spectacularly they grow. It's magical!!!
Don Gregory just called in for a visit.
Don owned Camden Garden Centre for 20 years, in the 80's. I remember calling on him when I worked at Swanes Nursery. His nursery was opposite Southwells.
He drops in here to buy Tim's Cow manure.
He still does a bit of gardening "for the oldies" in Carrington. He always makes me laugh when he refers to them as "the oldies" because Don's 89.
He turns 90 next August.
He got his licence renewed last week.
He's very happy about that.
It's a big ordeal for oldies when their licence comes up. He won't have to worry for another 2 years.
Don knows all about Camden.
He knows all about the who's who, and who married who. He's got the gossip too, but he keeps most of it to himself. He's a wise old man.
We share cuttings. He's brought me a few plants that he's grown in pots outside his flat. He's got a nice display of his favourite plants. He's got nice Begonias with beautiful leaf colours.
He loves Roses and Dahlias too.
He always has coffee with 2 sugars.
I gave him a biscuit too.
He didn't touch the Tim Tam.
He left that for me.
He wanders around the nursery. He gives me an update on other nurseries he visits. We've got the best advice according to Don.
He moves slowly these days.
He doesn't waste words.
Calm is how I'd describe Don.
He's a good listener too.
He's a bit disappointed that I can't remember who's who.
"I can only remember plant names Don."
He laughs.
Chilli plants have started to arrive.
"Aji Yellow" is just one of 20 or so varieties that we will have arriving in the next couple of weeks. Our grower has a heat rating on the label, which makes it easier to decide which variety to choose.
We will have varieties that exceed the highest rating, which is 10. They are so hot, it's best to wear gloves when handling the fruit. Yes it sounds crazy.
The best place to grow your Chilli plant is in a pot. You need a pot that holds 30litres of Tim's Best Potting Mix.
You will be amazed how fast your Chilli plant grows. It will be fruiting at Christmas time. They actually look Christmassy!!!!
Put your pot in a sunny position.
Chilli's are tropical plants. Up against a north facing brick wall is perfect. Water your Chilli plant every day.
Some times they get eaten by Caterpillars. Pyrethrum or Yates Tomato and Vegetable Dust will fix this.
Your Chilli plant will provide fruit all through summer and autumn. In winter move your pot closer to the house, so your plant gets frost protection. If you do this, it can last several seasons. It's the winter cold that kills them.
You still have time to plant Tomatoes, Eggplants, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Capsicum etc etc. They will actually grow faster now, than plants you planted earlier. The soil is warming up so plants grow faster.
We've got exciting new Kangaroo paws in the nursery. The worlds first purple and green flowering Kangaroo paws have arrived. They are called Bush Gem Celebrations.
I've spoken to the grower, and he told me these are much easier to grow than traditional varieties.
They have been bred at Kings Park Botanic Gardens in WA, by Digby Growns. What a great name, for a plant breeder!!!!
Thank you Digby!!
We've brought these all the way from South Australia for Macarthur's gardeners. I've heard they might be on Betterhomes and Gardens this week so you better zoom zoom if you want one.
Ask staff to show you our Bush Gems Celebrations Range. They are fabulous.
Grow them using Native Potting mix for pots. Our Tim's Best will kill them.
Trillions of worms have been washed out of the soil due to all the wet weather. These worms come to the surface to breath, but then they get eaten by birds.
You can attract worms back into your gardens using Tim's Cow Manure.
Use it as a mulch on your flower and vegetable gardens. Dig it into the soil.
Then cover with Sugarcane.
The more Organic Matter you dig into your soil the more worms it will attract.
Worms are natures natural gardeners.
They aerate the soil and take nutrients from the top down to the plants roots. They fertilise your soil with their poo.
The more worms you have, the happier your plants will be. Dig Tim's Cow Manure into your soil this weekend. It's be kind to worms week.
Happy gardening
Tim