It’s Not A Flowering Cherry!!!! - Aug 16, 2024
Dear gardening friends
I've been watching this Flowering Plum tree growing along Menangle Rd in Englorie Park for years now.
It's burst into bloom this week with its double pink flowers. I'm surprised how well the bright pink goes with the modern colours of the house. Maybe that's one of the reasons why this spring blossom tree is so popular.
This tree's around 20 years old and it's still a manageable size, so it's the perfect choice for smaller gardens. The leaves fall in winter to let the winter sun shine in.
In late winter they burst into bloom with these double pink flowers. They are often confused by gardeners who think they are Flowering Cherries? They aren't.
They are botanically known as Prunus × blireiana, the purple-leafed plum. Make sure you get this variety. It's the double flowering Plum. The foliage colour in spring is spectacular too.
We have about 30 of these trees in stock, but we always sell out. Trees around 2ms high are $65.00.
It's best to plant them before the leaves sprout, so zoom zoom.
When Bunnings took over the nursery industry gardeners got excited because prices were cheaper.
But last year we did a potting mix trial on Australian Standards Premium Potting mixes only to discover that the quality had become so poor, plants didn't grow in some of the mixes.
We've discovered the same thing has happened to Cow manure. It's now called "Composted Cow manure." That used to mean that the Cow manure was composted and safe to use on your garden.
But now it means the Cow manure has had Compost added to it. It's now 25% Cow manure and 75% Recycled Green Waste. You have to buy 4 bags of this product to get one bag of Cow manure.
How do you know it's not really Cow manure?
Well it's now black, not brown, and it's full of sticks. You might find plastic and broken glass in it too.
Cow manure comes from feed lots, it's expensive to transport, it often comes from Queensland, recycled Greenwaste is much cheaper than Cow manure.
Recycled Greenwaste doesn't smell like Cow manure. Thats because it's not Cow manure.
Sadly real Cow manure is much better for your plants than Recycled green waste. Cow manure has 100% more nitrogen and it's full of bacteria that makes plants grow better.
Tim's Cow Manure is real Cow manure. Yes it's more expensive but you don't have to buy 4 bags to get one bag of Cow manure so it's actually cheaper. Your plants will notice the difference.
We aren't after the cheapest product. We are after the best products. We love our plants, I bet you love your plants too.
Gardeners are travelling from all over Sydney to buy our Tim's Best Potting mix. They should be buying our Tim's Cow manure too.
Spring is coming. It's time to invigorate your vegetable and flower gardens. Tim's Cow manure will help you have success.
Success isn't an accident. Karyn spends so much time preparing our garden beds for planting, and we already have beautiful soil. She turns the soil over, then she digs in Tim's Cow manure, Active grow compost, Organic Life and Tim's FAST FOOD.
She covers the soil with Sugar cane then she waters it well. She waits a week before planting seedlings. She uses Multiguard snail pellets.
She planted these Poppies on the 8th of May.
This is what they look like today.
It's too late to plant them now.
A lot of new gardeners tell me they have just got Premium Garden Mix delivered, so they won't need anything. They are wrong, this mix is Premium in name only. If you don't add Tim's Cow manure your veggies and flowers won't thrive. You need one bag per 2m2. Add some Tim's FAST FOOD.
Don't forget the Sugar cane, it stops the weeds growing. It also keeps the moisture in the soil when it gets hotter. Success isn't an accident.
Gini works at Poplar Grove nursery in South Australia and she and her partner just dropped in to say hello. We've never met, but I buy plants from Poplar Grove almost every week.
Gini has worked there for 20 years.
It was so nice to meet her and we shared some stories.
I started buying plants from Poplar Grove about 5 years ago. They don't grow their plants in 140mm pots like everyone else in the industry. They have chosen to grow their plants in 150mm blue pots instead.
You wouldn't think that a pot that's just 10mm bigger would make any difference, but it does. Their plants just grow bigger and bushier, and because they have more new growth, they also produce more flowers.
You can see just how beautiful these Lavenders are growing. This is a new double flowering variety called Lavish Lavender. The flowers are huge!!!!
They also have a pink flowering variety called LOVE HEART Lavender, which is perfect for gifts.
So why do plants grow better in bigger pots?
Bigger pots hold more potting mix, potting mix holds the water. More potting mix means more water, which means more growth, it's that simple. Gardening is about maths.
Bigger pots, also catch more water, when the plants are watered using irrigation. When it rains the bigger pots catch more water.
Why doesn't everyone grow their plants in 150mm pots? Everyone's trying to save money, bigger pots need more potting mix.
We've discovered that our customers love the bigger plants, they cost a little bit more, but they are more advanced, so they have more flowers.
Look for the blue pots when you visit our nursery. The plants they grow are the most popular varieties during spring. Fuchsias, Geraniums, Lavenders, Pelargoniums, Daisies and Alstroemeria are just a few.
It was lovely catching up with Gini and we both can't wait for spring. It's only weeks away. It's been a cold winter, gardeners can't wait to get back outside in the sunshine.
It's time to spray Clover and Bindi.
I'm using David Gray's DART. It's safe for Buffalo lawns and Kikuyu. I've added a squirt of detergent to help make it stick to the weeds. I'll spray some again in 7 to 14 days.
I've had great success using DART so we are stocking it here at Tim's Garden Centre. It kills most broadleaf weeds without killing your lawn.
Follow the instructions carefully to get the best results. Wear shoes and long plants please.
I wear a mask too, a Covid mask will do.
Don't spray on windy days or when rain is coming.
Spray again in 10-14 days to kill hard to kill weeds like Clover. One spray won't work.
Happy gardening
Tim