Story: My Favourite Plants
Episode: 8
Presenter: Travor Cochrane
Air Date: 4th October 2025

Take a look at some of Trevor's favourite plants flourishing in his Garden this month, and how to care for them.

• Once the English May comes into foliage and flower, the whole shrub is smothered. It's spectacular! To prolong flowering, fertilize with an organic fertilizer. It boosts organic nutrients and soil carbon levels, and this replacement of energy boosts and sustains the flowering longer.
• Roses are a major target for thrips. The flowers, when picked, last a couple of days and drop all the petals. To identify if your flower has thrips, knock the flower bud against a white piece of paper. Spray your rosebuds before these microscopic sap suckers damage your beautiful petals and set back the populations.
• Your favourite citrus foliage could be twisted by larvae from a moth. It lays eggs under the skin of leaves, and the larvae hatch and eat the soft tissue as it develops, causing twisting and buckling of the foliage. To prevent this, spray horticultural oil like this over the foliage while the weather conditions are under 28°C.