What to Do
Episode: #3 07/04/07
Presenter: Melissa King
It is always good after a hot summer to get out in the garden and see just how well certain plants have stood up to the heat. Canna Tropicanna has been flowering all summer long and the foliage is still looking lush and colourful.
One plant that you do not see in gardens that often, but really you should, is the Mullein (Verbascum bombyciferum ‘Arctic Summer’). Most Verbascums come from Turkey and West Asia so they love well drained soil and very hot conditions. A variety of Verbascum bombyciferum is called ‘Arctic’, which is a little hard to come by, but is just magnificent.
One of the greatest things about modern roses is their repeat flowering period, many varieties flourish right through autumn.
To encourage those blooms to keep on going, get out into the garden every now and then and cut back the dead heads. When cutting the roses back it is good to take a good long stem, like you are cutting a flower for the vase.
If your garden is lacking a bit of colour now is the time to do something about it. In autumn, out come all of those colourful, flamboyant bedding plants like Pansies and Primulas. When they are just little seedlings they grow with furious energy, so in 6-8 weeks time you can expect a bed of newly grown flowers to be a blaze of colour.
Hedges provide much needed structure in the garden and the lower growing types are great for bordering paths or flower beds. If you want a traditional, formal look try English box or Common Box (Buxus sempervirens). Or you could bring an Asian style feel to the garden with Dwarf Nandinas (Nandina domestica ‘Nana’).
When soils begin to cool in the autumn it is time to get all of those gorgeous spring flowering bulbs, like daffodils and jonquils, in the ground.
When it comes to bulbs there are not too many rules. Most like to be planted pointy end up and to give you a rough guide they can be planted 2-3 times as deep as they are wide so about 5-10 cm is a good indication. A lot of them prefer a sunny, open position.
You will have to wait until spring to enjoy the bulb beauties but if you want to know more about bringing colour to the garden right now then check out the article on autumn flowers in the Garden Gurus Newspaper.
This weeks Water wise tip:
When you are out admiring your plants take a little bit of time to do some weeding. Weeds compete with plants for precious water and nutrients, which may mean your plants aren’t getting all the nutrients they need.
For further information about how to be waterwise visit the Our Water Our Future Website: http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/ourwater/
Presenter: Melissa King
It is always good after a hot summer to get out in the garden and see just how well certain plants have stood up to the heat. Canna Tropicanna has been flowering all summer long and the foliage is still looking lush and colourful.
One plant that you do not see in gardens that often, but really you should, is the Mullein (Verbascum bombyciferum ‘Arctic Summer’). Most Verbascums come from Turkey and West Asia so they love well drained soil and very hot conditions. A variety of Verbascum bombyciferum is called ‘Arctic’, which is a little hard to come by, but is just magnificent.
One of the greatest things about modern roses is their repeat flowering period, many varieties flourish right through autumn.
To encourage those blooms to keep on going, get out into the garden every now and then and cut back the dead heads. When cutting the roses back it is good to take a good long stem, like you are cutting a flower for the vase.
If your garden is lacking a bit of colour now is the time to do something about it. In autumn, out come all of those colourful, flamboyant bedding plants like Pansies and Primulas. When they are just little seedlings they grow with furious energy, so in 6-8 weeks time you can expect a bed of newly grown flowers to be a blaze of colour.
Hedges provide much needed structure in the garden and the lower growing types are great for bordering paths or flower beds. If you want a traditional, formal look try English box or Common Box (Buxus sempervirens). Or you could bring an Asian style feel to the garden with Dwarf Nandinas (Nandina domestica ‘Nana’).
When soils begin to cool in the autumn it is time to get all of those gorgeous spring flowering bulbs, like daffodils and jonquils, in the ground.
When it comes to bulbs there are not too many rules. Most like to be planted pointy end up and to give you a rough guide they can be planted 2-3 times as deep as they are wide so about 5-10 cm is a good indication. A lot of them prefer a sunny, open position.
You will have to wait until spring to enjoy the bulb beauties but if you want to know more about bringing colour to the garden right now then check out the article on autumn flowers in the Garden Gurus Newspaper.
This weeks Water wise tip:
When you are out admiring your plants take a little bit of time to do some weeding. Weeds compete with plants for precious water and nutrients, which may mean your plants aren’t getting all the nutrients they need.
For further information about how to be waterwise visit the Our Water Our Future Website: http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/ourwater/
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