About the Garden Spring magazine 2015

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Abundant Azaleas ‘The Colour of Pink’ Zucchini What to plant now!

2015 ISSUE 74

For more gardening hints & tips, visit www.aboutthegarden.com.au

Issue 74

2015

about this issue...

Features

Abundant Azaleas ‘Pink’alicious Spring Flowering Beauties Spring Native Beauties Spring Foliage Recipe - Tuscan Chicken Growing Zucchini Bottlebrush

4 8 10 12 13 14 15 16

Handy Hints & Tips - Spring lawn care What to grow now - diary

17 18 20

Regulars

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3, 5-6

le Con Sear

Front Cover Photography: Azalea ‘Nice Surprise’.

Article by Noel Burdette, page 4.

Managing Director: Conway Searle Contributors: Noel Burdette, Claire Bickle & Ashley Searle.

Magazine Manager: Alana Searle Design & Layout: Alana Searle ATG Group Co-ordinator & Advertising: Jason Searle SCAN FOR FACT SHEET

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abundant

hen it comes to flowering shrubs, it’s difficult not to be stopped in your tracks by the ravaging beauty of an Azalea in full bloom.

Noel Burdette

4

5 Most commonly available azaleas look wonderful when used in amongst rockwork, around the edges of ponds in Asian inspired gardens or as potted, feature plantings.

If space is at a prem ium in your garden, then consid er getting the most from your azaleas by growing them in po ts. Searles Camellia and Garde nia Specialty Mix is a perfect choice for all potted azaleas as it is speciďŹ cally desig ned for all acid loving plants. Make sure to choose a glazed pot as your choice as this will reduce moisture loss from the sides and also reduce lime, (w hich is alkaline) from seeping into th e mix over time.

6

The biggest and m ost common prob lems that azaleas seem to battle are from sa p-sucking insects such as mite s and azalea lace wing. They are easily spotted when the foliage turns from bright green to a mottled, silver pa tterning on the leaves. If left unco ntrolled for severa l years they can certainly wea ken the plant and prevent them from producing en ough chlorophyll to naturally sustain their health and growth. Both can easily be controlled by usin g Searles Congua rd and Wettable Sulphur when the plants aren’t in flow er.

The major fungal problem associate d with azaleas is petal blight. This is primarily caused by excessive moisture in and ar ound the plants w hile in full bloom. This is evid ent from the rapid browning of the flowers turning them slimy and lim p while still remaining on the plant and will affe ct the entire plant and any (pos sible) neighbourin g azaleas. The sun tolerant forms (as mentioned ea rlier) seem to have much greate r tolerance to this disease and are rarely affecte d. Spraying a truste d fungicide such as Searles Man cozeb Plus in the weeks prior to flowering will co ntrol this outbreak . Removal of all fallen foliage an d flowers around the base of the plant is also hi ghly advised as th e spores of the fungal problem ca n remain viable in the surrounding soil. Petal blight is mostly witnessed in regions with high rainfall levels during the spring flowering season.

Peta l blight

Red sp id er m an d la ce wi ng ite da m ag e

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Pink within the garden is a happy and vibrant colour, whether it be pale pink, strawberry pink or hot cerise, it is always welcome and planted often at my place.

Claire Bickle

These fantastic non stop flowering spreading little plants are just amazing. They can look spectacular in baskets, pots and in ground.

The colour pink is now the known colour for Breast Cancer Awareness. The month of October each year has seen millions of dollars raised over the years for breast cancer research, prevention and support through pink merchandise which ranges from the ribbons to roses.

So whether you’re supporting breast cancer awareness or just a lover of pink in the garden here are some tried, true and tested pink favourites of mine.

Pink Perennial: Salvia spp & cv.

Now this is a very large genus of plants and there are a multitude of species plus all the named cultivars, so for me to choose one to showcase is almost impossible. Perennial forms vary in height from 30cm to 3m+ and can be anywhere from small delicate border plants to show stopping large spreading shrubs such as the cultivars of the Salvia involucrata species.

‘Wendy’s Wish’ a cultivar of Salvia buchananii has been very popular the past few years, as have a great range of the Salvia greggii cultivars. They are all wonderfully hardy, bee and butterfly attracting plants and are easy to grow from cuttings.

Grow in a sunny location with good drainage and prune back after flowering to maintain bushiness. They also make great cut flowers.

Pink Native: Grevillea cv.

Brush flower forms – ‘Lollypop’, ‘Flamingo’, ‘Sylvia’, ‘Misty Pink’, ‘Pink Surprise’.

These are the super models of the grevillea world. Some will disagree but these Grevilleas are just a sight to behold when in full flower. The flowers are arranged into a cylindrical brush shape and these forms generally do best in warmer climates.

Grevilleas require a sunny location, good drainage and low phosphorus fertiliser such as Searles Native Plant Food. Keep your Grevillea bushes looking good by tip pruning after each flower has finished, by trimming just behind the flower head.

Hard prunes can be done on older straggly plants in the growing season.

There are spider and toothbrush forms to choose from as well.

Pink Climbing: Podranea ricasoliana ‘Pink Trumpet Vine’

This vine will happily grow in most climatic zones and bears the most delicate soft pink trumpet shaped blooms during spring through to autumn.

Grown successfully in sun or light shaded positions, such as arbours, fences, veranda railings, large baskets and even as a weeping standard.

Very hardy and virtually a pest and disease free plant, as well as being drought tolerant once established.

Prune when flowering has finished.

Pink Tree: Handroanthus spp ‘Pink Trumpet Tree’ ‘Tabebuia’

The pink trumpet tree is planted widely in some regions as street trees because of their hardiness and beautiful pink clusters of trumpet shaped flowers. In these tough growing locations they tend to be smaller in height but will grow anywhere from 6 to 12m. Some varieties available are the palest of pinks, white, yellow and also dark pink. You will still see these trees often labelled as Tabebuias.

When in flower the Pink Trumpet Tree can sometimes look like fairy floss on a trunk, for the masses of blooms appear when the tree has lost all of its foliage.

close up

Pink Favourites Luculia

Grow in a sunny location with regular fertilising through the warmer months and your ‘Pink Trumpet Tree’ will be growing in no time.

Calibrachoas ‘Cherry Blossom’ ‘Cherry Star’ ‘Double Rose’

They come in a huge range of colours and there are various tones of pink. The key to keeping these little beauties looking their best is to give them a decent prune now and then. This can be hard, as they never appear to stop flowering but it is important to stop them from going straggly in the centre and promote more abundant blooms. Grow in a sunny location, liquid fertilise on a regular basis and provide good drainage. This is a must, as they detest wet feet.

Cordyline

Did you know that Hydrangea flowers to make your to ensure that your pink you need alkaline pH – this casoil has an by adding dolomite n be achieved or garden lime.

10

we

love

Salvias ‘Go-Go’

Dianthus Collection

‘Scent First’

Dianthus x allwoodii Flowering: Heavy flowering in spring, long flowering if spent flowers are removed.

Habit: Compact foliage and free flowering perfumed flowers.

Size: 30cm H x 40cm W Position: Full sun to part shade Features: Dry tolerant, highly fragrant.

Great for low edging, ground cover, cut flowers and rockeries.

Purple & ‘Go-Go Flowering: These ’ Scarlet plants are as the name suggests, go-go with flower they are a s continuously.

Habit: These sterile plants will live fo r two to three ye with attention ke ars and ep sending up fl ow er spikes all year Size: 60cm W x long.

120cm H Position: They ar e hardy in most situations liking str grow and flower ong light to to their best.

Features: Use them for formal and inf ormal plantings, and terrace plan patio tings and large po ts. In mixed gard plantings they ho en ld their own with their large plum of bracts and flow e like heads ers showing amon gst the shrubs arou Care: Keep them nd them. moist and dead head spent flow encourage more er s to flowering.

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Cherry Blossom Cherry Red

SuperbellsÂŽ Series Calibrachoa Hybrid Frost Fire

Evening Star

Flowering: Flower right through the warmer months from early spring to late autumn.

Habit: Prostrate with abundant, small petunialike flowers. cascading growth.

Size: 20cm H x 30cm W Position: They do best in full sun.

Features: Well suited to containers, baskets, patios and gardens. Continuous flowering.

Care: Allow the top of the soil to dry before watering again. Calibrachoas don’t like wet feet. Use Searles Peat 80 Plus if planting in baskets and pots. Fertilise with Searles Flourish every few weeks to promote more blooms.

No dead heading necessary.

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close up

we

love

Raphiolepis indica Cosmic White™ Ra phiolepis is bullet-p roof - it grows just ab anywhere and will out tolerate most soil typ es. Flowers heavily spring with spot flow in ering throughout the rest of the year, the flowers are bigger than the common form. Very clean fol and very good dis iage ease resistance.

Size: 1.5 - 2m high x 1.5m wide.

Position: Full sun to light shade. Tolerate s frost, drought and coastal conditio ns. Tolerates sandy to well drained clay soils. Hardy shr ub for just about an y location; home and commercial use .

Care: Water as requir ed for 8-13 weeks until established.

Plant in a well mulc hed garden (chunky mulch is recommended). Fe rtilise with Searles Na tive Plant Food in spring. If required prune to shape ev ery two years after flowering.

Aussie Rambler

TM

Carpobrotus glaucescens

Commonly called Pigface, this native succulent produces extra large deep pink flowers on purple stems trailing up to 2m long. Flowers in spring and autumn.

Great for rockeries, mass plantings, a sand dune stabiliser or for any low maintenance gardens in inland and coastal positions. 20cm high x 2m wide.

Plant in full sun to light shade. Suits most soil types.

Tolerates frost, drought, humidity and salt once established.

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Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’ This distinctive variety displays unique variegated foliage with spikes of flowers in a blend of cream, lime and green appearing from late winter through to early spring.

Compact growth of 50cm2. Plant in full sun. Tolerant of extreme heat and dry conditions. Great as a structural feature in gardens and pots.

Euphorbia ‘Silver Swan’ With variegated grey-green foliage and stunning structure with spikes of creamy coloured flowers produced from late winter through spring, this compact plant is a winner as a feature container and garden plant. Like other Euphorbias, they like full sun and are drought tolerant. Feed in spring with Searles Flourish Green and Growth Plant Food.

landscaping foliage. They come in many colours or combination of colours including shades of greens, reds, pinks, purples, yellows, oranges, cream and white. Cordylines have a large range of leaf shapes and sizes with some foliage reaching up to a metre long with proportionate width. Some have compact leaves of only a few centimetres in length while others have narrow strap like foliage.

They’re growing happily in the tropics and sub-tropics down to New South Wales. Protect from direct frosts.

While Cordylines like regular watering for optimum growth, once established they will tolerate dry spells better than most plants.

The larger majority of Cordylines dislike wet feet. For a year round lush appearance feed with Searles Flourish Green & Growth Plant Food.

Protect herbs, vegetables, trees and shrubs from possums, kangaroos, wallabies, rabbits, hares, bandicoots, deer, foxes and other wildlife.

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Protects homes, gardens, patios, shop fronts and paved areas from both dogs and cats or rats and mice.

Protect one plant or a whole area — perimeter &/or band sprays.

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INGREDIENTS

1kg chicken thighs 125g whole cherry tomatoes 2 zucchinis, cut into wedges 100g mushrooms, sliced Dutch carrots, whole

eshallots, chopped ďŹ nely Tuscan spice seasoning olive oil rosemary to garnish

15

A new zucchini forming on the plant

16

Named in honour of Australia’s first saint, Mary McKillop will grow up to 2.5m tall and 2m wide. This callistemon has deep green leaves, brilliant, pink-red new growth and cardinal red flowers from spring to summer.

Callistemons (or bottlebrush) are some of the most beautiful and versatile native plants in Australian home gardens. This group of floriferous trees and shrubs are unrivalled in their ability to bring colour and attract native birds to the garden.

Callistemons tolerate a range of soils from moist clay to sand and can be an excellent option where the soil is too clayey for other natives like grevilleas, banksias or waratahs. Callistemons will flower best in full sun, but can also perform well in part shade. They enjoy any climate from cool temperate to tropical as well as second line coastal conditions and medium level frosts. Use only a low phosphorus fertiliser that is specifically designed for Australian natives such as Searles Kickalong Native Plant Food.

Keep callistemons well pruned after spring flowering and most will flower well the following autumn. Each time callistemons are pruned or the spent flowers are trimmed off, it encourages even better flowering next season, whether in spring or autumn. So the moral is, prune! Most callistemons will flower from spring to summer but with regular pruning can flower at any other time throughout the year.

17

Hydrangeas last wonderfully as cut flowers and look beautiful in a vase. Grow them in semi shade with protection from strong winds and hot afternoon sun.

They prefer a rich, well drained soil and dislike drying out, so mulch well and water as necessary during dry weather. Protect from frost. Grow them in garden beds or large tubs. Coloured hydrangea flowers reflect the soil pH, where purple indicates neutral, blue means acidic, and pink, an alkaline soil. White hydrangeas don’t change with soil pH. Flowers are borne in late spring and can continue into autumn, depending on the variety and climate. Remove spent blooms to prolong flowering and prune just above two swollen buds in autumn.

Scale and Sooty mould on lillypillies.

Plant now for a harvest in time for Christmas.

Their red and green colour scheme can be a wonderful finishing touch with other Christmas décor. To avoid a watery-tasting crop, minimise watering as fruit approaches maturity.

After treatment!

Healthy Plant.

Watch out for sca le affecting gardenias, roses, lilypillies and citrus. The sca le insect also produces ho neydew on the leaves wh ich encourages soot y mould and ant infestatio n. Treat scale and sooty mould with Searles White Oil or ready-touse Searles Pest Gun.

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18

Join Ita Buttrose to support the fight against dementia and plant a Dianthus ‘Memories’.

$1 from each plant sold is donated to the Alzheimer’s Australia Dementia Research Foundation

Spring is the time for lawns. For a wonderful green lawn right through to next year, start fertilising in early spring with Searles Robust® Lawn Booster. Searles Robust® feeds for up to 4 months and promotes slow thick, green healthy grass just like professional sports fields.

This compact variety produces masses of snow white double flowers with serrated edged petals and a spicy fruity fragrance.

It’s pretty upright flowers are ideal for container planting, small garden displays, entertainment areas and low edging around garden beds or paving in a full sun or part shade position. 30cm H x 40cm spread.

If your lawn soil is hard and repels water, aerate with a garden fork or aerater, fill holes with the mix of sand and soil and sprinkle Searles Penetraide® onto the soil to promote better water penetration and it feeds your lawn at the same time.

Bindii Spring is the time for painful bindii invasion in lawns. If you have ever walked on a bindii and felt the sharp pain they cause, you may be interested to know that it is actually the seed that forms the prickle.

Bindii grow in the winter and sets seed from late winter to early spring. Spray now with Searles Lawn Perfect®. Repeat spraying is important to control weeds that have germinated after the prior spraying.

It’s very important whenever using a weed spray, to use it in conjunction with Searles Spredmax. This increases the weedkiller’s effectiveness by helping it stick to the leaves of the weed.

Refer to our lawn weed chart for the correct spray to use on your lawn. www.searles.com.au

19

It is hard to find a great plant with lots of bright blue flowers.

Here we have a dwarf shrub which flowers its head off.

Size: 30cm spread x 30cm H.

Position: This plant

makes a statement in frost free gardens.

Care: Keep soil moist with good drainage. Any well prepared garden in sun to semishade will be suitable area to plant this bright blue specimen.

Liquid feed every two weeks with Searles Flourish Soluble Plant Food to keep the plant flowering.

These small, fuzzy, white insects distort new growth by sucking on the plants sap and the females excretions cover leaves with a sticky honeylike substance that attracts ants which in turn provides the right conditions for sooty mould.

Watch out for these insects on citrus, roses, indoor and outdoor ornamentals with the onset of warm weather. Control infestations with Searles Pest Gun. The female mealybug lays her eggs, every 10 days, in a sticky white substance around the stem of the plant. Hence, repeat spraying may be necessary to control future outbreaks.

Treat with...

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Tropical

Darwin

Subtropical Temperate

Cairns Broome

Cool Mediterranean Arid

Townsville Whitsundays

N.T.

Mackay

Mt. Isa Longreach

Alice Springs Carnarvon

Hervey Bay

QLD

Gympie Roma Toowoomba Warwick

Coober Pedy

Geraldton

S.A.

Kalgoorlie

Port Augusta

Perth Esperance

Armidale

Tamworth

Orange

Adelaide Victor Harbour

Sunshine Coast

Brisbane

Gold Coast

Moree

N.S.W.

Bunbury

Regional Garden Diary

Rockhampton Gladstone

Blackall

W.A.

Albany

Emerald

Grafton Port Macquarie Newcastle

Sydney

Canberra Wodonga

Vic.

Mt Gambier

Melbourne

Tas.

Hobart

Daylilies are in flower now!

Daylilies, agapanthus and hippeastrums are in flower now. Boost flower production by watering in Searles Flourish Plant Food every two weeks.

Great for hedging, as potted specimens or in poolside plantings, give them full sun and a neutral to slightly alkaline, well-drained soil. Hibiscus hate drying out so maintain a thick layer of mulch.

Flowers appear from winter into summer. Apply Searles Hibiscus & Bougainvillea Food to boost flowering. Prune in autumn to maintain vigour and bushiness. The native hibiscus is a national emblem of the Stolen Generation of Australia’s indigenous people.

Keep the bee population flourishing by planting flowering plants like natives, annuals and perennials.

For more information on garden hint & tips and what’s on visit

www.aboutthegarden.com.au

21

Mulberries (Morus spp.) are easy to grow organically in home gardens.

Allow the berries — borne in spring and early summer — to blacken before harvesting because they do not ripen off the tree. Dwarf varieties suitable for pots and small gardens are available. Mulch well around the roots and fertilise with Searles Fruit & Citrus Food in early spring.

‘Sugarberry Ruffles’

Plant pumpkins throughout spring for crops in late summer and autumn. To save space, trim the plants before fruit set for more compact fruit production.

The Ruffles Collection has a delightful range of colours, including unusual duo tones.

These compact lavenders (about 60cmH x 80cmW) are perfect for pots and small spaces. Hardy in a wide range of climatic zones, they are especially tolerant of both humidity and dry conditions.

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Cootamundra Wattle

1st September is National Wattle Day. Go online to find about how to celebrate this Aussie beauty this spring. www. wattleday.asn.au

Plant sweet corn, cucumber and pumpkin now for early summer harvest.

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protect your plants and produce from sap-sucking bugs, aphids, mealybugs & psyllids before they take over.

Name: ..........................................................................................

Darwin

Age:

Longreach

Carnarvon

Emerald

Hervey Bay

QLD

Gympie Roma Toowoomba Warwick

Coober Pedy

Geraldton Kalgoorlie

S.A. Port Augusta

Perth Esperance

Tropical Subtropical Temperate Cool Mediterranean Arid

Mt Gambier

Armidale

Tamworth

Orange

Adelaide Victor Harbour

Moree

N.S.W.

Bunbury Albany

Rockhampton Gladstone

Blackall

W.A.

55+

Phone: .......................................... Fax: .......................................

Mackay

Mt. Isa

46–55

City: ................................... State: .............. P/code: ...................

Townsville Whitsundays

N.T.

36–45

Address: .......................................................................................

Cairns Broome

Alice Springs

25–35

Canberra

Email: ...........................................................................................

Enclosed is a cheque for:

Sunshine Coast

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Brisbane

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Sydney

OR charge this to my:

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Please send this form to: About the Garden P.O. Box 70 Kilcoy Q. 4515

Email: atg@aboutthegarden.com.au

Phone: (07) 5422 3090 Fax: (07) 5497 2287

Spring 2015

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SCAN FOR FACT SHEET

www.searles.com.au Ask for these great Searles products at your nearest gardening outlet. Ph: 07 5422 3000