10 minute read
Spring gardening
Spring BY VICKEY TAYLOR BURBANK HOUSE & GARDEN
If spring isn’t every gardeners favourite season, it’s certainly every gardens favourite season. There’s so much action in the garden. New growth, new flowers, new plantings and it’s the same in the garden centre too. There’s also lots of new release plants that will be arriving over spring including some exciting indoor plants so watch this space. It’s certainly been a busy time for us with the opening of our second store – Burbank House Garden Erina Heights (formerly Bushlands Nursery). Our staff have been working crazily to create a wonderful shopping experience for you. Lots of indoor pots, baskets arriving instore and indoor plants as well as a wonderful selection of colour for your garden.
We’ve all been waiting and it’s finally here! We’re getting fresh deliveries of lots of wonderful spring flowering plants each week with even more arriving as the days continue to warm up. The weather we’ve been getting lately is ideal for planting – the sun is shining throughout the day and the soil is still damp. Plant now and enjoy the Spring growth when the consistent warm days arrive.
We’ve got a lot of colourful plants to choose from but some of the best include Daisies, Geraniums and especially the Lavenders. All are in flower and ready to add instant colour to your garden and pots. Seedlings and potted colour are in and the Petunia, Marigolds, Lobelia, Alyssum and lots of other seedlings are starting to come through. We love this time of year, everyone is coming out of the winter blues and getting out into the sun in their gardens!
Time to start fertilising Everything in your garden will be starting new growth – fruit trees, Roses, lawns, shrubs, indoor plants, natives and trees. So for strong healthy plants, encourage that new growth with the appropriate fertiliser. Our go to favourite general purpose fertiliser is 5 in 1, an organic pelleted fertiliser that slowly breaks down releasing nutrients to your plants – being organic, it’s great to use on herbs, veggies and fruit trees.
For more targeted feeding we’ve got specially formulated citrus and fruit, Rose and flower, native and Camellia/acidic fertilisers.
Come see us in store and speak to us about the best fertiliser for your garden.
Plant me now Citrus – it’s a great time to plant and there’s lots to choose from including native finger limes! Spring annuals – Petunias, Marigolds, etc Summer herbs & vegetables (it’s exciting!) Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil and Strawberries Geraniums – Coming into flower, add instant bright colour!
Strawberries – ready to be planted now. Mandevilleas – beautiful colourful flowering climbers. F ruit trees – still plenty of fruit trees in stock, regular and dwarf sizes available. Almost everything – get planting!
Jobs to do Mulch – apply mulch now before warmer weather comes to keep soils moist and reduce weeds. W atch for bugs – Fresh new growth is a magnet for Aphids and other bugs that want to eat your garden. Control them early to keep numbers down. Use an eco friendly spray like EcoFend or Eco-Oil or so you don’t harm the beneficial bugs. Snail bait – Snails are out and about, especially around green leafy veg and seedlings, they can do a lot of damage in very little time! Only ever use a pet and animal friendly snail bait like Eradicate. Fertilise all plants – Feed now to promote fresh new growth. Seaweed newly planted bare root trees and roses – Give everything a good dose of Seaweed to help new Roses/trees establish healthy new root systems ready for spring and summer. Control weeds – Weeds are popping up so fast this time of year, if only the plants in all our gardens grew as quick! Keep on top of them before they get on top of you.
PLANT PROFILE Lavender are one of our favourite flowering plants. They’ve always been hardy and colourful but with improved breeding, they are even better! lavender
Lavender is a perennial herb, used for its great ornamental colour and their essential oils. They all flower but they aren’t all purple – add pink, white, blue, mauve and every shade in between to the colour palette. There are so many types of lavender and many are very fragrant especially the traditional English and French lavenders and Aromatica. The latest thing is double flowers and variegated foliage to give colour year round. As well as looking pretty, they’re useful and bring in bees and other pollinators into your garden, so if you’ve got fruit trees or vegies you want pollinated, plant some lavender!
BEST POSITION Full sun to part shade. The more direct sun – the more flowers you’ll have.
CARE Fertilise with a good general purpose fertiliser, and use a good Rose or flower feed throughout spring and summer to get the most flowers. Prune well after flowering and don’t be afraid to cut them back by about a third. A well pruned Lavender will be thick and bushy, long lived and wont go woody.
DOES IT GROW IN POTS? Of course! Lavender makes a stunning potted plant. They have non-invasive roots and grow well in medium–large pots.
PESTS & DISEASE What pests and disease! Lavender are very tolerant, just be careful not to get them too wet in winter.
Vickey Taylor is the owner of Burbank House & Garden, Kincumber. Phone 4368 2220
Café Burbank the perfect spot for a coffee! Café Burbank
Located inside Burbank House and Garden Nursery at Kincumber, our cafe is open 7 days. See over for our weekly specials. Located inside Burbank House and Garden Nursery at Kincumber, our cafe is open 7 days.
Burbank house & garden Burbank
Talking to the blinds!
Iwalk in the door, throw my handbag on the dining room table, and as
I walk to let the dog inside, I yell “Alexa – activate RELAX”. Still walking, the blinds come down, the lamps in the loungeroom come on. I’m now in the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of wine.
That’s how easy it is to do the mundane tasks when everything is hooked up to your smart devices. Voice activation has become so popular in such a short space of time. Now, even your blinds, lights and outside awnings can be activated by a command to Alexa or Google Home.
You choose the command. “We have one client”, says Sharon Tieman from Premier Shades that has Google Home programmed to give him a brief weather and news update as the blinds rise for the day. The command he uses “Good morning Sunshine”.
Over 30,000 household appliances can now be controlled by Alexa or Google Home. The top 5 most popular are entertainment devices (think TV’s), Security, lighting, thermostat control and blinds.
Before you scream out “how lazy can we all get?” remember it wasn’t that
long ago you could only change the TV channels by getting up off the lounge and doing it. Now, if the remote gets lost, we are too.
Home automation is about simplifying the everyday repetitive tasks. You can also get even “smarter” with it, and pre programme things like blinds to go up and down at certain time of the day. This allows you to keep your house cooler or warmer. Imagine that hot western window that heats the bedroom up and its never seems to cool down by end of day. Programme your blinds or awnings to go down in the afternoon, just in time to block out the heat and keep the house cool for you.
Voice activation is proving popular with the
elderly or less mobile. Rather than getting up and down for simple tasks around the home they can speak and get the job done.
Somfy – The world market leader in blind automation has recently launched Connexoon. It’s a plug-in device that talks to ITTT who talks to Amazon Alexa or Google Home. It retails for under $350. You download the free Connexoon app on your phone. You can control Phillips Hue lighting on the app as well as your indoor and outside blinds and roller shutters.
Article supplied by Sharon Tieman. Premier Shades 18/482 Pacific Highway, Wyoming. NSW 2250. www.premiershades.com.au Phone: 02 43248800
Central Coast seniors urged to have their say
Central Coast Council is encouraging people aged 50 and over to have their say as Council revises its Positive Ageing Strategy.
The survey will help Council identify how it can best support older people to age healthily, feel connected and enjoy an age-friendly community.
Mayor Lisa Matthews said the responses will be used to better meet the diverse needs of our older population.
“Council is currently reviewing it’s Positive Ageing Strategy to discover how we can better support older people in our region and meet their diverse needs,” Mayor Matthews said.
“Our seniors are all at various stages in their lives and undertake different significant roles in our community such as workers, neighbours, parents, grandparents and volunteers.
“Council is committed to ensuring our older residents lead active, healthy and independent lives. Our Positive Ageing Strategy aims to enhance participation, improve quality of life and provide support to older residents.”
Central Coast residents can access dedicated senior services including the 50+ Leisure and Learning Centres which provide social, educational, cultural and fitness opportunities.
Council also provides a range of senior’s programs and activities including the Seniors Festival, Grandma Moses Art Competition and GOALL magazine.
With over 130,000 residents aged 50 or over at the last census, future demand for these services is expected to grow.
To participate residents can: Pick up a hard copy of the survey from Council’s 50+ Leisure and Learning Centres, Council’s Customer Service Centres, Libraries and Neighbourhood Centres.
Visit www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au for your nearest location Have your say online at www.yourvoiceourcoast.com
Having trouble things you used to do? Need to manage your health better? A “Better Health” wellness workshop shares ideas and tools to help you “live your life’ with a chronic health condition. Our free workshops are held all over the Coast. For more information call the Self Management Support Service on 4320 9416 or 4320 9417 or email CCLHDBetterHealthWorkshops@heal th.nsw.gov.au Having trouble doing things you used to do? Need to manage your health better? A “Better Health” wellness workshop shares ideas and tools to help you “live your life” with a chronic health condition.
Our free workshops are held all over the Coast.
For more information call the Self Management Support Service on 4320 9416 or 4320 9417 or email CCLHD-BetterHealthWorkshops @health.nsw.gov.au Having trouble things you used to do? Need to manage your health better? A “Better Health” wellness workshop shares ideas and tools to help you “live your life’ with a chronic health condition. Our free workshops are held all over the Coast. For more information call the Self Management Support Service on 4320 9416 or 4320 9417 or email CCLHDBetterHealthWorkshops@heal th.nsw.gov.au
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