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What to do in your garden in December

12/1/2010

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Annuals:
Fertilise plants, remove any dead flowers, mulch and water well.
Plant out seedlings such as Alyssums, Ageratums, Gomphrenas in empty corners and sow slow-growing, winter-flowering annuals like Primulas, ranunculus and ornamental cabbages.
Sow in cooler areas for slow-growing, winter-flowering annuals like Ornamental Cabbage, ranunculus and Primula.

Bulbs:
Plant Nerinas now, and feed with wood ash, to ensure great splashes of autumn colour.
Deadhead Crinum plants, catch their seed and fertilise.
Remove dead leaves of Watsonias and Dierama.
Divide Beard Irises and plant out the strong and young rhizomes. Plant them in shallow grooves and cut foliage off 2cm long.
Plant out (pre-chilled) Lilium bulbs.

Perennials:
Pinch back the growing tips of chrysanthemums.
Divide and re-plant gazanias and fertilise ground covers.
Cut back spring-flowering groundcovers and mulch well.

Roses:
Feed plants once a month and water every 4 days.
Pinch back strong growth on new roses by a third.
Spray against aphids and thrips, powdery mildew and bollworm.

Lawns:
Lift the lawnmower's blades.
Fertilise with L:A:N for green leaf growth and 2:3:2 for lawn matting. Tip: to rid your lawn of moles, use Ammonium Sulphate in the place of L:A:N, making it too acidic for the earthworms that moles area after. The worms will move and the moles will follow! Water well afterwards. Avoid fertilising if you're going on holiday.
Epsom Salts are high in magnesium and will help your lawn (and rest of garden) thrive and guard against pests!

Propagation:
Make semi-hardwood cuttings of lavender, Pelargoniums, Hydrangeas, Pentas, Fuchsias, Hypericum, etc.

Pruning:
Prune spring-flowering shrubs like Wigela and climbers like Trachelospermum jasminoides.
Cut lemon scented verbena and Santolina back after flowering.

Hydrangeas:
Mulch and fertilise plants.
Cut mature flower heads for the Christmas table.

Herbs:
Cut rocket back to use in the kitchen and to encourage new growth.
Cut basil back too and don't allow the plant to flower. A flowering basil lives shorter and loses its wonderful taste.


Houseplants:
Take plants outside and spray them off in a cool, shady area. Once they are dry bring them in immediately.

Vegetables:
If you have an outside vegetable garden, only plant strong growing lettuce varieties that are heatproof.
Harvest vegetables regularly - ask a good friend to help while away on holiday.
Create a miniature veggie garden in pots. Grow your salad plants together.
Harvest onions and baby potatoes after flowering.
Irrigate tomatoes, cucumber and pumpkins early in the morning and avoid splashing on the leaves.

Fruit:
Deal with fruit fly by means of bait, and also remove and burn all damaged and fallen fruit. Fertilise deciduous trees with 6:1:5 (100 - 200g) after harvesting. Lesser amounts where foliage are over-produced.
Apply 6:1:5 to citrus trees (well away from the trunk). Mulch and water well.
Irrigate grapes well.
Sow for paw paws in situ, but sow them in three-three groups. Ensure you've got one male tree for every 6 female trees. Female: the flowers are clustered tightly against the branches. Male: the flowers hang from tall stems.
Give less water to swelling melons.
Fertilise strawberries after harvesting and also feed avos and litchis.



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What to do in your garden in November

11/1/2010

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Bulbs:
Mulch cannas and dahlias.
Support Liliums.
Plant gladioli at different intervals so that you'll have guaranteed flowers for longer periods.
Plant Hippeastrum now to flower over Christmas.
Dig out any spring bulbs with yellow or died foliage. Shake the soil off, sprinkle with Fongarid, label and store in a cool, dry place.

Perennials:
Divide plants that are finished flowering, such as violas.
Pinch out the growing tips of Chrysanthemums and propagate more Rudbeckias.

Roses:
Feed plants once a month and water every 4 days.
Pinch back strong growth on new roses by a third.
Aphids and thrips, powdery mildew and bollworm need spraying against.

Lawns:
Mow the lawn once a week but change the mowing direction every second week for an even, healthy lawn.
Apply a lawn fertilizer high in nitrogen and water well.
Irrigate early in the mornings.

Propagation:
Plant cuttings of daisies, lavender, Hebe, Santolina, etc.
Catch the seed of Geranium maderense and prune it back.

Pruning:
Prune back Dorothy Perkins- and banksia roses once they finish flowering, and cut back Old shrub roses if they need it.
Prune back deciduous spring-flowering shrubs after flowering.

Hydrangeas:
Apply aluminium sulphate to blue hydrangeas.
Water regularly and mulch often.

Herbs:
Incorporate salads into the herb garden.
Create a miniature herb garden, close to the kitchen, for herbs used in teas.


Houseplants:
Clean plant foliage by using a damp sponge or putting them outside and spray gently with a mist-spray. A good tip is to wipe leaves off with a banana skin, which will leave it glossy and act as foliar feed at the same time.

Vegetables:
Irrigate regularly and thoroughly, mulch well and cultivate regularly.
When sowing in dry weather, soak drills (to be sowed in) first. Keep moist until germination.
Support tomato plants and mulch. Apply 3:1:5 as soon as the fruit start developing.
Apply nitrogen-rich fertiliser to sweet potatoes as soon as it has enough foliage and also capsicums and eggplants.
Hill over developing potato plants and harvest drying onions.

Fruit:
Sprinkle bait on the foliage of trees against coddling moth and fruit fly.
Harvest plum and nectarine varieties that are ripe.
Spray grapes with a fungicide.
Irrigate trees once a week, depending on rainfall.
Control ants and insects manually on citrus trees.
Pick berries periodically to improve fruiting.
Fertilise paw paws and bananas.
Irrigate avo trees regularly in dry weather.
Fertilise strawberries with 3:1:5, mulch and remove dead foliage.

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What to do in your garden in October

10/1/2010

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Annuals:
Annuals and ground covers should be fed well and watered when dry.
Replace annuals that have (and finished) flowered with new seedlings or sow in prepared soil.
Deadhead and pick flowers regularly for better and prolonged flowering.

Bulbs:
Plant your gladioli now deep enough for good support, in sandy soil.
Feed bulbs that are still growing and those growing in winter-rainfall gardens need to get extra water.
For best results remove winter and spring-flowering bulbs early summer.

Perennials:
Divide plants that need it and distribute extra plants in your own garden or share with your friends or local old age home.
Make sure to prepare the planting beds with compost and breaking up hard clumps before re-planting.

Roses:
Feed and water rose bushes every 4 days.
Pinch back strong growth on new roses by a third.
Aphids and thrips, powdery mildew and bollworm need spraying against.

Lawns:
Lawns need feeding, aerating and to be cut at a raised height.

Mulch:
Mulching is very important. It will help the plants thrive and even survive extreme summer temperatures. You will notice plants need less frequent watering too.

Propagation:
Divide irises and other perennials.
Divide lifted bulbs before storing.

Pruning:
Pruning is necessary to remove spindly growth so that flowering is improved and to make way for younger and more vigorous branches. Prune once shrubs, trees and climbers are finished flowering and Azaleas can be neaten.

Hydrangeas:
Feed plants and keep soil moist.
New Hydrangeas can be planted now.

Herbs:
Certain herbs will be ready for harvesting. Make sure to freeze, dry or share excess.
Sow fennel now and make sure it's not near coriander.

Vegetables:
Feed, weed and mulch around vegetables.
Plant tomatoes deep and sow fast-growing vegetable varieties.
Harvest vegetables and freeze or share extras.

Fruit:
Harvest ripe apricots and peaches. The ripeness golden rule is: once you can smell them, you can pick them. Strawberries can be picked regularly and fed well.
Thin out marble-sized peaches, plums, and other soft fruits.
Protect apples and pears from coddling moth. Sticky tapes turned around trees will do the job.
Feed paw paws and bananas, water citrus trees well and deep and prune guavas hard.



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What to do in your garden in September

9/1/2010

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Annuals:
Remove winter-flowering plants and prepare beds well for summer planting and sowing.
Annuals like Lobelia, Celosia and Gomphrena can be sowed in warmer areas and Cosmos and Cleome in situ.
Dead-head flowers and catch the seed of spring-flowering annuals like Namaqualand daisies, Nemesia and Ursinia.

Bulbs:
Feed and water until leaves yellow.
Plant summer-flowering bulbs, but make sure to plant gladiolus at different intervals for continuous flowering.
Plant dahlias late September, in full sun, and divide existing dahlias.
Amarylis, manipulated for Christmas: put bulbs in a brown paper bag and store them in the fridge (5° C over freezing point) until beginning of November and plant out in your Christmas pot (with good soil). Flowering starts roughly 6 weeks after planting.
Support tall-growing Lillium varieties.

Perennials:
Divide, or cut back, plants that need it and feed, mulch and water well.

Roses:
Feed plants and water every 4 days.
Pinch back strong growth on new roses by a third.
Spray against rose pests like aphids, thrips, powdery mildew and bollworm.

Irrigation:
Water more now.

Lawns:
Aerate compact lawns, water, feed and level with topsoil.

Fertilising:
Feed the spring garden, water well and mulch.
Feed and apply Epson salt to plants that need it - or acid (with a mulch cover of bark chips for example) where colour change is wanted.

Propagation:
Make cuttings of fuchsias and let them root in covered containers.

Pruning:
Prune winter-flowering shrubs, climbers and trees.
Cut wisterias back after flowering and leave only 1 - 2 flowers per stem.
Remove dead or scraggly wood of hibiscus.
Prune large shrubs back by a third and pinch back smaller shrubs, feed and mulch.

Herbs:
Make cuttings of rosemary and thyme.
Sow and divide perennial herbs and after the last frost, Lemon scented verbena can be cut back.


Vegetables:
Consider pot planting for your veggies, for convenience and space saving.
Harvest the last winter veggies.
Work the roots of peas into the soil instead of removing them all together.
Heap hills over protruding potatoes. Protect against frost and feed with ash (from wood).
Re-pot cold-sensitive seedlings like capsicum annuum and remember to plant tomatoes deeper, to the first pair of leaves. Well developed seedlings of peppers and eggplants can be planted in protected spot.
Pack small twigs snugly around young stems for protection against wind, sun and pests.

Fruit:
Thin apricot, pear and plum trees out when the fruits are 5mm.
Feed grapes and add Epson salt.
Mulch and feed bananas, figs, litchis, granadillas, avos and paw paws.
Feed strawberries.
Water citrus trees deeply, once a week.

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What to do in your garden in August

8/1/2010

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Annuals:
Fertilise and remove spent flowers regularly.
Pick flowers of sweet peas and island poppies 3 times weekly.
Catch the seed of Primula to sow next season.
Start sowing (in warm areas) new annuals.


Bulbs:
Feed daffodils and bulbs that have finished flowering.
Don't remove the foliage of the plants that finished flowering.
Buy summer bulbs as soon as available. Store in a cool dry place until replanting.


Perennials:
Divide and replant plants that need it in prepared beds.
Feed and water well and mulch.


Roses:
Prune.
Feed and spray bare stems after pruning.
Water weekly and mulch.


Irrigation:
More now and as needed.


Lawns:
Remove (in frosty areas) all thick, matted, dry grass with a rake or broom.
Feed and water well.


Fertilising:
Feed all shrubs and trees when spring growth is starting.
Water well.
Apply Epson salt to Brunfelsia.
Apply acidic mulch to acid-loving plants.


Pruning:
Prune sage varieties that are summer-flowering, canary creeper etc.
Prune fuchsias back as soon as no more frost.


Vegetables:
Plan for a summer veggie garden and start preparations.
Prepare beds for carrots well in advance of planting.
Sow for tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum peppers in cold areas.
Feed broccoli after cutting the main flower stem off.


Fruit:
Feed and mulch all trees with compost and water well.
Water grape vines, fruit trees and strawberries every 10 days in dry weather.
Protect peach trees that have suffered from leaf curl before.
Feed citrus and apply Epson salt. Protect against silla.
Feed strawberries, figs, guavas, avos, pineapples, pawpaw, granadillas and mangos.
Store the seed of pawpaw (after drying it) and keep it in paper bags until December when it can be sown. Otherwise: cover a couple of seeds in a piece of pawpaw skin and bury it. Lessen the male plants to 1/6 female plants.

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What to do in your garden in July

7/1/2010

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What to do in your garden in June

6/1/2010

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Annuals:
Fertilise, water and mulch beds

Bulbs:
Fertilise and water.
Buy and plant out Lillium varieties. Sprinkle crushed egg shells to protect from snails.


Roses:
Fertilise only in warm areas with organic matter or compost, but avoid the stems.
Deadhead and de-bud or replant when / if necessary.
Spray black spot, bollworm and beetles.
Water once a week.


Irrigation:
Water in mornings, especially where frost occurs.


Lawns:
Water in dry areas and check for good drainage in winter rainfall areas.


Propagation:
Hardwood cuttings can be made of woody shrubs and trees.


Pruning:
Deciduous trees can be pruned now.
Prune Camelias if necessary.


Sweet peas:
Pick flowers regulary and feed fortnightly.


Vegetables:
Harvest peas 2 - 3 times a week. Provide support by inserting twigs next to planting rows.
Provide support to giant beans.
Harvest Jerusalem artichokes.
Heap ground up around protruding onions.


Fruit:
Prune fruit trees and grape vines in winter rainfall areas.
Prune peach-, nectarine-, apple-, apricot-, pear- and plum trees.

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What to do in your garden in May

5/1/2010

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what to do in your garden in April

4/1/2010

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Annuals:
Plant seedlings of winter and spring flowering varieties.

Bulbs:
Plant winter and spring flowering bulbs to the depth of 2 - 3 times the bulb's diameter.
Remove dahlias, shake free from soil, label and store underneath wood shavings.
Divide where necessary.
Sow seeds of indigenous bulbous plants.

Perennials:
Cut plants back that have finished flowering.
Divide where necessary and replant in prepared beds.

Roses:
  Fertilizeonly in warm areas with organic matter or compost, but avoid the stems.
Deadhead and de-bud or replant when/if necessary.
Spray for black spot, boll worm and beetles.

Irrigation:
On a weekly basis or as needed

Lawns:
  Fertilizewith 2:3:4, aerate and apply super-phosphate.

Propagation:
Make cuttings of lavender, Hebe, Heliotrope and daisies.
Make hardwood cuttings of Hydrangeas, Fuchsias, Philadelphus and Viburnum.

Pruning:
Wait until early spring in frosty areas.
Cut back Plectranthus that have finished flowering.

Herbs:
Harvest the foliage of lemon scented verbena.

Vegetables:
Fertilise veggies.
Store pumpkins in a cool, dry place.
Plant giant beans in rows from north to south.
Plant garlic bulbs.
Harvest the last potatoes after the first frost.

Fruit:
Provide enough water and mulch.
Cut all dead or scraggly branches of citrus trees and remove suckers.
  Fertilizeand water mango's well before flowering.
Harvest guavas and fertilize afterwards. Pick all fallen fruit up and burn.
  Fertilize granadillas.
Plant strawberries out in prepared beds.
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What to do in your garden in March

3/1/2010

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