2016—Spring
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LENAH VALLEY GARDEN CLUB INC
NEWSLETTER
September 2016
SUE CORNELL’S GARDEN
Had we asked permission.to feature Sue’s
this Newsletter she would probably have said “No”, or at least begun frenetic activity to present it
without a weed and with every
plant blooming its head off - so we
didn’t ask and we trespassed to
photograph!
garden in
Sue’s garden has always been an
important part of her life and despite her penchant
for making changes, it has always been a delight to
wander through it and enjoy her plants; she shows
little concern for whether they are common or unfashionable. She simply grows all her plants in a way
that allows them to produce their best performance.
Her great sense of position in the garden is on obvious display
Sue is enormously generous. Nothing pleases her
more than to share her best plants with gardening
fiends. She would sooner give you a plant than receive one and many club members have benefited
from the care and attention she has devoted on pots
and plants that have ended up on our trade table or
as various prizes in our competitions or decorations at
our events. In all respects she is an active member of
that wonderful freemasonry that exists among all gardeners.
Sue may move on from her current garden in the near
future and no doubt it will be a difficult time for her,
but we are sure that some form of gardening will be a
feature in her new location and we all look forward to
seeing the results.
The Lenah Valley Garden Club Newsletter is
printed at the office of Hon. Matthew Groom,
Liberal Member for Denison
PREPARING FOR SPRING
(In this comprehensive article, Bernard Pryor provides quality advice in getting
your garden ready for the coming season)
Survey Your Yard and
Make a Plan
Check fences, retaining
walls, steps and pathways
for mould or disrepair
caused by freezing and
thawing. High pressure
spray any unsightly mould (hire a machine if you don’t want to
store one). Cut down last year's perennial foliage and toss
leaves and thin branches into the compost pile. Make note of
any tree limbs that should be removed or cabled, especially
those that overhang structures or neighbours’ fences. Hire an
arborist to maintain large trees. Write out a list of jobs to be
done and attack them one by one when you have the time.
Check and Order Tools
Check your tools so that everything is ready when things need
attention. Make note of what is missing in your tool collection
and sharpen blades or order tools for the busy seasons ahead.
Oil secateurs, sand off any rusty spots and sharpen the blades
for clean cuts.
Get Ready to Mow
Take your mower and leaf blower to be serviced or, if you have
the right tools, sharpen the mower blades yourself. Refill your
mower with oil, install fresh spark plugs and lubricate moving
parts if necessary. Check your lawn for areas that need reseeding or returfing and attend to that before the heat of summer.
Prune Trees and Shrubs
Remove any dead, damaged and diseased branches from
woody plants. Thin and trim spring-blooming shrubs only after
flowering. After every pruning job, feed the plant. Dynamic
Lifter pellets are good for many shrubs, but not acid-loving
ones like camellias and azaleas. Look for the specific Dynamic
Lifter Advanced variants to suit fruit, tomatoes, lawns and roses.
Do a Soil Test
It’s always good to know what you are starting out with before
dumping lime or other nutrients into any garden or on your
lawn. Check soil pH with a home soil-test kit, taking several
samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading.
Enrich soil as necessary: Add dolomitic lime to raise the pH or
elemental sulfur to lower the pH.
Fertilize
Apply balanced fertiliser, fish emulsion or other soil amendments recommended by soil-test results around trees and
shrubs when new growth appears. Spread high-acid fertiliser
and pine-needle mulch around acid-loving shrubs like azaleas
and camellias. Begin fertilising perennials when active growth
resumes.
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Prepare New Beds
Clear the planting area removing unwanted plants, weeds and
debris. Spread a 3cm layer of compost or well-rotted manure
and any nutrient supplements over soil and cultivate it to a
depth of 30cm with a spade or fork.
Mulch
Spread mulch carefully under your emerging perennials and
newly-planted annuals to a depth of 3cm. The mulch will not
only make your garden look cared for, it will keep the soil cool
in the heat of summer, help retain water, prevent weeds and
add organic material to your soil. After spreading mulch, you
could use a pre-emergent herbicide like trifluralin. You can
easily find it in any garden centre under the brand name of
Preen, among others. A pre-emergent will stop seeds from
germinating. It will not damage plants that are already growing. When your neighbour's dandelion seeds blow into your
garden, it will stop them from developing for up to three
months. Just be sure to water it in well after applying because
dry trifluralin will simply dissipate into
the air. Also remember not to spread it
anywhere you are planning on annuals
or plants to self-seed.
Plant
Transplant container-grown plants anytime during the growing season except
midsummer; be sure to water them in
thoroughly with a mild mixture of Seasol.
Start a Compost Pile
If you don't have one already, start a compost pile or use a
plastic garbage bin with several holes drilled into the base so
that water can escape. (Buy one with a lid that will clip on so
that you don’t encourage possums and other such creatures
to visit. Worms will find their way in via the drainage holes.)
Begin by collecting plant debris and leaves raked up from the
garden. Chop these up first to speed decomposition. Add
equal amounts ‘brown’ (carbon-rich) matter like dried leaves,
straw, shredded newspaper and ‘green’ (nitrogen-rich) matter
like grass clippings and weeds in even layers with water and
some blood and bone. Turn regularly even 10 days or so. Continue adding to the pile throughout the season for rich, homemade compost. Compost can be spread in any garden. If it’s a
vegetable garden, work it into the soil. If it’s a perennial or
shrub garden, use it as a top dressing to help manage weeds.
Clean Bird Feeders and Birdbaths
Disinfect the feeders by scrubbing with weak bleach solution
(1/4 cup bleach: 2 litres water). Rinse and dry the feeders
thoroughly before refilling them. Scrub birdbaths with bleach
solution, then rinse them very, very thoroughly and refill,
changing water weekly. Remember to clean birdbaths and
feeders regularly throughout the season.
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Getting to Grips with Hedges
When you plant a hedge, you are keen for it to come of age and
when it has done so, it gives you scope to do something special
with it. Murraya, photinia, lillypilly and buxus are very popular,
but there are dozens of other suitable plants. Where the plants
have been reduced by a metre or more in height, the ‘dead’
wood inside is highly visible. Most hedges will grow back quite
fast, especially younger and well fed ones, but conifers generally
do not recover after such treatment.
Roses
Roses are at their best in spring. Remember to protect new
leaves with a systemic fungicide such as the one in Yates Rose
Gun (or Rose Shield if you have a larger rose garden) – always
read the label carefully.
Weeds
Remove weeds from the lawn with Yates Bindii & Clover Killer
(always read the label carefully). Then follow up with fertiliser. An
easy way is to use Yates Weed ‘n’ Feed, available in either hoseon or dry formulations. After the weeds have died, thicken your
lawn by oversowing with lawn seed.
Pesticides
Practise Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a term often
thrown around, but it simply means know what your plants are,
what your pests are and manage them accordingly. Always get
proper identification of any pests that may be attacking your
plants. Often times we can manage our pests by simple pruning
or moving the plant to the right location. For instance, if you have
an azalea growing in full sun, it will inevitably be infested with
lace bugs and red spider. Move it to the shade and your problems
will decrease. If a tomato has a fungal disease like Septoria leaf
spot or blight, prune out lower leaves and some of the upper
leaves to provide good air circulation. Water at the ground level
and not on the leaves to avoid water splash and spread of the
disease.
Don’t use pesticides haphazardly. Perhaps consider using them as
a last resort and try other types of control first. Understanding
what the pest is, what it feeds on and what feeds on it can help
you to manage any crop or plant effectively and efficiently.
BLOOMING TASMANIA
Launceston Flower and Garden
Show
EXCURSION
Oakley Coaches will collect us on
SATURDAY 24th September
From the Cark Park opposite
Graham Family Funerals
Risdon Road New Town
Departing at 8.10am
Our departure time from Launceston
on the day will be 3.30pm.
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THE TRADE TABLE
Allium sphaerocephalon I
This members of the onion family is known as roundheaded leek and also round-headed garlic, ball-head
onion, and other variations on these names. Other
names include Drumsticks,
Allium sphaerocephalon is found in the wild across all
parts of Europe except in the northernmost countries
(Ireland, Netherlands,Scandinavia, and the Baltic
States). Its native range extends to northern Africa and
to western Asia as far east as Iran.
The species is prized by gardeners because of its striking floral display. The spherical "head" (technically an
umbel) is borne on a long scape, up to 50 cm in height,
usually in January . It can contain hundreds of deep
purple flowers.
2017 SYMPOSIUM
At it first meeting the new Committee
has decided to organize a Symposium in
2017—two years after our previous successful effort in 2015.
A sub-committee has been formed which
includes four committee members and
tow Club members, (Bernard and
Heather Pryor) There is always room for
other club members to join the group if
you would like to be involved.
The sub-committee has proposed the
date for the Symposium in 2017 as Sunday 19th March. It will again be a oneday event.
Submissions are currently being developed for funding for the event from various bodies around the State.
MEETING DATES FOR 2016—2017
A new “fridge magnet” of meeting
dates is now available for members
listing dates for 2016—2017.
Collect your copy at the meeting.