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- Spring seems to have well and truly burst upon
us in the past week. Roses are starting to move and begging for attention.
Time to spread some nutrient around and if your soil is still a bit cold and
many are, then use water soluble fertilizers at first followed up by organic
pellets if you like.
- It’s wise to keep any basal growths that
appear to be arising from the rootstock, well pruned away or they can
quickly overcome the more desirable rose on top in no time at all. These
rootstock shoots are usually quite distinctive and will look quite different
from the scion growth of your named rose cultivar, being generally much
pricklier.
- Just a cautionary note though, many rose
shoots that arise from low down are not sprouting rootstocks, but actually
rigorous young shoots that need to be preserved. I hear them called water
shoots occasionally and some suggest that they be removed. Rubbish. They are
the best chance you have of renewing the vigour in old roses and this year
will be a bumper year for them due to the saturated soils we currently have.
They may however need a temporary stake until they firm up a bit.
- Didn’t the Sweet Peas look stunning at the
Adelaide Show? This is one of our local success stories from Gawler
Township. Outstanding breeder and exhibitor, Brad McDougall has named one of
his distinguished seedlings after my wife Annie. A dark maroon bloom with
pale lacy markings and I’m told it’s the reverse of “Tartan Mac”. I’m
sure Annie’s late father AG ‘Mac’ McRostie would have approved, Annie
certainly does. ‘Mac’ McRostie’ was a member of the Dambuster’s
squadron in WWII by the way.
- I was filming in a nursery last week and there
were quite a few little kids running around absolutely enthralled by some of
the curious plants and flowers and all manner of things I guess I take for
granted like jumping Collembola when you lift a pot. If you have kids that
you seek to amaze with gardening give them some kohl rabi seedlings to
plant.
- Kohl rabi looks great with their purple stems
and can be eaten at an early stage fresh or diced and into stews, plus they
are pretty foolproof to grow too. Not fussy about location or soil. They
also get a few aphids on their leaves, that won’t affect their growth much
and all that makes for interest from young gardeners. A packet of kohl rabi
seed sown at the same time makes for an interesting comparison too.
- It’s not too late to still be planting
asparagus or rhubarb from crowns and I see good supplies in several local
outlets. Also for those who still use their Webber Kettle to cook up a
treat, plant some Jerusalem Artichokes in a sunny patch. Buy the bulbs from
any greengrocer and plant them about 20cm deep. Late summer when they want
to flower is best time to harvest. Separate them and wash the soil off and
they only need 5 minutes in a hot kettle cooker to be ready and they are a
nutty treat to go with baked butternut pumpkin. Unfortunately they don’t
store well so you need to eat them fresh from the garden. Just check there
is no creeping oxalis in amongst your rhubarb crowns. I saw some last week
potted up from a well-known local source that was disgusting!
- I reckon it’s about time for sowing the
first of your zucchinis and early cucumbers and the bush rockmelons. The
larger types of melon need a few weeks of warmer days yet before they can be
sown with confidence.
- One of the best kept gardening secrets in the
hills, is the Gamble garden at 296 Main Road (corner of Dorhan Road)
Blackwood. It’s a garden that fairly faithfully recreates a 1930’s
Country Cottage garden and in spring it looks great. It’s open everyday in
daylight hours for free. Their special plants sale weekend is on the third
Sunday each month, making Sunday 16th their next.
The Friends of Gamble Garden who maintain
the garden for the caretakers (National Trust local branch at Coromandel
Valley) meet every Tuesday morning and are an active group of 6-8 local folk.
If you are looking to work in a garden with lots of scope to improve your
skills base, but lack the space, look no further. Ring their organiser Beryl
on 8370 4252 or just turn up some Tuesday morning to check them out.
For hills gardeners it’s your last chance
this month to plant white onion seedlings, but prime season for planting the
brown or red varieties from seedlings or sow some seed. It’s also the ideal
C month: You name it cauliflower, carrots, cabbages and kohl rabi (I know I
can’t spell either), but it’s a bit early for capsicum and chillies.
Now that the flurry of demand for open
rooted roses, fruits and ornamental trees has passed it’s worth asking your
local supplier about citrus. Too early to plant in my opinion, but within a
few weeks they will start to appear and the best cultivars are always in
demand, so it’s worth ordering them, well in advance.
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