WELCOME to a new year of gardening. Ours is a wonderful climate of seasons, cold in winter, some hot days in summer and a glorious spring and autumn. Unlike many of the glossy garden magazines and television shows that seem to concentrate on the capital cities, this column is about gardening and growing conditions here.

With my nearly 45 years living here, except for the time we owned a nursery in Yass, I am now getting the hang of what will grow here!

Gardeners are eternal optimists; we plant tiny seeds and expect them to grow into flowers, shrubs or trees. As we go into a year of celebrations for our first 100 years of Canberra, we also look with optimism to the future of the city.

Many descriptions have been given to the city over the years; Walter Burley Griffin’s concept of the garden city, or later the bush capital. Whereas, in reality, it is a treed city, with more than 600,000 istreet and park trees. This does not include trees in private gardens.

In this centenary year we must do more to preserve our trees.

MANY readers may still be on holidays and hoping that relations or friends have been looking after their gardens in their absence. Certainly, we have experienced some hot weather with little rain. If you are a recent arrival to the ACT, may I suggest you buy a copy of “The Canberra Gardener”, published by the Horticultural Society of Canberra.

Available from most bookshops or newsagents, the updated 10th edition has more than 400 pages of garden advice with diagrams and coloured photos.

SO what happens in January in our gardening world of Canberra?

Bulbs, which relish full sun, may now be growing in shade as trees have grown, or perhaps they simply have got deeper into the soil (which can be caused over several years of adding compost and/or mulch). If bulbs are too deep, there may be plenty of leaves, but no flowers.

With both these situations, now is the time to dig them up and replant in a full-sun position.

Summer prune roses now for an autumn floral display, reducing back the stems to encourage more branching and subsequently more flowers.

If your annual flowers, such as petunias, are looking a bit scrappy, give them a light trim to encourage more flowers and apply a light feed after watering the ground around them first.

The changing weather conditions with generally hot days and cool nights have not been conducive for many vegetables such as tomatoes. Make sure your veggies are well mulched.

And continue feeding with a high potassium plant food those plants that produce flowers for fruit.

WATCH out for “pest plants” in the garden. I seem to have a never-ending number of small box elder seeding from a neighbour’s tree, plus privet and nettle seedlings. I can literally pull out at least 50 or more a week!

These will grow into monsters if you do not practice eternal vigilance. All these being on the environmental weeds list. Usually, they appear under the power lines where the birds have been sitting and the seeds maturing nicely in their droppings. People living in new suburbs without power lines will have this pest plant problem almost eliminated.

MANY people are reluctant to trim back plants that are growing rapidly. If this is not done, those same plants will be tall and scraggly, flopping over with few flowers.

In particular perennial plants, of which you would like an autumn display, such as dahlias, chrysanthemums and Asters or Michaelmas daisies. I would suggest that you reduce their growth by half, which may mean cutting off some flower buds. Do not worry, these will soon grow again.

The post The joys of gardening in Canberra’s special climate appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

IT is appropriate in our Centenary year to take a look at the great work of our early pioneers in establishing this city. 

From a landscaping point of view, the work of such giants as Charles Weston, J P Hobday, A E Bruce and Lindsay Pryor need to be remembered. They had a blank canvas and the challenge was to create a landscaped city from the treeless limestone plains.

Weston had the task of interpreting Walter Burley Griffin’s landscape plans. These were largely based on “garden city” concepts that Griffin was aware of at Yellowstone Garden City in the US, and Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City in England.

WESTON arrived here from England in 1896 and was superintendent of gardens at Government House in Sydney until 1912.

In 1913 he was appointed as officer in charge of afforestation to create an urban landscape for the new capital city. Part of his brief was to establish a forestry industry and the establishment of a propagation nursery. This was originally in Acton and later moved to its Yarralumla site when work started on the lake in 1960.

Weston worked closely with Griffin and, from time to time, had differences of opinion with Griffin on the species to be grown here. In 1926, he moved to Sydney, although he was retained as a consultant to Canberra until 1927.

A E BRUCE succeeded Weston as superintendent of parks and gardens until 1932. One of his major works was the establishment of the rose gardens at the then-Parliament House.

Both Bruce and Weston were awarded MBEs for their landscape work in Canberra.

WORKING with Weston was John Peace Hobday who was the foreman at Yarralumla Nursery in 1913. His mission in life and chief interest was the development of the new garden city. He followed Bruce as superintendent of parks and gardens until his death in 1944.

THIS position was elevated to director of parks and gardens when Lindsay Pryor was appointed to the post in 1944. His contribution to our landscape was possibly the greatest for our city.

Pryor continued the work of Weston and Griffin, and expanded the range of exotic and native species of trees and shrubs for our city’s landscape. In 1958, Pryor was made a professor and appointed to the foundation chair of botany at the ANU.

IT is now far removed from the original garden city concept of the early suburbs of Forrest, Deakin, Red Hill and Yarralumla. Block sizes have been gradually reduced and trimming front hedges and mowing nature strips by the government has gone by the board.

With the propagation of new varieties of Australian plants, the concept was changed and we started calling it the Bush Capital. In reality, it is a treed city with more than 600,000 trees in our urban streets and parks. This urban forest is our most valuable resource.

It is now up to our present government to continue the work of these landscape pioneers that have created our treed city.

Unfortunately, this is in doubt with the decline and neglect of our urban trees. A great deal of work is being done by a dedicated team for the Urban Forest Renewal Program under the auspices of Territory and Municipal Services.

However, this program is doomed to failure if the required finances are not provided to implement such a program. We lost many trees with drought and fires and these need to be replaced as well as trees reaching the end of their natural life. It is not just about planting trees, but their continuing care and maintenance, the neglect of which is all too obvious as one drives around our city.

In this our centenary year it is vital that we preserve our greatest asset. With climate change and global warming upon us, trees and green cover are vital to our survival.

The post The dedicated men who turned Canberra green appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

The rich colour of Agapanthus “Black Pantha”

THE biggest temptation in extreme heat is to over-water plants.

Often they can show signs of stress in the heat of the day and out comes the hose. This is the worst thing you can do with watering at any time between 9am and 6pm.

The best time to water is in the cool of the evening and water the plants, not the soil where there are no plants.

The best method is still drip irrigation of which I am still only watering once a week in our garden using this method. Admittedly, I am leaving the drippers on for slightly longer, usually for one and a half hours instead of one hour.

If you can, turn the drippers on for about ¾ hour to one hour in the morning and repeat the process for a similar time in the evening. This is known as “pulse irrigation” and allows the water to penetrate to the root zone without run-off.

There is absolutely no need to water every day and, indeed, this can actually cause the death of plants. Naturally, plants in containers will need more frequent watering. Under the current water restrictions it is not permissible to use sprinkler systems between 9am and 6pm.

THERE is a wide variety of plants that revel in the heat, with Amaryllis belladonna immediately coming to mind. The foliage is untroubled by animals so the plant is often used to line driveways on country properties.

Its bold, bright, large, pink flowers gave it the common name of “Naked Ladies” and, while often referred to as lilies (due to the flower shape), it is in reality only a distant relative.

THEN there is the much maligned Agapanthus, commonly called “Lily of The Nile”. And yet, like Belladonna, is not a lily at all and is related to Amaryllis and native to South Africa, not Egypt.

The problem is that its seeds are spread very easily and it is suggested they have spread into native bushland, although I have never seen it in plague proportions. However, it is not usually a problem in urban areas with the plant bringing a bold splash of cool blues and whites on hot days. If the seed heads are cut off immediately after flowering any seeding problem is overcome.

For more suggestions on plants that like the heat, refer to www.cedricbryant.com and scroll down to Cedfacts Garden Information Sheet on “Perennials for Year Round Colour”.

EVERY now and again a book is published that neatly fills the bill for specific information. Yates have done it again with their “Month by Month Gardening” by Judy Horton (HarperCollins softcover, 256pp colour, $29.99).

Horton is the long-time principal horticultural advisor to Yates. Many would have attended her talks at Floriade. This is really fantastic value for money and most gardeners do need constant reminders what to do when in the garden.

Each month is divided into sections of what veggies and flowers to plant, and specific sections, such as in January, with hints on water usage.

Planting guides are sub-divided into tropical/sub-tropical, temperate and cold climatic zones. Fertilising, pests and diseases are all covered, naturally using the extensive range of Yates products. This is a great companion book to “Yates Garden Guide”. Judy will be the guest speaker at the Horticultural Society’s March meeting, with details closer to the date.

Arboretum opens

THE National Arboretum opens to the public on Saturday, February 2, which also signals the re-opening of the new home of the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection. The ActewWater Discovery Garden will be open and I will be giving talks and demonstrations during the morning.

There will be no general car parking on site on this day with shuttle buses operating from town centres and some nearby parking areas.

However from Sunday, February 3, the Arboretum will be open seven days a week with private car access to be able to explore the site initially from 10am to 4pm.

The post The cool way to water appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

WHEN driving past Canberra Airport one cannot but be impressed with the high standard of landscaping. In particular, at present, the brilliant colourful display of Lagerstroemia indica or Crepe Myrtle, of which many readers have drawn to my attention.

Crepe Myrtles were originally considered an autumn flowering plant. Whether it is climate change or global warming that has affected the change, but these wonderful plants now flower in mid-to-late summer. They have so many great attributes besides the flowers. With a stunning display of yellow, orange and red leaves in autumn followed by a peeling bark of grey, pink and cinnamon tones in winter.

Crepe Myrtles originated in China and Korea and were first introduced into Western gardens in 1759 by that intrepid plant hunter, Robert Fortune.

Dr Peter Valder, in his excellent reference book “The Garden Plants of China”, states that “these have been cultivated in Chinese gardens for centuries. During the Tang Dynasty they were planted extensively in the Emperor’s Palace. Crepe Myrtle appeared in Chinese paintings from the 16th century. It is also known in China as ‘Hundred Days Red’ due to its long flowering period”.

In China, the branches were severely pruned each year in winter as the flowers only appear on the new season’s wood. This is equally applicable here and frequently folk say to me: “It flowered well in the first few years and, while continuing to grow, has had hardly any flowers since”.

So a winter task after the leaves fall and the sap has stopped flowing is to cut them back hard. Crepe Myrtles are used increasingly as street trees as evidenced if one is travelling on the Windsor road through Penrith. Or closer to home in the main street of Queanbeyan. Maybe inter-planted between the monotonous eucalyptus in Belconnen for instance.

The idea of planting more exotic flowering trees in Canberra was actively promoted by former Chief Minister Jon Stanhope. He was recently quoted as saying, in government, he had asked for more exotics, “although it was always as though I was suggesting something completely outrageous!”

TODAY there are many varieties of Crepe Myrtles from the dwarf French varieties to taller growing ones. Some of the best are grown by Fleming’s Nurseries with their Indian Summer Series. These are named after North American Indian Nations such as Lagestroemeria indica x fauriei “Sioux”. This is a vase-shaped strong upright small tree to 4m x 3m with masses of intense, hot-pink flowers. Or L.i.x fauriei “Tuscarora” of a similar size with dark, coral-red flowers. L.i. “Natchez” is a taller variety growing to 8m x 6m with pure-white flowers set against dark-green leaves. These are just a few to tempt you, but the only way to choose is to see the extensive range now in flower at your local garden centre.

CHARLES Weston was responsible for planting more than two million trees and shrubs in Canberra from 1913 to 1926! In 2011, the National Capital Authority planted an Arizona Cypress to commemorate 100 years since Weston first visited Canberra.

Many of the trees he planted are now nearing the end of their life and, like the elderly, now need some loving care and attention. Do you consider just $7 spent annually on each of our street trees and in urban parks is sufficient? This includes all aspects of tree care from pruning potentially dangerous dead wood from older trees, formative pruning of young trees, removal of dead trees and replanting new trees? I would be interested in your comments, email me at cedricbryant@grapevine.com.au or write c/- CityNews, GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601.

Back to the garden

A few things to do include:

• Cutting back all leaves off Helleborus

• But not cutting back evergreens now. By doing so, the soft, exposed leaves will be sun-scorched in a matter of hours.

• Take semi-hardwood cutting. Try untreated honey instead of commercial cutting powders or gels to promote root development. An ideal time is after good rain.

• Keep the bird bath full. Washing themselves is as important to birds as water for drinking.

• After the rain, snails will love your greenery. Spread sparingly Multicrop Snail and Slug Killer. This contains no dangerous poisons so is safer to use around pets.

   

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THIS week’s feature plant is Hebe from NZ, in flower in many gardens at present. The Hebe genus is classed as NZ’s horticultural treasure trove. In the UK, the Royal Horticultural Society publish each year “The Plant Finder” book, which lists more than 85,000 plants and, more importantly, from which garden centres and nurseries they can be purchased.

Think of Hebe as an alternative to box hedging.

I mention this as they list a staggering 535 varieties of Hebe, such is the popularity of this plant over there. Equally, it is becoming a favourite among gardeners here.

The Hebe, or Veronica as the genus was originally known, was discovered by naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, who accompanied Capt James Cook. The discovery was made on Cook’s first voyage to NZ from 1769 to 1771. Although interestingly, the first Hebe brought into cultivation was from the Falkland Islands in 1776. The rest is history.

HEBES range from varieties growing to just 60 centimetres to those up to two metres.

They look great planted in groups of three, five or seven, or planted as a hedge, as illustrated here. It blends perfectly with other plants such as Daphne. The range of leaf shapes and colours, from grey to dark green, or variegated green and yellow, are attractive in their own right.

One of the largest mass plantings here of Hebes was undertaken by the National Capital Authority in the central beds of Anzac Parade. These represent the “NZ” part of Anzac. Eleven thousand “Otari White” were planted, the pink buds opening to pure-white flowers.

Here are a few suggestions that I know from experience grow well in this district:

• “La Seduisante”,  although sounding French, was first recorded in an English nursery in 1906. Its deep-violet-purple flowers are set off with dark green leaves, growing from one to 1.8 metres tall.

• “Marie Antoinette” with red-purple flowers, a low shrub to 75cm tall. This plant is an ideal alternative to Buxus sempervirens,  or box plant, with the advantage of flowering over a long period.

• Possibly one of the most popular is “Inspiration”, a neat compact shrub with petunia-purple flowers. This is a good coastal plant surviving salt spray and salt-laden winds.

• “Icing Sugar” is just as delicious as the name. The rose-pink flower buds open to the same colour and then change to white giving them a most attractive appearance.

• “Oratia Beauty” also has pink flowers changing to white, to 75-centimetres tall – this is another good low-hedge plant.

These few varieties are just to tempt you with a hardy plant for Canberra, not forgetting Queanbeyan gardeners. Check out other varieties at your local garden centre. “Hebes”, by Lawrie Metcalf, Timber Press, 2006, is the bible on these super plants. Check availability online.

WHILE I worry about the demise of our street trees here, other places have the same problem. Parks, gardens and trees are vital to make town centres inviting, yet are too often overlooked and are now the subject of new government guidelines to town planners in the UK.

Streets, especially high streets, have reached a crisis point and action is needed. Suggestions include communities growing “pocket parks”, with perhaps wildflower gardens, while sites await development. This could be a good idea when one sees overgrown sites such as demolished service stations disfiguring our suburbs here.

Planting time almost here

WITH barely two weeks of summer left, I remind readers of the adage:  “autumn time is planting time”:

• Prepare ground for shrubs and bulbs. Do not have the soil too rich, especially for bulbs. For shrubs, prepare the ground to at least 30cm deep.

• Consider now where to plant shade or blossom trees, giving them plenty of room to grow.

• Do you know where the underground services are on your block? “Dial before you dig” is recommended before you start preparing deep holes for trees.

• Consider the contents of potting mixes and where the materials come from, such as peat from endangered peat bogs.

• Do you really need to buy potting mixes with chemical fertilisers already added? Are those fertilisers ideal for the particular plants you intend to grow?

The post Many faces in the popular world of the hardy Hebe appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

THE early flowering bulbs have started to arrive at garden centres.

Walking through the Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla, I noticed Nerines, the common Nerine Bowdenii in pink and white, and the more unusual red and yellow varieties. Nerines make an excellent cut flower and can last several weeks indoors.

Nerine bowdenii… an ideal, long-lasting cut flower.

COLCHICUMS or autumn crocus (pictured, top), ideally suited to our hot climate as they originate in the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions, provide autumn-to- early-winter colour in the garden.
Until the autumn-flowering bulbs appear, Salvias are making a magnificent display of colour. One of my favourites is Salvia “greggii”, due not only to the rich, deep-red flowers, but the fragrance of the leaves. As a ground cover under the Salvias I have grown Convolvulus mauritanicus, with its profusion of pale-blue flowers which is great for spilling over walls. It flowers all summer and well into the autumn.

THE recent opening of the Arboretum was an outstanding success with congratulations to the ACT Government personnel, the Friends and Adam Burgess and his team in particular for getting the trees in the ground and growing.
The “wow” factor was evident on the day with possibly the Bonsai exhibition taking the pride of place, located in the stunning Village Centre. The magnificent timber roof structure is a sculpture in itself. This is going to be the “in” place for coffee while enjoying a fantastic view across the lake. When viewed from this location, the Lake appears to be a series of lakes. Most of the trees are growing, despite the extremes of weather we have experienced in recent years, setting the scene to imagine the future of the forests.

IT was great to catch up with “CityNews” readers at the Arboretum opening, when I was giving talks for Actew Water’s Discovery Garden. The new area replaces the previous Xeriscape Garden at Weston. Ultra-modern in its presentation, it is not intended to be a blueprint of a home garden. Rather it demonstrates the wide range of hardy, drought-resistant plants that can be grown here using a minimum of water.
Some visitors on the day did comment that while they could see how the $70 million had been spent on this showpiece for the city for the next 100 years, it was a pity some of that money wasn’t spent on looking after the neglected trees in our streets and parks in our existing urban forest.
I have to agree. Maybe our new Environment Minister will take this on board? The Arboretum, including the Bonsai exhibition and Discovery Garden, is open every day from 10am to 4pm.

Now is the time to…

• Think about getting a compost heap ready for autumn leaves.

• Plant calendulas round the winter veggie patch. These discourage insect pests and are frost hardy.

• Go to www.cedricbryant.com and scroll down to “Cedfacts” for the veggie guide of what to plant now.

• Check out the excellent quality of Correa “Canberra Bells”, our Centenary flower at The Heritage Nursery, the best I have seen. Plant a group of three or five to celebrate our 100 years.

• Plant Australian garlic now from your local garden centre. Not the imported Chinese garlic sold at many supermarkets. This has been chemically treated and will not grow.

The post Return of the early bulbs appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

ON hot days, white-flowering plants give a sense of coolness and there are many white-flowering plants at this time of the year.

For example,  Anemone hupehensis, or Japanese wind flowers, grow on long stems to 50cm. These are a delightful perennial plant, dying down in summer and appearing in autumn. There is also a pink variety. Some say they are a pest and spread everywhere, but are not really a problem as they are shallow rooted and easy to thin when first emerging.

Dietes grandiflora, with strong strappy leaves and delightful flowers, can make a real statement. It is a tough, South African plant ideally suited to our climate that needs room to grow, with the leaves up to 80cm tall and the flowers on long stems above the leaves. It flowers from summer to autumn.

Dietes… a tough, South African plant ideally suited to our climate that needs room to grow.

For a great hedge with white flowers consider Myrtus communis or myrtle. This can be kept to one metre or for a taller hedge to two metres. Deep-purple, edible berries follow the flowers, which people from the Mediterranean make into a great liqueur. They also use the leaves as an alternative to bay leaves in casseroles etcetera.

THE old idea of spring planting as the ideal time has long gone. In autumn plants are not battling extreme temperatures as we experienced this summer. The ground is still warm for good root development, further encouraged by applying liquid seaweed such as Multicrop Plant Food Concentrate when planting. This specifically encourages new root growth and, interestingly, reduces the effect of frost on plants.

If you dug up an autumn-planted shrub after about 12 months, you will almost certainly find twice as much root growth as the same shrub planted in spring. Soil preparation is essential. Do not dig a massive hole for plants. Digging an excessively large hole into clay soil, in the mistaken belief by filling the hole with compost etcetera will get the plant off to a good start is wrong. All it will do is form a clay “bucket” with water seeping into the large hole and not draining away. Clay swells with water, resulting in water staying in the hole for weeks. This can eventually lead to root rot and a dead plants.

The basic rule is dig the hole slightly wider and deeper than the pot the plant has been grown in. Without getting too technical, if the pot is 12cm wide x 12cm deep then dig the hole 20cm wide by 20cm deep. Fill the hole with a liquid ground breaker such as Multicrop Ground Breaker and allow time for it to drain away. Depending on the density of the clay, this may take a couple of hours to a full day. The ground breaker soaks down and sideways, working on the clay more effectively than gypsum. Then fill the space between the root ball and the hole with a cocktail of good soil from elsewhere in the garden mixed with the existing soil.

If you do not have a drip irrigation system make an earth bank around the plant to prevent run-off. For a pot size mentioned above of 12cm or equivalent to one litre, make the bank to hold at least five litres, preferably 10 litres (ie a standard bucket.) The water will soak down to the root zone. Flooding this bank once a week will normally be sufficient to sustain healthy growth.

If you do not have a drip irrigation system make a water-retaining earth bank around the plant to prevent run-off.

Autumn flower show

THE Horticultural Society of Canberra’s Autumn Flower Show will be held at the Wesley Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest , noon-5pm, on Saturday, March 2 and 11.30am -3.45pm on Sunday, March 3.

There will be a display of dahlias and roses along with general flowers and stunning floral art displays. The ever-popular plant stall will have an abundance of plants. Refreshments available both days. Entry is free.

Quote of week

QUOTE of the week (maybe not to be taken too seriously?): “Introduced species [exotic trees and shrubs] can actually increase bushfire frequency and intensity, not reduce it” (Westgate and Ikin, January 26, 2013).

The post White way to a cool garden appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

MARCH is the first month of autumn, a glorious time of the year.

As we move through the month the leaves will start to turn into their magnificent mantle of colour. Rich hues of golden yellow, burgundy and red with every shade in between.

March is an important time for pruning conifers, with the other recommended time being October.

Other smaller plants that change colour in autumn include Ceratostigma willmottianum or Chinese plumbago. Its Chinese name “Blue Snow Flower” refers to the cool, blue effect of its flowers in summer. This is a low-growing, deciduous shrub up to one metre with deep-blue flowers and a stunning display of autumn leaf colour.

Its rival in autumn colour is Vaccinium or blueberries. Some years ago, I recall seeing a hedge of Ceratostigma on a corner block in Curtin that presented a stunning summer flower display and equally so with autumn leaf colour.

Mrs Ellen Willmott… a remarkable gardener in every sense.

The English family home of Warkley Place had a 13-hectare garden and the family were all keen gardeners. She inherited the home on her father’s death plus a substantial inheritance from her godmother. Willmott over the years developed the whole site and is thought to have cultivated more than 100,000 plants, employing 104 gardeners. She only employed men, once quoted as saying: “Women would be a disaster in the flower border”. Willmott used her wealth to fund plant-hunters to China and the Middle East including the famous Ernest Henry Wilson, who named this Ceratostigma after her, having discovered it growing in China.

She helped persuade her neighbour to purchase the site of Wisley in southern England, which became the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, and donate it to the Society. Today, these gardens are a mecca for gardeners from around the world and even if you have time to see only one garden in England, visit the RHS Gardens at Wisley (see www.rhs.org.uk). Willmott with her extravagant lifestyle, owning estates in France and Italy, lead to serious financial troubles. She became increasingly eccentric and used to booby trap her estate to deter thieves and carried a revolver in her handbag. She died age 76 in 1934. Despite all this, we have to thank her for introducing hundreds of plants to decorate and enhance our gardens today.

The Sedum “Autumn Joy”… come autumn, these pale-pink flowers gradually change to deep pink and finally bronze.

The new growth starts in late winter with the appearance of tiny, delicate shoots that give the appearance of being killed by frost, but are impervious to frost.

Gradually through spring and early summer, the stems grow and in late summer the “flowers” form, resembling broccoli. Come autumn, these pale-pink flowers gradually change to deep pink and finally bronze. When the first frosts arrive, the stems are cut back to ground level and almost immediately the new shoots start appearing. These can be dug up and divided and are so, so easy to grow. Plant this sedum in bold groups for maximum effect.

In the autumn garden…

• With conifers it is vitally important not to cut back into the old wood. Most conifers will not grow back if clipped too severely.
• Evergreen hedging plants such as Viburnum and Photinia can, on the other hand, be hard pruned and will soon respond with new growth.
• Always try and shape hedges narrower at the top and wider at the base. This allows an even amount of sunlight and overcomes dieback at the base of the hedge.
• Pittosporum hedges need to be cut back softly, softly and not too severely at any one time.

 Tree quote

“The more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder the core. Such trees continue to expand with nearly equal rapidity to an extreme old age”. Thoreau, 1860.

The post March of glorious autumn appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS and dahlias are two of autumn’s most floriferous plants.

Chrysanthemums… colourful favourites in autumn.

The small-flowered varieties of Chrysanthemums are just coming into flower in our garden.

The origin of these wonderful plants has largely been lost in time. One of the original varieties was Chrysanthemum coronaries, originating in the Mediterranean.

At some time it was introduced to the Orient, where it has become popular as a vegetable using the young leaves that are often added to soups. Chrysanthemum flowers have been associated with China since the 7th century AD and, more lately, in Japan and Korea, where they have popular Chrysanthemum festivals. They are one of the main features in the flower pavilion at the UK’s Chelsea Flower Show. In Australia, we associate the big chrysanthemums with Mother’s Day.

The smaller-flowered varieties are great for planting in the garden or in containers and hanging baskets on even the smallest balcony. They readily divide or simply grow from cuttings and are great as a starter plant for children to grow.

Dahlia flowers… brightest display at this time of the year.

MANY people saw the amazing display of dahlias at the recent Horticultural Society of Canberra’s flower show.

Dahlias provide the brightest flower display at this time of the year from compact, low-growing varieties to large varieties illustrated here.

Dahlias are very easy to grow from tubers and the time to look for these is when they have finished flowering over the next month. The Society will have an extensive range for sale at its November flower show.

United they stand

THE NSW Road and Maritime Services (formerly Roads and Traffic Authority) proposes to totally remove Braidwood’s spectacular line of poplars, so enjoyed by tens of thousands of travellers to the coast.

The move is due to some motorists driving into the trees and, unfortunately, killing themselves. This is no fault of the trees!

The pictured avenue of Golden Poplars was planted in 1936 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of King George V.

Local arborist Dennis Dempsey, whose family has lived in the area since 1838, tells me the town’s population is up in arms.

“I have grown old with these trees as they were only 10 years old when I was born and I have seen them grow and mature,” he says.

Surely, commonsense must prevail or are we to remove every roadside tree or even street trees due to incompetent drivers?

What is your opinion? Email me at cedricbryant@grapevine.com.au with your views.

It’s time to…

• divide perennials such as campanulas, asters after flowering;

• plant seedlings of English spinach, silverbeet, leeks; and seed of peas and broad beans (the latter in well-limed soil);

• plant all manner of berries and currants; sow sweet peas;

• think about taking out petunias now past their prime and replacing with pansies and violas for winter colour.

Month by month with Mary

SURELY, not another month-by-month book on gardening?

So many are merely coffee table books, but rising above these I commend you to Mary Horsfall’s “Gardens for All Seasons” (CSIRO Publishing paperback, 336 pages, $49.95) for one very good reason – the publisher.

CSIRO has an exemplary record in publishing books of substance to do with the soil.

Best-selling author Horsfall has an amazing track record with previous books including “Eco-Friendly Garden” and “The Miracle of Mulch”.

Her month-by-month guide details her own gardening year, which is applicable for all gardeners. She writes about growing the full range of ornamental plants and fruit and vegetables; then provides recipes based on the harvest and activities for kids in the garden. This is also the only such garden book I know of that includes bush fire preparation and first aid.

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AS the leaves turn in autumn, there are many shrubs with rich leaf colour at this time.

The translucent berries of the Snowball Bush, Viburnum opulus.

This is a native of Europe and North Africa, so has no problems with low water usage. In autumn, it has large bunches of translucent red berries that hang on long into winter. The rich tones of the autumn leaves are an added attraction. This is just one of many viburnums that are worth checking out.

Cotinus coggygria, or Smoke Bush, features fluffy, smoky-blue inflorescence in late summer followed by reddening leaves in autumn.

I recommend C.c. “Royal Purple” that, as the name suggests, has rich purple coloured leaves all summer. The plant was first introduced into western gardens in 1656. We know this as the early plant hunters kept meticulous records of where they first found the plants growing in the wild and the dates of discovery.

The Oak Leafed Hydrangea on the turn in autumn.

Finally in this group of suggested autumn-leafed shrubs, Euonymous alata is a many branched shrub distinguished by its corky, winged bark similar to Liquidamber styraciflua, except the latter is a very large tree only suitable for the biggest garden. This euonymous is classed as one of the finest of all medium-sized shrubs for autumn colour. It was found in China in 1860.

MOST garden advice columns will tell you to spray fruit trees with Bordeaux or Kocide mix in spring to prevent brown rot and curly leaf on the fruit.

Usually this advice does not tell you that it is equally important in autumn. The time to spray stone fruit trees, ie peach, nectarine and plums, is once 75 per cent of the leaves have fallen. It is equally important to remove any fallen fruit from under trees or mummified fruit still hanging on the branches.

The identical sprays are used at this time of the year. One important piece of advice is when pouring the spray into the sprayer, use a fine meshed funnel or an old nylon stocking. This will prevent fine particles of the powder clogging up the spray jet, which can be highly annoying.

SOMETHING eating your veggies before you do? Plants looking off-colour rather than green? Problems deciding is it a weed or a goodie? If your local garden centre can’t solve your plant problems visit the CIT School of Horticulture Plant Clinic, at Bruce CIT in Charles Weston Lane, corner of Battye and Eade Streets. Questions can be answered as part of student training, with a back-up from teaching staff. It operates every Monday from 2pm-4pm during term times. Please put any nasties in a plastic bag and, for plant ID, if possible bring leaves, flowers and seeds. Contact 6207 4610.

Apple Day celebrations

THE 23rd Apple Day Harvest Celebration will be held at Loriendale Orchard, 1.30pm-5pm, Saturday, April 6.

Discover the best of organic heritage and modern apples, quinces and pears. Relax in the gardens with Devonshire teas and live music. Enjoy homemade, country-style apple pies, French crepes and Dutch pancakes at this Hall District Event.

Loriendale Orchard is just past Hall village, taking the Spring Range Road to the right off the Barton Highway and right on to Carrington Road, watch for the signs.

More information at loriendale.com.au or 6230 2557.

In this Indian-summer autumn…

• Plant pennyroyal near a path so that it gets trodden on, wafting through the air with the delicious peppermint fragrance of the leaves.
• Sow snapdragon seeds now, sprinkled randomly.
• Freeze herbs after cutting back for later use.
• Give box hedging a last clip of the season and it will remain tidy until spring.
• Use apple corers to get rid of weeds in lawns.
• Wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs. The very fine hairs can cause a dermatitis-type rash.

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THE outstanding Osmanthus fragrans is a Chinese plant that became an instant hit when introduced to British gardens in 1771 by the famous plant hunter Robert Fortune.

This Osmanthus is one of the most popular plants in Chinese gardens due to the delicious perfume of its tiny white flowers that pervade the air for a considerable distance.

Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus, with apricot-coloured flowers… visitors are blown away with its rich fragrance, reaching into every corner of our garden, says Cedric.

The Chinese consider this plant important for its multiplicity of uses. For example, its fragrant flowers are used to scent tea, or kept in jars similar to potpourri. The flowers are used to flavour wine, make perfumes and medicines. The bark is used for dye-making and the timber is good for wood carving.

In China, its name is Gui meaning “noble” and a boy seen holding a branch represents a “noble son”. Osmanthus fragrans is also a symbol of literary merit and an emblem of studious pursuits.

What really puzzles me is that while the straight Osmanthus fragrans is available, O.f. aurantiacus is rarely sold in garden centres? Definitely worth looking for.

HERBS have been used for centuries in culinary, medicinal and decorative ways. “Strewing herbs” is an expression not often heard today, but in bygone days, before carpets and floor coverings, these were fragrant herbs literally scattered on floors to ward off unpleasant smells. The obvious ones are lavender and rosemary.

Herbs amongst the shrub border.

I am often asked to include a herb garden in designs, however I prefer to plant herbs at random in garden beds for companion planting and discouraging pests.

Herbs conjure up romantic images, none more so than in the writings of William Shakespeare. The fairie kingdom in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a kingdom of flowers.

Shakespeare’s plays and poems abound with references to flowers; his language is rich in plant and garden metaphors. Consider The Winter’s Tale: “Rosemary and rue, seemingly and savour all winter long; grace and remembrance to both of you”.

The flowers of Shakespeare are ideal for all gardens for one very good reason – our climate. Most of our plants originate from the hot and dry Mediterranean region. Next week, I will suggest a list of Shakespearean plants suitable to make a corner of the garden a tribute to the Bard.

THE Annual Collectors Plant Fair will be held on the weekend of April 13-14. This year more than 50 nurseries will offer many rare and unusual plants for sale, and there will be a program of inspiring speakers.

To accommodate the extra nurseries, the fair has moved from Bilpin to the Hawkesbury Race Club, 1 Racecourse Road, Clarendon, NSW. It might be wise to book accommodation and a place at the speaker program.

More information at collectorsplantfair.com or call 02 4567 2026.

Cooler work…

Cooler days make it pleasant to work in the garden:

• Plant Ericas for winter colour, an ideal element for flower arranging.
• To keep cut flowers longer – for each half litre of water in the vase add two teaspoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of bleach.
• Don’t plant citrus trees in the open ground now. Wait until late spring after the worst frosts are gone.
• Too many green tomatoes for chutney? They are a fruit, so try stewing them like plums and add double cream.
• Don’t use mushroom compost near acid-loving plants such as azaleas, Daphne or native plants.

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AUTUMN days are a great delight in the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

Visitors will see two particular plants that they might have growing in their own gardens – Dicksonia antarctica or tree fern and Xanthorrhoea or grass tree.

The uncurling tree fern

Starting with tree ferns – 80 per cent die in a short time from poor siting and watering requirements.

All tree ferns sold are taken from the bush under strict licensing regulations by the Parks and Wildlife Service and must have a serial-numbered tag to prove they were not removed illegally.

Always select a good healthy plant free from physical or insect damage from a registered garden centre with the tag attached. When siting your tree fern, ensure it has ample shade.

They originate in shady forest areas where they get neither direct hot sun, blasting hot winds or severe frost settling on the fronds. This can be under trees or shade cloth. In heavy soils, dig deeply adding plenty of organic matter such as rotted leaves, cow manure and coarse river sand.

Good drainage is vital. Place a third of the trunk in the ground and immediately thoroughly water in with Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Nutrient to encourage strong root growth.

Tree ferns should be watered in the crown of the fern and around the base. If drip irrigation is used, make a circle around the base and a line to the crown.

Mulch well, and if you have no accumulations of rotted leaves etcetera, Canberra Sand and Gravel’s Organic Mulch is ideal. In the forests, they have plenty of rotting natural leaf litter.

In summer, a good, deep soaking once a week is usually sufficient. An application of seaweed solution several times in spring and summer is sufficient as most of their nutrients will come from the mulch.

The only real pest for tree ferns is scale insects on the back of the fronds, usually indicated by a lack of vigour and health in the fronds. Ants often accompany the scale and these do no damage, actually attacking the scale insects. Multicrop EcoPest will fix scale, mites and other sucking insects by spraying it on the underside of the fronds.

Xanthorrhoea are a truly ancient tree and can live for hundreds of years. As with tree ferns, their removal from the bush is strictly prohibited except by licensed companies.

Normally these are dug and held in a specialist wholesale nursery for 12 months until they display new growth and roots before being offered for sale.

Preparation of the hole is the same as tree ferns. It is preferable to cut the pot away from the plant rather than risking damage to the roots by banging the pot off the plant.

Grass trees have a fairly shallow root system with most feeder roots within the top 60-70cm of soil. When planting, water in the same as tree ferns with plant nutrient.

Its distinctive flower spikes usually appear when the tree is well established and over a metre tall.

Patience is the name of the game with grass trees and they take their own time to flower.

Extra watering or feeding will not hasten their growth and flowering. Once established (and they can grow to two metres in a couple of months), they usually produce flower spikes each year. Whereas the trunk will normally only grow about 10cm a year.

A tree two metres tall could easily be more than 200 years old. The one in the picture is possibly at least 300 years old. Your grand, great and great great grandchildren will enjoy the ones you plant today.

THE Great Autumn Plant Sale by The Growing Friends of the ANBG will be held from 8.30am to 11am, Saturday April 13.

Plants, priced at $3 and $5, have been propagated by the Friends from material in the gardens. The plant list is available on anbg.gov.au/friends. Bring boxes, bags or even a trailer for your purchases.

THANK you to those who sent emails regarding the proposed chopping down of the stand of poplar trees at Braidwood. I have forwarded your comments (less names and addresses) to the mayor of Palerang Shire, which includes Braidwood. Keep them coming to cedricbryant@grapevine.com.au

The post Beauties from the bush appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

ONE vital aspect of winter gardening is not to neglect watering.

When the ground is covered in frost or a thick fog it is natural to think that watering is not necessary. Nothing is further from the truth.

Frost can draw moisture from the soil and, unless we receive regular winter rain, plants will suffer. The exceptions, to a certain extent, are the deciduous trees and shrubs that are dormant in winter with no rising sap needing moisture.

The first indication of lack of soil moisture is when leaf tips start to brown, indicating insufficient moisture is getting to the extremities of the plant. This is equally applicable in summer. If sufficient moisture is not quickly applied, the whole leaf will turn brown and by that time it is too late.

Beautiful, flowering bulbs… putting bulbs in the fridge crisper can result in poor flowering or even no flowers at all.

According to one of Australia’s principal Dutch bulb growers (and if anyone knows about bulb culture, it is the Dutch), tulips – or for that matter any bulbs stored in the crisper – can be affected by ethylene gas put out by fruit, especially bananas, near them.

This can result in poor flowering or even no flowers at all. Then, possibly, the poor, old garden centre cops the blame for selling inferior bulbs! Simply store the bulbs in a cool spot until the ground has a couple of frosts.

DURING frosty mornings, due to arrive at any time, I suggest you apply a fine spray of water to camellias and other late autumn and winter-flowering shrubs in the early morning.

Remove tap timers before frosts.

APPLY the last feeding of plants for autumn now. I specifically recommend the organic liquid Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Food. Firstly, this will penetrate the soil and get to the roots quicker than chemical granular fertilisers. The latter relies on regular rainfall to dissolve them – though often, of late, storm rain washes the granules away from the plant.

Secondly, seaweed plant food reduces the effect of frost on plants. No further feeding will be necessary until spring with the exception of newly planted trees or shrubs. Water these in with a seaweed solution to encourage new, strong root growth and eliminate any air pockets around the root zone.

OF special mention this week is Iris unguicularis (syn. Iris stylosa), the winter flowering iris. Usually this iris is not grown to its full potential as the flowers and buds are hidden in a mass of thick, grass-like foliage. Or they are attacked by snails or slugs.

Iris stylosa… for a fragrant winter cut flower

As the mornings chill…

• Plant berry and currant plants. Plant blackcurrants lower in the soil than the level in the pot in which they are grown. This produces more vigorous fruitful stems.
• Prune autumn raspberries, cutting all canes to ground level.
• Cut back summer-flowering clematis which flower on current year’s growth. Cut to the lowest pair of buds about 30cm above ground level.

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AS we fill our compost heaps with autumn leaves, think worms.

Compost heaps heat up with decomposing green waste and then gradually cool down.

Worms… intelligent gardeners recognise worms as the creators of the best-quality soil.

DARWIN likened the work of earthworms to that of “a gardener who prepares fine soil for his choicest plants”. Since then, intelligent gardeners recognise worms as the creators of the best-quality soil, especially worm casts.

In a year, a healthy population can digest 100 tonnes of soil per hectare. Contrary to popular belief, worms accidentally cut in half do not regenerate into two separate worms. If you cannot find plenty of worms to improve the soil in your garden, your plants will have a job growing.

Honeyeaters love nectar of winter- flowering Clematis nepaulensis.

In our street, I use the mower as a vacuum cleaner to collect leaves in the gutters, shredding them at the same time.

Shredding leaves such as eucalyptus and oak with the mower will hasten the decomposition process. One half of the leaves I collect go on to the compost heap and the other half is spread directly onto the garden.

You do not have to dig them in as worms just love rotting leaves and will quickly work them into the soil. Incidentally, oak leaves have the highest content of nitrogen of any leaf.

WITH trees changing into their autumn mantle, it is time to think about deciduous trees to plant for summer shade.

However, before even thinking about what variety to plant, it is vitally important to consider underground services. I cannot emphasise this enough. When I visit gardens, owners often have no idea where underground gas, electric, sewer, storm water, phone lines or even the location of the water meter are.

Usually, the spread of the root zone is equivalent to the leaf spread of the tree. Root damage can result if you plant a tree too close to paved areas or driveways.

FROST will occupy gardeners’ minds over the next few months. Looking back over weather bureau statistics is interesting. The earliest recorded frost here was in March 1940. The earliest last frost was recorded on October 1 and the latest frost was recorded on January 2, 1956. The median date for the first frost is April 9 and the last frost is November 16. One important point, if shrubs are burnt with frost, do not cut off the damaged leaves. These will protect softer leaves under the damaged ones. Wait until the last frosts before trimming damaged leaves. This is equally applicable to such perennials as bedding begonias.

During crispy autumn days:

• Plant out biennials that grow this year and flower the following year. These include Sweet Williams and Digitalis or foxgloves.
• Add a few handfuls of blood and bone to every few barrow loads of leaves to accelerate decomposition.
• Do not prune deciduous flowering trees at this time or you will cut off flower buds.
• Complete planting spring bulbs including tulips.
• Plant Clematis nepaulensis, a winter-flowering clematis.

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THE next couple of months is the ideal time to plant all manner of deciduous plants. Not the least, trees planted specifically to enjoy not only spring blossoms and summer shade, but autumn colour.

Brilliant foliage of Acer palmatum “Dissectum”… grown for their leaf colour rather than flowers .

If the plant is grown from seed, there can be infinite variations of leaf colour, whereas, if grown from cuttings, one is cloning the plant and all stock will be exactly the same.

One example of this is a group of Pistachia chinensis or Chinese Pistachio growing outside the Reid CIT. The leaf ranges from the deepest of autumn colours on some trees to almost all yellow on others.

One of the most popular trees for leaf colour is the Manchurian Pear or Pyrus ussuriensis.

Many years ago, when we had our nursery in Yass, this was the only variety available. One problem was its propensity for branches to split.

I recall Lady Stephens, the wife of the then Governor-General visiting our nursery in Yass, as she heard we had Manchurian pears and had been unable to get them elsewhere. I think we supplied the last 13 to be planted at Government House.

THERE are now numerous cultivars of a much-improved pear of the Calleryana variety. I will mention just a few of these with the approximate ultimate size, depending on the soil quality.

Always ask yourself: do I have sufficient space for these trees to grow naturally without savage pruning? One can see awful examples where they have been planted inappropriately as street trees under power lines. In many cases, it would have been better to have removed them and plant more suitable trees in their place. All ornamental pears have an abundance of white spring flowers and rich autumn leaf colour.

Pyrus Calleryana “Capital” is a good choice for a narrow space, growing to 11m tall and just 3.5m wide. Pyrus calleryana x betulaefolia “Edgedell” Edgewood is a small tree in height to 7.5m, but a wider spread of 6m. The attractive silver-green summer foliage changes to red and purple in autumn. Pyrus c. “Aristocrat” is a medium tree with superior branch structure growing to 11m x 7m. Of similar size but classed as an extremely tough all-rounder tree is Pyrus.c. “Chanticleer”.

SUGGESTIONS for smaller trees for smaller gardens include many varieties of Japanese maples. These are grown for their leaf colour rather than flowers and include Acer palmatum “Atropurpureum” to just 3m x 3m with bronze-purple foliage. Acer palmatum “Bonfire” 3m x 2.5m and, as the name suggests, has brilliant foliage in spring and autumn.

Winged seed pods of Acer “Trompenburg”… originally from the Trompenburg Arboretum in Rotterdam.

For colour and size for your particular needs, check out Acer platanoides “Crimson Sentry” 7m x 4m. and Prunus cerasifera “Oakville Crimson Spire” 6m x just 2m wide. I have not listed the larger trees such as Liquidamber, Claret Ash etcetera as these are unsuitable for the current size of housing blocks. I will discuss flowering deciduous trees in another article.

Things to do in the garden

• When planting a hedge, dig a trench rather than a series of holes. The roots will spread and develop quicker and stronger.
• Disconnect garden hoses and portable sprinklers overnight to prevent frost damage. Also, if you have to wash frost off plants it is easier to use the hose if it is kept in the shed overnight.
• Paint outdoor garden timber furniture with a good-quality preservative.
• Apply a dressing of garden lime to lawns to correct imbalances in soils.
• Clean secateurs and pruning saws in readiness for winter pruning.

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WHAT has fashion got to do with gardening?

The latest garden landscape designs have just been on display at the annual Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and also vying for the garden fashion stakes is the UK’s Chelsea Flower Show due to take place shortly.

Some of the most outrageous garden designs would never be installed in a home garden and yet, like fashion parades, people flock to these shows in the thousands.

A few years ago, at Chelsea, the question was asked: “Where are the flowers and plants?” Plastic, wood, fibreglass and paving was everywhere and, finally, the public had had enough.

Now, I think the latest edict by the Royal Horticultural Society is that no less than 60 per cent of the display has to feature flowers, trees and shrubs. Gardens, like fashions, are designed to be lived in, one for a temporary time and the other to create a lifestyle.

EVER watched and wondered about those garden “makeover” shows on television? We are led to believe the whole scene is created in a couple of days, “send the wife away for a weekend and surprise her with a new garden on her return”.

In reality, it does not happen that way and a great deal of planning and construction often takes place days if not weeks before. Usually, every bit of space has to be filled, statues, urns, water features and lots of paving is the order of the day. The plants are usually literally plonked in with little attention to ground preparation. It would be interesting to visit the same gardens in a couple of years.

Sterile and harsh

Can this be called a garden?

The whole environment is harsh in the extreme. Certainly, it has some colour in the walls, but not from plants or a shady tree. No space for entertaining and in reality can this be called a garden? On the other hand it would fit in well with many of the latest modern townhouses in this city.

For plant lovers

A relaxing gardener’s garden.

Happy combination

An ideal design for a front or rear garden.

Simple tips

• Take a quarter off the height of Hibiscus syriacus.
• Prune Buddleia davidii hard down to one metre
• Every three years cut back Agapanthus leaves to ground level.
• Remove leaves off of the tops of hedges, the weight of wet leaves can kill sections of hedge.

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ORNAMENTAL grasses are creating great interest in today’s gardens.

This has been a relatively new development in Australia, whereas they have been a feature in British gardens for at least the last 30-40 years. There is a misconception that ornamental grasses are only used in conjunction with native plants in a bush garden.

Ornamental grasses at the new Gungahlin Library

When I refer to ornamental grasses I also include strappy plants, such as agapanthus.

So let us look at a few suggestions of plants that I know grow well in our climate.

Possibly the most popular is Ophiopogon japonicus or Mondo Grass, this is a native of Japan and the only time it does not work, and where the idea is promoted on television shows and magazines, is planted in narrow gaps between large pavers. Firstly, the heat from the pavers cooks these small plants and, as many garden pavers are concrete, these soak up the moisture almost immediately. Plus there is usually not enough soil to sustain them, unless you have a gap of 75-100mm between pavers.

The soft grey foliage of Festuca glauca is often considered a native plant; however, it comes from North America and Europe. This can make an effective border along the edge of paths, growing to 30cm tall. Grey-leafed plants can be quite hard to find and yet provide a perfect foil against orange flowers.

As with all of the plants discussed here, the best effect is in bold groups. One of my favourite varieties for the home garden is the Lomandra family, starting with Lomandra longifolia “Cassica” with bluish-green, strap-like foliage similar to dwarf agapanthus. Lomandra longifolia “Tanika” has distinctive, honey-coloured flowers borne on long stems and is a suitable plant for floral artists. The Dianella is a favourite with many gardeners, D. tasmanica with its distinctive, arching, strap-like leaves up to 120cm long being near the top of the list. In summer, the nodding, star-shaped, bright blue-to-purple flowers are followed by clusters of deep-blue berries. Dianella revoluta has flowers ranging from pale blue to purple with yellow anthers. Both make a bold statement in a large ceramic container for courtyard gardens.

Pennisetum alopecuroides or Swamp Foxtail with its fluffy white plumes is ideal perhaps for the larger garden and can look quite spectacular planted under Betula pendula or Silver Birch.

There is also a variety of this Pennisetum with pink plumes and purple tinged leaves.

Ornamental grasses are ideally suited for planting among the taller perennial plants or as a backdrop to a flower border.

Strappy plants and ornamental grasses are ideally suited when installing dry creek beds, or for that matter, running water creek beds if you have sufficient water.

A dry creek bed can be a real feature in a larger garden and if the design is right, as in the bush, water can run at times of heavy rain. Ornamental grasses planted among large boulders really set the scene.

It is important with ornamental grasses, but not the strappy leafed plants, to seriously cut them back in winter. Another important point: I do not recommend planting ornamental grasses on the nature strip or close to a road. As like any tall-growing grass, when it is dry it can be a real fire hazard with, for example, carelessly discarded cigarette butts. For this reason I was surprised to see the mass planting of such ornamental grasses on the forecourt of the new Gungahlin library. In situations like this they can also be a harbour for discarded drink cans and other fast-food rubbish.

This week…

• Cut back foliage to ground level Gaura lindheimeri, the Butterfly Bush, which can also be divided at this time.

• Plant primulas for a bold show of winter colour, but watch out for the snails.

• Accumulations of dead leaves can kill a lawn; use the mower to shred them for the compost heap.

• Cut back Ceratostigma to ground level after the leaves have fallen.

• Reminder for those new to Canberra, no dead leaf burning is allowed.

Build a worm tower

WORM towers help to increase the fertility of plants, improve soil quality, increase the yield of veggie gardens and reduce kitchen waste.

The Canberra Environment Centre is running a practical workshop on how to build a worm tower at the centre, 6pm-7pm, on Tuesday, May 21. The centre is at the corner of Lennox Crossing and Lawson Crescent on the Acton Peninsula and the cost is $15 ($10 for concessions).

Garden get together

A DAY-long, free garden gathering, organised by Permaculture eXchange, will be held at Yarralumla Primary School, Loftus Street,  from 10.30am (light lunch provided) on Sunday, May 26. Dan Harris-Pascal will talk about forest gardens (there’s one at the school) and participants will be invited to help with winter maintenance.

Bookings to permacultureexchange.org.au

The post From deep in the long grass appeared first on Canberra CityNews.

THIS time of the year produces some of autumn’s showiest flowers, especially sasanqua camellias.

A new Camellia sasanqua awaiting registration.

It was introduced into western gardens in 1740.

The Chinese introduced us to drinking tea – remember the old phrase “a cup of cha”? In Peter Valder’s “Garden Plants of China” I discovered this is a Chinese word and it was in the 6th and 7th centuries that tea drinking there was adopted by the population at large.

I have used Camellia sasanqua “Hiryu”, with its single to semi-double crimson flowers, for hedges in many of my clients’ gardens. And, indeed, along the rear fence of our own garden. I find this a particularly strong grower for this purpose, although equally so is C.s. “Plantation Pink” with a profusion of pale pink flowers.

Camellia “Plantation Pink” as a hedge in Braddon.

Winter-flowering, white camellias can brown quickly with frost. To prevent this, I grow ours under the protection of other plants.

Now is the time to visit a local garden centre to choose from the hundreds of varieties of sasanqua camellias as they come into flower. These camellias will tolerate full sun but, like most plants, require a well-drained soil. They will not tolerate heavy clay soils.

IN the ‘70s, I lived up the road from one of Canberra’s great gardeners, the late Jim Macfarlane and his amazing Griffith garden in Barrallier Street. One spring, I was having trouble with yellowing leaves in gardenias. It is natural that some yellow leaves fall from the lower part of the stems as the new growth appears, but not when all the leaves turn yellow.

“Give them a dose of Epsom salts, it is a magnesium deficiency,” advised Jim, at the same time filling an old jam tin for me from a large bag of Epsom salts [magnesium sulphate].

Jim said he gave every plant in his garden Epsom Salts each spring and autumn. This is one of the major elements for plant growth and I will return to this subject next week.

In the garden…

• Divide bearded irises. Check the rhizomes to ensure they are healthy, cutting off any bad bits. When replanting always leave the top of the rhizome exposed to the full sun. Do not cover with mulch as the top needs to bake with hot sun. This is important for flower production.
• Plant herbs in beds around the garden rather than in one specific herb garden. This aids in companion planting and combats insect attack on nearby plants.
• Grow plants that snails won’t touch. These include Geraniums, Heuchera (Coral Bells), Sedum, Cyclamen, wallflowers, Antirrhinums (Snapdragons), foxgloves, Japanese anemones, crocus and penstemons to name a few.

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SOME weeks ago I mentioned plants listed in Shakespeare’s works. Here is the promised list of plants that you could either plant at random amongst other plants or have a dedicated Shakespeare garden, a great project for children.

Liliums… popular with Shakespeare.

• Buxus sempervirens (box)
• Melissa officinalis (balm)
• Viola odorata (violet)
• Anemone pulsatilla (Anemone)
• Laurus nobilis (bay)
• Ruta graveolens (rue)
• Foeniculum vulgare (fennel)
• Viola tricolor (pansy)
• Lilium candidum (lily)
• Aquilegia (columbine)
• Crocus sativus (saffron)
• Calendula (marigold)
• Artemesia absinthum (wormwood)
• Hyssop Myrtus communis (myrtle)
• Dianthus (gilliflower)
• Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary)
• Lonicera fragrantissima (honeysuckle )

This is not a complete list, but is a good start for a special garden. Interestingly, most of these plants originate in the Mediterranean region and were brought back to Britain by the Crusaders for their fragrance and, more importantly, their medicinal properties. This means that they are all low water usage plants and ideal for our conditions.

SASANQUA camellias, the hardy small-leafed camellias that are equally happy in full sun as in partial shade, are now in flower in many gardens.

Pastel colours of Camellia sasanqua “Paradise Sarah”.

The leaves and flowers will scorch badly if in full sun, as was evident after the scorching heat of last summer.

An ideal place to plant these, along with plants that like similar conditions, is under deciduous trees, which provide shade in summer and allow the winter sun through.

Similar plants include rhododendron, azalea, daphne and pieris.

Disbud or not? That is the question.

Too many buds competing for space to grow results in plenty of flowers, but of a smaller size. So, if you are looking for large flowers, then thin out the number of buds of Camellia japonica at this time. It is also a good time to fertilise them to encourage flowers as they form.

WHILE we celebrate 100 years of Canberra, co-incidentally the UK’s renowned Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show is also celebrating 100 years in the same location at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. The hospital was originally built for wounded soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars.

I SAW this sign at the Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla:

“Compensate your carbon emissions… plant trees. Every time you drive your car or take a plane CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Trees absorb CO2 and turn it into oxygen. You can help create a Greener Planet:

• 1 tree planted for every 3200km (car )
• 1 tree planted for every 1300km (plane )
• 1 tree planted for every 375 litres petrol

Do your bit for the environment.”

SOME readers have contacted me to find out what happened to the plant food Phostrogen, available for at least 30 years. This was specifically recommended by such organisations as geranium, fuchsia, camellia and other plant societies. It is a high potassium plant food promoting flowers and for fruiting plants the more flowers the more fruit. Do not despair, it is still available in most garden centres, but now labelled Debco Plant Food, look out for the same distinctive orange box.

Be prepared for roses

NEXT month the new season’s roses start appearing in shops and garden centres.

Prepare the rose beds without delay digging in plenty of organic matter such as old leaves or old cow manure.

Do not include chemical fertilisers or fresh manures, as these can burn the delicate new roots. If planting where roses have been growing previously dig out a good barrow-load of the existing soil and replace with fresh soil. This will prevent a disease called “Rose Sickness” which can remain in the soil and affect your new roses.

Plant roses where they will receive at least eight hours of sunlight every day.

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HELLEBORES brighten up the winter garden. Interestingly, the colourful parts of the plant are sepals rather than petals.

Hellebores… planted en masse they present a perfect winter picture.

Here are some of the most popular varieties for the home garden:

Helleborus argutifolius is a native of Corsica. With its leathery, dark, evergreen foliage it can grow to about half a metre high. The distinctive green, cup-shaped flowers appear from June to early September and will thrive in full sun in well-drained soil. They are a very forgiving even if the soil is not the best. The flowers are useful as a cut flower and will last a long time.

Helleborus foetidus has the unfortunate common name of “stinking helleborus” as the Latin name suggests. This is a rare British native, although still available here. It forms a broad, evergreen mound 75cm high by up to a metre across.

The deeply divided leaves smell unpleasant when crushed, although the idea is to enjoy the flowers and not go about crushing the leaves. The green flowers are nearly cylindrical with a purplish margin on the tips. This grows best with plenty of organic material such as rotted leaves in a dappled shady position.

Possibly one of the most popular is Helleborus niger, which is not black as the Latin name would suggest. It is also known as the “Winter Rose” in Australia and the “Christmas Rose” in Britain and Europe. It is also popular as a florist’s flower.

It is no relation to roses, except the flowers resemble old-fashioned heritage rose flowers. The blooms appear in early winter for a long flowering period often into early summer. The most common blooms are white with a green eye and up to 7.5mm across appearing above the deeply divided leaves. Once again it loves a humus rich soil in dappled shade.

The common species H. orientalis is the variety mostly seen in gardens with its purple flowers growing to about 50cm high.

This has been a useful plant for hybridising in the forms of H. orientalis x hybridus. Flower colours in the hybrid varieties are available in a wide range of colours from deep pink to rich purple with blooms often spotted and can include semi-double and double flowers.

They will often self-seed in abundance and can easily be transplanted after flowering in early autumn. This will enable the roots to become established before winter. All Hellebores can make a magnificent site planted en masse under deciduous trees, which allow the sun in winter to promote flowering. An ideal companion plant is Heuchera with accompanying leaf colour to match the hybrid hellebores.

Enjoy mid-winter colour of the early blossoming tree is the flowering apricot,with a flowering apricot.

Both are ideal for the average size garden and would look spectacular in a group of three, if you have the space.

If you want to follow on with an early spring flowering blossom tree, the flowering almond, Prunus dulcis “Purpurea” has striking double reddish-purple blossoms followed by dark purple leaves in summer. These and other blossom trees will be arriving at your local garden centre in the coming weeks. Possibly the young flowering apricots may be showing a few flowers.

Things to do

• Check stored tubers of dahlias and cannas for rot.
• Another reminder to disconnect plastic tap timers to prevent frost damage and remember to disconnect garden hoses at night.
• Check indoor plants. Are the too close to air-conditioning or heaters? Is the saucer full of water? Fill the saucer with coloured pebbles and sit the pot on the pebbles to prevent root rot.

Canberra garden in China

CANBERRA landscape architect Neil Hobbs will be describing what it took to develop “The Garden of the Southern Cross” – the only Australian garden included in the World Landscape Art Exposition in China – at the National Museum of Australia, 5.30pm-7.30pm, on Thursday, June 20.

Harris Hobbs Landscapes was one of only 20 landscape architect firms from around the world to be asked to design a garden for this international event, which is taking place on a huge site (3km x 1km) in the new Jinzhou city, on the edge of the Bohai Sea, until October.

Tickets at $25, which include the talk, canapes and drinks, can be booked at opengarden.org.au or by calling 0458 700079.

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