For autumn and winter flowers in the garden you can’t beat correas. These hardy Australian natives grow anywhere from half a metre to 10 metres high, depending on the variety. One of the most eye-catching are the C reflexa forms with their fine foliage and vivid red flowers. They are the babies of the correas growing no more than a metre in height. They also attract birds. But if your garden is in a harsh, coastal area try the hardier C alba form.
Many people base their gardens - probably without even thinking about it - on the English design of formal rows with each plant being a specific measurement from its neighbour and not a weed in sight. Whatever base design you use, make sure your garden is environmentally friendly, attracting such natural elements as frogs, insects and birds. The use of mulch and at least some Australian plants will ensure that it is easy to maintain and looks natural. Other considerations should be enhancing - rather than blocking - your view and making the area people friendly so the children can play there and adults will enjoy relaxing in it.
Clay soils are hard to dig and because they are so compacted; hard for roots to penetrate. They don’t drain well which often causes roots to rot and die. If you have clay soil you can improve it - not by digging, but by covering the top firstly with a layer of compost, then pea straw, lucerne or other fine mulch. Leave for a few months, watering occasionally. After this time you’ll find that worms have moved in and broken up the clay, improving both soil texture and drainage.
Mulch is the magic word when it comes to gardens and moisture. To make your own mulch, invest in a shredder so that you can shred all your pruning and clippings. When you mow the lawn, keep the clippings to use as mulch. Weeds can be used as mulch - so long as they have no seeds on them. Leave their roots exposed to ensure they don’t start to grow again.
When we go off on our holidays we usually get someone to look after our pets, but what about the garden? If the weather is hot and dry you might lose your favourite plants while you are away. Of course, mulch will help to protect plants by conserving water. You can also install an automatic drip irrigation system, but if you don’t want to go to that expense, make a temporary one. Water tubes or spikes can be screwed onto a soft drink bottle filled with water. Up-end it near your plants and the water will gradually seep out.
Pruning ornamental shrubs removes dead or diseased branches and encourages denser growth and longer flowering. The pruning cut should be made just above a node to prevent dieback and disease. Some plants such as lavender cannot be cut back into the woody part of the stem. Others, such as the azalea, can be cut right back as long as there is still a node below the cut. If you aren’t sure where to cut, try doing just one branch to see what happens. This can save you losing your favourite shrub.
Daisy bushes often seem to die out around the lower parts and only have foliage and flowers on the tips of the branches. This makes it look straggly and sad. To rejuvenate your daisy bush, cut it back hard, leaving about one third of the length of each branch. Leave a few bits of greenery on it to help it recover and it will soon form a dense green shrub again. Keep some of the pieces as cuttings to grow another bush.
The best pruning you can do to roses consists of simply snipping off the flowers for your vase. Blooms that have died on the bush need to be taken off in a similar manner. Shrub roses should only be deadheaded. That is, cut off the dead heads without much stem. Spreading or arching roses need their long canes cutting back by about one third in the winter.
There are many lovely ornamental grasses that can be grown in the garden. Pruning back to about 5 cm above the ground can rejuvenate some of these. This gets rid of dead stalks and tidies them up, bringing a new green flush of growth. Don’t do it every year though. Every three or four years is sufficient. Some ornamental grasses have very invasive roots. They should be grown it pots, unless you are always diligent in the garden.
Clematis should have at least half its growth pruned back after flowering, Then late in July you can prune out all the weak growth and cut the stronger branches right back to the last two or three bud sets. Hydrangeas should have their flowering stems cut back to the first plump buds. Some buds are black and tiny; don’t count them, as they won’t sprout.
Hedges are mostly grown to create an area of privacy, a demarcation line or a contrasting backdrop for the garden. When first starting your hedge, make sure you add lots of compost and cow manure. The plants you choose for your hedge must be grown close together and so will compete for food. Fine bark mulch over the top will help preserve the moisture. Hedges can be formal, semi-formal or informal; that is, clipped, partly clipped or not clipped at all. A formal hedge should be clipped from the first year to encourage more side growth.
Birds and butterflies are an attractive and interesting part of the garden. To attract them into your garden, you need to grow the kinds of plants that they can use for food, shelter or to nest in. Butterflies feed on nectar and birds need water, nectar or seeds, so if you have a birdbath and flowers that have nectar and seeds, you’ll get both. Little birds like the fairy wren like thick, thorny bushes that will shelter them from predators. Acacias, banksias, callistemon and correa have nectar, seeds or both for birds. Branchyscome, clematis and spyridium amongst others, provide food for butterflies.
Butterflies and moths are both garden pollinators and so should be encouraged. They have suffered the loss of much of their habitat, so if you grow grasses that they like to lay their eggs on, you will be doing a good thing for the environment. White or cream flowers that have scent at dusk attract moths. Butterflies like warm rocks for resting and small areas of water. Constant pruning and spraying is detrimental to both moths and butterflies.
With the constant removal of trees in the wild, it’s no wonder that possums and other little birds and critters come into our gardens seeking shelter. If you are troubled by possums in your roof, try setting up a nesting or roosting box in nearby trees. Then find their entry point into the roof and block it up when they leave at night. Nesting boxes for birds will also ensure parrots, tiny bats or sugar-gliders have a home. Provide water, but not food, as it is important for little animals to remain independent
One problem that many town gardeners face is lack of sunlight. Trees or city buildings towering over the garden are the main causes; high fencing is another. In some cases trees can be pruned, but fencing and buildings cannot be moved. The best thing to do is focus on shade-loving plants. But remember that if you are planting under trees they will compete for water and nutrients. Even adding more soil will cause the trees roots to increase, therefore those plants chosen need to be hardy ones.
If you have a problem area under trees, it might be best to cover it with a layer of attractive gravel and keep your plants in pots. Make sure the pots are standing on saucers though, because the roots of many trees will find their way up into a pot, seeking moisture and nutrients.
Fragrance is an important part of any garden and we usually think of roses when choosing flowers for their perfume. They certainly do have the most delightful of fragrances - neither too strong or too weak. Some perfumes such as jasmines and gardenias are really strong, so you would only need one or two plants. Some other perfumed plants are lavender, heliotrope, mintia, chocolate cosmos, sweet peas and jonquils. There are many others. Growing them close to open windows and doorways will ensure that the scent wafts throughout your home.
Water is an attractive addition to the garden - you can have a big or medium pond set into the ground, or a tiny pond made from half a wine barrel. Since you don’t want to breed mosquitos, you’ll need to have fish in the pond to eat their larva. Then you’ll need special plants to protect the fish from birds and keep the water clean. Sun helps algae to grow on water and this makes water murky. Adding suitable plants to the water will help to prevent this problem.
Water lilies are planted into a pot and the pot placed in the deepest part of the pond. The water should be about 50cm over the top of the pot. Use a few layers of newspaper in the bottom of the pot and place small gravel over to the top to prevent the soil leaking out. Submerge slowly. Other surfacing plants for the pond are water hawthorn, water poppy and nardoo. Oxygenating plants such as eelgrass, elodea and bacopa will help the pond water remain clear.
Bog plants are plants that are suitable for the edges of ponds or wet areas. Bugle flower and creeping jenny both like semi-shaded areas, while blazing star (liatris spicata) prefers full sun. It dies down in winter, but in the summer has deep purple spikes. Ferns prefer shade while the plantain lily likes morning sun.
Frequently when we think of insects we think of garden pests, but there are many good insects in the garden that control the bad guys. If you have a problem with insects doing damage in the garden it is because the good insects have become scarce. This can happen through indiscriminate spraying, or through not growing a large variety of plants. Good insects such as the green lacewing and ladybugs eat aphids, while hover flies feast on small caterpillars and fruit tree spider mites. Dragonflies eat mosquitos and frogs eat a great many insects.
Does your lawn grow varied grasses, weeds and clover? If you have switched to using grey water for your lawn, the problem could be in the kind of detergent you use in the laundry. Those high in phosphates encourage the growth of clover. Changing over to an environmentally friendly product free of phosphate will help with the problem.
If you plan to use your greywater for lawn and garden, remember that you need approval from the local council and a licensed plumber must install the recycling system to the plumbing. Don’t spray greywater on the vegetable garden, especially on those vegetables that are eaten raw. Water that babies’ nappies have been rinsed or soaked in should not be part of your greywater.
If you have trouble with fungal diseases on roses, make sure you don’t spray the foliage when watering, but only water the roots. Water left on foliage can create the kind of humid conditions that some diseases thrive on. Roses also need at least five hours per day of full sun and lots of fertiliser for healthy growth - old horse manure or dynamic lifter is good.
