Welcome to the October newsletter from Meredith Nursery we hope you enjoy it...please let us know if you would like to see any particular areas covered or any comments you have.

Vol 1 No 7

October

October is a wonderful month in the garden, the garden is a mass of fresh green growth, flowers are blooming, the swelling buds on the roses are full of promise and it is impossible not resist the urge to dig and plant, even the mundane task of weeding is not so bad on a beautiful spring day.
Now is a good time to mulch garden plants with compost, or an organic mulch like pea straw in preparation for the hotter temperatures of summer.

The Vegetable Garden:
The soil is now warm enough to plant a range of summer growing vegetables so get them in as soon as possible. Top of the list is tomatoes; plant these in a bed which has not grown tomatoes recently. Select a site in full sun which is not too sheltered as they need some wind for pollination.  In very hot regions some shade may be beneficial. Tomatoes enjoy moist well drained soil with some organic matter such as well decomposed animal manure, compost or dynamic lifter added.
Soil pH is very important, an application of lime or dolomite on acid soil is necessary as tomatoes do not like acid soil.
 “Blossom end rot” in tomatoes ,where the base of the tomato becomes deformed and rotten, is caused by calcium deficiency and is alleviated by the application of lime, Fluctuation in the moisture content in the soil will exacerbate this condition. Mulching tomatoes will help to keep soil moist, fruit clean and prevent competition from weeds.
Staking is necessary particularly with tall varieties.
As well as all the old favourites we have some other interesting varieties this season, “Sweet Grape”has attractive small egg shaped fruit and “San Marzano has elongated oval fruit both are deep red.
 Capsicum and peppers are another summer crop which can be planted now, also in a sunny spot and like tomatoes they are lime lovers.
The foliar application of fish or seaweed fertiliser will prevent magnesium deficiency.
Sweetcorn enjoys the same conditions as peppers, an open sunny position in a site which is not too sheltered.
Nitrogen rich soil and a thick mulch will ensure the best conditions for your crop. The best pollination is obtained by planting corn in blocks rather than rows.
Pumpkins, zucchini, squash and cucumbers all enjoy rich soil and ample moisture.
Blood and bone with some added potash (1 cup blood and bone to about 1 teaspoon potash) and seaweed or fish fertiliser will satisfy the nutrient hungry curcubit family.
In gardens with limited space bush varieties like “Golden Nugget can be grown.
Cucumbers prefer a soil which has had some lime added but otherwise enjoy the same conditions as their cousins, the pumpkins.
 Mulch well as moist soil is imperative for these plants.
 Good air flow is also helpful to prevent the development of powdery mildew.

Keep planting plenty of lettuce for summer salads, leaf lettuce which can be harvested a few leaves at a time is preferable to head lettuce where the entire plant must be harvested.
Leaf types with different coloured and shaped leaves can be a decorative feature as well as providing tasty salads.
Plant beetroot, celery, carrot, parsnip, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, silver beet and spring onion.
Keep plants growing with a fortnightly application of liquid manure.
Don’t forget it is important to rotate your crops each year to prevent disease.

The Home Orchard:
In the home orchard bare root planting has finished until next year, keep a close watch on new plantings and be sure to keep well mulched to avoid drying out around roots.
This month is an excellent time to plant citrus as planting in mid winter cold is too stressful for heat loving citrus.
For those who enjoy Thai food we have Citrus hystrix, the kaffir lime, an attractive plant to 4m. which produces the leaves used in Thai cooking.
The freshly picked leaves impart a flavour which is superior to the dried variety.
The knobbled green fruit is quite ornamental.
The Tahitian Lime is another citrus much prized for cooking.
For lovers of grapefruit we have G. Marsh, G. Thompson’s Pink and G. Wheeny.
Allow the fruit to ripen on the tree as long as possible to develop sweetness.
For a sunny courtyard try a cumquat in an ornamental pot, with dark green leaves and small orange fruit these attractive little trees will bring a Mediterranean feel to your garden and supply you with delicious cumquat marmalade.
The lemon is an attractive tree which bears for most of the year, often having fruit at varying stages of maturity at the one time, no garden should be without one of these hardy trees.
 We have Lisbon, Eureka and Thornless as well as the Lemonade; this is an unusual citrus, a cross between a Meyer lemon and a true lemon.
It can be eaten straight from the tree and breaks into segments like an orange or mandarin.
For eating try Oranges, Mandarin Imperial, or Ellendale or Tangelo Seminole.

Growing Citrus.
Good drainage is essential; citrus will be short lived if planted on consistently wet subsoil.
Trees budded on trifoliata rootstock are more resistant to wet soils.
 Build soil up above surrounding soil if drainage is suspect.
When planting citrus, keep the bud union is at least 10cm. above soil level, plant with the soil at the same level as in the container.
Make the hole about12 inches wider than the container, a little well rotted compost may be added, but don’t add manures or fertiliser
Soil should be moist at planting time, water well when planting is completed and mulch liberally with a mulch such as pea straw.
Water regularly over warmer months and avoid cultivating around surface roots.
If you have old lemon tree which is looking somewhat tired, now is the time to cut out all the twiggy growth and branches.
Follow this with a deep watering and your tree will take on a new lease of life.
In the home orchard it is also time to plant passionfruit, valued for their juicy seed filled pulp.
Passionfruit vines should be given a sunny site, sheltered from cold winds and frost.
Soil must be well drained and should not become dry in the early days after planting.
To ensure the plant grows well in the first year, apply a little fertiliser every 4-6 weeks.
Passionfruit vines have a tendency to become deficient in manganese, apply a foliage spray of 5g of manganese sulphate per litre of water.
Give your vine something to climb on and be sure to provide moisture when the plant is in fruit.
Fruit is produced on shoots which grow from the previous seasons growth.
Mulch to conserve moisture.

The Herb Garden:
In the herb garden plant old favourites like chives, mint, rocket, wormwood and pennyroyal.
Mint has a tendency to get around where conditions are favourable so is best in a pot near the kitchen door.
Don’t forget to grow heaps of basil for a delicious addition to tomato dishes.
For those who enjoy Asian stir fries and soups try Laksa leaf (Vietnamese coriander). For a damp spot in the garden try Brahmi, this combines well with Chinese green tea to make a pleasant drink.

The Ornamental Garden:
In the ornamental garden many bulbs have finished flowering. Resist the urge to “tidy up” these plants.
It is important to allow the foliage to die down in order to feed the bulb for next season.
Mark the location of your bulbs to avoid damaging them while the are dormant.
Dutch and bearded iris are delighting us this month as are ixia, sparaxis, scilla and miniature gladiolus.
Flowering cherries, crabapples and plums have almost finished their spring display now, mulch them well in preparation for the summer ahead.
Roses are just coming into bloom so watch for aphid attack on buds and leaf tips.
Ladybirds and their larvae often move into the garden at this point and will quickly decimate their numbers,  if this is not the case a spray of water or soapy water will dislodge them.
Harlequin bugs will be coming out of hibernation with the first warm days, hit them with a generous squirt of household detergent in a spray bottle of water, it never fails!
Plant seedlings of summer flowering annuals, choose from petunias in white, burgundy or butter cream, lobelia, snapdragon “crackle”, which has bright red and yellow flowers on compact plants and many more for a lovely summer display.
A lovely little perennial which is happy with wet or dry feet is Tulbaghia violacea “Society garlic”, it has dainty pink flowers during spring and summer.
For the dry garden those indestructible old favourites which are commonly named  Pigface, or Iceplant, come in a range of vivid colours; 
Mesembryanthemum in gold, candy pink, red, pink, orange and M. crystallinum “Pete’s Red” and Drosanthemum hispidum “Pink Champagne”.
Erepsia pillansii, “Catherine Wheel” is a very attractive newcomer in deep pink and white and it really does look just like a Catherine wheel!
Other plants with low water needs are the Marguerite daisies, and of course the lavenders, both these plants fit gracefully in amongst other garden plants, define areas of the garden when used as attractive informal low hedges, look terrific in pots and provided they are clipped following flowering will remain attractive for many years.
An attractive little clumping  plant for the cottage garden is Armeria “Bee’s Ruby” this is a bright pink and looks wonderful planted near Veronica peduncularis “Georgia Blue” which is a mat forming perennial with intense blue flowers over a long period.
Strelitzia Reginae (Bird of Paradise) is an eye catching plant, it forms a large clump of long stalked leaves which are an attractive bluish green and it has striking orange and blue flowers.
It looks great as a feature plant in a modern garden or as an accent plant in the courtyard. Try it in a black pot for a great effect.
Plant it in rich well drained soil, apply a dressing of compost, well rotted manure or complete plant food in spring. Keep moist in warm weather.
Another excellent feature plant is Cordyline australis “Red Star”,which grows to 2m. has ruby red to burgundy leaves, will grow in coastal conditions and also looks stunning in a black pot.
Astelia chathamica “Silver Spear” is another architectural plant which looks great in the garden or in a pot. The sword shaped silver foliage is topped by creamy white flowers in spring.
For those who want something pretty, Serruria florida x rosea is a plant best grown in a container.
It has dainty long lasting flowers and makes an excellent gift, try a hot pink or bright blue pot. 
A very attractive small to medium shrub Raphiolepis x “Pink India Hawthorn” has tough green leaves and clusters of rose pink flowers over a long period in spring.
The flowers are followed by black berries. Another good one for coastal conditions.
Box hedges should be clipped by now, they have proven to be very tolerant of dry conditions once established
Give them some care when first planted and fertilise in spring.
Another great hedging shrub Ligustrum undulatum “ Lemon Lime and Clippers”is a small compact shrub with a lemon-lime foliage colour which provides contrasting colour in the garden.
It will grow as a dense hedge to 2m. or as a trimmed low hedge. Good for topiary too.

Layering:
Layering…… we have had some queries about the reference to layering in the September newsletter.
Layering is a method of getting a low growing shoot which is still attached to the parent plant to produce roots.
Some plants do this naturally and will form new plants around and under the parent plant wherever a shoot touches the ground, others have to be encouraged to do this.
Choose a shoot that can be easily pegged to the ground.
Trim off  the leaves from the area which will be in contact with the soil.
Make a hole about 10cm. deep, slit the stem slightly to injure it, apply a little hormone rooting compound then peg into the hole with bent wire.
Cover with soil and keep moist.
When the plant has formed a root system sever from the parent plant.
Compound layering……. Plants such as wisteria and  clematis which produce long shoots can be layered several times along the stem.
 Air layering……is a method of layering where the stems cannot be lowered to the ground.
Remove the leaves at the point on the stem where you wish to make the layer.
Using a knife make a slit about 2.5cm long below a leaf joint.
Use a little hormone rooting compound on the wound.
Pack a little sphagnum moss into the wound.
Pack plenty of sphagnum moss around the stem and cover with plastic secured top and bottom with tape.
Keep the moss moist and check for roots in about a month.
Sever from parent plant when roots are have formed.

The Water Garden:
In the water garden the American Blue Flag Iris and the exquisite Japanese Iris look wonderful on the margins of a pool.
The Zebra rush, Schoenoplectus lacustris “Zebrinus” is a most unusual plant for the margins of your pool, it has green and creamy bands along the stem giving a lovely cool dappled effect.
Dies back in winter in southern Australia.
Triglochin procerum, Water ribbons is a native waterplant with strap like leaves which float on the surface of the water and are excellent shelter for fish
Greenish yellow flower spikes are used as a food source by waterbirds.

The Native Garden:
In the native garden the honeyeaters  are busy, lots of blossoms on grevilleas, callistemons and banksias,
G. “Winpara Gem”has lots of striking red spider`flowers tipped with gold, G.”Apricot Glow” has beautiful reddish gold flowers and G.”Poorinda Blondie has spectacular long red/gold toothbrush flowers.
A spreading ground cover G.”Carpet Crawl” covers 2-3metres, grows 40-65cm high and has bronze-red foliage.
The toothbrush flowers are deep purple-red and appear throughout the year.
The foliage and flowers provide a safe habitat for honeyeaters and wrens.
It makes a good living mulch and is great for steep slopes and banks or tumbling over walls. Frost hardy and also suitable for coastal planting.
The prostrate form of Banksia integrifolia “B. Roller Coaster” is another worthwhile groundcover.
It has a spread of 1.5-2m. across, has bright lemon flowers from summer to mid winter and is moderately fast growing.
Best in well drained soils,it tolerates moderate frosts and thrives in coastal situations . A good landscape plant, it also looks great in a large container.
Callistemon “Western Glory” has clusters of mauve-red flowers over a long period, is tolerant of wet or dry-limey soils, makes a great informal hedge or feature plant.
Tip prune to encourage flowers.
For those who enjoy the sight of wattle in bloom Acacia elata, the cedar wattle has fragrant golden blooms in summer, is long lived and fast growing.
It prefers moist well drained soils and needs some protection from frost when young.
Height at maturity is 12m. and eventual width is 9m.
Acacia howittii, the sticky wattle has pale yellow flowers and a graceful weeping habit which lends itself to many landscape situations.
The Australian paper daisy Bracteantha bracteata “Sundaze Flame" has gold, orange and bronze flowers for most of the year.
A terracotta or black pot will set this plant off to perfection.
In the garden this plant blends well with Eutaxia obovata, and attractive shrub 1-2.5m which has pea shaped yellow and red flowers from winter to early summer.
A good screening plant which tolerates windy sites, tip prune when young to encourage healthy growth.
It needs a well drained soil and protection from frost.
 
While most native plants are hardy it is important to remember that they come from a diverse range of climatic zones. Within Australia we have rainforests, coastal heathlands, deserts, alpine snowfields and plains to name a few.
Although it is sometimes possible to create “micro climates” within an area, in most instances in order to avoid disappointment it is wiser to grow species which will thrive in your locality. 
We like to provide as much information as possible about all the plants we sell, the practical issues like climate, salinity, water needs, alkalinity, acidity and much more need to be considered when choosing your plants.


Take time to enjoy the gardens in Spring

Marg and the Team at Meredith Nursery.