Happy & Hardy Babies! Winter is always a joy when you can see colour in the garden. Native plants can offer a wide array of vivid colours that are easy to care. HARDENBERGIA VIOLACEA 'HAPPY WANDERER'
Happy wonderer is uique in that it is a winter flowering climber. n winter and spring it produces a mass of showy, rich violet-mauve, pea-like flowers. A fast-growing, evergreen climber with leathery, dark green leaves.Ideal for covering fences, walls and pergolas. Tolerant of most soils and conditions, some shade and light frosts. Responds well to hard pruning. Keep moist in dry weather. Grow in a sunny position in free draining soil. H 3m x 3m CORREA 'DUSKY BELLS' An old favourite dense mounding shrub with profuse flowering from autumn through winter and on to spring. Great shrubbery plant that is a great small bird attractor. Prune straight after flowering to encourage new and more dense growth, and feed with a good native fertiliser in spring. The leaves have a pleasing citrus smell when crushed. At its best in moist but well drained soil, tolerates medium frost levels and dry spells, sun to half shade. H 1x1m GREVILLIA 'JELLY BABY' Grevillea Jelly Baby is a dense low mounding groundcover with massed jelly-pink flowers covering the soft grey foliage from late winter to summer. Suited to clay or sandy loams it flowers constantly attract honeyeating birds. Outstanding combined with bold rockwork, as a low maintenance container plant for patio, deck or balcony; mass planted along pathways, or as contrast with darker foliage. Feed with low phosphorus native fertiliser. Trim lightly after flowering
FULL -PARTIAL SUN H30-40CM x 0.8-1M
Flowering Natives Filled with Inspiration ! Carolyn
GIFTS-2-GO! From $19.99 Brachyscome 'Elite Violet' Elite Violet had lots of bushy new foliage with masses of delicate flowers smothering the plant in a sea of colour. Position in full sun to part shade with well-drained soil; ideal for pots and hanging baskets around your patio or BBQ area. The best flowering is from August to May but Elite Violet will spot flower outside these months making them ideal for long term colour.Their trailing habit makes them perfect for rockeries and sloping gardens. Provide adequate water until established, then normal garden watering. Prune off all old flowers to promote new ones and trim follage once a year or as required to keep its shape. Fertilise seasonally with organic fertiliser.
Hedera 'Pittsburg Ivy' has small to medium green leaves with a lobed or heart-shaped base. Prefers a peat based, free-draining potting mix; position near bright, indirect light. Keep soil moist but not wet, watering more in summer and less in winter. Do not let plant dry out. Prune lightly to maintain desired size and shape. Can be grown as an indoor plant in containers or decorative hanging baskets. Can also be sheared and trained as topiary. Fertilise regularly during the growing season.
Martin's Edible Pick of the Week Jump into spring with these Spring Onions
Spring onions are fast and easy to grow, so they’re great for beginners and perfect for squeezing into small spaces. It’s their sweet and mild flavour that makes them ideal for fast cooking or garnishing dishes. Add them to scrambled eggs for a subtle onion flavour, chop them into matchstick lengths for quick stir fries or finely diced they can be used as a garnish on nearly everything.
When planting out seedlings it’s easiest to make a shallow furrow and lay the seedlings into it spaced 2-4cm apart. You can then quickly backfill by running your hand down one side pushing soil over the roots. Don’t worry if the seedings aren’t standing upright as they will correct themselves as they establish.
Spring onions will also grow well in pots or containers. Choose a pot that is at least 15cm deep and allows for good drainage. Watch them during hot weather as potted plants will dry out faster and need more frequent watering than those growing in beds.
Spring onions can be harvested 8-10 weeks after sowing seeds or once the plants are roughly the thickness of a pencil. In the cooler months they will grow more slowly and may reach harvesting size in 12-14 weeks.
When ready to harvest you can either pull the plant completely out of the ground, harvesting it all OR cut the shoot off about 1cm above ground level. The remaining stump will then reshoot giving you'll a continual crop.
Approaching spring is the perfect time to feed your existing lawn or reseed areas that have become sparse over winter. Turbo Patch Repair Seed is a great value hardy blend of grass species that will do well all year round in the sun in Melbourne and includes a lawn starter feed. If you have a shadier area that only gets morning sun or is under a large tree, try the Shade Lawn Seed. For existing lawns, Green Up Lawn Food is a great complete fertiliser with all macro and micro nutrients to boost your lawn growth.
