by Mark Evans
Whether you subscribe to the meteorological view that it begins on the first day of the month or to the astronomical view that it begins on the vernal equinox on the twenty-third day of the month, September brings us into the season that many consider the beginning of the gardening year – spring.
Hopefully, you … Read more »
by Mark Evans
As we move into August and pass the cross-quarter day, halfway between the winter solstice and the coming vernal equinox, the days are getting longer and brighter and the first signs of spring are beginning to appear in the garden – a reminder that it is time for some green spring cleaning.
Although we usually associate spring cleaning with housework, the same concept can be applied to the … Read more »
by Mark Evans
Garden Tetris is a lot like the video game, but instead of trying to arrange falling coloured blocks, it’s plants you are trying to fit together efficiently within a limited space. Like the game it can take some practice. That supposedly short plant you stuck in on the edge turns out much taller than you expected, the one you put in the shade needs more sun (or vice versa), … Read more »
Mark Evans
For thousands of years humans have cultivated shrubs and trees, and dug and distributed them as bare-rooted young plants, often wrapped in damp rags or bound in a damp ball of sawdust. For growers, this is the most economical way to produce and distribute plants, and for buyers it means we get a bigger, better plant for less money. August is the perfect time to plant bare-rooted roses, fruit trees and ornamentals, because with … Read more »
Mark Evans
While it is often said that ‘the best time to prune is when the knife is sharp’, as we move beyond the winter solstice (22 June) and the days start to grow longer, now is one of the best times to prepare your garden for the upcoming growing season by sharpening up your pruning shears.
Late winter is a great time to prune any deciduous trees or shrubs … Read more »
by Keith Mundy The Spires Nursery Tilba Tilba
Well, here we are with spring just around the corner and, with it, the start of the gardening year. New growth appears on deciduous plants, perennials wake from their enforced winter hibernation and bulbs pop up everywhere as new life begins.
The next couple of months involves many tasks in the garden including the preparation and planting of the spring vegetable garden, planting of flowering annuals and the completion … Read more »