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Canberra Today 16°/19° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Rain may have saved the summer holiday garden

Alstroemerias... a must for every garden.

UNTIL the rain in late November and this month, it was shaping up as a very dry year. However, things have changed rapidly and the countryside and gardens have never so looked so green.

 

At the time of writing more rain is forecasted, which means we can go away on holidays with confidence knowing the garden will still look green on our return.

 

However, outdoor pots will still need attention. Summer is the time for a brilliant display of annuals with petunias and zinnias heading the list.It is important to maintain regular feeding for these and other annuals using my suggested “weakly, weekly” program – a weak solution once every one to two weeks. At the same time, deadhead to encourage new shoots and subsequently more flowers.

 

MANY perennials also make a stunning display in summer and one of my favourites is the Princess Series of Alstroemerias. These hardy plants flower continuously from late spring to autumn and even when not in flower the leaves form a great ground cover. So easy to divide to fill bare spots in the garden, in fact no garden should be without Alstroemerias

 

ONE dubious advantage of our cool-start summer is that we have had copious amounts of rain. I say dubious and feel for those who sustained storm damage with water into homes or fallen trees, usually eucalypts. During the holiday season more time is spent around the home and in the garden, so a word of warning: do not park vehicles, put play equipment or outdoor settings/barbecues under eucalyptus trees. It can be a dead still summer’s day when crack and a branch falls.

 

MANY readers may have relatives and friends visiting over the holiday season. Besides all the usual sights and sounds on Canberra, our National Botanic Gardens are often overlooked.These unique gardens are a must, particularly if your visitors are from overseas. Garden entry is free.Do not forget the ever-popular “Summer Sounds” concerts on the Eucalypt Lawn, starting on Saturday, January 7, with the DeeJay Gospel Band, followed on Sunday with Key Grip. These are free except for a gold-coin donation. Why not have a picnic on the lawns?

Details at www.friendsanbg.org.au or the Visitors’ Centre on 6250 9540

 

IF you are at the coast, why not call into the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens, seven kilometres south of Batemans Bay, off the Princes Highway. Besides super children’s adventure trails, there are ornamental lakes, the arboretum plus the Chef’s Cap cafe.

Free entry, for details see www.erbg.org.au or call the visitors’ centre on 4471 2544.

 

[box]More garden hints for while you are away:

  • Unless your lawn is very long do not mow before you go away. If you must mow, set the mower blades on the highest setting.
  • If your indoor plants are small enough, place in the bath (put a towel down first to prevent scratching) or laundry tub/kitchen sink. Fill with about 30-50mm of water. Let the plants drain well when you return.
  • If you are staying at home, water early morning. Hand watering can take place at any time, however under the Permanent Water Conservation Measures sprinklers and other irrigation systems may only be used before 9am and after 6pm (until May 31).
  • Clean out all gutters, not connected with gardening, but remember our fires in the 2003 holiday season and potential for flooding.[/box]

Finally, as the New Year begins my second year with “CityNews”, I would like to thank all my readers for their many kind, personal comments, letters and emails over the past 12 months.

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Cedric Bryant

Cedric Bryant

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