The warmer weather brings the most vibrant time of the year in the ornamental garden, says columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.  

The azaleas, rhododendrons and camellia japonicas are all in all their glory in the garden. They’re all long-lived shrubs if planted in the right spot. 

Most azaleas and rhododendrons prefer dappled shade and some varieties even like full sun, so there is a plant for every spot. 

They’re shallow rooted and like to have their roots covered to keep them cool. They like constant watering. The older they get, the tougher they get, and some can live for a very long time.

Rhododendrons that have grown too large can have a big chop if needed, and now’s the time to do it. 

This hard pruning will more than likely remove the flowers for next season, but the plant will be in a manageable size and will flower well the following year. 

All pruning cuts should be at an angle, so when the branches get wet the water will run off and not cause any rotting of the stem. After pruning rhododendrons or azaleas, fertilise with an azaleas fertiliser and keep watering through the summer months. 

IT’S also time to get busy in the vegetable garden planting summer crops such as tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants and pumpkins. 

Tomato seedlings are ready to put into the ground when they have six sets of leaves and can be planted deeply into the soil or if you are planting into a pot, ensure it is a size to fit the root ball of the plant. 

If a small plant is put in a big pot, it will take longer to grow, the roots of the plant need to touch the side of the pots to accelerate growth. 

Upsize pots as you go and, overall, you will get a faster and bigger yield.

Zucchinis are floater plants in the vegetable patch and are unfussy about what soil they grow in or what was in there before it. They like lots of compost and water to keep them growing fast. The more you pick, the more flowers will be produced. 

The male flowers come out generally in the morning and female flowers in the afternoon, so having bee-attracting flowers in the vegetable patch will encourage bees to pollinate the zucchini naturally. 

If female flowers are not fertilised, a small zucchini will grow deformed, turn yellow and fall off all within a few weeks. Remove them and more flowers will come. 

Eggplants are a great crop to grow in the summer heat and versatile in the kitchen as well. They like an acidic soil and are the same as all Solanaceae plants, such as tomatoes, potatoes and capsicums. If they’re all planted together, the soil conditions will benefit each other.

Water the vegetable garden in the morning and try to prevent the foliage getting too wet. 

NOW the weather’s warming, it’s also time to replenish the pond with a clean out of the water and new plantings for summer. 

Cyperus papyrus is a pond and water bowl plant that does well in our climate. It’s a sedge plant and in some parts of the country it’s considered a weed. So if you want to use this plant, keep it in a water bowl or pond away from waterways. 

It grows to at least 1.5 metres tall and is great for a balcony that needs a little privacy with height. A native variety to look for is Cyperus lucidus, which has smaller foliage and flowers, but works just as well. 

Jottings

• Check that irrigation is in order before the warm weather arrives. 

• Plant summer-flowering bulbs, such as liliums and gladiolus. 

• Hand weed any bindi weed in the lawn before it flowers. 

• Remove leaves from roses that are growing in the wrong direction.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au