Garden Tips for MAY – Free MOTHERS DAY Gift

We have a FREE gift for you or your mum when you make a purchase over $30.00 and mention the WEB Special.

Autumn is well on it’s way with the Oaks, Acers, Cornus, Ash and Elms all looking amazing with their bright cheerful colours.  May is the month to finish up with the garden cleanups before the cold weather sets in.  With frosts on the way this is something to be grateful for…as this is natures way of controlling undesirable bugs.

Edible Garden

• You still have time to plant winter vegetables: broccoli, brussel sprouts cabbages, cauli, silverbeet plus winter lettuces
• You should have finished digging up your potatoes – make sure they are stored away from any light to prevent them going green and bitter
• Autumn is a time to watch out for slugs/snails.  Blitzem to control these pests
• Plant berry fruit such as strawberries/blueberries/raspberries also get ready to prune/tying raspberries now to encourage good fruiting season in summer.
• Dig in your green crops if they have grown, you need to do this before they flower
• Fruit Trees – Once leaves fall spray with Champ DP Copper Fungicide” This will protect leaf scars from fungal and bacterial infection
• Protect citrus from frosts – either move potted citrus under eves of house or cover with frost cloth

Flowers/Colour

• Mothers Day gift Idea: Fill a hanging basket with potting mix and potted colour… but as a surprise – beneath the potted colour, plant some bulbs that will come up later for mum to enjoy – fragrant Hyacinth are a lovely idea – or plant with her favorite colour/variety of potted colour
• Bulbs: Feed existing bulb areas with ‘Fiesta bulb plant food’ also use when planting new bulbs – plant in circles – this makes it easier to thin them later
• Plant potted colour e.g. Polyanthus, Pansies in your garden to brighten up front gardens or entranceways
• Peonies, Japanese Iris and Watsonias – It is now time to divide these
• Protect your geranium and succulents for winter

Roses

• Carpet roses can be pruned hard – this is most easily done with hedge shears
• Other roses – don’t prune too hard as they may grow too big, Peace is one that needs only a light prune.

Garden Clean up

• Place fresh pea-straw to help keep garden weed free

Lawns

• Fertilise lawns to keep green – If any bare patches sprinkle a little topsoil and grass seed, water in if the autumn rains don’t come
• Autumn is the very best time to form a new lawn/revamp existing one – Ask at Evergreen Garden Centre for tips on creating a new lawn
• Still watch out for grass grubs as these will still be chewing on grass root system.
• Now is the time to keep weeds in the lawn under control – use broadleaf killer e.g. Turfix

Trees/shrubs

• Fertilise fertilise, fertilise….To promote autumn growth of shrubs, trees, potted plants
• Best time for planting trees and shrubs – While soil is still warm, this encourages root establishment
• Pruning of trees/shrubs should be finished by first frosts
• Wrenching of deciduous tree now is the time to dig around shrubs or trees you want to move in winter
• Prepare your garden for your new winter stock