Strawberries, fresh fun for the whole family

Strawberries are easy to grow, the perfect summer dessert and an excellent first crop to start the kids on an exciting and rewarding life of gardening. If you plant in spring and are armed with a few simple tricks you could be harvesting fresh strawberries all summer long.

Strawberries are best grown in full sun or sites shaded from the hot afternoon sun. They prefer deep friable loam soils but are very tolerant so do plant them even if your soil is less than perfect. They like to be kept moist but not wet.

Strawberries grow equally well in pots and hanging baskets and this is the ideal way to grow them if you are short on space or only have a courtyard or balcony garden.  If you opt for this option be sure to invest in a good quality premium potting mix as this will make all the difference to the quality of your crop. You will also have to maintain more frequent and regular watering and fertilizing than you would if strawberries are grown in the ground.

Before planting your strawberries mix in plenty of compost or old composted manure into the soil. Also add a general purpose fertilizer at the rate of about 1 handful per square meter. Plant your strawberries in a mound slightly raised from the existing soil level as this will provide them with extra drainage and space them  about 30cm apart.

Mulch with straw around the base of your plants as this will help stop evaporation of moisture from the soil and keep your strawberries from touching the ground. This will keep them clean and stop your berries from rotting where they touch the soil.

Strawberry plants produce fruit productively for around three years when they should be dug up and replaced with fresh young runners. Fortunately they produce runners each year so train these in the direction you want them to grow. The young runners will root anywhere they touch the soil so use pegs or wires to position them in the place you want them to grow. Alternatively young virus free strawberry plants can be purchased to replace old plants.

Strawberries grow great in the veggie garden, under fruit trees in an orchid, or in your ornamental garden as they are a great ground cover. Be sure to pick your berries when they are ripe because the more you pick the more they fruit.

To do in September

Spring is here, the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer.

For those of you who have been hibernating inside during the winter it’s time to wake from your gardening slumber and get stuck in.

Dead head, prune and transplant

Spring is a glorious time for flowers some of my favorites include Camellias and Rhododendrons. Remove all of the flowers from these plants when they are finished, this is what is referred to as ‘deadheading’ and encourages the promotion of new growth and the development of next year’s flowers. It also makes your plants look better. Throw all the dead flowers on your compost heap as they will break down beautifully.

 Magnolia 'Phillip Tregunna'

The end of flowering is also a great time to do any pruning (especially of evergreen plants) as new spring growth will rejuvenate your plants very quickly.

Also any transplanting of evergreen shrubs should be done at this time. Make sure plants are well watered before and after transplanting. Try to retain as much of the root ball as possible and give your plants a prune at the same time. Pruning reduces the amount of leaves and water loss through leaf area and gives your plant the best possible shot at surviving relocation.

Be sure to enjoy your flowers, by picking them and bringing them inside or to share with friends.

Re-pot and top dress

Re-potting into larger pots gives your plants roots area to grow and keeps them happy and healthy. An indicator for a plant that requires re-potting is when the roots are growing out of the pots drainage holes, when the plant dries out too quickly or if your plant is looking a little worse for wear. When re-potting plants it pays to use premium potting mix, these are well worth the extra money paid as they drain freely and are full of fertilizer to feed your plants.

If your plants do not require re-potting they will benefit from top dressing. This is the process of removing all the top potting mix down to the roots of the plant and replacing with fresh (premium) potting mix. This creates better drainage and a hit of fertiliser at the same time.

Sow herb seeds or replace herbs

It’s time to plant all those herbs that are annual or biennial or replace those that are old and no longer harvesting. Sow your seeds direct into the garden or into seed trays for transplanting later, or you can purchase some new plants or seedlings from the nursery. Herbs to replace include Parsley, Coriander, Chervil, Sage and Chives.

It’s also a great time to plant strawberries in the garden and sow tomato seeds in the hot house. 

The Softly Spoken Lilacs

Most of us are familiar with the old fashioned Lilacs (syringa vulgaris) with their lovely fragrant flowers and bold colours that are a staple to Victorian and cottage style gardens. But there are many more species and hybrids of lilac that are not as commonly grown and their excellent qualities should be more widely recognised.  It is these other Lilacs; the “Softly Spoken” ones that really excite me. They still boast the most beautiful perfume, yet the flower form has a delicate understated beauty giving them a charm of sophistication and elegance.

Syringa x persica

There are over 20 species of Syringa and hundreds of cultivars and hybrids. Most are medium to large shrubs although there are some dwarfs. They grow best in full sun but are happy in part shade and will grow in most soils particularly those that are slightly alkaline. They are all spring flowering and benefit from pruning directly after flowering has finished. This consists of removing the old flowering wood. Lilacs will withstand periods of drought but prefer to be kept slightly moist. Try planting them with Roses, Clematis, Lavenders and Rosemary.

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

A must have lilac as it will fit into any garden. It is a slow growing dwarf getting to about 1m high in 10 years with lilac-pink flowers that fade to soft pink and white in late spring. Fragrant of course and has small round leaves. Remove finished flowers and give a light trim after flowering to maintain a neat dome shaped shrub.

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

Syringa ‘Miss Kim’

The full name for this plant is Syringa pubescens subsp. Patula ‘Miss Kim’. Remember that one! ‘Miss Kim’ will grow to around 2m in 10 years and has dark green leaves with a wavy edge that turn a dark burgundy in the autumn. Not many Lilacs boast good autumn colour so this one gets a tick even before we get to the flowers. The flowers have a spicy fragrance and are deep purple in bud fading to light purple and white and are produced in late spring.

Syringa ‘Miss Kim’

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’

This Lilac grows to about 2m high. The rosy-pink flowers are fragrant and are produced on-masse in spring and then intermittently until autumn. This is a very pretty shrub.

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’

Other recommended Lilacs; Syringa x laciniata, Syringa x persica, Syringa wolfii, Syringa diversifolia.

Syringa josikea

For more information on Lilacs 

http://www.internationallilacsociety.org/International_Lilac_Society/Home.html

http://www.timberpress.com/books/lilacs/fiala/9780881927955

"Five Star Plants" Brachyglottis ‘Otari Cloud

A compact growing New Zealand native plant that boasts outstanding silver foliage and showy yellow flowers. Plus it’s easy to grow.

Brachyglottis ‘Otari Cloud’ has a compact rounded habit and grows to about 1m high and 1m wide. It grows best in full sun although it will grow happily in part shade with some sacrifice to the amount of flowers it produces. The tops of the leaves are silver and have defined nearly white edge and a white suede like texture to the underside of the leaf make this plant an outstanding foliage specimen. It flowers prolifically in late spring and summer with its yellow daisy like flowers covering the bush. Brachyglottis will grow in most soil types except for a very wet and boggy site. It prefers well drained soils that are slightly on the dry side and will tolerate periods of drought. It responds well to a hard trim after flowering to maintain a very compact and dome shaped habit but this is not necessary as it looks great left to grow naturally.

Outstanding foliage, great flowers, drought tolerant and versatile is why I give this plant 5 stars.

To do in August

• Spray peaches, nectarines and almonds for curly leaf with a copper based fungicide when the buds start to swell and again 10 days later. Curly leaf is a fungus that is encouraged by cool wet conditions so this year we will find that these trees will be widely affected due to our very wet winter! The symptoms of curly leaf include the new leaves becoming distorted and blistered and later turning a deep red with a white fungal bloom on the surface.If not treated the health of the tree may become seriously weakened.
• Re-weed and mulch garden beds, this will help keep in the moisture and reduce spring weeds. I use fine pine bark in my general garden beds as it takes about a year to break down. This ensures a lasting weed suppressant but also adds to the health of the soil in a reasonable time frame. In my opinion wood chips take too long to break down so are only useful in high traffic gardens where resilience is necessary. For veggie gardens it is best to use a mulch that breaks down quickly such as pea straw.  
• Cut back perennials to encourage new spring growth. If you haven't done so already  now is the time to cut back all the dead or old last seasons growth on plants such as mints, miscanthus, penstemons and herbaceous peonies. There is nothing more tedious than trying to cut out old stems amongst new growth, in saying this I am taking my own advice and getting out into the garden now with my secateurs to avoid this happening to me........again!