This
is usually a busy month in the garden. In many parts of the country
gardeners will be busy sowing winter flowering annuals. Most of the
summer flowering annuals will go on flowering for some time if the
faded blooms are removed promptly, and if the plants are fed from
time to time, and watered regularly when the weather is dry. Red
spider can be troublesome during hot, dry weather, so watch carefully
for the telltale yellow stippled leaves. Snails are active in the
summer rainfall areas and can only be kept under control if bait is
put out regularly at night.
Smmer flowering annuals Remove faded flowers, and water regularly in dry weather. Feed once a month with 2:3:2 and water immediately or alternatively feed with liquid fertiliser. Hardy summer flowering annuals Any of the annuals listed below that were not sown in January can still be sown this month. Best results are usually obtained from seed sown in seed trays. If these annuals are sown now the seedlings will stand through the winter and start flowering early next summer: Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) Alyssum Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) Daucus Carota var. carota (Queen Anne's Lace) Delphinium grandiflorum (butterfly delphinium) Dianthus (pinks) Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) Iberis umbellata (candytuft) Malcolmia maritima (Virginian stocks) Petunia x hybrida Phlox drummondii Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium) Verbena x hybrida Winter flowering annuals Sweet peas: These can be sown at the end of the month in all areas. A week before sowing, give the soil a light sprinkling of lime and rake this into the top layer of soil. Erect the trellis before sowing. Summer rainfall areas: Any of the annuals listed below can be sown from the beginning of the month onwards, unless otherwise stated: Winter rainfall and warm frost free areas: Any of the annuals listed below can be sown from the beginning of the month onwards, unless otherwise stated: Calendula officinalis (pot marigold) Chrysanthemum carinatum (annual variety) Clarkii Consolida ambigua (larkspur) (sow in situ) Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (Livingstone daisy or Bokbaaivygie) (protect seedlings from birds by putting chicken wire over the beds) Lathyrus odoratus (sweet pea) Linaria maroccana (toad flax - sow in situ) Lupinus hartwegii (lupin - sow in situ) Matthiola incana (stocks - sow at end of the month in all areas) Nemesia Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy) Phacelia Schizanthus (poor man's orchid) Ursinia anethoides (jewel of the veld) Venidium fastuosum (Aus daisy or bitter gousblom) Viola cornuta (viola) Viola x wittrockiana (pansy) Perennials Seedlings sown in November and December should be large enough to plant out into the garden now. Delphiniums: Water copiously and cut down old flower stems. Dianthus and carnations: These can be propagated now by layering. Hellebores: These are probably starting to bud. Give the plant about a heaped tablespoon of 2:3:2 scattered round each plant, and mulch with compost. Start watering regularly if the weather is dry. Put out snail bait round the plants if necessary. Pelargoniums (geraniums): Start pruning. Cut zonal and regal pelargoniums back by half, and trim ivy leafed pelargoniums if they are spreading too much. The tips of prunings can be used for cuttings. The cuttings should be about 7- 8cm long. Cut just below a node or leaf joint. Trim off the lower leaves, and dip the end of each cutting in a rooting hormone. Insert the cutting in sand, firm, and then water. Summer flowering annuals Agapanthus: Water abundantly in dry weather. Amaryllis belladonna (March lily): Before flowering, in the summer rainfall areas, if the plants have become overcrowded, lift, divide and replant the bulbs, with the neck of the plant just below the surface of the soil. In the winter rainfall areas, lift in April, after flowering. Cannas: Water during dry weather, and scatter 60g of 2:3:2 round each clump once a month. Water in after application. Remove old flower stems by gripping them firmly at the base and giving them a sharp twist. Dahlias: Water during dry weather, and feed every two weeks with a soluble fertiliser. Dis-bud by removing all but one bud on each stem. Tie to stakes and watch for red spider. Gladioli: Water regularly, spray once a week against thrips and gladiolus fly, and spray for rust if necessary. Lift those which are dying back. Liliums: As the blooms fade, remove the seed heads (unless the seed is to be saved), cutting off the heads with the minimum amount of stem. Give each clump a tablespoon of 3:1:5 dissolved in 5litres of water. Apply this to the root area and water in. Keep the ground well mulched with compost. White evergreen arum lilies: If the plants are overcrowded and were not lifted last month they can still be lifted and divided this month. Cut off some of the older leaves, and then replant the tuber-like rhizomes in soil enriched with compost and a dressing of superphosphate. Winter flowering bulbs These
bulbs can be planted now: |
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