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Yearly gardening overview: January – June

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January

Living Christmas trees will need a new home outside, gradually ease them into a sunny position. Give them a good drink of Flourish and a slow-release fertiliser.
Straggly annuals such as petunias can be dug out and the bed fertilised, ready to replant.
Take care when pruning during the heat as new growth may get burnt.

February

Check lawns for brown patches as army grub is damaging lawns. Apply a product, all over the lawn, not just on brown patches, as the grubs will be eating the roots of the green areas.
Reapply in ten days’ time to catch the hatching cycle – do this late in the afternoon on a mown lawn.
Houseplants should be checked for mealy bug, which can be described as a white, fluffy insect. Control it with Malathon and White Oil.
Time to prune hydrangeas and geraniums when they finish flowering. Cut off the long stems of agapanthus when blooms have finished.
Gardenias, hibiscus and murraya that bear yellow leaves need an application of cow manure if ground-grown.
Roses need a summer prune; cut off one- third of growth, fertilise with poultry manure, then rose food.

March

Citrus should be fertilised this month. Potted plants should only be fed with a slow-release, not citrus food, as this will cause leaf drop.
Garden varieties need poultry manure fed out under the drip line: water before and after application, then two or three weeks later, apply citrus fertiliser, again, watering well.
Here’s the trick to get those beautiful cyclamen to re-flower: they must be re-potted this month, fertilised and watered regularly.
Winter grass: well here is the lawn lover’s greatest problem, and now is the time to apply a product to eliminate it.
Prepare flower and vegetable beds this month by digging in poultry manure plus an all-purpose plant food. St Patrick’s Day is traditionally when sweet peas are planted.

April

Camellia sasanquas are beginning to bloom – they are ideal for disguising an ugly fence and look great planted along a narrow driveway.
Select bulbs for spring this month. Gladioli corms can be lifted and stored in a dry place.
Remember to plant poppies on Anzac Day in beds prepared with poultry manure at least one week prior.

May

Boost parsley with blood and bone for instant greening.
Cut back other herbs beyond their prime and apply Flourish. Tulips and hyacinths need two weeks in the fridge before planting to trick them into thinking it’s really cold.
Give roses a handful of blood and bone to keep them flowering.

June

If planting new-season roses, don’t fertilise, but do water daily.
Once Sasanqua camellias have finished blooming, it’s a great time to prune.
Lawns should be sprayed to eliminate bindiis before seeds become dispersed.

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