When Selecting Plants For Your Butterfly Garden 

Always Choose Plants With Wide Flat Clusters Of

Brightly Coloured Fragrant Flowers Not All Of The Plants In Your Garden Have To Be Specific To The Butterflies In Your Area

Butterflies Are Attracted

 To Bright Colours

 So Always Consider This When You’re Choosing Plants

Butterflies Especially Like 

Purple - Pink - Orange - Yellow

Flowers However Some Butterflies

Can’t See The Colour Red

So Be Sure That’s Not The Only Colour You Plant

Also The Fragrance Of The Flowers Will Also Help Attract

The Butterflies To The Garden

December Is The Month We

Welcome In Summer...

We Take A Big Sigh & Look Forward To The Summer Months Ahead...

We Have All Had Our Challenges This Year... 

The Summer Days Are Longer & We Spend These Beautiful

Days & Nights 

Outdoors Entertaining With Families & Friends 

Leading Up Into Our Wonderful Festive Christmas Celebrations

So Our Summer Months Are So Important To Have  

Our Gardens & Entertaining Areas Looking Pristine For All Your Family & Friends To Enjoy 

The Reward OF All Those Hard Working Hours You Have Spent 

During The Cooler Months Creating Your Landscaped & Garden Areas To Be The Centre Piece Display Of Your Entertaining During The Warmer Months...

"GARDEN TO DO LIST"

Good Preparation Is Critical For Your Garden To Survive The Wilting Effects Of The

Aussie Summer 

Summer Means Different Things To Different Gardeners 

While Many Southern & Central Regions Bake Dry

For Instance, The Steamy Top End Is Rejuvenated By Drenching Storms

But For All Of Us Summer Brings Common Challenges Such As 

Dividing Time & Effort Between Keeping Our Gardens 

In Good Shape & Enjoying Them During The Summer Holidays

1. TAKE CARE OF BUDDING PLANTS

Does Your Camellia Drop Its

Buds & Flowers? 

As Camellias Initiate Budding In Summertime Sudden Loss Of Buds & Flowers Is Often A Consequence Of The Plants Drying Out Particularly When They Are Growing In Containers Mulch & Water Deeply Once Or Twice Weekly

During Hot Dry Weather

To Limit This Common & Irritating Problem

2. HELP POTS TO STAY COOL

 Potted Plants Especially Those In Terracotta Pots Are Vulnerable To Overheating Lightly Mulch & Where Possible Position Them Out Of Hot Western Sunshine 

Remember That Standing Potted Plants In Saucers Of Water 

Encourages Root Rot & Mosquito Breeding Instead Stand Them In Saucers Filled With Sand &

Keep The Sand Moist

This Ensures Roots Stay Cool & Plants Remain Healthy

If Potted Plants Dry Out To The Point Where Re-Wetting Is Hard 

Soak Them In A Bucket Of Water For Half A Hour Then Drain.

3. WATER EARLY TO AVERT MILDEW

Water In The Cool Of The Day

The Best Time To Water Your Garden Is Morning 

But If You Water In The Afternoon Allow Enough Time 

For Foliage To Dry Out Before Sunset This Reduces 

The Risk Of Mildew & Other Fungi Attacking Leaves & There 

Is Less Chance You Will Get Caught By The Evening Shift Of

Mosquitoes Or Flies

Mildew Frequently Attacks Roses - Pumpkin - Melon - Zucchini - Cucumber

Spray Plants Weekly With A Solution

Made From One Part Cow's Milk To 10 Parts Water

Repeat After Heavy Rain Or Irrigation 

This Remedy Won't Reverse Mildew Damage But It's An Effective Preventative

4. ADD NUTRIENTS TO THE WATER

If You Can Only Water Occasionally Try To Water Plants Deeply & Use 

That Opportunity To Simultaneously Feed & Correct Mineral Deficiencies

Apply A Soluble Fertiliser With Added Seaweed

Water In Potash Around The Base Of Fruit Trees 

Especially Citrus - Banana - Lychee To Improve Fruit Flavour & Juiciness

The Potassium In Potash Is Also Important For Controlling 

Anthracnose Disease Of

Avocado & Mango

It Generally Helps To Improve Plant Vigour & Resistance

To Foliar Fungi

5. KEEP THE LAWN LONG AND LUSH

Caring For Your Lawn During Summer & Drought Conditions 

While Using Minimal Water

Is Possible

Brown Bare Weed-Infested Lawns Are Symptoms Of Scalping 

Which Means Cutting Lawns Too Low It Is A Misconception 

That Cutting Lawns Low Reduces The Cutting Frequency 

Instead Mow Lawns As High As Your Mower Permits

Longer Turf Wears Better But Most Important Of All 

A Thick Sward Suppresses Pernicious Weeds Such As Oxalis & Bindii

Fresh Lawn Clippings Are Great For Activating Compost Heaps & Mulching Shrub

But Only When Applied In A Thin Layer Up To 5cm Deep

A Thicker Layers Can Burn Leaves

Keep Lawn Lush By Foliar Feeding With Seaweed Tonic 

Once Monthly & Apply One Handful Of Poultry Manure 

Per Square Metre Each Season Before Rain Or Irrigation

Allow 2 Weeks For This To Green Your Lawn & For 

The Odour To Disappear Before Having A Garden Party!

6. KEEP THE WATER FLOWING

Check That Hoses & Irrigation Systems Are Free Of Leaks & Unblock The Nozzles 

Clear Debris From Gutters So That Every Shower 

Funnels Extra Water Into Your Rainwater Tank

Do You Need

Another Rainwater Tank? 

Use Mosquito Mesh To Stop Mosquitoes & Frogs From Entering Tanks & Pipes

7. DO HARD WORK WHEN IT’S COOL

It Is Safer & You're More Likely To Do A Better Job

If You Complete Energetic Work Such As Mowing 

In The Cool Of The Day Either Before 10am Or After 4pm

A Good Drink Of Water & A Smear Of Sunblock Are Prerequisites

Because That One Five-Minute Job Often Leads To Another & Another

Sunblock Takes 15 Minutes To Create Its Protective Layer

So Use That Time To Plan Your Day In The Garden

Don't Forget Your Hat & Sunnies too & If You Do Get Burned

Nothing Beats The Cooling Healing Effect Of Fresh Juice Of Aloe Vera

Save Some Light Tasks Such As Weeding Or Propagating

To Complete In The

Comfort Of A Shady Spot

8. PROTECT NEW PLANTINGS

Freshly Planted Vegetable & Flower Seedlings

Are Likely To Need A Bit Of Sun Hardening

Shelter Them With 50 Per Cent Shade Cloth Or Old Net Curtains

 9. PLAN SHADE STRATEGICALLY

Northern Boundaries May Benefit From Some Extra Shade

But Will This Make A Solar Panel Or Hot Water System Inefficient? 

Strategically Placing A Deciduous Tree - Vine Or Some Clumping Bamboo To Shield Your House & Garden From Searing Western Sunshine Is Often A Better Option

10. BOOST TRACE ELEMENTS

Magnesium Encourages Robust Growth & The Production Of Energy In Plants Gardenias & Roses In Particular Benefit From

Supplementary Magnesium In Summer Also Apply It To Cymbidium Orchids To Help Initiate Flower Buds Add 1 Heaped Tea Spoon Of Epsom Salts To 4.5 Litres Of Water Either Spray The Foliage Or Water It In At The Roots

If The Leaves Of Citrus - Banksia - Grevillea - Camellia - Azalea 

Become Stunted & Mottled Yellow 

Now Is Also The Time To Boost The Iron Content Of Soil 

By Applying Iron Chelates This Acidifies Soil & Adds Iron Necessary For Healthy Growth & It Will Take A Month To See A Result

11. LOOK OUT FOR PESTS

In Australia Termites Perform The Same Beneficial Environmental Services As Earthworms & Activity Increases Where Soils Are Warm & Moist Most Species Are Disinclined To Attack Household & Garden Timber But Be On Guard For Pest Species & Keep Garden Tools 

With Wooden Handles Hardwood Stakes & Other Timber Temptations Off The Ground Avoid Spreading Woodchip Closer Than 1m To Houses Or Timber Sheds & Keep Soil Dry In This Zone To Help Divert Their Foraging Protect Untreated Timber Such As Benches & Garden Bed Edging From Decay There Are Some Non-Toxic Products Around That Are Safe For Making Kids' Play Equipment & Raised Vegie Beds

12. USE YOUR TIME WISELY

Sometimes It Is Just Not Possible To Do Everything 

You Want To Do In The Garden

 If You Are Short On Time But Like Your Garden To Look Cared For

Some Fresh Mulch & A Few Strategically Placed Flowering Plants  & A Freshly Edged Lawn Will Give Your Garden A Lift

If You Have A Bit More Time & Live In A Moist Area Place 

Granular Fertilisers Such As Poultry Manure On The Soil &

Cover With Mulch 

Apart From Keeping Soil Cool & Conserving Water 

Mulch Stops Storm Water Washing Fertiliser Away

If You Have Plants Growing Among Hungry Trees

Give The Plants A Foliar Feed

So They Can Absorb The Nutrients Directly Rather Than The Tree Roots Getting To Them First

DON'T FORGET THE MULCH BENEFITS

A Layer Of Mulch Limits Moisture Loss From The Soil & Saves

You The Job Of Weeding - The Trick Is Getting The Depth Right Generally You Need A 50-75mm Layer But Only Mulch To About 50mm In Native Gardens

Or Gardens That Aren’t Irrigated

If The Mulch Is Too Thick

Rain Won’t Always Make It Down To The Soil