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| Lots to do now the Show is over… |
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By HEATHER BUTLER THE Royal Hobart Show has been and gone so I am not going to talk about tomatoes - enough is enough! There are, after all, plenty of other things that need doing in the garden too you know! First off, the boronias will have pretty much have finished flowering by now or close to it, be brutal, they need at least half to one third of their growth removed to encourage branching from low on the main stem. Boronias are similar to lavenders and fuchsias, that is; they don't have dormant buds in old wood. Therefore, if you prune too hard where there are no live shoots to be seen, you will kill the bush. Prune hard when young and reap the benefits as the shrub ages, the more new growth you promote the more flowers you will get in the long run. This rule of thumb can be applied to almost every plant. Next - all the Spring flowering deciduous ornamentals can be pruned now after they have finished their flowering eg Weigelas, Forsythias, Spiraeas and flowering plums and their relatives. By pruning now you encourage new growth which has at least six months to become established before next Winter and form new flower buds so you don't miss out the following Spring. Winter and Spring flowering ornamentals such as Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons can be pruned now also if necessary. Rhodos in particular need to be done before the end of October - don't ask me why as I was told by Ted Cutlan from Jubilee Nursery at Ridgeway. Something to do with growth hormones. A good rule of thumb is to fertilise after pruning, unless it's in mid-winter, to encourage new growth or as I would put it - make the buggers grow! Apples are flowering so don't forget your Codling Moth Traps need to go in soon. Roses are flourishing and so are the aphis, don't make the mistake of thinking one spray will fix them, millions of eggs wait to hatch as soon as you blink! Allow about two weeks to pass then hit them again and you will notice a big difference in the size of the colonies. Too many jobs to mention, but don't forget to stop and enjoy that cuppa under the shade of your favourite tree!
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