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| Garden beds need some resting time |
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By HEATHER BUTLER WELL, we have survived the biggest winds to hit our state in decades, we have managed to see some rain fall, and had some nice mild weather. What does that mean for our gardens? Basically the poor things are stressed to the max and need a holiday!! The wind did a lot of damage, but also some favours. The prolonged drought in Tassie has weakened a lot of trees and shrubs, but usually we can't see the symptoms until its too late. As scary as the storm was, at least by culling the weakest links we can hopefully be assured that the ones still standing are the strongest. However, I can't stress strongly enough that if you have any doubts at all about any trees in your yard please get them checked by a qualified professional. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! Unfortunately, inconsistent rainfall so far has left us all watering still but at least you will have a pretty good idea of which plants are the hardiest by looking around and noticing the ones which still look ok. They might be a bit moth eaten and tattered, but sheer determination to survive makes them the winners. They could be a humble Diosma or Callistemon, by keeping a simple record in a diary of the survivors rather than plants you have lost, you will always have a list what is in your garden that is looking good. The mild weather means the pests and diseases are still in full flight. Scale is always particularly bad during dry spells, as the plants are stressed. A typical sign is lots of ants on the plant itself. They aren't doing any harm to the plant, just feeding on the scale excretion - honeydew. Repeat applications of Eco-oil products usually fix them. Whitefly, leafhoppers and Katydids (large bright green grasshoppers) and aphis still abound too. Pyrethrum, eco-oils or night-time spot lighting all make a difference, as long as you keep the regime up to catch the next generation. A gentle application of fertiliser such as blood and bone will help keep your plants healthy coming into Winter, but will encourage weeds so keep the mulch going too and she'll be apples!
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