November 2022
It’s time to plant for SUMMER DELIGHTS!! We are talking Sunflowers, Dahlias, Zinnias, Cleome, Cosmos, Salvia and so much more.
I love that Dahlias are a revolving fashion icon. My Darling Aunts (Seven on the paternal line) grew paddocks of them when I was a small child. Ostensibly, they were for Special Events: Weddings, Engagements, Church, Fetes, The Strawberry Festival, Christmas Bowls Competitions and the list goes on. Not to mention the enjoyment of sisterly competition between each other……I have been lucky enough to be gifted some tubers, but truly magnificent flowers, nevertheless. I can’t wait for mine to grow and flower. I’ve planted the tubers in very old, composted cow manure, full sun and I will stake them as they grow taller.
I delight that Zinnias and Cosmos are so tough and delicate in appearance during the intense heat of summer. Not to mention, they readily self-seed.
Cleome – I love the elegant and whimsy, tall flowering plant tucked into a cottage garden or grown in rows for cut flowers. Seed or seedlings. Can and should be grown into well composted manure. Seeds need to planted 5cm deep and 30cm apart. Only 20 weeks till flowers appear. Trim off spent flowers to encourage the onset of new flowers.
Aquilegia, Granny’s Bonnet or Columbine is a perennial that is a must to grow! As the name suggests, this plant flowers in the shape of an old fashioned, elegant hat, which I love to see appear in the garden.
I must own up, the delight I feel when I notice a droplet of water captured on the surface of the leaves is nothing less than pure delight, (I was born and bred in a desert).
Jobs to achieve - November equals: Gardenia Flowers.
Leading up to the flowers appearing is time to eradicate yellowing gardenia leaves caused by cold winters and the need for nutrients for flowers. Do this by applying 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salts in 9 litres of water and applying to plants fortnightly.
Time to begin wearing a hat again, not to mention applying sunscreen.
If you have time and need to perform a mindful exercise: Plait all the Spring flowering bulb leaves. Not only do they look fabulous repeated throughout your garden, but the bulbs also need to take up some of the nutrients from the leaves for next year's flowers from the dying leaves before you cut them off or they die back.
Tips and Tricks:
Prune new growth on actively growing Buxus hedges/Topiaries.
Watch for caterpillars as the weather warms up.
Jasmine and Wisteria need to be tip pruned as the weather warms up.
Check your turf. Does your lawn need a tidy up? If you missed spraying Bindi in October, dig out the plant. Nothing spoils bare foot summer rambles than Bindi prickles. Re-sow or turf patches of lawn. This needs to be done before the summer heat arrives.
Vegetables to sow in your Patch now:
Asian Greens, Basil, Beans (French, climbing), Beans (snake), Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Capsicum/Chilli, Carrot, Chives, Choko, Cucumber, Eggplant, Ginger, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, Melon, Okra, Parsnip, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rocket, Rosella, Silver beet, Spring Onion, Sweetcorn, Sweet Potato, Tomato, Zucchini/Squash
Flowers to sow in your Patch now:
Ageratum, Alyssum, Amaranthus, Bedding Begonia, Californian Poppy, Celosia, Coleus, Cosmos, Dianthus, Everlasting Daisy, Gerbera, Globe Amaranth, Gypsophila, Impatiens, Kangaroo Paw, Marigold, Nasturtium, Petunia, Phlox, Portulaca, Salvia, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Torenia, Verbena, Zinnia.
