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David Maher is our David also produces If your interested in Snail Mail - 16 Prentice Ph/Fax - 02 6766 2132 |
July in the Garden By David Maher July is a period of dormancy for many perennial plants, deciduous shrubs, vines and trees. The word dormant comes from the Latin word dormire which means to sleep. Generally, plants which go to sleep in winter have their origins in cold climates where they shut down their systems in order to survive the coldest part of the year, including freezing temperatures. Hence, it is an opportune time to divide and to replant and to take cuttings of shrubs such as hydrangeas, weigelas, deutzias and grapes. MAINTENANCE INCLUDING PRUNING Abelia: Remove old canes from the base
and reduce the whole shrub by one-quarter to one-half. Shorten Agapanthuses and Peruvian spider lilies can be divided, if crowding has occurred. Bougainvilleas: As bougainvilleas flower on new growth, the oldest wood should be cut well back and the new wood should be shortened to 3 or 4 leaf nodes from the main canes in order to encourage flowering side shoots. Bouvardias: These flower on new wood and hence should be trimmed to ground level. Bouvardia humboldtii, a scented species, is a splendid plant but is rarely available.
Camellia sasanquas: This species should only be pruned if the plant has become rangy and the shortening of some canes is needed to increase bushiness and compactness. Citrus: Remove gall wasp lumps on citrus branches by the end of August and dispose of by burning, if possible. Clematis: Snail and slug repellent
should be applied as soon as new growth emerges. Crepe Myrtles: If not trimmed after flowering, trim during July to encourage a better flowering in summer because the plant flowers on new wood. Prune out the weak, twiggy growth in the centre of the plant in order to improve the plant’s ventilation and to strengthen the outside branches where the flowers are produced. Retain a shrubby look rather than let them develop a tree-like structure. Evergreen Shrubs: In some localities, excluding those in heavy frost areas, summer-flowering abelias, plumbagos, tibouchinas, ceratostigmas and lantana can be pruned. Regular pruning ensures that shrubs remain bushy, better -shaped and healthy, and provide more flowers. Fuchsias should be cut almost to ground level in July or early August. Keep pinching out the new growth to encourage bushiness. Gerberas, Hippeastrum and Maiden Hair Ferns: All leaves, excluding any new growth, should be trimmed to ground level. This practice encourages the emergence of fresh, young growth. Grapes: Grapes are produced on new wood so there is a need for heavy pruning. Prune to either the second growth bud above each cane’s junction with the main lateral trunk. Spray immediately with lime sulphur. Herbs: Late July is an ideal time to lift, divide and re-pot or to replant into a fresh, nutrient rich organic mix. Generally, this task needs to be undertaken at least every two years.
Liliums: While the bulbs are dormant, mulch heavily with compost or aged manure. Nerines: Divide and replant, or pot, or give away. Oleanders can be pruned back heavily either at the end of July or during August depending on your climatic zone. Oleanders pruned to ground level will recover and be rejuvenated. Plumbago: Prune to ground level towards the end of winter as the shrub flowers on new wood.
“Of all the flowers,
Methinks the rose is best.” July is the ideal time to prune roses in most climatic zones. As pruning stimulates new growth and frost can burn new foliage, pruning should be delayed until late August/early September in cold climatic zones. Prune miniatures to ground level. As a general rule, prune standards to retain 5 to 7 canes. Using hedge clippers, prune carpet roses to about 10 to 15 cms above the ground level. Roses which flower only once, e.g. banksia types and ‘Albertine’ and ‘Bloomfield Courage’, should be pruned after the completing of their flowering cycle usually in November. Plant bare- rooted roses. Scadoxus: These can be divided when the bulbs have become crowded. Strawberries: Prune back aggressively at the end of July or early August and fertilize. Divide and replant into an area that has a rich, organic soil mix, or into containers. Fruit Trees: Prune peach and nectarine trees. Apples, pears and cherries are usually pruned in this month on the tablelands, except in extremely cold areas, where it should be deferred until August. Kiwi Fruit: Remove all the wood that is in excess of one year after the leaves have been discarded. Prune the male plants after flowering and the female plants after harvest back to two or three buds, that is, in winter. Kiwi fruit on the first few buds on new growth that arises from buds formed in the previous year, that is, in the same way as grapes. Summer-Flowering Bulbs: A whole range of bulbs such as vallotas and hippeastrum can be lifted, divided and replanted while they are dormant. Water Lilies: Overcrowded pots should be divided and replanted in aged cow manure into which a few grains of Osmocote Plus may be embedded. Alternatively, Johnson’s Grunt can be used and about 30 grams of blood and bone added. Wash the roots of the plant in a bucket of water before dividing and separate with a sharp, disinfected knife. Cover the surface with gravel or a similar material such as zeolite mulch. It is my practice to grow divided plants on in a ten litre bucket of water for about 4 to 6 weeks. A weight is placed on top of the plant to ensure that the plants do not spring out of their pots when lowered into the bucket. If re-potting is not required, clean out the pond. I did mine while it was raining in early June and was able to fill it with rain water from the tank overflow. Zygocactuses: When rejuvenation is required, or the stems need to be shortened, pinch back to a joint between the flat leaves. DO NOT CUT BACK OR PRUNE FROST DAMAGED PLANTS UNTIL FROSTS HAVE CONCLUDED FOR THE WINTER/EARLY SPRING. ANTI-TRANSPIRANT PRODUCTS SUCH AS STRESSGUARD OR ENVY CAN BE USED TO MINIMIZE FROST DAMAGE. Happy gardening!
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overlong canes.
Camellia japonicas: Japonicas are now
dormant and hence this is an ideal time to pot up into a slightly
larger pot – pot up by 3 to 5 cms only – or to relocate a
plant that may have been positioned incorrectly.
Hydrangeas: Hydrangeas flower on
strong canes. Prune robust canes back from the top to a pair of
plump growth buds. Discard all weedy and dead canes. In the case
of reluctant flowerers, try pruning after the completion of
flowering, say in February or March, to find out if the plant is
one that tends to produce its flowering wood at a much earlier
stage and hence needs to be pruned earlier.
Roses:
