LIFESTYLE NEWS - January marks mid-summer in the garden and the weather can be very unpredictable; it can be terribly hot and dry; or extremely wet.
Do not transplant shrubs this month and plant seedlings in the cool of the evening. To keep your bedding plants flowering into autumn, continue to feed them and cut out the dead flowers regularly; it is also time to start sowing many winter flowering annuals and vegetables.
Preventative spraying of roses is the best control method for pests and diseases; during wet weather the plants are susceptible to black spot, and in hot dry weather they can be plagued by red spiders, so keep a look out for these. Continue to fertilise regularly and prune lightly if necessary to remove any weak or spindly growth; but remember that roses need plenty of healthy leaves to protect them from the fierce summer sun.
Water loving plants like azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas and fuchsias need plenty of water during hot, dry spells and will benefit from having their leaves sprayed down regularly with water. Your camellias will be forming their winter and spring buds now, so water them regularly but don’t over fertilise them now as this may cause them to abort their flower buds in favour of new leaf growth.
Remove any seeds from your fuchsia plants and pinch back the growing tips that are not flowering, this will encourage the formation of secondary buds along the stems; feed with organic 3:1:5. Remove faded flowers from your hydrangeas unless you want to keep them for autumn colour. Cut them back to the first pair of healthy, plump looking buds; and tidy them up by cutting old woody stems out completely at the base of the plant. This will encourage new basal growth.
Do not cut your lawn too short, keep it at a height of 5cm, and remove any grass cuttings immediately. Fertilise regularly with a balanced, organic fertiliser. A fertiliser high in potassium like 3:1:5 or 5:1:5 will encourage strong, deep roots that are more heat tolerant.
If necessary, mulch your beds with a layer of compost or bark chips, to conserve moisture. Do not mulch with wood shavings, as this will attract white ants. Coarse bark mulch, bought from a reputable supplier contains a type of tannin, which repels white ants.
Do not split and divide perennials in summer when they are actively growing; rather do this in autumn, or in spring and early summer. Cut back perennials like Shasta daisies, lavender and daisy bushes when they have finished blooming in order to promote a second flush of flowers before winter. If you are planting potted chrysanthemums into the garden, first pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushy growth. Tug out the flowering stems of Inca lilies (Alstroemaria) as they finish flowering and remove the spent flower spikes from your agapanthus. If your wild rhubarb (Acanthus) is untidy cut it right back to ground level, mulch it with compost and water well.
Perennials and bulbous plants are wonderful additions to the garden, adding seasonal colour and contrast throughout the year. If carefully worked into the landscape and cared for correctly they never fail to perform and are a delight to have.
Plant out bulbs of Amaryllis belladonna (March lily) as soon as they are available; and they should provide a romantic display of scented pink and white trumpet flowers in time for Valentine’s Day – remember to keep the necks of the bulbs above ground level. Finish planting Nerine bulbs, and collect any ‘plantlets’ on the older stems of your day lilies to propagate. Feed your Liliums and cut off the spent flower heads regularly, but when cutting leave as many leaves on the plant as possible, as these will produce food for next seasons flowers.
Sow Anemone and Ranunculus seed before the end of January, so that they will be ready for the winter and spring garden. Cut back the spent flowering stems of Cannas to encourage continuous flower production, and water regularly. Lift and divide overcrowded white and green Arum Lilies that are starting to die down. Cut off all the old leaves and replant only healthy plants, adding lots of compost and a generous sprinkling of bone meal.
Prune wisteria climbers that are growing rampant but do not remove the new flower buds that are forming near the base of the new branches. These will bloom next season. Lightly prune your bottle brushes when they have finished flowering. Remove all the soft, red-brown water shoots from the base of your bougainvilleas as soon as they appear.
Remove the decaying leaves from your aquatic plants in ponds, as they can pollute the water.
Start feeding your Cymbidium orchids with a feeder that is low in nitrogen but high in potash like 3:1:6 to encourage the formation of flower spikes. Water and mist spray regularly in very dry regions.
Mist spray your indoor pot plants regularly with water, this will keep them clean and healthy, especially in air-conditioned homes and offices where the air tends to be dry. Occasionally, place them outside in a shady spot and hose the leaves down gently with water, or even better, put them outside when it is raining gently.
Your vegetable garden should be flourishing, so harvest regularly to ensure that your plants keep producing. Carrots should be pulled before their shoulders go green beans before they become ‘stringy’ and baby marrows before they become too large. Lift and divide your shallots, replanting only healthy bulblets; and as your onions mature, reduce the amount of water they receive.
When your onions are ready to harvest, lift them with a fork and shake off excess soil before laying them out to dry in a cool, well-ventilated place.
Once your potatoes have finished flowering, reduce watering, and when the leaves go yellow you can test to see if they are ready to lift. To store, brush off the excess dirt and ensure that the potatoes are completely dry before storing in a cool dark place – do now wash before storing. Provide support for heavily the laden branches of eggplants and tomatoes.
Feed and water your veggies regularly, especially in hot, dry weather; and if sowing seeds directly into garden beds in the heat of summer, remember that they may require watering twice a day; mulching with straw or dry grass cuttings will help to conserve moisture.
Always check your ‘weeks to maturity’ on the back of your seed packets before sowing vegetable crops at this time of the year, or crops which need a long growing season like brinjals, peppers, tomatoes and pumpkins will start maturing too late to be successful. In regions which experience early frosts, plant out only well-established seedlings of these slow maturing crops. Continue sowing fast maturing summer vegetables like baby marrow, radish, spring onions and Swiss chard and plant only heat tolerant varieties of lettuce. January is the last month to sow green beans unless you live in subtropical areas.
Loose leaf varieties of lettuce like ‘Vera’, a lovely frilly red variety, and ‘Veneza Roxa’, a frilly green lettuce; and ‘Elise,’ a great butter lettuce are all heat and cold tolerant and grow quickly if grown correctly, making them ideal to sow or plant out now. Individual leaves can be harvested as required when the plants are young and the whole plant can be harvested towards the end of the growth cycle; making them perfect for summer salads.
Lettuce requires fertile, well-drained soil and grows best in semi shade in summer (30% shade is sufficient). Mulch the plants and water regularly, keeping the soil constantly moist; this prevents them from tasting bitter and running to seed. Water occasionally with 1 teaspoon of Epson salts to 1 litre of water for great leaf colour and taste. Keeping the seeds in the refrigerator overnight before sowing will help germination.
Continue to plant perennial herbs like thyme, oregano, marjoram and rosemary.
Instant colour seedlings from your nursery may be a better choice at this time of the year; try marigolds, vinca, celosia, verbena, alyssum, gazanias and cosmos for sunny areas, and begonias and coleus to brighten up shady areas. Established petunias and salvia can be cut back, mulched and fertilised to encourage more flowers.
Source: www.gardeninginsouthafrica.co.za
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