Tilba Nursery

Friday September 11th

The local region is looking great heading into spring after good winter rains! Thanks for sharing this image Beautiful Tilba. Keith. #spring #news ... See MoreSee Less

Wednesday September 2nd

No Thursday Talk again this month but here are a few handy gardening tips for adding ground cover plants to your garden this spring.

Nature’s Carpet (from my 'Gardening Gabble' column in the Triangle Community News - September 2020)

Welcome to Spring - and how good has the rain been? For once we will be ensured of a great spring and optimum growing conditions in our gardens.

A lot of gardens will have a lovely selection of low to mid and then tall plants in the landscape but we often forget about the ground cover plants that can be planted among these taller plants to provide an infill over the soil.

Ground cover plants come in many forms and categories - from conifers, through Australian natives, to perennials and introduced exotic species. Many are absolute ground-huggers and other that can reach 50-70cm high, but can be as wide as 3-4m. There are categories that will tolerate first-line coastal to varieties that can handle severe frosts and low water. Others are shade tolerant and many are edible, like herbs.

To elaborate we will start with first-line coastal. Many of the plants that suit this location are Australian natives and a stroll along coastal gardens and natural areas will soon give an indication as to which species are handling this difficult growing area.

Species such as Carpobrotus (an Australian native succulent) are good for dune stabilisation - along with Banksia and Westringea that also have ground cover varieties. Myoporum and Hakea also have ground cover varieties. A good non-Australian plant is the Shore juniper (Juniperus conferta) that will mat well and stabilise sandy soils.

Moving away from direct-coastal we then move into more protected locations with heavier soils and not so much wind. In open, sunny positions in these locations the ground cover list is endless. Australian natives include Grevillea, Leptospermum, Callistemon and Banksia -with many others softer perennial types like Scaevola and Brachyscome

Non-Australian plants include Gardenia radicans, Convolvulus, Cerastium (Snow in Summer) and many more.

Shaded gardens can be a bit of a problem but here also there are many plants that can be used in combinations with perennials including Camellias, Chinese Star Jasmine (often used as a climber) and Lamium which comes in several leaf variegations and flower colours. There are also many other shading-loving ground covers that are available in nurseries depending on the season.

Herbs are the most likely category of ground cover that do not get much of a mention but there are many of great benefit. These can be used to cover paths within the herb and vegetable garden or used to cover a retained area within the garden. Several varieties of Thyme are suitable for walking on and prostrate Rosemary also falls into this category.

The ground preparation for ground cover plants is the same as for all other plants with the inclusion of some compost mixed with the existing soil to give the plants a good start.
There is a common mistaken belief that ground cover plants will provide weed suppression. There might be some weed suppression but generally weeds will still grow through the ground covers and will be hard to remove after the plants have established.

Ideally the best method is to lay down several layers of moist newspaper and cover with a moisture retentive mulch prior to planting and then pull paper and mulch aside sufficiently to make the planting hole. Plant the plants and then water in and pull the paper and mulch back around the plant. Over the time the newspaper takes to decompose, the weeds would have most likely died. Some careful hand-weeding and spot spraying after that will ensure the garden stays weed-free.

Till next time, happy planting.

Keith.

From ‘The Triangle’ - September 2020

#news #spring ... See MoreSee Less

Thursday August 27th

Spring is just around the corner and, with new perennials arriving this week, we have a colourful range of seasonal flowering on display in the nursery. From early-spring blooming antique perennials (Omphalodes, Pachyphragma and Pulmonaria) to cheery Osteospermum (African daisies) we have a splash of colour for all parts of the garden. Drop in for a browse if you're down Tilba Tilba way - we're open 10am - 3pm, seven days a week. Keith. #news #perennials #spring ... See MoreSee Less

Friday August 21st

Lots of late winter gardening inspirations in the nursery and shop this weekend with fresh herbs, perennials and new pots just arrived. Drop in for a look if you're down Tilba Tilba way - we're open 10am to 3pm, Sat + Sun. Keith #news #winter ... See MoreSee Less