Tilba Nursery

Thursday August 6th

No Thursday Talk again this month but here are a few handy seasonal gardening tips with spring just around the corner.

The Last Throes of Winter (from my 'Gardening Gabble' column in the Triangle Community News - August 2020)

Well here we are with winter nearly over and after some very much appreciated rain it feels like spring is just around the corner. New growth appears on deciduous plants, perennials wake after their enforced winter hibernation and bulbs pop up everywhere as new life begins.

For those who had the misfortune to have lost their gardens in the fires now is a great time to commence the restoration of your garden to take advantage of the warmer spring conditions ahead.

Pruning of deciduous fruit trees and roses should be close to being completed. Winter spraying must have been completed and if not just check that the buds are showing a slight colour and have not burst. If they have burst, then you have missed the boat and any spraying with a winter spray could burn the blossom, leading to less or no fruit set.

New growth on roses and fruit trees are a delicious target for aphids so keep an eye out for them. Spray with an organic insecticide and this will halt their progress.

The vegetable garden should be getting the finishing touches prior to planting. Initially the garden should be dug over to spade depth and a spreading of lime (500 gms per square meter) all over applied. Some well - rotted cow or poultry manure can be added and forked in. Bare rooted asparagus and rhubarb can still be planted along with bare rooted or pot grown strawberries.

When growing vegetables, it is important to practice crop rotation. By this I mean do not plant the vegetable in the same position as you had it last season. This applies particularly to tomatoes and potatoes as these two groups of plants are in the same family and any pest or disease lying dormant in the soil could cause problems with the new crop this season.
Another trick is to go for quick turnover vegetables that can be picked and replaced regularly like lettuce, Asian greens, beans and spring onions.

Plant taller vegetables like corn and tomatoes on the side of the garden that is less likely to shade the rest of the garden.
For more permanent kitchen crops like herbs it is important to remember that there are three main categories of herbs. There are moisture lovers like mints and coriander, the dry garden herbs like parsley, sage, rosemary and the thymes and the higher nutrient leafy forms like the perpetual lettuce, spinach and more of the leafy herbs.

This month will see the last chance to plant bare root fruit trees and roses and as I have said many times it is absolutely important you pay particular attention to the condition of the plants you are about to purchase. Poorly stored plants in retail situations can allow the root systems to dry out and if this has happened the chance of the plant failing to re shoot is very high. Money ill spent.

Look for plants that show no signs of the bark shrivelling or the roots very dry. If there is any indication of this, leave the plants alone. No matter what the discounted price might be, they will be a failure.

When planting these new plants ensure to prepare the soil well and water in.

Anyway, now you have all the information you had better get out and get on with it!

Till next time, happy planting.

Keith.

From ‘The Triangle’ - August 2020

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Friday July 10th

Lots of fresh winter colour in the nursery this weekend including leucadendrons, weeping apricots, lavenders and kangaroo paws - plus a big range of deciduous shade and feature trees, magnolias, fruit trees and berries. Drop in for a look if you're down our way! Keith #news #winterWinter colour at the Tilba Nursery in Tilba Tilba. The nursery is currently open 10am to 3pm, seven days a week - just a short drive from Narooma or Bermagui. Images by Silverdory Productions #winter #tilbatilba #beautifultilba ... See MoreSee Less

Friday July 3rd

No Thursday Talk again this month but here are a few handy tips for selecting new trees for your garden this winter - from my 'Gardening Gabble' column in the Triangle Community News (July 2020). Keith.

Nature's Air Purifiers

With the recent devastating fires in our area many beautiful gardens were destroyed and along with that, the loss of beautifully established shade trees, the natural umbrellas of our gardens.It is important in the re-establishment of our gardens that we consider the replacement of these essential components of the landscape, and during these winter months many of these trees are available in nurseries.

In making your selection, consideration into the eventual size of the tree must be utmost in your mind. What do you want the tree to provide – summer shade for a particular section of your garden, winter sun or any other reason you might think important. Once the tree has been planted and has started to establish it can detrimental to the tree if you must dig it up and relocate to another location.

There are many trees that can be selected from including : large spreading forms, upright narrow trees for a restricted part of the garden, weeping trees for a central garden position or a range of flowering trees that add a beautiful touch to any spring garden.

Larger spreading trees include Golden Ash, Claret Ash, Manchurian Pear, Gleditsia (several forms) Robinia and Chinese Elm. Upright forms include ornamental Pears (several varieties), ornamental plums (new narrow forms) and many other new varieties that have recently come onto the market. Flowering trees include ornamental Cherries, Crab apples, plums and some magnificent Magnolias.

Most nurseries will now have many of their deciduous trees in stock and, depending on the nursery, the owner would have selected either bare root or container grown forms. With the selection of a bare root tree it is important to ensure that at no stage have the roots been allowed to dry out, as this can cause the tree some difficulty in establishing after it has been planted. Pot grown trees have a more established root system and can be a bit more mature in size and will not have had their roots dry out.

Once your selection has been made the next most important procedure is the planting. If you have selected the bare root form, dig a hole slightly larger than the root size and at least deep enough to cover the roots and no higher than halfway to the graft union. Soak the roots in water and a liquid seaweed base fertiliser and mix some composted animal manure with the soil you have dug out of the hole. Place the tree in at the correct depth and gradually add the soil back into the hole slightly shaking the tree as you go, to allow the soil to fall in amongst the roots. When you have all the soil in the hole slightly compress the soil and water in, to remove any air pockets. Stake if required using two stakes at the side of the plant taking care not to damage the roots.

If you have purchased container grown plants the planting process is the same apart from slightly loosening the roots to allow them to establish. If you are unsure of any of these processes, ask you nursery person.

I previously mentioned in an earlier column that it was important to be patient when making the decision to remove fire affected trees as, depending on the severity of the fires, they might not have been killed but just scorched. I suppose spring will tell as if they don’t shoot, it is obvious they have died. If they are still standing there is hope. If you can reach branches, slightly scrape the bark in a small section and if it is still green, there is still a chance they will recover. If not, remove and start the replacement program.

Good luck!

Keith

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