Pittwater Life October 2019 Issue

Simple guide to repotting orchids
Whimsical fun with lavender
Lavenders are fast-growing, tough, drought-hardy, sun-loving
small shrubs that are easy to grow. The bees love them
and they make the perfect companion plants in the vegetable
garden.
Lavender has been
grown in domestic
gardens since the 16th
century. The Romans
used it to in their
baths. This is how
it got its name (the
Latin word for ‘wash’ is
‘lavare’).
Lavender plants
are a plant breeder’s
dream. Once the
flowers were pale lilac
in colour; now there
are plants with every
shade from white, to
pink, violet, cerise and
dark purple. Choose
carefully and take note
of the size of the fully
grown plants. There
are miniature, medium and tall lavenders on the market.
The Fairy Wings varieties have been bred for Australian conditions.
The plants are compact and the flowers fill the air with the familiar
smell of lavender. The colours are deep lavender Spellbound,
hot pink Radiance, and pale smoky pink Whimsical. They flower
from late winter through summer. Trim them after each flush of
flowers, to keep the new buds coming. These lavenders are perfect
for containers and low-hedging.
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Once the flowers are finished it
is time to give your cymbidium
orchid some TLC. If you have
enjoyed the flower spikes indoors,
put the plant back into the garden
somewhere it will be protected
from the hot sun (dappled shade
is perfect) and feed it with a slowrelease
fertiliser. As the weather
warms up you can give your orchid
an additional feed with liquid Strike
Back For Orchids. Cymbidiums like
to have crowded roots and should
only be re-potted if they seem
overcrowded, they split the pot or
if they have not performed well
over the past 12 months.
Repotting is easy. Before you
start you will need a good work
space, a strong, sharp knife, a pair
of secateurs, and some orchid
compost. Cymbidiums need a
very-open, free-draining, coarse
compost that will allow for air
circulation around the roots.
Take the orchid from the pot
and remove all the compost
from the roots. Cut away
and dead or damaged roots.
Carefully remove any dried, old
leafless pseudobulbs, those with
yellowed leaves and those with
no healthy roots, keeping just
those that are firm and green.
You may have to cut the root
ball open with a sharp knife to
clean the plant. Don’t be afraid
of pulling it apart; cymbidiums
are very tough! Once cleaned,
you can either repot your orchid
into the same size pot with fresh
orchid compost, or divide the
plant into two. If you divide your
plant make sure that you have at
least two or three pseudobulbs in
each half to be sure of flowering
next year. Don’t over-pot into
larger pots; remember that
orchids like to be crowded. They
grow naturally on trees and in
decaying bark. Once your orchid
is settled back into its pot, feed it
with Strike Back For Orchids and
a slow-release fertiliser.
OCTOBER 2019 71
Garden Life