Pittwater LIfe December 2019 Issue

Garden Life
Jobs this Month
Garden Life
December
Make your property safe
following the bushfireravaged
lead-in to
summer. Clean any leaves
from gutters and paths. Have
a long hose permanently
attached to a tap near the
house. All firewood should
be stored away from the
house. It’s a good idea to
keep some tennis or softballs
handy; in case of fire they
can be used to block the
downpipes so that gutters
can be filled with water. But
above all in December: sit
back and enjoy your garden!
This month and the next are
the best!
Think native
Remove all seed heads
from South African native
agapanthus plants to stop them
straying into the Australian
bush. And clean up fallen palm
seeds as they drop – they are
painful under bare feet and act
as rollers under shoes, causing
falls that can injure.
False beauty
Don’t wait to see the pretty
white butterflies in the veggie
garden – that means lots of
green caterpillars which will
chomp their way through your
vegetables! At the first sign,
Ground
cover
Mulch will save
precious water
by holding in the
moisture – plus,
it looks good and
keeps down the
weeds. Ground
cover plants will
do the same. In
shady beds plant
ajuga, lamium,
plectranthus or
the native violet.
In sunny beds
brightly coloured
gazanias, pig face
or golden sedum
give colour all
through the hot
summer months.
spray with Yates success. It
will eliminate caterpillars but
it is harmless to birds and
beneficial insects.
Aussie Xmas
If you buy a living Christmas
tree it will only be happy
indoors for a couple of
weeks. I recommend you
don’t move it inside until
the week before Christmas.
Traditional pine trees are
expensive, why not have
an Aussie Christmas and
decorate a lilly pilly or a West
Australian ‘Woolly Bush’
(adenothus Silver Streak).
Tomato care
Tomato plants grow fast and
are very greedy. Feed them
with Harvest fortnightly.
Protect them from fungal
disease by removing all the
lower leaves at the first sign
of yellowing. Control mildew
with Eco Fungicide.
Longish lawns
If you are going away, resist
the temptation to ‘scalp’ the
lawn. It might eliminate the
lawn growing too long while
you are away but if there is a
heatwave the lawn will burn;
under stress from the heat, it
may struggle to recover.
Seedling tip
It’s time to plant out
supermarket seedlings. Many
of the seeds can remain in the
tiny peat pots and be planted
straight into the garden or
a larger pot. Others – such
as onions, beetroot and
radishes – need to be divided
before planting out. Once the
seedlings have four leaves they
are ready to move on.
Beware bargains
Make the most of the plant
sales across the region’s
nurseries at the end of
December – but don’t be
tempted by plants that are
pot-bound, as they take a long
time to recover.
Table decoration
Decorate your Christmas table
with flowers. White daisies
and scarlet geranium are a
perfect combination. Highlight
the colour with bright green
parsley or basil leaves. And
use small vases that don’t take
too much room.
Crossword solution from page 67
Mystery location: ELVINA BAY
70 DECEMBER 2019
The Local Voice Since 1991