The Star: June 30, 2022

The Star Thursday June 30 2022
26
GARDENING
Try nemesia
if you want a
lot of colour
IF YOU HAVE an area in your
garden you’d like to blanket with
colour, then nemesia is the plant
for you.
It is a lovely small bedding
plant that can be used for edging,
in borders and as a ground cover
and, in the right conditions, will
produce so many flowers it’s hard
to see the greenery.
Growing to a height of around
20cm, it’s also lovely grown in
pots, hanging planters or any
other suitable growing container.
Nemesia seedlings come in
mixed colours. Bi-colour bundles
contain seedlings that will
produce flowers with more than
one colour on each flower. Some
are a mix of white and lavender,
yellow or pink and others are
just a mix of different colours.
A mixed bundle will produce all
sorts of different coloured flowers
including orange, white, red and
pink.
Wherever you decide to plant
your nemesia, try to ensure the
soil is rich and moist and that
the plants will be mostly in full
sun to part shade. Then simply
plant your seedlings around 15cm
apart from each other.
Depending on the weather,
in just five to six weeks you can
expect a beautiful array
of different coloured flowers
in your chosen garden bed or
container.
JUNE OFTEN brings the start
of rain and there is always cold
weather, but there is still plenty to
do in the garden such as pruning
and planting trees.
Here are some top tasks to keep
you busy and warm.
Now is the time to start planting
any pip and stone fruit trees.
New young trees are now available
in garden centres; ensure you
select healthy looking specimens.
Consider your planting areas
carefully, making sure your young
tree has full exposure to the sun
and is sheltered from strong prevailing
winds.
For existing pip and stone fruit
trees, you can now begin pruning.
Try to keep the tree height under
three metres to allow for easier
harvesting and netting of trees
where birds are a problem.
June is also a safe time to plant
new ornamental trees and shrubs.
Planting technique is important
to allow new plants to thrive
in both climatic extremes for
example wet winters and hot dry
summers. Also incorporate plenty
of compost into the soil when
planting new specimens. Spread
compost around existing trees
and shrubs to give them a boost.
Continue to keep sowing and
planting winter veges such as
broccoli, cabbage cauliflower,
peas and spinach to ensure a
continuous supply.
Protect empty garden beds by
sowing green manure crops for
example lupins. They protect the
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Prepare for spring planting
top soil from wind and water erosion
and add organic matter back
to the soil when dug in. Wait till
they are about 15-20cm high then
chop up with a spade as you dig
them back into the soil.
Prune roses when all the leaves
have fallen and apply a winter
clean up spray of copper oxychloride
or lime sulphur after
pruning. Remove and destroy
any diseased wood after pruning.
Replace any rose specimens that
have not performed adequately or
were heavily infected with black
spot or rust during the growing
season. Choose new varieties
from catalogues or visit your local
gardening centre.
HARDY: While
spring is the
traditional
time to plant
flowers and
vegetables,
trees and
shrubs can be
planted now.
June is an excellent time to plan
new gardens in your property in
preparation for spring planting. It
is a good idea to monitor future
garden areas for cold winds and
excessive moisture, as both conditions
will influence what you can
plant in that area.
Plant new shelter belts and or
hedges where they are required.
A lot of vegetables grow
happily through the cold weather.
Don’t forget, though, that winter
is also a good time to leave
some beds empty so that they
have a rest. It’s also a good season
to create some new vege beds.
The easy way to do this is to
start by constructing an aboveground
edging. Then fill the
enclosed bed with manure,
leaves, straw or grass clippings.
Leave this alone for a couple of
months and you’ll have the perfect
base for your spring plantings.
An additional sprinkling of
lime encourages biological activity
in the bed and will prove to be
beneficial for most veges.
Members of the cabbage family,
for example, chinese cabbages,
broccoli, cauliflowers and coldloving
brussels sprouts are ideally
suited to the winter garden.
Broad beans and peas grow
well in the winter months but
won’t always set their pods until
spring.