Hero plant this month: Acid loving plants
This month is all about acid loving plants, including azaleas, camellias and gardenias.
With a range of new varieties in store, azaleas are a great plant to add some colour to the garden this time of year. Most are long flowering, and many grow well in pots.
Azaleas like a semi-shaded position, and prefer morning sun and like good drainage. Remember over watering is a potential azalea killer and keep an eye out for insects and diseases.
Camellias are also a good choice, with their attractive evergreen foliage and delicate flowers. They have a long flowering season, are hardy, and can be grown in pots, as specimen plants or hedged.
What else to plant
Natives are brilliant to plant this time of year. They attract birds and insects to the garden and many grow well in the soils of Western Australia. August is a great time to get them in and established before it starts heating up.
It’s also a good time of year to put in some vegies. Peas, silverbeet and rhubarb are good choices. Try planting rhubarb crowns, they like a sunny spot and well-drained soil enriched with well-rotted manure. Also, get in some herbs like parsley and chives too.
Maintenance
In August, it’s a good time to dead head any winter flowering plants and perennials like pansy or sedum.
Give shrubs a tidy up too. Prune to shape and remove any dead wood to promote new growth.
It’s also the perfect time to add trace elements to the lawn to give it a good boost ready for spring. If you need help with knowing what to apply, pop into your local store for some advice. Lawns will also benefit from a dose of seaweed solution to help the activation process.
Feed vegie seedlings, to give them a boost as well as citrus and natives. Be sure to use a low phosphorous fertiliser on any natives.
Harvest
Winter vegies are coming to the fore. Pull leeks, carrots and onions. Pick coriander regularly. Cauliflower and beetroot are also ready for picking. Don’t leave beetroots in the soil to get tough and woody.
So there you go, there’s plenty to do in your garden in August in Western Australia.
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Check out the wide range of plants online or visit your local Bunnings Warehouse to find out how you can bring your garden to life.