February Diary

Bougainvillea

February is often wet and humid, which equals plenty of growth - especially this year! But the last month of summer is also a time when weeds, fungus and pests are on the rise. To keep your garden performing at its peak, here is what to plant, feed and prune.

FLOWERING NOW

• Trees & Shrubs: Buddleia, crepe myrtle, cuphea, fuchsia, gardenia, grevillea hybrids, hibiscus, plumbago, roses, oleander
• Annuals & Perennials: Aster, begonia, celosia, cosmos, geranium, impatiens, petunia, marigold, phlox, portulaca, salvia, alyssum, verbena, zinnia
• Bulbs: Amaryllis, canna, dahlia, dietes, daylily
• Climbers: Bougainvillea, mandevilla, morning glory

PLANT/SOW

• Fill your garden with alyssum, cineraria, marigold, polyanthus and snapdragon.
• In temperate and cool zones, plant cyclamen.
• Now’s the time to grow edibles like beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, parsley, parsnip, peas, radish, silverbeet and spinach.

FERTILISE

• Give fruit trees a complete plant food to ensure fruit in spring. Citrus trees growing in the ground expect two good meals a year and February is one of those two important mealtimes (August is the other). We love Gyganic for Fruit and Citrus!
• After pruning, feed roses, hydrangeas and hibiscus complete fertiliser or rotted manure.
• Fertilise veggies and annuals fortnightly with a liquid feed such as Harvest to maintain growth.

PRUNE

• Prune your lavender after flowering. This will prevent legginess and prolong the life of the plant.
• After flowering, trim hydrangeas to the first two plump buds.
• Give your New South Wales and New Zealand Christmas bushes a haircut this month.
• Prune long, unwanted summer canes on creepers such as wisteria and jasmine to keep them under control.
• Deadhead roses and summer annuals and give them a feed of liquid fertiliser to extend flowering. Sudden Impact for Roses is our pick.

PESTS AND DISEASES

• Fungal diseases such as leaf spot or mildew on veggies and ornamentals should be sprayed with Mancozeb Plus.
• Keep sucking and chewing insects away from edibles with Nature's Way Dipel, pyrethrum or Success Ultra. For roses and ornamentals, you can use Success Ultra.

GENERAL GARDEN AND LAWN CARE

• Collect and destroy any fallen fruit beneath fruit trees. Fallen fruit encourages the build-up of troublesome pests and diseases.
• Prepare veggie gardens for planting by adding compost and fertiliser.
• February is a hot and humid month, so check all the soil in your garden and pots is covered by mulch to conserve water and control weeds.
• Give aquatic plants some love by removing dead leaves to keep your water features looking tip-top.

BUY NOW

• Complete plant food
• Citrus fertiliser
• Rose fertiliser
• Snail bait

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Courtesy of Flower Power: https://www.flowerpower.com.au/