Garden Calender for the Brisbane region
August
Other Months
NB: These notes are under ongoing development. At present, the following applies to the greater Brisbane region only. It's hoped to expand on these notes in future updates, adding more details and eventually, more regions.
Naturally, this is a general guide only and will vary depending on local conditions, weather, plant variety etc. Ongoing water availability is also a big concern these days, so take this into consideration too, especially if planning new gardens.
Green shoots and beautiful flowering displays of azaleas,, jasmine, tabebuias, grevilleas and a many other trees and shrubs in the garden and in the bush is a signal that spring in SEQLD is on the doorstep.
Nevertheless, resist temptation to prune off frost-damaged material until you're sure the danger has truly passed, as it provides some protection. Of course, you'll also want to delay pruning of spring-flowering species until the display is finished.
Begin fertilisation of trees, shrubs and perennials as the soil becomes warm and plants become active - provided you can water adequately (before and after application). Be specially careful not to burn shallow-rooted plants like azalea. Whether you'll be able to supply enough water over summer to support new growth will also be a consideration. Hold back on fertilising spring-flowering species until main flowering has finished.
Clumps of gerbera, daylily, agapanthus, gazanias, cannas, shasta daisies, ornamental gingers and similar perennials can be divided now if you haven't already. While (relatively) dormant, they won't be greatly stressed, but should start making new growth quickly as weather warms.
Keep an eye out for early infestations of insect pests. Controlling them now may help reduce buildup of populations later in the season. This includes the proper disposal of fruit that may be harbouring fruit fly larvae, such as loquats and tomatoes, and protection of vulnerable crops. Use of physical barriers such as insect-proof netting or bagging of individual fruit avoids sprays.
Control bindii without delay, before they set the seed that cause such annoyance in summer. Allowing them to set seed will also facilitate further proliferation down the track, a principle that applies to other weeds, too.
Hot weather is on the way, so get those garden construction and repair jobs finished while temperatures are still mild. You'll have little time in the next couple of months because, in addition to enjoying your own spring garden, there are so many garden shows, open gardens and other garden events to attend. These are a great source of ideas and advice. Hard-to-find or unusual plants are aften available for sale at such events, too. Check out the Gardening Events Diary to help plan your outings over the next few weeks.
Vegetables
A the weather warms, a wide variety of summer vegetables can be sown in August. Try tomatoes, capsicum and eggplants, beans, cucumber and pumpkin, beetroot and silverbeet, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, radish.
Watermelons and rockmelons take a long time to from planting until ripening. To enjoy the fruit during summer, plant now.
If there's still a risk of frost where you live or if it's still chilly (or if you have winter crops still occupying garden space), you might like to get some veggies such as tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants, melons or cucumbers started in pots in a protected area.
With warm weather ahead, it's far too late for cold weather vegetables like cauliflower, broadbeans and parsnip. You might try a final sowing of peas in cool districts.
See also: Vegetables, Seed raising.
Fruit Trees
Sorry, I haven't prepared any monthly notes for fruit trees yet (this is work in progress). In the meantime, you can try the main page dealing with this subject and check the links for the type of fruit tree you're interested in, here: Fruit Trees
The Flower Garden
See also: Annual Flowers and Bedding Plants, Seed raising
Garden shows, open gardens
See what's in the Events Diary for August.
Looking ahead
Don't forget that Father's Day is 4th September 2011. Things for the garden make an ideal gift - visit Garden Gift Ideas for more ideas and inspiration. There are lots of garden shows and other garden-related events in September, so visit the Events Diary and plan your month.
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