Garden Club (March)
NEXT MEETING
Monday March 16th
Richard Heathcote from Carrick Hill speaking on the history of garden tools
Meetings are held in the Cherry Gardens Uniting Church meeting room, at 7.30pm usually on the 2nd Monday of the month from February to November.
President: Ray Wise: raywise@hotmail.com.au or 0405 273 003
Secretary: Shirley Callaghan: shirleyc5159@gmail.com or 0403 801 916
GEORGE'S GARDENING SUGGESTIONS FOR March 2020
St. Patrick’s Day is on the 17th, traditionally this is the day to plant sweet peas – I don’t know why, anytime in March would be OK. Apply superphosphate at the rate of 1 handful to 3M of trench and plant seeds 2cm deep and 8cm apart. Use ‘sulfine’ for powdery mildew – nothing copper based – will kill sweet peas!
Other flower seeds or seedlings to plant are poppy, wallflower, lobelia and linaria. Spring flowering bulbs make a great show, there is a wide variety to choose from. Refrigerate tulip and hyacinth bulbs for 6-8weeks before planting.
Prune pelargoniums by 50% to stimulate basal growth and then tip prune new shoots regularly until July.
Harvest thyme, rosemary, bay, and oregano – bundle and hang in a dry place.
Prune Lorraine Lee or Nancy Hayward roses, to give them a chance to come back into foliage for flowering in the winter.
Prune French lavender to keep compact.
While the soil is still warm it is a great time to start planting brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, try also beetroot and broad beans.
