Midsummer checklist

Can you believe we are almost at that time of the year when we say “autumn is here”?

Throughout February, the garden starts to slow down quite quickly but for now we are happy to enjoy the midsummer garden.

Here are four things you should be doing in your midsummer garden right now.

Old favourites

Plant some of the old favourites that you know will do well. Indigenous Cape Plumbago is water-wise and has a second flush of flowers this time of the year. The common name for them is “Forget me not”.

Duranta Gold has brilliant golden foliage and loves the heat. As an evergreen shrub, it can easily grow to over two metres but is usually pruned to a much lower height.

Full sun is best for a good, golden colour. The plant responds well to regular pruning and is often used as a low hedge to contrast against other foliage.

Plant something new

There are many new plants on the market this year. By planting something new, you also keep your garden up to date with the latest trends.

Be on the lookout for the new Hydrangea “Vanilla Strawberry”. It grows in half sun to around one to two meters high and is not typical of a common Hydrangea. The flowers are born on arching graceful stems and are looser than the typical ball flower one would expect to see.

This new variety flowers in white and then as the blooms age they turn a strawberry pink. They repeat flowering through the summer and it’s the mix of pink and white, new flowers that inspired the name.

Feed your garden

Summer rains will have flushed most of the nutrients out of your garden at this time of the year. With this past heat wave, watering daily to keep the garden going will also have added to that. The lawns and beds lose their bright green colour and look washed-out. Bedding plants and veggies can also start to look not quite as fresh.

Weed busting

By the end of February, the effectiveness of herbicides will go down considerably as they work best when weeds are growing fast. With that in mind, now is the time to do a good blitz through the garden to bring it under control.

The weeds in the paving which just seem to come from nowhere are a must to help tidy the garden and if you have a weed problem on the lawn, this is the time of year that they seed so get a head start on next summer by spraying now.

For paving there are two options, a ready-to-use or a concentrate.

q Information courtesy of Eckards.