Judy's Garden Calendar January
Let’s celebrate another new year in the garden.
Vegies to sow in January – Dwarf beans
Dwarf beans mature quickly in the warm weather so there’s still plenty of time to sow them. Yates Borlotti bean is particularly interesting. Its cream and pink, speckled pods can be eaten fresh or left longer to develop their seeds. Once the pods have dried the seeds can harvested and stored for use in winter stews and soups.
Flowers to sow in January – Ageratum
Ageratum Blue Mink romps away in the summer weather. Seed can be sown direct into garden beds, but take care not to bury them too deeply. The small seeds should be lightly pressed into the soil surface and gently watered. The fluffy blue flowers covering the dwarf plants add cool touches to the late summer and autumn garden.
Feed in January
Fast growing plants appreciate a liquid fertiliser because it gets quickly into the plant’s system and goes to work straight away. Yates liquid Uplift is made from organic ingredients, including natural, growth-promoting bacteria that enhance uptake of goodness from the soil.
Prune in January
There’s so much to cut back at this time. The list includes: flowering plants that are starting to get lanky, flowering natives, roses that can be pruned in preparation for an autumn flush, lavenders and anything else that is getting long and lanky or threatening to engulf the garden.
January pest watch
Summer is peak pest season. Use Yates Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control in affected areas. PestOil will help with control of citrus leaf miner and scale problems on citrus. Whitefly and mites can be controlled using non toxic Nature’s Way Natrasoap. Pear and cherry slug becomes active. Yates Success give good control and, because it gets into the leaf, it continues working even after rain.
January job file
Mid to late summer is the best time to try growing new plants from cuttings of shrubby varieties such as azaleas, grevilleas, gardenias, hibiscus and geraniums (pelargoniums). Dip 8 to 10 cm long pieces into Yates Cutting Powder or Clonex Gel and place about half a dozen into a pot filled with Yates Seed Raising Mix. Keep in a lightly shaded spot and don’t let the mix dry out. After a couple of months, give the plants a wiggle. If they feel firm, chances are new roots have established.
Plant of the month – Lillypilly
The range of lillypillies available is now so extensive that it’s easy to get confused. But some remain as favourites. One that’s perennially popular is the riberry, Syzygium leuhmanii. This seems to stay at small tree size in cultivation and has a graceful weeping habit, pink new growth and bright red summer berries. Most importantly, it remains free of the disfiguring pimple psyllid that pockmarks the new growth on so many lillypilly varieties. The hybrid ‘Cascade’ is also outstanding. Planting a native lillypilly is a fitting way to mark Australia Day on January 26.
