July only means one thing … the Queensland Garden Show at Nambour!
It returns to the Nambour Showgrounds from 10-12 July, with all the plants, experts, displays, exhibitions, demonstrations and food that any reasonable person can handle.
Three days of plants, fun, plants, food, plants, talks, plants, cooking, plants … and did I mention plants.
This year is looking bigger than ever – I can’t wait. I’ll see you there.
In the meantime, get cracking with your jobs for July.
• Prune passionfruit vines of unwanted growth, mulch and water well. Prune the vine by cutting all laterals (shoots coming from the main stem) back to two buds.
• Feed your citrus trees. Use 125g of citrus tree fertiliser per year of age of the tree up to 1.25kg. You need to do this three times a year – July, November and February.
• Control any citrus scale using a pest oil spray, making sure to cover the stems, branches, tops and bottoms of the leaves.
• Time to plant bagged roses and if you need to, move existing rose bushes to another spot in the garden.
• July is the time to dig up and move any roses that need moving. Cut them back, dig at least 30cm from the stem and down at least 40cm so you disturb the roots as little as possible. Replant and water in with a seaweed solution.
• Treat your lawn for bindii as soon as it appears. Any of the broadleaf lawn herbicides, such as ‘bindii and clover killer’ will do, as will a thumb and forefinger.
• Keep the high nitrogen fertiliser up to your cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli plants, as they need it to grow strong and large.
• Prune the centre out of your mulberry tree to encourage lower branches, making harvesting the fruit easier. Fruit is borne on new growth – so cut them back now to encourage new growth in early Spring.
• Prune hydrangeas and fuchsias to two-thirds their size, cutting to just above a bud.
• Plant rhubarb crowns in soil enriched with old manure, blood and bone, established plant also need this as a mulch.
• Clean out your compost bin, spread the contents across a garden bed or around your citrus, and start another.
Vegetables
Plant asparagus, broad bean, peas, beans, parsnip, rhubarb, English spinach, silver beet, zucchini, potatoes, carrot, kohl rabi, lettuce, radish, spring onion, turnip, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, celery, garlic, leeks, swede, sweet potato and tomato.
Flowers
Plant ageratum, amaranthus, bedding begonia, candytuft, carnation, cleome, cornflower, everlasting daisy, gaillardia, nigella, Californian poppy, rudbeckia, snapdragon, statice, alyssum, marigold, petunia, celosia, aurora daisy, chrysanthemum, coleus, gerbera, gloxinia, linaria, nasturtium, strawflower, verbena, kangaroo paw, cosmos, phlox, portulaca, salvia, sunflower and zinnia.
