The latest from our blog…

The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show 2013 kicks off tomorrow for it’s 18th year and promises to be as big this year as ever!

With more than 110,000 international, national and local visitors this is the major event on the Australian gardening calendar and a showcase for garden trends to come.

I’ll be on the main stage (inside the beautiful heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building) daily and hope to meet many of you there as well as other stage locations! Come up and say g’day.

I will also be posting plenty of photos from the event on Facebook & Twitter.

This year there is an iPhone app to help you find your way. Click the link to download.

With the heat of summer well upon us I thought I would offer some tips to ‘beat the heat’ in your garden.

• Water during the cool of the day as it is then that watering will have it’s best effect on your garden.
• You could add some seaweed solution which has been shown to increase a plant’s heat resistance. (Seasol, eco-seaweed, Maxicrop, etc.)
• Consider also adding a wetting agent if you haven’t already done this in recent months. I personally love a product called eco-hydrate (Tip: Get the 2L hose-on. It is twice the price of the 500ml but 4x the volume. It can be diluted exactly the same as both products are the same strength, not true of all products out there).
• Treat precious and soft-foliaged plants such as weeping maples which can often have their foliage burnt-off over the heat of January-February with Droughtshield which will reduce water loss and also protect from sunburn. (read more…)

Those of you pining  for a registered organic weed control spray for the home market are in luck with this latest offering from the people at Amgrow.

Product

Amgrow Organix Weed Blitz 1L ready to use – $14.95.

Description

The active ingredient of this herbicide is pine oil, extracted from both Australian and New Zealand pine. It works by stripping the coating from leaves, stems and even seeds to which it is applied,  causing the collapse of the cells and thus the plant itself. It is wholly plant-derived and certified organic. If you understand it’s action you can now understand why it would not be the best solution to bulbous or woody perennial weeds which would burn-off then most-likely recover. It does, however, work an absolute treat in killing juvenile perennial as well as most annual weeds.

(read more…)