Azaleas

Azaleas are the blaze of colour that brings warmth to the cooler months garden. These divine mass flowering plants will do well for many years but they do need a little TLC to look their best.

These beautiful plants have dark lush green foliage and come in a wide variety of colours from white, through to pinks, purples, reds and oranges. There are two basic flower types – single and double. The double is my favourite and luckily many double flowering azaleas spot flower throughout the year so I can enjoy this lovely plant all the time!

Most Azaleas will thrive in semi-shade but some will also look fantastic in full sun or full shade. I prefer the smaller more compact varieties that usually grow to around 50cm to 1m high but some can get over 2m high.

Azaleas love acid soil; the pH range should be between 5.5 and 6.0.  Many Ipswich residents find that their garden’s soil pH is too low and prefer to grow azaleas in pots and that's perfectly ok as these plants do well in pots and gardens.

Azaleas have a shallow tight root system. If a good layer of mulch is applied, to your pots or the garden bed, and a soil wetter is used at least every 12 months azaleas should thrive. The mulch, must be organic mulch, like sugar cane or rainforest fines. This helps to keep moisture in the soil, and also helps keep the roots warm in winter and cool in summer. The soil wetter helps water penetrate the soil and root ball as after a period of time your soil can become hydrophobic (resists water).

Nice Surprise Azalea

To keep my azaleas looking their best I use the Plant of Heath Range. I use Organic Link every three months and I will also try to give them a liquid fertiliser fortnightly. I alternate between Triple Boost and Neem Oil (together) and Silica and Potash.  When my azaleas have finished flowering I prune them back by about one third.

Azaleas do have some pest and disease problems but I find the healthier the plant the less trouble I have.

Petal blight is a fungal disease that turns the beautiful flowers suddenly brown. You can use an organic fungicide called eco-fungicide but I find the easiest solution is to pick off the affected flowers and throw them away and then I give them some liquid fertiliser.

A common problem with azaleas is one where the leaves loose their colour and lustre; it kind of looks like the leaf has been sand blasted. If this occurs, turn the leaves over and you may see black spots. This is a sign of Lace bug. Severe infestations can lead to reduced plant vigour and loss of leaves. To prevent this from happening I mix Neem oil into my Triple Boost Liquid fertiliser (that I foliar spray once a fortnight). I find prevention is better than fighting the problem after it occurs.

Red Wings Azalea

If the problem does occur I spray with Eco-Fend. You may need to spray a few times to control your infestation and unfortunately once the leaves have that sand blasted look they will stay that way.  A good trim and fertilise will help promote nice new healthy growth to cover the unsightly affected growth. 

I love how azaleas can enliven a garden‘s dull spots and bring a smile to the face of a friend when given as a present. These plants truly will give your life the TLC it deserves.

All about Strawberries

My Grandfather’s Strawberries

Strawberry! Fragaria sp.

This relative of the Rose has delicate runners with charming flowers in white and shades of pink that makes Strawberries an attractive option for pots and baskets. Let’s be honest though we don’t grow strawberries for the flowers, we grow it for the delightful fruit that comes after the flowers!

Growing Strawberries is relatively easy pending conditions and the ever decreasing chance of pollination.

They need deep, rich and friable soil in a position that gets full to part sun. I always add some compost before I plant, never mushroom compost, as Strawberries like slightly acidic soil (pH of 6 – 6.5). My grandfather always mounded up his strawberry patch, left about 30cm between each plant and heavily sugar caned mulched the strawberry patch. The mulching helps prevent fungal diseases, reduces weed invasion and also stops the strawberry fruit from sitting on the bare dirt and rotting away.

Strawberries like moist soil but not really wet. They are very surface rooted so they need regular watering as they can dry out pretty quickly. Once you see the fruit forming you can ease up a little on the watering.

My grandfather would feed his strawberries with Organic Link and Triple Boost in beginning but as soon as the plants got big and leaves turned a lovely deep green colour, he would start to Silica and Potash every second week.

Strawberry Ruby Red growing great in a hanging basket

Crop rotation is very important with strawberries. It is recommended that you move your strawberries to a new patch, with fresh soil, every three years. My Grandfather would let his strawberries form runners at the end of the new seasons plants and direct the runners towards the strawberries new patch of ground. Then every two years he would pull up his old strawberries and let the ground lie fallow for a season or two. Strawberries shouldn’t be planted where tomatoes, eggplants, capsicums or chillis have been for at least three years as they have a tendency to pass on a plethora of fungal diseases.

While Strawberries are very easy to grow they can have a few problems.

Mould and fungus can be an issue, especially when the air is cold and there is water hanging around on the foliage. Best way to prevent this is to water in the early hours of the morning. Snails, slugs and birds can be an issue once the fruit start to form. You can use snail and slug pellets and for birds my grandfather used to use old cds (reflective things scare birds away). You can also use fruit protection netting.

I find growing strawberries in pots or hanging baskets works wonderfully and I don’t have any problems with snails eating my fruit. I use Platinum potting mix and fertilise the same as if they were in the ground.

'Vivipary' on a strawberry fruit

Sometimes a phenomena known as 'Vivipary' can occur on your strawberries. In a few words this just means that the seed is germinating before it is naturally shed as is the natural order of things. I have read of others who have attempted to grow these seedlings on but have not tried it myself. By all accounts each seedling grows on to be a normal healthy plant of the the mother plant.

Some of you may be asking why don’t we grow strawberries from seed?

Simple answer is some plants are just too much of a hassle to grow from seed and Strawberries would have to top this list. I have actually read they are one of the hardest plants to germinate by seed and it can take up to two years before the plant even contemplates producing strawberries.

One website gives this tip for germinating strawberry seeds “Tuck your strawberry seed packet inside a sealed plastic bag or airtight container and place in your freezer for 3-4 weeks. When you remove the bag or container, do not break the seal until it (and its living contents) have reached room temperature....... Opening the package too quickly may result in water condensing on the cold seeds, and this will reduce your chances of success.” Seriously, some plants are better off being bought ready made.

Trevallan stocks a few different strawberries, some are available all year, some are only available from May to July. My grandfather always said Autumn is best time to plant strawberries but really any time is a good time to plant something.

STRAWBERRY LOWANNA only available in 125mm pots or bigger

Lowanna is like the strawberry for giants. They can grow to about 30cm high and 30cm wide in comparison to a normal strawberry that will grow to about 15cm high. The fruit is also bigger than normal as the Plant growth is concentrated on fruit production rather than runner production (this means not as many baby strawberry plants). These are Australian Bred Strawberries that will grow in all zones. One of the best things about Strawberry 'Lowanna' is day neutral which means it fruits throughout the year (whenever the temperate is between 20-30C). So this means Strawberry 'Lowanna' can crop from October all the way through to late May normally.

STRAWBERRY REDLANDS JOY only available in 125mm pots or bigger

Another wonderful Australian bred Strawberry, Redlands Joy is a mid season variety. With exceptionally large sweet juicy fruit that shows some rain resistance, this variety will grow well in a sub tropical climate and is a very good performer in pots

STRAWBERRY SUGARBABY only available in 125mm pots or bigger.

Another mid-season variety with fruit usually ready to eat from early June. Fruit are exceptionally attractive red, glossy, conical, L to XL sized (20g), firm and resilient, with resistance to rain damage. Flesh is bright red, of low acidity, and excellent sweet flavour.

STRAWBERRY SWEETHEART only available in seedlings

This is an alpine type strawberry with white flowers, bearing large deep red, sweet fruit. Just your good old fashioned strawberry.

Strawberry Pinkie

STRAWBERRY PINKIE only available in 100mm pots

Pinkie produces medium, bright red fruit with an elongated shape and is also noted for its pink flowers. Only grows to about 15cm high

STRAWBERRY RUBY RED only available in 100mm pots

Ruby Red produces medium sized bright red fruit with an elongated shape and is also noted for its red flowers. Only grows to about 15cm high

STRAWBERRY SWEETIE only available in 100mm pots

Sweetie produces medium to large, bright red, bi-conical shaped fruit. This delicious tasting strawberry has high sugar levels, and is also very healthy. It has white flowers and only grows to about 15cm high.