Jobs to do in August from the July 2000 Newsletter
We’re heading towards that busy time of the year when everything seems to happen at once. To help us collect our thoughts, here are some hints adapted from the Australian Gardening Calendar by Margaret Barrett (Penguin, 1993).
- Deadhead jonquils and other bulbs as they finish flowering.
- Sow seed and plant seedlings of any herb except basil (wait until days are really warm for this).
- Deadhead camellias and azaleas. Fertilise with special formulation as soon as they finish flowering.
- Prune untidy geraniums to reduce lanky stems and remove dead and diseased material.
- Fertilize roses with animal manure (preferably cow manure) plus a handful of superphosphate, or with special rose food.
- This is the last opportunity to finish off heavy winter pruning jobs before the weather warms up.
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes and tomatoes all thrive in acid soil. Plant them now.
- Vegetables that prefer alkaline soil include lettuce, broccoli, beans, carrots, onions, beetroot and asparagus. Plant these now in soil that has been improved with dolomite limestone (which contains extra magnesium) or garden lime.
- Prune Allamanda cathartica (golden trumpet) heavily.