Deciduous fruit trees, except for peaches and apricots which should be summer pruned to avoid gummosis infection, and vines can be pruned in winter and have the wounds painted to prevent fungal attack.
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Fungal diseases are airborne and travel with the wind until they find a suitable host.
For spring flowering gladiolus, make plantings every two weeks from late June onwards for a continuous display of blooms.
Rules for replanting
Lift dahlias now, ensuring that plenty of soil is left clinging to the tubers to allow them to mature properly and not dry out too quickly.
Sometimes it’s better to relocate a plant rather than keep cutting it back as this only spoils its natural beauty.
Now is a good time for certain plants to be moved, but before doing so, first have the hole prepared.
Don’t move anything if it’s really wet.
Large evergreen and deciduous plants can be successfully shifted if proper care is taken throughout the move.
Deciduous plants could have quite a bit of soil removed from the roots to make them easier to handle, but evergreen plants need as much soil around their roots as possible.
After shifting, water the plant in and evenly remove about one third of its growth.
Discover banksias
Banksias flower during winter giving added interest to the garden with their long, bushy blooms.
Named after the famous botanist Joseph Banks who collected them during his travels with Charles Darwin, they are an iconic Australian plant.
They can vary in size from low bushes to tall trees, so know which variety you are planting.
There is a good range of foliage, form and flower colour.
Some to look for include B. serrata which tolerates poor, sandy soils and has stiff, shiny, dark green saw-toothed leaves and yellow or grey/yellow flower spikes.
Banksia baxteri produces attractive dome-shaped flower spikes of yellow/green and grows to about three metres tall. Banksia baueri has spikes of orange/brown; B. blechnifolia is a prostrate form with red/brown flowers; B. caleyi has deep red or yellow flowers that hang downwards, and the aptly-named B. ‘Giant Candles’ has striking, 40-centimetre cylindrical, orange flower spikes.
Luscious loganberries
If you have space plant a couple of loganberries.
These brambles are a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry and can be easily trained onto two wires.
The slightly tangy, elongated, dark purple/red fruit is absolutely delicious and makes the most mouthwatering desserts.
Prune in autumn, cutting back to ground level the canes that have fruited, leaving the new canes to grow and provide fruit for next season.
Mulch during summer.