Still time to plant roses, berry fruits, citrus and fruit trees so visit your local plant centre while stocks are in good supply.
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New life for ancient relic
I have seen some Wollemi pines in a local nursery so if you have a large garden please plant one of these majestic trees.
Wollemi is an Aboriginal word meaning 'look around you, keep your eyes open and watch out'.
Found growing in the wild in 1994 the Wollemi pine is believed to be one of the oldest and rarest plants belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family.
Winter wonders
Hardenbergia 'White Out' is a fast-growing native climber with masses of pure white pea-shaped flowers from mid-winter through spring.
Plant to cover a trellis, archway or use as a groundcover or low-spreading screen.
It is ideal for those tricky coastal areas.
Correa Glabra Yellow, sometimes called the rock correa, is a small native shrub with tubular, pendulous yellow flowers in winter.
This hardy plant does well in well-drained areas in dappled shade and is most pleasing when planted under eucalyptus trees.
Coprosma Rainbow Connection has green leaves with cream markings that change to pink and red to provide vibrant colour and interest throughout the year.
Ideal as a hedging plant, container or as a topiary subject, Coprosma Rainbow Connection likes well-draining soil in full sun.
Climbing rose care
Climbing roses must not be overfed as this only stimulates growth that in turn suppresses flowering.
The long canes need to be curved along a support 15 degrees from the horizontal to remove the dominance of the terminal bud to encourage more shoots to develop along the cane and hopefully more flowers.
Soil key to bromeliad success
Bromeliads can be grown in a very open potting mix such as one that is suitable for orchids.
Whatever the mix, it must be very porous so that it will not become waterlogged yet still retain enough moisture for the plant to grow.
Matching pears
The Manchurian pear Pyrus ussuriensis is a very attractive ornamental tree with brilliant autumn foliage ranging from purple/green to a brilliant scarlet and gold that hangs on the tree for several weeks.
Another ornamental pear is Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula' with its silvery/white leaves and clusters of pure white blooms in early spring.
Time for a bougainvillea trim
Bougainvilleas are pruned in winter after they have flowered and, if your pruning last year was not heavy, cut it back hard in July to force out plenty of new growth.
It may not flower so well next summer but will the following year when it should be cut only lightly.
