Gardening – What to do in July

Starke Ayres gives us the lowdown on what to do in your garden this July.

Prune roses and seal larger cuts with Steriseal and spray the plants and the surrounding soil with Lime Sulphur to kill fungal spores. It is also the time to prune hydrangeas and deciduous fruit trees. With Lime Sulphur you cannot use old product as it is ineffective, purchase a fresh bottle each season and mix if applied in winter at 1:10 ratio to water.

Available now at our garden centres are Cyclamen and Ornamental Kale which performs very well in the cooler weather. They can both be very effective in pots on patios planted en masse. Feed your Cyclamen with a water soluble Starke Ayres 3:1:6 Fertiliser every 10 – 14 days to promote non-stop flowering.

Cymbidiums are starting to make their appearance and there is a wide variety to choose from. Use specifically formulated food for orchids. Concentrated fertiliser blends that suit the mineral requirements for growing and flowering orchids include Starke Ayres Growing Orchids and Starke Ayres Flowering Orchids.

Do not forget to add some winter-flowering aloes to your garden. The best time to shop for them is now when they are in flower and they attract sugarbirds and sunbirds to your garden. Feed your indigenous garden with Starke Ayres 3:1:5 Organic for best results.

Prepare your vegetable beds with compost from our brand new supplier, Red Tractor. Plant cabbages, leeks, parsley and swiss chard with Starke Ayres Sterilized Bonemeal and an organic certified fertiliser such as Talborne Organics 6:3:4. Other veg seeds to be planted in July include broad beans, cabbage, carrots,lettuce, peas and radish.

Azaleas and Camellias are coming into bloom now and need to be fed with Starke Ayres Hydrangea Food. An application of Starke Ayres Acid Loving Plant Food as an acidication treatment that should be applied in Spring and before Winter annually to all Azaleas, Camelias, Gardenias and Hydrangea flower beds. Both are water soluble powders and very easy to apply.

Starke Ayres Garden Centre, West Coast Village will be hosting a
Kids Container Gardening Workshop and Gardening Courses this July.

Bookings is essential, enquire at information or call 021 554 8450