January 2014 - Riverside Gardens

Riverside Gardens Garden Centre
January 2014
Volume 7, Issue 1
Riverside Gardens Garden
Centre
7715 Goulburn Valley Highway
Shepparton
Your Monthly Leaf-letter
Ph 58 231 515
Happy New Year
from all at Riverside Gardens
ww.riversidegardens.com
info@riversidegardens.com
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RiversideGardensatEmeraldBank
Open 7 days 9.00am to 5.00pm
Inside this issue:
Summer preparation and 2
watering
Australia Day Trading
2
Mini Golf
3
Fruit Fly Update
3
Competition winner
3
Pittosporum
4
Water Gardens
4
Just Arrived
4
Riverside Gardens
Garden Centre
• Extensive range of
shrubs, trees, roses,
annual plants.
• 18 hole Mini Golf Course
set around a lake and
landscaped gardens.
• Garden design service
• Landscape creation
• Plant hire—short term
and long term
• Resident cat Banksia &
cockatoo Charlie
Looking for a new years
resolution? Well here is
one that's good for the
mind, body and soul, not
to mention the
environment and your
property value. In 2014
get inspired in gardening.
ages who come in for a
little gardening advice and
quickly become inspired,
avid gardeners. They
usually end up creating
their own little piece of
paradise and reap the
rewards of their effort.
Gardening is a rewarding
past time and once you
have had a taste of
success it really gets in
your blood. We so often
see non gardeners of all
So, in 2014 be inspired
and get into the garden,
you will be amazed at
what you can achieve. We
are always here with all
the advice, ideas,
knowhow, and experience
to guide you. This
combined with all the
right products and our
range of great plants that
we know do well in our
region and together with
your enthusiasm, you will
easily keep your 2014
resolution.
Happy New Year and
happy gardening from all
the team at Riverside
Gardens. Cheers.
Crepe Myrtle ‘Indian Summer’
Crepe Myrtle Indian
Summer optimises
Summer in the garden.
With it’s long lasting
brilliant crepe paper like
flowers, these plants are
truly a must for
everyone.
Crepe Myrtles
(Lagerstroemia) have
been around and popular
for years but the problem
with them was that as
they came into flower
each year they would get
powdery mildew which
would ruin the leaf and
shorten the flowering
time considerably. Then
came ‘The Dream Tree’
Crepe Myrtle Indian
Summer, with a resistance
to disease and pests, in
particular powdery
mildew. The flower show
can last 80 – 100 days in
an array of colours to suit
most gardens.
Tuscarora
Additional features of
these trees is the beautiful
bark which develops as
the tree ages, the brilliant
Autumn foliage in
oranges, reds and yellows
and it’s general overall
hardiness and adaptability
to a wide range of soil
types.
Zuni
Page 2
Volume 7, Issue 1
Yo u r M o n t h l y L e a f - le t t e r
Summer Preparation and Watering by Deyon
Some quick tips
to help get your
garden through
the summer.
The warmer months of
the year can pose a
challenge to gardeners
trying to keep everything
looking happy and
healthy. Sustained days
above 30 degrees can
stress out plants and
lawns. Here are some
tips to managing the heat
and lessen the possible
damage from extreme
heat.
1 – Water plants deeply
to prepare for extreme
hot days, either during
the evening prior to the
hot day, or during the
early morning. This
provides soil moisture
for the plants to draw
upon once the day
warms and the plant
starts to transpire. Deep
watering also ensures a
more developed root
system that will help the
plant to better withstand
heat stress once the top
layer of soil dries out.
2 – Water hanging
baskets and pots until
water runs through the
drainage holes. This
ensures a thorough
wetting of the soil.
Baskets and pots dry out
incredibly quickly, so a
simple ‘spray’ will not
cut it.
3 – Check watering
systems regularly to
ensure no leaks or breaks
and even coverage. As
plants grow, they may
crowd out spray
coverage and create dry
spots, often not
discovered until too late.
4 – Occasionally add a
supplement of a seaweed
based product to your
watering. Spray over the
soil and foliage. This
helps to toughen the
plants foliage and assists
with root development,
kind of like a
multivitamin for plants.
Apply by watering can or
a hose attached spray
bottle.
5 – Provide some
protection for sensitive
plants when extreme
heat is forecast. Hessian
or shade cloth draped
over plants can save
prized plants from burnt
foliage. An antitranspiration spray such
as ‘Envy’ can also
provide a layer of
protection.
6 –Avoid trimming off
foliage that has burnt
until cooler weather
arrives. Whilst unsightly,
that burnt foliage will
provide protection from
further damage. For heat
affected plants, keep
them well watered with
regular applications of
seaweed extract. Plants
can be surprisingly tough
and will often bounce
back from set-back, so
don’t worry, a cut back
in autumn and dose of
blood and bone maybe
all that’s needed.
7– Try and ensure plants
are free from pests and
diseases and well fed.
Strong and healthy
growing plants will better
withstand stress than
anything that may
already be struggling.
Australia Day Trading Hours
Sunday the 26th Australia Day — Open 9.00am to 5.00pm
Monday 27th Australia Day Holiday — Open 10.00am to 5.00pm
Celebrate Australia Day this year by planting an Australian native plant in your garden
then have a BBQ to celebrate planting the plant.
How FAIR DINKUM AUSSIE is that!
Page 3
Yo u r M o n t h l y L e a f - le t t e r
Mini Golf
Once again our mini golf
has been very popular
over the Christmas break.
It continues to surprise
people with the
challenges and fun it
offers and its design as it
meanders through the
gardens. It is most
popular with adults but is
also great family fun for
all ages.
tranquillity of the garden.
(after you have whipped
them at golf)
Hope to see you soon
Bring out a picnic to
for a practice game first
enjoy on the lawns by the but we will keep that one
lake and relax with family under our hat.
and friends in the
Are you and your
friends up to the
challenge?
Fruit Fly Update
We are getting more
and more customers
reporting cases of fruit
fly attack in their
gardens. So far it has
mainly been apricots,
nectarines, tomatoes
and capsicums. Beware
that they are in our
region and do your part
in trying to minimise
the effect they have on
our crops. Call in and
ask us for advise on
monitoring and control.
We have pheromone
traps and lures, baits and
sprays including organic
products.
Monitor for fruit
fly by using a
Dakpot
pheromone lure
and trap
Congratulations Joan
Each month Riverside
Gardens Garden Centre
gives away a $50 voucher
to one of our lucky Leafletter readers for simply
answering a question.
The answer to last
months question was
Poinsettia plants need
13hr of darkness to
encourage them to flower. You can either email us
at
Joan Dillon is our lucky
WINNER for answering info@riversidegardens.c
om or fill out an entry at
it correctly.
our store and drop it in
This month’s question is: to the entry box.
What type of plant is
If you’d like to subscribe
Nardoo?
to receive our Leaf-letter
Be sure to get your answer via email, pass on your
in to us by the 30th of the email address to one of
month.
our staff members.
Trading Hours
Mini Golf Game Prices
Mon to Friday 8.30am—5pm
Children (Under 16)
Weekends
Notes
9am—5pm
The parking is
free at Riverside
Gardens.
$6.00 Adults
Family (2 & 2)
$25.00
$8.50
Riverside Gardens
Garden Centre
Emerald Bank 7715 Goulburn Valley Hwy
Shepparton
3631
Phone: 03 5823 1515
Fax: 03 5823 1919
E-mail: info@riversidegardens.com
Where Gardener’s Grow
Volume 7, Issue 1
Yo u r M o n t h l y L e a f - le t t e r
Pittosporum ‘Screen Master’
Ugly fence to cover?
Blank wall to screen?
Nosy neighbours?
Pittosporum ‘Screen
Master’ may be the
solution.
‘Screen Master’ is a fast
growing bushy shrub
ideally suited to
screening and hedging.
It’s sturdier, faster and
bushier than other
varieties of Pittosporum
Page 4
by Deyon
such as ‘James Stirling’
or ‘Silver Song’.
but can be trimmed to
suit most situations.
It is best suited to sunny
positions but also has the
ability to grow in partly
shaded situations as well.
Whilst not quite front of
mind at this time of the
year, ‘Screen Master’ is
tolerant to frost whilst
also being resilient to
strong winds, making it
an attractive wind break.
As mentioned, ‘Screen
Master’ is fast growing
and, under the right
conditions, has the
ability to grow up to 1m
a year. Un-clipped, the
plant will reach 5 metres
Available in sizes up to
330mm advanced pots,
‘Screen Master’ is a
useful ‘solve-all’ in any
garden.
Water Gardens
How refreshing would
it be sitting in your
alfresco area on a
summers evening
listening to the gentle
sound of water as you
watch it cascades down
your water feature?
Well, we can make it all
happen here with
everything from ponds,
rubber pond liners,
submersible pumps,
low voltage pumps,
solar pumps, uv and bio
filters, garden lighting
and of course water
plants.
Whether it’s a formal
or natural looking water
feature we can guide
you on how to create it
and make it a reality.
Our range of self
contained ‘Universal
Rocks’ ponds and
waterfalls are our most
popular water features.
These can be pre
plumbed in the shop to
make it even easier for
you when you get
home.
Our range of water
plants include water
lilies, water poppy,
milfoil, miniature water
lily, pickerel rush, water
ribbons, nardoo,
papyrus grass and water
hibiscus to name a few.
Water Lilies in flower
So if you are thinking of
a new water feature or
revamping an existing
one be sure to drop in
and talk to us.
Self contained waterfall
Just Arrived in Stock
Some of the seasonal
plants that we stock this
time of the year started
arriving just before
Christmas. These
include evergreen
Hibiscus with their
beautiful, large,
colourful flowers in
both single and
doubles. The other
notable one is
bougainvillea in both
the normal and dwarf
form with their vibrant
colourful bracts.
Both these plants are
best planted out this
time of year to establish
over the warmer
months as they thrive in
the warmer weather.
This is also when we
have the best selection
of varieties of these
plants available.
Both make great
summer colour features
in the garden.
Evergreen Hibiscus
We’re on the web www.riversidegardens.com.au