Summer is the time to check out new roses for your garden. Look for growth pattern, colour, perfume and disease resistance. There are some good varieties for the coast.

Crinum, Clivia and Amaryllis can be put in pots or the ground. Cyclamen and Nerines don't do well on the coast. However, Zephyranthes (Rain Lily or Autumn Crocus) grow well and are available in pink, white and yellow. Another autumn flowering bulb is Liriope. The variegated leaf one is attractive.

Take cuttings of Azaleas, Camellias, Daphne, Hypericum and Fuchsia now with a heel, stripping lower leaves and dip in hormone rooting powder. Pelargonium cuttings don't need rooting powder—they strike easily. Use a good, free-draining potting mix. The simplest way to root cuttings is:
    (1) Punch some holes in the bottom of a polystyrene cauliflower box;
    (2) Line with about 10 sheets of newspaper;
    (3) Fill two-thirds full with vermiculite;
    (4) Water thoroughly and keep in the shade;
    (5) Place the cuttings in, label and keep moist.

HINTS AND TIPS: To deter Lace Bug, spray Azaleas with a mix of one part Vinegar to ten parts water (1:10 ratio).

January gardens can be fertilised, watering in well. If watering restrictions apply, use a liquid fertiliser in a watering can. Fertilise lightly every month (not winter) and you will find everything else benefits too.

Although January is not a big pruning time in NSW, Christmas Bush can be pruned as soon as the display of red bracts has finished. Prune flowering wood only; do not cut into old wood. Water and fertilise with blood and bone.

For your roses, cut back any die-back to outward facing eye. Try not to use chemical sprays in your garden so you still get the birds, such as Superb Blue Wrens and Silver Eyes. A weak solution of a liquid fertiliser can be used as a foliar feed that will boost your plants, making them more immune to attack by disease or insects.

© 2006 West Wollongong Garden Club Inc.