It is the final month of Spring and gardens are looking fantastic.

Roses

November is a peak flowering month for roses. Bush, Old Fashioned, Climbing, Standard and weeping varieties are looking and smelling fantastic in gardens and parks. Most garden retailers now have a great selection of potted roses with lots of buds and blooms. This is a wonderful time of year to touch, see and smell before selecting the perfect specimen for your garden. Before planting any new plants, including roses, prepare the soil by adding some Rocky Point ActivGrow Soil Improver. This is a well-balanced organic soil improver designed to reinvigorate garden beds and tired soils. ActivGrow is suitable for all soil types and will ensure the very best start for your newly planted roses, shrubs, flowers and vegetables.

Prepare for Summer

November is a busy month in the garden. There are lots of tasks to complete this month in preparation for the festive season and the Summer months ahead.

Nature’s Air Conditioners

Summer is a time of entertaining and relaxing. The days are warm and cool shady spots are fantastic to sit and relax with a cold drink and enjoy the beauty of nature. Trees, gardens and lawns are proven to reduce the temperatures of our homes and living spaces. Living plants provide shade and will actually cool those refreshing breezes. Lush healthy plants and gardens have us feeling cooler and much more relaxed compared to man-made products such as concrete, paving and bitumen which absorb and store heat.

Plant for Shade

There are many great trees to plant that will give shade and shelter. Fabulous fast-growing native trees such as grevilleas, banksias and callistemons not only provide wonderful shade for us, but become a haven for native birds, small animals and butterflies. Deciduous trees are excellent for providing shade during summer and letting the winter light through as the leaves are shed in the winter months. In warmer regions, trees such as jacarandas, poinciana and frangipanis also supply wonderful summer shade while losing their leaves to let through the winter light.

Shades of Colours

In the heat of Summer, we look for shade and shade loving flowering plants will add splashes of colour and beauty to our favourite Summer spots. Hydrangeas love a shady area in the garden and are also fabulous in pots on patios and covered entertainment areas where many of our summer days are enjoyed. There are many different varieties in shades of colours from dark blue, shades of pinks through to white. The shade of the colour of the flowers, or even the colour itself, can change depending on the pH of the growing media they are planted in. There are Hydrangea tonics to make Hydrangea flowers darker or lighter as desired. Hydrangeas are a great plant to have some fun with.

Impatiens, Begonias, Lobelias, Fuchsias, Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’, Heuchera and Laminium are also just some of the great plants to brighten our shady locations during summer.  

Growing Up Beautifully

Climbing plants are fabulous to grow over fences, pergolas, arches and structures to provide shady havens. Climbers such as Star Jasmine are covered in flowers and filling the air with their wonderful fragrance. Passionfruit vines produce wonderful showy flowers followed by an abundance of delicious fruits. Pandorea plants are beautiful climbers with stunning flowers. Bougainvillea are very hardy and colourful and available in a huge range of colours to add brightness to our lives.  There is a huge range of climbing plants that are ideal to transform unsightly areas into living, flowering highlights while providing shade and shelter.

The Edible Garden

The edible garden is incredibly productive during this month. The rewards of the tasks in early Spring are making their way to the table. There is still time to plant herbs and vegetables for summer salads, feasts and BBQ’s. As early crops finish, add generous amounts of Rocky Point Cow Manure Plus to prepare garden beds for replanting. Plant all the summer favourites such as lettuce, capsicum, chili, eggplant, pumpkin, tomato and zucchini. There is a great selection of herbs to plant now including basil, dill, rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rocket and mint. Strawberries and Blueberries are very popular and easy to grow at home. November is a great month to plant in preparation for Summer feasting.

Once planting is complete, Rocky Point Sugar Cane Mulch is the perfect mulch for around your vegetable and herb plants. Sugar Cane Mulch looks great, it is weed free, and will help to retain moisture over the summer months ahead.

Water Wise Gardening

Mulching

Mulching is one of the best ways to keep gardens looking great while minimising the need for lots of watering. Applying a nice thick layer of organic mulch to garden beds to prepare for summer will help to retain the moisture, to suppress weeds and keep plants cooler and happier over the hot days ahead. Rocky Point is proudly one of Australia’s leading producers of the finest mulches for the home garden. Our range includes Sugar Cane Mulch, Lucerne Mulch, Pea Straw Mulch, Tea Tree Mulch, Cypress Mulch, Red Cypress Mulch, Blackwood Mulch, Water Saving Mulch and more. There is a Rocky Point mulch for every application and garden style.

Watering

Early morning and evening watering of the garden can be a relaxing pleasure. A chance to enjoy the everchanging beauty of new blooms, new growth and new life. Deep soaking watering two or three times a week is better than shallow watering each day. This encourages deep, strong root systems rather than the plants forming shallow surface roots that are more likely to dry out in the baking sun. Applying water retention granules to your garden beds can reduce water use by up to 50% and help to make the most of summer rains.

Water Wise Plants

Succulent plants are extremely popular. They are excellent in dry garden areas but are also fabulous in pots and containers as low care indoor plants. There are many varieties and mixing sizes, colours and textures create very interesting living features. As succulents have very low water requirements, Rocky Point Succulent & Cacti Mix has been specifically formulated to encourage water drainage suitable for this plant group. With the added benefits of a slow release fertiliser which feeds the plants, this mix has everything you need to grow sensational succulents.

There are also fabulous newer breeds of Australian native plants such as Lomandras and Dieties. These are very hardy and look great when mass planted in garden beds, banks and steep slopes.

Agave, Aloe, Euphorbia, Adenium and Dracaena are very architectural plants and are wonderful garden features requiring very little water.

Your local garden retail experts will have all the helpful advice on the best waterwise plants for your region.

Lawns

Lawns are great for cooling our homes and outdoor areas and are certainly worth the investment of time and effort. Now is the time to lift the mower blades. A longer lawn will help to shade the roots, cool the earth and retain water. This will also encourage a deep root system for longer lasting green lawn. Apply water retention granules to lawns now to help to hold summer moisture.

Plant for a Jolly Christmas

Christmas will soon be with us. Now is the time to plant flower beds, pots and hanging baskets to ensure bright and colourful Christmas events. Verbenas, Geraniums, Cape Daisies, Impatiens, Petunias, Marigolds, Dianthus and Calibrachoas are just some of the summer favourites to bring life and colour to festive gatherings.

There is a wonderful selection of indoor plants to bring the outdoor in during the Summer months. Spathiphyllums, Monsteras, Pothos, ferns, figs and Umbrella Plants are some of the great additions to the indoor jungle. Beautiful bright Poinsettias are a favourite for Christmas. These are excellent gifts and are stunning décor features for the Christmas period.

For planting your pots and containers, Rocky Point Coco Pro is the professional nursery grade potting mix suitable for most types of plants. Coco Pro not only contains all the quality slow release fertilisers to feed and nourish plants for over 14 months, but also contains water retention granules. These water retention granules hold onto the water and the plants draw the moisture from the granules as they need to. This means less watering is required, and plants remain healthy and happy with less attention.

Living Gifts

With a year that has forced many to re-assess lifestyles and priorities, plants are the perfect Christmas gift to celebrate the wonderful freshness of new life. Garden Centres are places filled with life, colour and inspiration. Whether looking for something for indoors or outdoor living spaces, there are great living gift ideas in every direction. There is a huge selection of gardening accessories, home decorating items and features to find that special gift that will bring pleasure long after the time of giving has passed. Plan to give a living gift for Christmas this year.  

Happy Gardening!