December Jobs in the Garden

• Tidy up!!  Get your garden ready for the festive season.  Work you do in the next couple of weeks will pay off as you enjoy your outdoors as you entertain or just relax and recuperate after the Christmas crazies!  
• Mulch.  Use a soil wetter (if you need to), get the moisture in the soil and mulch to help keep it there.  There's lots of mulches to choose from depending on your garden style (and what you want it to do).  Check out the delicious range of mulches in the photo here!  L-R (top) Lucerne pellets, Jarrah wood chips, Recycled tree prunings (lower) Pea straw, 3way feeder mulch, Economulch, Supasaver mulch.
• Succession plant your summer vegies.  Things that didn't germinate, or things you want more of - plant out healthy seedlings to keep your crops coming over the next couple of months.
• Provide some water for wildlife.  Keep your bird bath topped up and check it on very hot days.  They'll come to rely on regular sources so don't disappoint them.  The upside is that many small birds will also catch insect pests in your garden too - so it's worth encouraging them.
• Microclimates.  Shade and cool corners of your garden need to be considered and used to their advantage to protect sensitive plants/pot plants etc.  With the hottest weather still to come, planning how to provide some shade and protection will ensure your precious plants survive.  We have 30%, 50% and 70% shadecloth in stock - so come and see them to decide what will work best for your situation.
• Check your worm farm.  Do you need to move it to a more protected position for summer?  Worm farms may need extra water put through to keep the castings/food scraps moist (this makes an excellent liquid fertiliser) and on VERY hot days, freeze an old milk or cool drink bottle full of water and lay it on the inside surface of the worm farm.   It will thaw out over the day, but provide a 'cool spot' so your worms don't overheat.
• Keep an eye on developing fruit.  Remove any struck by fruit fly and make sure you solarise (seal in a plastic bag and leave in the sun for a few weeks) or freeze before disposing or composting - as larvae can survive if fruit is allowed to rot on the ground, or is buried outright.

What to Plant Now

Check out our FREE downloadable planting guides here - we've got one for vegetables, herbs plus our favourite 12 top edible plants for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter - and more!  At this later stage in the season, planting out from seedlings is usually preferable to raising seeds - you're paying more per plant but you're buying time, and crops will be ready to harvest sooner.  

Some ideas are:-
Artichokes, Asian Greens, Beans, Beetroot, Capsicum, Carrots, Celery, Chilli, Cucumber, Eggplant, Ginger, Leek, Lettuce, Melons, Okra, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radish, Silverbeet, Spring onion, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet corn, Sweet potato, Tomato, Zucchini.

Many herbs will also do very well planted in the warmer months, including:
Aloe vera, Basil, Chives, Fennel, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Mint, Oregano, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Parsley, Rocket ~ and more!  

We get in fresh seedlings & herbs on a weekly basis; plus we have arguably Perth's biggest range of heritage seeds available.  Come on in and check out our range!

Ensure any new plantings are watered in well (kelp tonics are great!) and watered at least once daily until they are more established, and roots have had a chance to develop.

Creating Shelter in the Summer Garden

While we've had a mild Spring, Summer has now arrived and we know the heat is coming.  Each year there's a turning point in the garden when the lush growth of Spring starts to look a little stressed - and while we want resilient gardens that can cope with a bit of stress; we also need to conserve water and do what we can to keep things healthy and productive.  There are a number of things we can do:

Water IN your garden.  Having water around your garden - whether a pond, fountain, water feature or birdbath adds ambience and a cooling effect.  It also provides a vital water source for birds, insects, lizards, frogs etc. - many of whom help us in our garden by pollinating our crops, or helping keep pest numbers down.  So make sure that you check and replenish these water sources regularly.  For insects, use a shallow bowl land add some stones or sticks - so that flying creatures have a "landing pad" so they won't drown accessing the water.  If you have a pond and are worried about mosquitoes - GLSC carries native fish (Western Pygmy Perch [pictured right] and Western Minnows) that are suitable for frog friendly gardens and LOVE eating mozzie wrigglers.  You can grow edible plants in your pond, too!  Watercress, Kang Kong, and Water Chestnuts are some of the favourites - we have a range of pond plants available.  Pond plants make great shelter for fish and help keep water quality levels up. 

Shade.  We're often asked "what percentage shadecloth is best?"  The answer - like most things related to gardening - totally depends on your style and location of garden.  If your garden is reasonably protected, and only gets full sun for a part of the day - a lesser percentage is probably fine.  Our vegie garden, in the Perth hills (where it's usually a degree or two hotter than Perth) is totally exposed.  We trialled 50% and found it to be not enough, so have gone to 70% shadecloth which seems to work very well for us.  We recommend white or light coloured shadecloth.  Dark colours are more comfortable for us humans; but for plants it tends to change the light spectrum and plants will often grow too leggy.  The 30% shadecloth we have in stock ONLY comes in green - but then the weave is more open and would allow more light through anyway; so the growth is less likely to be affected.  (Pictured right)

VIP Special Offer ~ Merry Christmas!

Spend $50 or more with us this month and receive a FREE bag of one of our soil blends.  Online shoppers - please write "December VIP offer" & specify your 'preferred flavour' in the delivery instructions box.

VIP Photo Competition

Retail Stockist Reminder

Please support the local & independent businesses who support us. You'll find great advice and friendly service close to home!

(Please note - the range of products available will vary from store to store so it's always best to check with them for what you're looking for. If it's something they don't usually carry they would most likely be happy to add it to their next order.)

Beaufort Garden World - Inglewood 9271 0585

Dunn + Walton - Doubleview 92427711

Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197

Guildford Town Garden Centre - Guildford 9279 8645

Nibali Stockfeed - Hamilton Hill 9433 2211

Stanbee Stockfeeds - Barragup 9581 2390 

Thrive Sustainability - Lower Chittering 0408 157 301 

Waldecks Bentley - Bentley 9458 5944

Waldecks Melville - Melville 9330 6970

Waldecks Kingsley - 9309 5088

Waldecks Stirling - 9254 6730

Wandilla Nursery - Wattle Grove 9453 9779

Zanthorrea Nursery - Maida Vale 9454 6260

Busselton - U scape Garden Centre 9751 3995

Geraldton - Succulent Kiss 0488 374 444

Leschenault - Fancy Plants Nursery 0428 844 597
(and check out Deb's stall at the Bunbury markets - pictured here!)

Margaret River - Landmark 9758 7677

Thanks again for reading & see you all in the New Year!