In the Garden with Nell Carr
Neatly trimmed pittosporum (P. oreillyana) and silver Cat thyme (Teucrium marum) contrast with the light foliage of larger native trees at the Deloraine Rotary Pavilion garden. Photo supplied.
Farm and town trees
The best known and recognised Cypress tree, so ubiquitous in the local landscape, Cupressus guadalupensis, is not a particularly beautiful tree, but its dense foliage and large spread make it ideal for farms.
On very hot or very wet days, the stock will huddle for shelter under its generous spread.
With its silver/grey foliage, the Arizona Cypress (Cupressus glabra) is a more attractive tree for shelter belts. It has a tidier shape, but has a little less spread.
Apart from the Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), there are no Tasmanian native trees which can supply the same density of cover as the conifers.
Town plantations, however, must be much less expansive, so need trimming regularly.
Planting at the Deloraine Rotary Pavilion garden consists of smaller trees, combined with neatly trimmed shrubs.
Vegetables
With heavy rain in July of 2019, gardeners were advised to keep off the vegetable beds until dryer weather, as tramping in very wet soils would do it no good.
The same advice applies this month!
Plant seedlings of cabbages in well manured soil, and the seeds of carrots, swedes, turnips and silver beet. The latter needs nitrogen rich soil, regular watering, and regular feeds of liquid manure to keep it moving. It should be ready to harvest between 8 and 12 weeks.
Garden peas may be sown in August, but if in flower when a late frost strikes, they will not survive.
The Garden Guide also says broad beans, but experience has shown that spring sown beans do not do nearly as well as the autumn sown ones.
