ARS South Australia Newsletter – April 2017

• Date: 4th April 2017
• author: Bill Voigt

The Month Ahead

Autumn has truly arrived, so there are many maintenance chores to be done in the garden before winter.

Hellebores and Iris unguicularis (formerly known as Iris stylosa) will be sending up flowers from now on, so to make the flowers more visible, and to make slugs and snail control easier, the old foliage should be trimmed back.

Sasanqua camellias have already started flowering, and they will be closely followed by the hybrids and and Penstemons should be regularly deadheaded to extend the flowering season. Hardwood cuttings of roses taken in May are usually more likely to strike, rather than those taken later in the year.

The large, annual sunflowers (Helianthus) are very commonly grown during summer, but there are very showy, perennial Helianthus which bloom now in Autumn. They can grow quite tall and make a bright splash of gold in the garden. Sometimes known as “Sunshine Daisies” they are very easy to grow and after flowering the spent flowers can be cut off and the clumps of plants divided, just as one does with Chrysanthemums.

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