GOSSIP GAZETTE MAGAZINE - JANUARY 2022 - ISSUE 1

January - The Start of the Gardening Year.
We are in full summer and your gardens are rich in greens and bright seasonal colour; so enjoy this time of the
year. There are however some tasks in the garden necessary to keep each area of the landscape in tip top
condition.
The colourful annuals that brighten the beds and containers can be made to extend their bounty by
‘dead-heading’. This is done by removing all the old flowers from the plants; creating more light for the newer
buds to open and stopping the annuals in expending extra energy in going to seed. Water regularly if the rains
do not continue and feed with a 6.3.4 or 3.1.5 fertilizer every 6 weeks.
Roses will also give you more flushes of flower at this time of the year. Cut back on old blooms, thin
unproductive stems and old wood. More light will get to the buds and soon new flowering shoots will emerge.
As with your annuals, keep watering regularly and feed using a 3.1.5 or 5.1.5 fertilizer.
The summer heat and humidity are good conditions for the hatching of red spider mite, and one of their
favorite breeding grounds is on the rose leaves. Keep a look out for fine webbing and a dusty look to the back
of the rose leaves and spray as soon as you see any signs. Catch the pests early to stop an infestation.
The dreaded Amaryllis worm is also active this time of year. Hunt through any bulbous plants such as Clivia,
amaryllis, and agapanthus as these crawlies will feed where the food is. Use Knox worm or Koinor as a control
spray. On the subject of bulbs, now is a good time to lift and split irises if you have any in the beds.
As for the other garden shrubs, keep these watered regularly and add mulch to the soil to protect shallow roots
from the summer heat and to keep moisture where it is best needed; in the root zone. Some shrubs