Time To Spray Roses And Fruit Trees! - Aug 08, 2025

Dear gardening friends
Just drove past this beautiful Magnolia soulangiana in Claymore. I thought "Wow that looks great" so I did a U-turn. This is the most popular variety to plant and it seems to thrive in all types of soil.

When I got out of the car I suddenly realised just how beautiful this little garden is, zoom in and check out the beautiful succulent gardens.

You can make a small garden look so beautiful if you have an eye for design. A real gardener lives here.

Claymore is getting a make over, public housing is getting knocked down and private houses are being built. Some of the houses in the street will be public housing, it's a much better system.

Street trees are getting planted, it's going to look more loved. I can see the transformation happening. It's actually beautiful land here with rolling hills.
I can see the beauty.

I'm spraying our dwarf Peach and Nectarine trees today to help prevent Peach Leaf Curl. It's a fungal disease that makes the spring leaves grow all twisted and distorted. You have to spray just before the buds burst open, so you need to zoom zoom.

I'm spraying Lime Sulphur, it stinks like rotten eggs but it works. Prune roses and fruit trees then spray branches, trunks and around the ground.
Time is running out. We have it in stock.

We have amazing Neem trees for $39.99. This is often called The Pharmacy tree. I asked ChatGPT why is it so popular in India and this is what it said.

1. Health & Medicine

  • Skin care – Neem leaves, oil, and paste are used to treat acne, eczema, fungal infections, and wounds because of their antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Oral care – Neem twigs are traditionally chewed as a natural toothbrush ("datun") to prevent gum disease and cavities.
  • Internal remedies – Neem leaf extracts or teas are sometimes used in Ayurveda to treat fevers, malaria, intestinal worms, and as a detox tonic (though oral use of neem oil can be toxic if over consumed).
  • Hair care – Neem oil or boiled leaf water is used to control dandruff, lice, and scalp infections.

2. Agriculture & Pest Control

  • Natural pesticide – Neem oil and neem cake (seed residue) are used to repel insects and protect crops from pests without harming beneficial organisms.
  • Soil improvement – Neem cake is also used as an organic fertilizer to enrich soil and control soil-borne pests.

3. Household & Personal Use

  • Mosquito repellent – Burning neem leaves or using neem oil in lamps or sprays keeps mosquitoes and insects away.
  • Soap & cosmetics – Neem is a common ingredient in herbal soaps, shampoos, creams, and toothpaste in India.

4. Religious & Cultural Significance

  • Neem leaves are used in certain Hindu rituals, often associated with purification.

During festivals like Ugadi (New Year in parts of India), people eat a mixture of neem and jaggery to symbolically accept both bitterness and sweetness in life.

If you'd like to grow one don't delay, these are so popular, customers travel from all over NSW to buy them.

About 10 years ago a customer called in to get advice. She had an Elkhorn in her boot, that had fallen off the wall at her mother's place. She didn't know what to do with it.

This often happens to Stag and Elk horns, as they grow bigger, they get so heavy, the timber backing rots, and the ferns falls down.

If it's an Elkhorn you can simply attach the shields onto another board with wire, use Spagnum moss behind the shield, to hold moisture.

Stags are often one big plant, so you might need help lifting it back onto the wall and attaching it with heavy duty wire or staples.

I gave the customer this advice then I asked her if she would mind giving me a shield from her Elkhorn. I'd been dreaming about growing one on our Cocos Palm here in the carpark.

I was worried that it would be too hot here so I planted it on the eastern side. We wired it to the trunk then installed a drip irrigation system in behind it. It's grown so beautifully, it's got multiple shields now and it's almost grown all the way around the trunk.
It looks spectacular.

I've had several customers comment that this Elkhorn is different, it has skinner fronds. I'm not sure about that. In spring and autumn I throw handfuls of Tim's Cow manure up behind it. This greens it up and makes it grow faster.

Happy gardening
Tim