Become A Happy Harry!

Dear Gardening
I chucked a massive tantrum, I just happened to take the work van home because my car is getting serviced. I was driving to work this morning and I saw a huge cupboard that had been dumped on the side of Mayfarm road for months.

I stopped the van I open the cupboard, it was full of car parts, oh no I said, this is too big a job, I got back in the van, I sat there for a while, get out of the car you big sook.

I took the cupboard apart and loaded everything in the van. But then I noticed car tyres, so I got them too. I drove up the street, there’s been styrofoam boxes in the gutter for 10 years, I’ve been waiting for the guy who lives opposite to pick them up, what was I thinking?

I picked up a huge piece of cardboard that had two giant rats living under it, yes I screamed, I don’t like Rats, I was expecting a snake.

I kept driving, my tantrum grew wilder as I saw how much rubbish is on the side of the roads all the way to Campbelltown now, we have turned into pigs. I stopped in Menangle to pick up an office chair, that’s been in the creek for weeks, it was so wet and heavy.

My van is full now, my effort is a drop in the ocean, surely we can do better than this. This is effecting my mental health, it’s all our fault, we need to take responsibility, someone should pick up this mess, someone is us.

It’s time to spray your lawn to control broadleaf weeds like Bindi and Clover. We have a fabulous product here called DART. It’s a selective weed killer that kills the weeds without killing your lawn.

It’s always best to spray your lawn when it hasn’t been mown for a week. DART controls broadleaf weeds but if you spray after you’ve mown the lawn it won’t find the weeds as well.

When you mix up the spray it’s 50mls in 2-5 litres of water over 100m2. It’s important you know how big your lawn is. If you spray this over 200m2 then you’ve used it at half strength so it won’t work.

After you’ve mixed your spray add a squirt of Dish washing liquid. This acts as a spreader and makes the spray stick to the weed leaves better. Spray your lawn until all the spray is gone. Spray again in 7-10 days time for best results.

Never spray on windy days or when rain is expected. Keep your pets off the grass until the spray dries. This takes about 20 minutes on a sunny day. Don’t spray if the grass is still wet from dew.

Test your sprayer on the concrete, and adjust the sprayer jet, so it giving good coverage. Spray before your Clover starts to flower to protect the bees. If you’d rather have weeds and happy pollinators, that’s up to you. We have DART in stock, it’s amazing.

My mate Harry rang me he was very disturbed about a tree growing in his lawn. It had grown into a shrub, he couldn’t mow around it, it was taking up a lot of room.

This is when trees often get removed.
Don’t remove them!!!!

I told Harry to remove the lower branches by at least a metre. Cut the branches off at the trunk Harry. Don’t leave bits sticking out. Shape the tree mate, make out you’re a barber. Send me a photo.

An hour later he sends me this photo, the shrub now looks like a tree. Harry’s got his lawn back, he’s no longer disturbed, he’s keeping the tree. Yes it’s a tree now. I tell Harry I’m coming to get a haircut.

So many trees get removed because they haven’t been pruned, they grow so bushy at the base, it’s so hard to maintain them, they take up all the room in your tiny garden. You chuck a tantrum the tree gets removed.

Don’t remove these trees, they take 10 years to grow this big, they just need to be uplifted, remove these trees lower branches, turn your shrub into a tree.

Harry is so happy, we’re calling him “Happy Harry”. Harry has planted at least 10 trees around his beautiful house, it’s made such a difference, he has room for another 10. He can hear birds in his garden now. The sounds of nature makes him feel good.

I just drove past this beautiful garden, outside an old house in Minto. As I stopped to take photos, Ahmed came out the greet me, he said that people had been stopping to take photos of his magnificent Pride Of Madiera. It’s botanical name is Echium candicans.
This is one of the most bee attracting plants on the planet!!!!

Ahmed recognised me and wanted to take my photo, but I was more interested in taking his photo. He had an eye operation and his garden was his saviour he told me. He’s planted everything you see here. His eyes are better now after an operation so he’s looking forward to planting more colour in spring. He comes to our nursery.

He was very proud of his garden. He loves his Pride of Madiera, it’s one of the best I’ve seen. They can easily be pruned after flowering to keep them smaller. They are extremely drought hardy and they will take cold conditions too.

I’ve always found gardeners to be nice people, they welcome you into their gardens. They are so proud of what they have achieved, they make life better for everyone, we all get to enjoy their hard work.
We have Echium in stock today. They are fabulous drought hardy shrubs.

Some super exciting news for gardeners!!!!!
New Trail Blazer Hydrangeas have arrived at Tim’s Garden Centre. These are evergreen Hydrangeas!!!
Yes they don’t turn into dead sticks in winter.

These new Hydrangeas are a ground breaking marvel boasting continuous blooms, they defy climate constraints. They thrive in full sun or shade, in pots or gardens.
Happy gardening
Tim