Get set for a colourful summer
Summer is here and with it, longer days and more time to spend in the garden.
Swan Valley Station has an abundance of colourful plants that enjoy the warm days and nights.
Mandevilla climbers are stunning with their large white, pink or red flowers. They’re a great addition to any fence or wall that catches full sun or retains heat.
Crepe Myrtle trees are a hot seller all summer. Their clusters of ruffled flowers stand out as a prize centrepiece and just need sun. The white “Natchez” variety is a best sellers but Swan Valley Station also stocks stunning pink, red and mauve. These flower from December until early autumn.
Magnolias are a favourite plant in Perth for good reason. They bloom all summer with fragrant, big, white tulip-like flowers. The Teddy Bear variety, known for the bronze underside to its dark green leaves, is the most popular. At Swan Valley Station we also have Little Gems, Kaye Paris and Coolwyn Gloss.
Fruit and salad, yummy yummy
If you thought citrus season was over, think again. Seedless Washington navel oranges, Eureka and Meyer lemons, pink grapefruit, Tahitian Lime and Imperial mandarin are all available.
Plant a Lemonade tree if you want unique, sweet lemons for juicing.
Nagami Cumquat are an eat the whole fruit skin-and-all type of citrus; they are delicious and good for you.
Mangoes and avocados love warm weather and fruit prolifically over summer and autumn. The best varieties to grow in Perth are Kensington Pride mangoes and Hass avocados.
Fertilise and be waterwise
A waterwise garden with a good layer of mulch will help retain moisture within the soil. It will also help the hot sun and wind from further drying out Perth’s typically sandy soil.
If you are planting over summer, remember to allow time for a session of deep hand-watering to settle new plants in. Put plants into a small depression (furrow) in the soil. When you do that initial watering, the water will pool around the base of your new plants and soak in. This will avoid precious water running off and away!
Feed your plants with a quality slow-release general-purpose fertiliser such as Troforte. One application will feed your plants for five months, so whenever you water or it rains, your plants are also getting fed.
An application of Troforte now will show results by way of new growth and flowers within two weeks. Troforte is always in stock at Swan Valley Station.
Flies be gone
You may have read we are in for a Perth fly plague this summer.
Mint, rosemary and lavender are all great plants that help repel flies and mosquitoes. They grow well in our climate and are hardy in any sunny position. You’ll find plenty of these in stock in the nursery.
Just don’t plant them under other trees because they need an open position with at least half a day of sun.
Courtyard options
Those with small gardens and even fully paved yards will love our new collection of ceramic pots and tubs. From 20 to 320 litre giant pots, we have hundreds to choose from in dozens of unique colours at fair prices.
All the plants mentioned can be grown in containers or pots, providing great crops of fruit and/or an excellent show of flowers to brighten up your small garden or courtyard this summer.