It is now spring, quickly dashing into summer ... and I still keep on buying plants. It's like an addiction.

I went and acquired 29 new tubestock on the weekend - some natives from WA which I have not previously heard of (and because I left the labels at home, can't even tell you their names) and I also bought 3 prostrate adenanthus, and 5 melaleuca radula.

I bought them after being told to water them throughout summer (daily was advised - but maybe a bit over the top?).

Now I am out watering every bloody morning !!

Is anyone else suffering from this problem - planting on the eve of summer ... with 39 degree days ...

I have also begun to question my addiction - in addition to buying new plants every week, I have a habit of planting them too closely together, especially with tubestock.

As far as watering is concerned, I have weaned my tubestock from daily watering to once every 3 days or so, and this will probably lengthen to once per week soon. I know what you mean about Summer's heat making you paranoid re watering, but the plant will have to come to grips with a predominately hot, dry climate sooner or later. Nurseries water daily as a matter of course, but my livelihood doesnt depend on my ability to replicate that regimen.

The ability to handle Summer will vary from plant to plant : in my own garden, I have been surprised by the way that rainforest plants such as lillipillies seem to be coping better than some of the 'drought specialists' like Callistemon. The Grevillea I've planted are tough-as-nails, with the exception of Poorinda Royal Mantle - might have to try a tub specimen :)

Ultimately, there are far worse positions to be in than spending a few dollars on a plant each week, even if it means that we need to cull one or two as they take off. I take heart from the fact that many nature-strip plantings are very dense, yet each plant seems to find enough room to grow.

Cheers,

Artie

Where did you get the idea that Callistemons are 'drought specialists'? They are natural inhabitants of the moister to damp areas of the bush. In fact, they can be used as indicators of where the wetter (lower) spots are in the bush.

Whilw many lillipilli types are able to cope with some drought, but if it persists then they will be weakened and become more susceptible to insect and disease attack.

Agnes

I sympathise with your addiction. Thank god it is not terminal!

regards

Dennis Mc

The main reason I have come to regard the humble bottlebrush as a survivor is the locations where I have seen them grimly hanging on where everything else is dying. The most spectacular example is a commercial building in Rocky which has been untenanted for at least 6 months, doesnt appear to have anyone maintaining the landscaping,
yet the bottlebrushes have continued to flower.

Ultimately, no plant can survive without water indefinitely : I guess I'm most in awe of how *good* my lillipillies look in the absence of proper irrigation. One psyllid attack in 12 months, and they left town as soon as I appeared with a spraycan.

Cheers,

Artie

My head fully understands that summer is not the time to plant - but its like this obsessive compulsive thing ... I spend the whole day staring (I exaggerate, but you catch my drift) at patches in the garden thinking it would nice to plant x here, or y there ... and then all I can think about is purchasing x and y, then a, b, c and all the others !!

Artie, on callistemons, I have heard that they respond well to watering - when little - I know have 3 fairly large callistemon (about 1.5 to 2.5 m) which do not get watered by me at all anymore. They are fine. But I found with the tubestock under 1.5 feet that they respond well to watering.

So far, no losses. But summer hasn't hit yet. In the meantime, I will slowly try to wean them to watering 3 times a week.

Aggie

I am trying to fill in with grasses, daises and groundcovers too - problem is with sourcing grasses in WA. I have relaxed the strict native or edible rule in our garden by planting seaside daisy - there are some great photos of it as an underplanting near gum trees in my native garden book.

Glad to say that other than 3 $1.50 instant colour dhalias, I resisted the urge this weekend ...

Aggie

Plant prices do vary greatly from one part of Oz to the next (people in Sydney and Melbourne definitely pay more than those of us in the bush), but anytime you can find a Cycad of that size for less than $20, I believe it to be a good deal. The bromeliad sounds a little expensive, but you dont say what size it was, and I'm afraid I know nothing of rose prices.

Cheers,

Artie

I know the house that you mean, but I rarely stop at the Norman Road nursery, as I believe them to be overpriced compared to the (many) others in Rocky. I am often surprised by the 'dress circle' appearance of the houses along that stretch - its clear that being proud of one's garden rubs off on neighbours, although the formality of many of the gardens isnt my ideal, and I have to question the extravagant amounts of water they throw at their lawns. All that aside, its great :)

I can't stop!

Thankfully I live next to Kananook Reserve, where I can plant Banksia Integrifolia & Marginata to my heart's content.

On the subject of Callistemons, I find that they really like the Sun too, and don't fare very spectacularly in the shade.
Planted two Callistemon Citrinus tubestock in the same soil type, they are watered the same amount, yet one is in shade, and one gets good sun. The one in shade is healthy but languishing, yet the one in the "Hawaii" end of the garden is growing like a weed on steroids. Me no complain!

And the garden just absorbs them all...

Aggie