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Useful Plants

AUTUMN GARDEN JOBS

Over summer you may have noticed parts of the garden that need shade or shelter from a windbreak or tree. If you did then it may be time to plant again.

Autumn is the time to plant containerised plants that you were nursing over summer and to prepare the ground for bare-rooted specimens to be planted come June or July.

Native plants

It is best to plant natives with the first rains, whenever they might be, so they have longer to settle in over winter. They will probably still need deep, weekly watering.
Remember to make a bowl to help the water stay around long enough to soak in.

You should plant small, young plants to grow if it is windy where you live so that the plant roots will be able to establish well.

Staking

Larger plants may need staking, or tethering, which is best done low down on the stem, so the stem above it gets to strengthen.
Otherwise when you take the stake away the plant will have a flimsy stem or trunk.

Trees have their shape affected by bad tying when they are young, and you can often see council or garden trees with strange bends where they were staked in an otherwise tall straight trunk.
Tying off to three low pegs stops the root-ball from wriggling about so new roots can grow into the surrounding soil.
Deciduous plants including berries can be planted at this time of year. They need a rich spot where they can be pampered, and plenty of room. Being forest plants they are expecting humus and rain, but it's worth the effort if you like berry fruit.

If you live near large deciduous trees, collect the fallen leaves to make a compost heap.

Transplanting

Any transplanting of deciduous plants can be planned now, for when the leaves are fully shed is the best time to move them.

General

* Clean up weeds around fruit trees so pests cannot over winter among them.

* Divide rhizomaceous, clump and mat forming plants.

* Plant spring flowering bulbs soon.

* Cool season crops such as peas, spinach, carrots, beets, the cabbage tribe - broccoli, mustard, etc. can all go in, to await the cooler weather.

* Take semi hardwood and hardwood cuttings.

Ponds/Water gardens

Remove dead and dying growth that may congest the water while it is cold and less active.

Store water chestnuts in coco peat in the fridge once their tops have died down so they can be replanted when it warms up again.

Improve water filtration into the soil

Create swales, bowls and/or terraces to impede the water flow as much as possible. It is far better to store the water in the soil on your property than let it go down the road or the drain.

Most areas around the Perth metro are sandy, so drainage is fine, but with heavy rain some care may be needed to control runoff. Usually sand is known more for its lack of infiltration, rather than flooding problems. It may take a while for water to soak in but once it starts it's usually okay. Small channels can lead water away to somewhere useful if it does not soak in fast enough.

Clay areas of course have a whole different set of qualities, and drainage is much more important. Dig moats or channels away from areas where water collecting may cause a problem but still try and get it to stay in the property.

If there are bare areas they may be prone to erosion. Logs or trenches across a slope will help reduce this effect by slowing the water down, which aids infiltration.

Mulch also helps to protect the soil from rain impact, which washes soil away.

Ultimately, of course, something should be growing there to prevent erosion occurring, even if it is what you might consider a weed!

Weeds help improve bare soil for other plants. Cover crops can be useful in these areas, tough species that will at least hold the soil together a bit.
Clover, mustard, vetch, broad beans, lucerne and clover are just a few.

These can prepare the soil for a less tough plant to grow in the slightly improved ground.

Now all we need is the rain!

Vicki Boxell