(garden Diary)

The Age

Friday December 13, 1996

Andrew Seccull

ONE OF the benefits of living in a city with a climate as diverse as Melbourne's is the amazing variety of plants that will happily co-exist in the same garden; in their native environs they probably wouldn't be found within cooee of each other. Right now, for example, the beautiful and structural Kniphofia linearifolia (yellow form) is making its South African presence felt on either side of the seat at the rear of our garden, contrasting well with the Teucrium fruiticans from southern Europe that grows close by. On the other side of the garden things are quite different with the Myosotidium hortensis from the Chatham Islands (Chatham Island forget-me-not) doing very nicely under a large rhododendron from the foothills of the Himalayas, while a little further along two Eschscholzia californica (Californian poppies) engage in a growing competition with a large Lavender dentata from the Mediterranean.

If all of these plants from every corner of the globe can happily co-exist in the reasonably small space they have available in my garden, it makes you wonder, in human terms, what Pauline Hanson has to moan about with an entire continent at her disposal.

* Now that the weather has finally started to warm up a bit, the incidence of scale insects attacking gardenias, citrus trees and even, believe it or not, potato vines has increased dramatically. A scale infestation will weaken any plant in much the same way as a heartworm will weaken your dog, with much of the plant's vigor being spent keeping these awful sucking insects alive. Mature scale insects look for all the world like miniature sea cockles. Mature and immature insects can be easily controlled with white oil. Scale insects exude a sticky substance that ants seem to find irresistible; a good sign of an imminent scale onslaught is increased ant activity on your plants. So if you notice that your lemon tree is suffering and it's full of ants it is very likely it is the target of a scale infestation. A healthy well-fed plant will often shrug off a scale attack, whereas plants that are suffering stress of some kind seem to be more vulnerable.

* Anyone who longs for the beautiful fragrant spikes of a Buddleia in their garden but who are concerned about its size at maturity should have a look at the Buddleia "Nanho Blue". If cut back hard each year, this smaller-growing Buddleia can be successfully kept to a maximum height of 2-3 metres without adversely affecting its lovely pendulous habit and blue flowers.

© 1996 The Age

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