Ground covers and other things

Ground covers are useful, particularly when like myself you want to cover an area that has been pretty heavily mulched. I have chosen a type of grevillea, Sid Cadwell to be precise. Sid is from the Proteaceae family and is sometimes called "Parry's Prostrate". I was looking for a low growing shrub that will flower a lot. In the main because at present the bank on which I aim to plant the bush lacks a little colour. Sid Cadwell is an attractive grevillea bearing a lot of long, red flowers (a little like toothbrushes). It flowers in the spring. The leaves are a good-looking green, and deeply lobed. The nursery person told me it was easy to grow in any well-drained soil. Thank goodness Sid likes full sun, because the place I chose is very sunny. I am looking forward to observing how he grows and whether it is useful as a ground cover. Like most grevilleas I believe the plant attracts birds. The plant grows to about 1 metre high (3.3 feet) and 2 metres wide (6.6 feet). Sid has unusual leaves. I think the one I bought has, at present, both three-lobed (trifoliate) and two leaves and single lanceolate leaves; all on the same stem. It is better to prune the top growth after flowering. This should increase the lateral direction of the growth to form a wide, low-covering bush. I plan to plant it right now. Although it is sometimes better to plant in the early autumn, April or even in the winter. Planting whilst the sun is still strong, I am told, is not a bad ide. As long as the plant is well watered a good root system should be established The weather has been extremely hot over the past few weeks and we have been looking forward to March, when we hope the first signs of autumn will appear. Unfortunately the temperature in Perth, as you will have observed, has been around 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) for the past week or so. So, we are still watering for summer temperatures. Nevertheless, today promises to be a bit cooler at about 33 degrees Celsius (only 91 degrees Fahrenheit). In anticipation of balmier days ahead we can but plan for the autumn and winter; a garden full of promise for the winter and the spring. Plant some new plants, plant some bulbs, plant flowering shrubs, and prepare the garden for an exciting spring display.

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