Our regular Green Thumb column is written by Ian Rogan.
Autumn is the best time to plan for planting roses and other deciduous flowering shrubs, ornamental deciduous trees and fruit trees.
Nurseries will be taking orders now for all these shrubs and trees which will be available during winter in dormant, “bare root” forms. This is the most cost effective way to buy these shrubs and trees-generally about 30% cheaper than buying them later in the year, potted up and in full leaf.
So, if you are looking for beautiful ornamental trees such as golden elms, claret or golden ash, lipstick maples, oaks, liquidambers, ornamental pears or London planes to line your driveway or property entrance or to create shade in your garden-this is the time to order them.
Or maybe you are looking for an attractive flowering specimen tree for your garden-crab apples, silk trees, crepe myrtles, prunus (flowering ornamental cherries, plums or apricots) or dogwoods come into nurseries bare root in winter.
On the rose front, there are so many different colours, sizes and growth habits to choose from. I attended a wedding in a beautiful central west garden last September and they had arches covered with magnificent Pierre de Ronsard climbing roses. A beautiful, fragrant and prolific flowering David Austin rose, the Dark Lady, is the favourite rose in my garden, although it is hard to beat a big healthy white Iceberg bush rose that starts flowering in September and is covered in flowers until Easter. Like the ornamental trees, roses can be ordered now and will be available as dormant, bare root forms in the nurseries in June.
Finally, fruit and nut trees suited to our region-apples, pears, almonds, walnuts, apricots, nectarines, peaches, cherries, figs, mulberries, pomegranates, quinces and plums-will be in nurseries as bare root, dormant specimens in winter. If you want something different, look out for dwarf forms that you can grow in large pots and also some multi grafts that have two cultivars of apples, plums or pears grafted onto the one tree.
Ian Rogan- Millthorpe Garden Nursery.