Continue preparing and planting for winter and spring colour in the garden.\

Continue planting one of the following trees or shrubs for their lovely flowers at this time of the year Australian frangipanis pmpn trees, Cape chesnuts bottlebrushes and honey or western tea myrtles.

Camellias are starting to show new buds so feed them with special fertilizer for flowering plants and water well after the fertilizer application, Sprinkle some flowers of sulphur to help acidify the soil and mulch with pine needles or peat moss.

Start treating conifers for Italian cypress aphid towards the end of the month by drenching the roots with systemic insecticide every 14 to 28 days, or use an organic remedy.

Watch out for scale, snails and slugs an aloes.

Clip lawn edges of aggressive lawn types like kikuyu once a week to prevent runners from invading flowerbeds.

Make a note to plant the following annuals and perennials for the next February if you don’t have them yet. Cosmos, petunias, geraniums, hollyhocks, nasturtiums, verbenas and wild garlic

Remove spent followers from cannas and dahlias regularly and water deeply once a week.

Harvest seed from summer – flowering annuals the end of the month.

Water hellebores regularly to prevent buds from aborting.

Cut back regal and zonal pelargonium’s by half and make cuttings of pruned branches.

Cut back container – grown pelargonium’s and repot into new containers with fresh potting soil enriched with lots of organic material.

Start feeding cymbidiums with high – potash fertilizer for flowers.

Water out door containers once a day during hot, dry weather and feed once with a balanced general fertilizer.