Holidays

Frantic preparations for going on holidays has seen me potting the last of my indoor plants into pots with a water reservoir. I've also potted on some lavender cuttings that were getting too big for their tubes and some cistus cuttings growing out of their 6" pots. Both plants are for school where they have shown their worth by being hardy, tough but attractive plants for many years. I also treated two of my thuja hedge that have been looking worse for the wear in recent months. At first I thought it might be a lack of water and so gave them a good soak. That didn't work so I treated them with a seaweed solution which made no difference. It occurred to me that it might be a fungal root infection so I have sprayed both trees with a Yates product called 'Anti Rot' that is supposed to rid a plant of phytophthora and collar rot. I also gave them a dose of more seaweed solution (which stimulates root growth) and a liquid feed. I know you're not supposed to feed a sick or stressed plant but I figured a liquid feed is fairly gentle. I also rushed around pruning some of my Australian natives that have just finished flowering like correas and acacias and pruned last years growth off some indigenous helichrysums.
I have planted some plants that I acquired on the weekend at the Mt. Macedon Horticultural Society's annual plant fair. I wasn't going to buy anything because planting at this time of the year is fraught with stress for the next 6 months but I couldn't resist. I bought a lovely Lobelia gibberoa from Yamina Rare Plants which comes from Kenya and can get to 2m in height. I also bought a salvia, an African phlomis, a NZ pimelea, Acacia aphylla and Prostanthera aspalathoides which I have had before but have lost. It has a red flower unlike most prostantheras which have mauve or white flowers.
Anyway I must go and pack so I may not post while I am away. It depends on internet access. Queensland here I come!