Hello and welcome to AUGUST!

We can certainly say that WINTER has arrived - with plenty of much needed rain and some colder weather...  But I can see signs of spring in the garden already; so the seasons' relentless march continues!  Don't waste the opportunity that some sunny weather brings to get outside and into your garden to tackle those jobs that need doing now. 

Spring is officially here next month, and so is the next Kalamunda Garden Festival - Sunday 1st September, so remember to put it in your diary.  Tickets are available online, and keep an eye on Green Life's socials as we'll have a ticket giveaway a little closer to the time.  It's always a great event with LOADS of plants & gardening goodies to buy, plus a whole range of expert speakers to learn from.  There's entertainment & food and the vibe is always awesome - so come along and experience a great day.  Green Life will be there again in our sponsored marquee, hosting some amazing speakers, and will be available to chat with you about your spring gardening plans - come and find us and say "Hi!".

July is usually a bit quieter around GLSC, so it's a great time to have a bit of time off - Paul and I were very fortunate and got to attend an event in Fiji and it was a beautiful experience to see their friendly, welcoming culture and enjoy some warmer weather.  It's always eye-opening to see the soil and garden conditions in other countries (yes, we go on holiday and check out the soil - tragic, huh?) and we're always reminded of just how unique our West Australian soils are - and why we really need to work on making them fertile and build the structure for the long term.  We've come back home with renewed passion to help you all have AMAZING gardens and grow those green thumbs!!  Pictured below is an amazingly beautiful and scented flower found on the beach.  Locals call it Vutu (botanical name Barringtonia asiatica) - the plant is poisonous and seeds are used to make a poison to aid in catching fish!

How's your vegie garden going?  Ours is booming - we came home to a harvest of peas, beans, beetroot, turnips, cabbage, kale and silverbeet.  I'd say we planted more kale than we can deal with (ooops) so this weekend will be making a batch of kale chips - yummy and we can pretend they're healthy(ish). I might have a go at sauerkraut again, too.  Perhaps we should run a competition on 'the best ideas to use kale'? What do you think??  Our broccoli is flowering so we need to keep that trimmed a little more, and we've noticed an influx of fuzzy caterpillars.  At least they're easy to spot and to pick off - we don't need to spray.  It won't be too much longer before we need to plan our spring garden. 

As always, we hope you enjoy our newsletter - we welcome your feedback & suggestions for future articles!  You may notice there's no photo competition winner this month - that's because we didn't receive any photos!!!  Remember it's super easy to enter; just send us a picture or two of your garden, and a short explanation of what you're growing, or about your garden project.  Any tips or suggestions to help others is also appreciated.  Send your pics via email with "photo competition" as the subject line, or send via Messenger.  A winner is drawn at random each month for a $50 store credit to spend with us - so get to it & next month it might be YOU!!

Until next time - happy gardening & see you soon!

Linda & the Team @ The Green Life Soil Co

In this newsletter:

Jobs to do in the August Garden
What to Plant NOW
Winter Blues?  Why gardening's great for your body & soul!
Bee friendly plants to add some colour to your garden
VIP Special offer
Retailer update & more!!

Jobs to do in the August garden

• Rose pruning. If you haven't already done so, it's time to give Roses and other perennial flowering plants their winter prune to encourage a flush of spring blossoms.  
• Check on your compost. Piles that you've created with winter weeds & autumn leaves should be cooking nicely. Check on the nitrogen to carbon ratio - if the piles are too wet, add more shredded dry material. If they're too dry, add a bit of water. A handful or two of blood & bone and a good turn over of the pile should get things cooking again. Start a new pile for new material and monitor your existing pile every week - it should cook nicely for you to use with in 1-2 months for your Spring crops.  Weeds (without seed heads) are ideal to add!  Check out our compost fact sheet here. 
• Feed. Keep feeding your winter vegies that are still producing. A light feed with seaweed tonic and some fish emulsion are perfect every 1 - 2 weeks to keep things going.  Pick your secondary broccoli heads regularly to keep plants producing for weeks.
• Select & plan your seed propagation. You can start to raise some Spring vegies. A few seeds in trays that you can move around and keep warm will give you a great head start (providing they survive the rest of winter). A few seeds sown every few weeks will mean you'll jag the right time early on - covering your bets.  GLSC makes a premium Certified Organic Seed Raising Mix - perfect to get you growing.  See our free fact sheet here on growing from seed!
• Take photos or make some notes of your Winter garden - where you grew what vegies. What worked (what didn't work) and what do you think might be a good idea to try next Autumn/Winter? Taking 5 or 10 minutes to do this now is better than trying to remember what it looked like in six month's time.
• Get ready to feed up your fruit trees. It is possibly a little early at the start of the month, but heading to the end of August/early September (and depending on the weather) it's time to feed up your Citrus trees, and your deciduous trees that will be emerging from Winter dormancy. We recommend a good slow release fertiliser or soil improver that contains rock dust (or use rock dust separately) - the trace elements will lead to healthier plants and better tasting fruit. Beware of too much nitrogen alone for your citrus trees - lots of sappy green growth is perfect for citrus gall wasps. Speaking of this pest; inspect your trees and make sure any galls have been removed; in late winter the young adults will be emerging - if you see little exit holes in the galls you're already too late. The adults will be laying eggs in your citrus trees sometime late August/September. Sustainable Gardening Australia recommends using yellow sticky traps in your citrus to help; but don't leave them in the trees too much later in the Spring to avoid catching other beneficial insects. Also be aware small birds can be caught in these traps - so do use the ones with protective cages or do some googling to fashion your own.
• Another option for Citrus Gall Wasp - try our super fine kaolin clay product "Clay Spray" (pictured) to use as a protective spray against this pest. The coating of the clay makes the stems less easily penetrated by the gall wasp.  The treatment should be used in Spring, and you may need a couple of repeat applications if it is washed off with rain.  Non toxic and easy to use, it's something to add to your arsenal to minimise these pests on your trees.
• Spray your fruit trees. If you need to spray peaches/nectarines for peach leaf curl, or against brown rot or other fungal diseases that affected last year's crops, make sure you're ready to go at the appropriate time. With peach leaf curl there's a specific window just as the new growth buds (leaves) are about to burst; if you miss it you're already too late.  It is difficult with so much rain around - ideally do it when we're expecting a few days of fine weather. Anti-fungal sprays will have a detrimental affect on beneficial soil microbes; so cover the soil beneath your trees with newspaper or cardboard to catch any excess drips.
• Plan. If you're going to build new garden beds, or relocate existing ones, now's the time to plan and build. If you're wanting to go no-dig and use up some decaying plant material & weeds, it's a good time to start so things can begin decomposing. Solarise soil with plastic to cook weeds before you mulch any new paths, etc. See our free fact sheet on organic weed control (including solarisation) here. 
• Plant trees & shrubs. Bare rooted trees are now available & it's the best time to plant before they emerge from dormancy. Consider planting some flowering native plants to bring in birds and pollinators. Visit a good nursery on a lovely, sunny day and get some advice about what variety/ies will suit your garden, situation & site, and soil type. Remember many fruit trees need a pollinator - so make sure you get the right advice.  Buying trees bare rooted will save you money too - so hop to it!  Here's our fact sheet on bare root trees. 
• Weed your garlic! (actually - weed all your vegie garden) but garlic in particular dislikes competition, and you'll want it to be doing as best as it can over the next couple of months, as bulbs will be starting to thicken up now. Give your garlic a light topdressing of blood & bone. The work you do now will pay off in late Spring when it's harvest time.

What to Plant NOW

There's still time to get some crops in the ground of potatoes, onions, peas. (Scroll through our 'Gardening and Growing' - page to see a whole range of free fact sheets for these plants for the detailed growing information you need to get started.)

You can also begin to start some spring/summer crops seeds off in trays - but my advice would be to do a few only. There's still plenty of time, and no need to risk all your seed on one roll of the dice. Remember our free downloadable When to Sow guide for Perth also has some handy tips on germination temperatures and times - check it out here. We've recently stocked up on spring/summer seed varieties (including lots of tomatoes) with more coming in very regularly - so come on in and stock up.

It's a great time of year to plant lots of herbs now - still time to grow Coriander, for example. Don't leave it too long; it doesn't like the heat. If you'd like more information on timing of propagating herbs - we have a free downloadable "Planting Guide for Herbs" here.  At GLSC we carry a good range of edible and medicinal herbs in the Swan Valley Nursery range; and also seeds if you'd prefer to start them off that way.

Vegies to consider growing now include: Artichokes (Globe & Jerusalem), Asian Greens, Asparagus (pictured right), Beans, Broad Beans, Beetroot, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Choko, English Spinach, Kale, Kohl Rabi, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Potato, Radish, Silverbeet, Snow Peas, Spring Onion, Turnip.

Asparagus (pictured) and Rhubarb crowns will be at GLSC Monday, 5th August!  Come on in and get one or several!  (Asparagus is priced at $12.50 ea or 5 for $55.  Red stemmed rhubarb [Ever Red] is $19.50 per crown).  See our 'Gardening & Growing' page for tips on growing both of these fabulous perennial plants. 

Winter Blues - Mental Health and Gardening

We're all well aware of the problems in our society and own homes revolving around mental health.  While we would urge you to seek professional help for any ongoing low mood or depression, for those 'winter blues' there are some pro-active things we can do to raise our spirits. 

Winter can be a challenging season for mental health. The shorter days, cooler temperatures, and reduced sunlight can contribute to feelings of sadness, fatigue, and even depression. However, engaging in gardening can offer significant benefits for mental well-being and promote mental health during the colder months.

Here are some key reasons why gardening is therapeutic and beneficial:

1. Exposure to Natural Light: Even on cloudy days, being outside provides exposure to natural light, which can help regulate mood and sleep patterns. This is particularly important in winter when daylight hours are shorter.

2. Physical Activity: Gardening involves physical activity, which is known to boost endorphin levels and reduce stress. Even light activities such as planting, weeding, watering and raking can improve physical fitness and overall well-being.  Put on some of your favourite music, and move your body - dance in your garden like nobody is watching!

3. Connection with Nature: Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. Gardening allows individuals to connect with the natural world, providing a sense of peace and relaxation.  A walk through the park or along the beach can shift your perspective.

4. Sense of Accomplishment: Gardening projects, whether big or small, provide a sense of accomplishment. Watching plants grow and thrive can boost self-esteem and provide a sense of purpose. Harvesting something you've nurtured and grown is a wonderful feeling - AND you get to eat it!

5. Mindfulness and Meditation: Gardening encourages mindfulness, as it requires focus and attention to detail, rather than being caught in a mental loop of your own thoughts. Gardening can be a form of meditation, helping to clear the mind and reduce negative thoughts.

Community and Social Benefits

Gardening also offers social benefits, which are crucial for mental health. Community gardens and your local gardening or permaculture club provide an opportunity to connect with others, share gardening tips, and enjoy the social aspect of growing food together. This sense of community can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, which are often exacerbated in winter.  Explore what groups operate in your area - there's sure to be one.  If not - why not start one?

So get growing!

Gardening is a powerful tool for improving mental health during the winter months. In our WA winters, by spending time in the garden, you can boost your mood, reduce stress, and enjoy the many therapeutic benefits of connecting with nature. 

There’s always something to do – if it’s sunny, get outside and do a short burst of maintenance.  If it’s raining, why not give your indoor plants some TLC, or go through your seeds and plan your next season’s sowing.  

Whether you're an experienced gardener or a beginner, winter gardening can provide a much-needed boost to your mental well-being. So, put on your gardening gloves, embrace the winter chill, and start cultivating a healthier mind and garden.

Winter Cheer - Flowers for Brightness & Bees!

One way we can bring a little cheer to our late winter & early spring gardens is by planting some flowers to add colour to our gardens.  If we can provide flowering plants all through the year, we're also supporting biodiversity - encouraging bees, and many other beneficial insects to our gardens, and also bringing in birds too.

For quicker results, grab a punnet (or two!) and plant out - you'll have flowers within a few short weeks.  Here are some of our favourite bee friendly plants to consider:-

1. Alyssum.  This low growing ground cover type plant is available in white and purple tones and flowers continuously for much of the year.  It will self-seed, and is a hardy plant - suitable for growing around taller growing plants in your garden.  I love it to fill in gaps where weeds would otherwise grow.

2. Rosemary.  A perennial herb, this plant is worth adding to your garden.  They can get quite large and are suited to hedging - but if you only have a small space, grow one in a pot and keep it trimmed.  There are prostrate versions which grow very densely - they'll definitely smother winter weeds and we find that they make a great bandicoot hiding place; if you're lucky enough to have quenda visit your garden.  Rosemary usually has blue/mauve flowers and is very attractive to bees.  White and pink flowering varieties are also available.

3. Lavender.  Another perennial, there are many cultivars of Lavender available - but all have flowers that bees and other insects love.  The leaves can be used in potpourri and will help repel moths in your clothes cupboards.  Again - suitable for larger spaces, or grown in a decent sized pot. (pictured right)

4. Thyme.  This culinary herb is another low growing/spreading plant that has tiny flowers beloved by bees.  Worth growing in pots or in your garden.

5. Kangaroo Paw.  A tough native plant that will attract bees and small birds to your garden.  There are many cultivars available.  Cut down annually and they spring back each year with another display of their striking tall flower spikes. 

6. Daisy flowers.  There's so many daisies to choose from!  Our favourite annual types are cosmos and calendula.  But there's a whole heap more, and there's perennial daisy types too - many form bushes around 1m x 1m and can be hedged - the perfect backdrop to a cottage garden.  Cut back hard annually and they'll spring back and literally be covered in flowers for several months. 

7. Callistemon (bottle brush). These bright flowers (usually red, but also available in pink, mauve and white) are hugely popular with small birds and insects alike.  They do form large shrubs/small trees (although dwarf forms are available).  An Australian native, these plants can work well as part of a native garden that is relatively low maintenance - although they do respond well to an annual prune. If you have a larger space like a fence line to hide - they make a dense screen when planted closely together (about 1.5-2m apart).

8. Borage.  Flowering in winter & through spring, borage have amazing bright blue flowers that bees love.  Borage plants make good compost & mulch at the end of their life, and flowers are edible, adding a splash of colour to desserts or your fancy mocktails!

9. Salvias/Sage.  There are a huge amount of flowering plants that fall into this family.  Whether you go for the ornamental flowering salvias or the culinary sages - the flowers of these plants are attractive to a range of insects, including bees.

10.  Eucalyptus.  Our native gum trees have flowers that bees just love - if you've room for a native eucalypt tree (please research their growth habit and choose one that is perfect for your space) please do plant one (or more!) - we desperately need more tree canopy in our city and suburbs; for humans, animals and insects alike!

Remember some top tips:-

• Insects, including bees, have a preference for blue and yellow flowers.  Bee friendly gardens should include plenty of these colours! Plant in clumps for maximum effect.
• Native bees have a distinct preference for native plants - this has been proven in a Curtin University study conducted by native bee queen Dr Kit Prendergast.  If you're trying to support local biodiversity, include some local native flowering plants.
• Check the flowering window of your chosen plants - if possible, try to make sure there's something flowering every season in your garden.  That way insects will always have a reason to visit your garden and you will see an increase in the number of pollinators and beneficial insects in your garden & vegie patch.
• Deadheading and trimming your flowering plants will ensure a longer flowering period.  A little bit of regular maintenance goes a long way!
• If you haven't much space in your garden for extra ornamental flowering plants, when growing vegies, leave a few to to flower & seed - several vegies like carrots and parsley have large umbrella type flowers - 'umbels' - which are very attractive to many beneficial insects.  Plus you get the bonus of collecting seed, or just allowing things to set seed naturally; perfect for time poor gardeners!
• Always provide a source of water for bees & insects - a shallow bowl with stones or sticks they can climb on to prevent drowning. 

Did you know - in 2020 researchers at the Perkins Institute here in Perth found a compound in bee venom called melittin could kill breast cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells alive?  They have since made a synthetic melittin (so no more bees are harmed) and are working to test a melittin-based treatment for breast and ovarian cancer.  Other scientists around the world are now working on it as a treatment for many aggressive and previously difficult to treat cancers - it's a hopeful breakthrough in treating several types of cancers - read the full article here.

Currently Green Life Soil Co has LOTS of different flowering annuals & herbs available for you to select - come on in and grab a few to add some cheer to your garden today!

VIP Special Offer

Early Spring is the perfect time to fertilise with organic products - they are gentle, taking a little longer to begin to work, but build healthy soil microbiology for the long term.  So given that we're coming up to the time of year to fertilise just about EVERYTHING in your garden, we've got a VIP special for you that will work wonders in your garden.

Our Certified Organic Blood & Bone is mixed in house by us and contains nothing but good stuff - blood meal, feather meal and rock dust (to supply trace elements). So you're getting a high quality natural 'superfood' for your plants.

This month, VIP's can purchase it at a reduced price - both in store, and online.  (In store customers - please ask for the VIP pricing at the counter & online shoppers - please log into the Member's Section of the website to see the special pricing.)

There are three sizes to choose from, and pricing is:

4kg (normally $28) - VIP special $20.50  (After end Aug - VIP price will be $22)
8kg (normally $45) - VIP special $40  (After end Aug - VIP price will be $41)
15kg (normally $80) - VIP special $70  (After end Aug - VIP price will be $75)

Valid one per customer until COB Saturday August 31st 2024.  We know you'll love our Blood & Bone - if you haven't used it before, now's the time to give it a try.

Retailer Update

Please support your local independent retailer who supports us! The specialist retailers listed here will be happy to give you gardening advice and help you with our products - please call to check what lines they carry as they can't stock all of our products (but may be willing to get stock in for a custom order - if you ask nicely!). Some of these fabulous retailers also offer a home delivery service (marked with *) - so why not go local?  (Please contact the store directly for details.)  Pictured is Guildford Town Garden Centre's recent delivery of bare root trees - go see what they've got!

Bar Botanik - North Perth 9227 6758 (Indoor Potting Mix & Aroid Mix only)
Daisy Field Organics - Fremantle 0450 793 720
Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197
Guildford Town Garden Centre* - Guildford 9279 8645
Harbour Plants*- South Fremantle 0439 967 034
Hydroponics Guru (Living Soil only) - Wangara 0430527575
Kambarang Garden Centre* - Bentley 9458 5944
Lighthouse Fruit Tree Nursery - Parkwood 0411 166 034
Miaflora - Inglewood 9343 6334
Newstead Outdoors* - Greenwood 9334 6334
Nibali Stockfeed* - Hamilton Hill 9433 2211
Richo's 4 Hydro - Joondalup 9301 4462
Stanbee Stockfeeds* - Barragup 9581 2390 
Supreme Plants - West Swan 0499 887 275 
Swan Valley Station - Swan Valley 0427 371 001
Tass1 Trees - Middle Swan 0419 988 344
Urban Revolution* - Victoria Park 6102 1068
Utopia Nursery - Bullsbrook 0455 659 622
Waldecks Kingsley* - 9309 5088
Waldecks Melville* - 6317 0939
Waldecks Stirling* - 9254 6730
Zanthorrea Nursery - Maida Vale 9454 6260

All Things Stock (Muchea) 0480 740 638  
Ardess Nursery (Albany) 9842 9952
Australind Landscaping Supplies 9796 1720
Boyup Brook Co-op (Boyup Brook) 9765 1001
Extracts Landscaping Supplies (Toodyay) 0417 202 718
Great Northern Rural Services (Geraldton) 9964 1274
Handy Hands Nursery (Karratha) 9413 1801
Hillview Garden Centre (Bridgetown) 9761 1672
Margaret River - Nutrient Ag Solutions 9758 7677 (Premium Potting Mix & Compost)
Mitre 10 Margaret River 9757 2455 (Square Foot Mix & Veg Concentrate)
Naturaliste Landscape Supplies (Busselton) 9754 8081
Soils Ain't Soils (Busselton & Dunsborough) 97515 322 

THANK YOU for being part of our Green Life family!  We hope to see you in store soon.  Check out our newsletter next month & stay up to date with our Facebook and Instagram pages for announcements, stock arrivals and general good gardening vibes!