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With the weather turning, it’s easy to see just how quickly deciduous trees start to losetheir leaves.  If you have a street or feature tree that is deciduous (sheds its leavesannually), then you are in for a few weeks of extra yard work as these beautiful brightlycoloured leaves quickly carpet the ground. Unfortunately, some local councils in Perth don’t allow you to bag or box the leaves andplace on verge for green waste collection, however you should check with yourparticular council to see if that is the case.  Leaves are not rubbish and it would begreat if we could get more of these put to composting rather than end up in landfillwith general rubbish. Here are some handy hints:Don’t use a leaf blower unless it’s to generate a neat pile to then place in bag or bin. Simply blowing the leaves off your property into someone else’s is just rude. Blowingthem into the street will clog storm drains and cause flooding when it rains.  Try adding to home composting, if you have.  The smaller the leaf the quicker it willbreak down in compost.  For larger leaves, try using a leaf vacuum that has a cord in itthat mulches the leaves – you can then use on your garden as leaf mulch. For those leaves that fall onto your lawn, as long as there aren’t too many, you cansimply run over them with your lawnmower (without the catcher), this will chop theleaves and lawn finely and break down quickly in the lawn, feeding the soil for nextyear.

Home Owners Monthly Enews

In this issue:

- Autumn leaves- Projects at home- Miniature gardens- Try Espalier

Autumn leaves

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T H E V O I C E

An old chair, old towels/blankets and concrete – is all youneed to make this beautiful decorative furniture for yourgarden!  Whilst it’s not really functional, you can make somestunning pieces to show off to the neighbours! Some old children’s toys can be preserved forever by dippingin concrete – looks great placed in the garden, why not addsome other toy friends as well. After something a little different, fill some rubber gloves withconcrete, place over an object and allow to set.  Peel thegloves away to reveal life-like hands - how great will they lookholding onto a pot – or around a pole! For something different to use as plant pots – Jeans! This ideahas been around for some time but people continue to findnew ways to use old jeans in the garden! Check out thesepics for some inspiration!

With most people spending more time at home, it's important to keep idle hands and mindsbusy, make the most of this and get started on some projects that will enhance yourgarden. With some imagination and some concrete (in bags from your local hardware store),you can create so many different projects; here are just a few to get you started.

Projects to keep you busy at home

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For those of you who are house-bound and looking for things to do, why not create a miniaturegarden! Any old pots will do, even broken ones. Why not try an old wheelbarrow, paella pan, roasting dish,old sink etc., just remember the bigger the pot, the more soil you will need to fill it and obviously youwill need some drainage holes! Consider where you are going to put it, perhaps a sunny spot in the garden or on the corner of yourpaved area.  Just remember your plant choices will determine where it will go. Decide on your theme, it could be a fairy garden, tea party, gnome home, frog pond with mushroomsetc., check out the bottom of your kids toy boxes for a wonderful assortment of odds and ends thatcould become part of your theme. Ideally your garden would have one central piece to determine its theme and then smaller items thatreinforce that theme. Look for naturally found objects, like rocks, pebbles, shells, seed pods, andpine cones to add to your landscape. Plant selection is next, ensure you select plants that have the same needs in relation to sun andwater. Consider cactus, herbs, moss, basically you want small leaf plants. Now its time to plant, fill your container with good quality potting mix and start to layer your itemswith bigger things first (so you can check layout), finish off with smaller items and plants and addfinishing touches like small figurines or toys.  Just remember to allow for your plants to grow – sodon’t overcrowd them!  Secure smaller items by gluing a wooden skewer or similar to the base, thatway they won’t move around when you water. You are only limited by your imagination!

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Go miniature and – and discover a whole new world!

Espalier is a way of training trees, shrubs and vinesagainst a flat surface, like a wall, fence or trellis.  Wehave touched on it in previous newsletters, it’s a greattechnique for adding some beauty to your garden, itspractical (you can use edible plants), and its spacesaving. Most flowering trees look great grown this way anddon’t forget your fruit trees. Check out the labels tomake sure they will grow to sufficient height to coveryour wall or trellis. You can use a pre-made trellis or wire frame or you canrun some wires yourself, just ensure there is enoughspace between what you are going to grow on and anyhard surface. You can use flexible ties or for more pliable branchesyou can simply wind over. It just depends on the lookyou are after.  Be careful not to bend any branches toomuch otherwise they will snap.  Once you have tied up all the branches you want,simply cut off the excess and you are done.  As yourtree continues to grow encourage new growth alongthe wires or trellis, removing any that grow backwardsor out to the front – remember to try and keep theplant quite flat against the surface, for best effect.

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Try Espalier!