Horticulture HQ

Horticulture HQ Qualified horticulturalist, Landscaping Victoria & Irrigation Australia member. Commercial Operating licence at Agriculture Victoria.

Premium Hedge Trimming
Irrigation Installation
Regular Garden Maintenance
Garden Advice
Commercial/Residential/BodyCorp Providing Quality Garden Care
Mowing, Trimming, Pruning, Hedge Cutting, Weeding, Removing Tree Branches
Garden Clean-ups, Slashing Long Grass, Mulching Garden Beds.

25/08/2026

It’s the final week of winter, with spring just around the corner next Tuesday.

Now is the perfect time to start planning a spring garden clean-up. If your garden needs a hand getting ready for the new season, Horticulture HQ can help.

Right plant, right place Last week we removed 15 mature Westringia fruticosa shrubs that had become thin and woody with ...
25/08/2026

Right plant, right place

Last week we removed 15 mature Westringia fruticosa shrubs that had become thin and woody with age. Toward the upper end of the garden, they were also beginning to encroach over the public footpath.

They were replaced with 23 Acmena smithii ‘Forest Flame’ - a compact Lilly Pilly selected specifically for this narrow position between the retaining wall and the footpath.

Growing approximately 1–2 metres high and 60 cms to 1 metre wide, ‘Forest Flame’ will form an evergreen screen without constantly needing to be heavily cut back from the footpath. Its bright red new growth will also provide colour as the new hedge establishes. The Forest Flame is an Aussie native and the birds love the cream flowers that pop out in Spring.

Choosing plants according to their mature size is an important part of good horticultural planning. The right plant for the available space means healthier plants, less corrective pruning and a better long-term result.

Today a large driveway hedge prune completed at a strata property.The long Viburnum hedge was reduced in height and widt...
25/08/2026

Today a large driveway hedge prune completed at a strata property.

The long Viburnum hedge was reduced in height and width and brought back into a more consistent line, with the mature bay tree in the middle also reshaped to integrate with the hedge.

A heavier reduction can leave some older framework visible immediately after pruning, but with spring growth approaching, the Viburnum will produce fresh foliage and gradually thicken again.

A big day of pruning and an even bigger clean-up but a much neater and more manageable result.

🌳 Fifteen ornamental pear trees pruned todayOrnamental Pears have gained in popularity, particularly over the last 15 ye...
21/08/2026

🌳 Fifteen ornamental pear trees pruned today

Ornamental Pears have gained in popularity, particularly over the last 15 years. They are commonly used for hedging and screening and are also frequently pleached. Capital Pears are used for tighter spaces in gardens, similar to the trees we pruned today.

Ornamental Pears grow quickly, so many homeowners in the past have been caught with trees that have started heading for the clouds very quickly. Most Ornamental Pears grow to a maximum of between 8 and 15 metres tall so keeping an eye on them is a good idea. Most Ornamental Pears drop their leaves late in Winter, one of the last deciduous trees to let their leaves go.

Late winter is a useful time to assess deciduous trees because, without their leaves, the branch framework is clearly visible. This makes it easier to identify long upright extension growth, crowded branches and areas requiring correction before spring growth begins. We recommend pruning them once a year and pruning in August is ideal.

Ornamental pears can respond vigorously after pruning, so the cuts need to be made with their future growth habit in mind—not simply their appearance on the day.

A big day’s work completed, and the entire row is now ready for spring.

By the way, Ornamental Pears do not produce edible fruit, we have been asked this before in gardens, so this is just to clear that up.

🌿 Plant Focus Thursday – Stromanthe ‘Triostar’This week’s focus is on the Stromanthe ‘Triostar’, also commonly sold as S...
20/08/2026

🌿 Plant Focus Thursday – Stromanthe ‘Triostar’

This week’s focus is on the Stromanthe ‘Triostar’, also commonly sold as Stromanthe sanguinea ‘Tricolour’.

With many people now working part of their week from home, an indoor plant in the home work space is a great idea. Have a look at the Stromanthe sanguinea ‘Tricolour’. It is grown for its striking foliage and each leaf carries its own pattern of deep green, cream and pink, with rich burgundy colouring underneath.

The leaves change position in response to light, often lifting in the evening and revealing more of their colourful undersides.

For best results indoors, provide:

• Bright, filtered light without harsh direct sun
• Warm conditions away from cold draughts
• A free-draining, organic-rich potting mix
• Consistent moisture without leaving the roots waterlogged
• Good humidity to help prevent dry, brown leaf edges

It can be a little fussy about its growing conditions, but when it is happy, Stromanthe ‘Triostar’ makes an outstanding indoor feature plant or greenery for the home office..

💧 Spring irrigation check: don’t forget the batteriesWith spring approaching, now is an excellent time to inspect any ba...
18/08/2026

💧 Spring irrigation check: don’t forget the batteries

With spring approaching, now is an excellent time to inspect any battery-operated tap timers or valve-box irrigation controllers around the garden.

The unit pictured is a Hunter NODE—a battery-operated controller attached to an irrigation valve. Controllers like this are often hidden inside valve boxes and can remain out of sight throughout winter.

A weak or exhausted battery can prevent the valve from opening, even when the pipework, sprinklers and irrigation programming are otherwise functioning correctly. The problem may not become obvious until warmer weather arrives and plants begin requiring regular watering.

A pre-spring irrigation check should include:

• Waking the controller and checking its battery indicator
• Replacing batteries that are low or of uncertain age
• Confirming the date, time, watering days and run times
• Manually operating the zone to ensure the valve opens correctly
• Inspecting the solenoid, wiring and valve box for damage or leaks
• Ensuring the battery compartment is clean, dry and properly sealed

Battery life depends on the controller, watering frequency and number of valve operations, so it should be checked rather than assumed.

A few minutes spent testing the system now can prevent stressed plants, dry lawns and emergency irrigation repairs during the first warm period of spring.

Horticulture HQ
Professional irrigation inspections, installation and seasonal system management.

🐌 What a horticulturalist sees: Liriope that appeared to be dyingDuring a recent maintenance visit, I noticed that sever...
18/08/2026

🐌 What a horticulturalist sees: Liriope that appeared to be dying

During a recent maintenance visit, I noticed that several Liriope plants at the front of the property were looking severely damaged. Their normally green, strap-like leaves had been shredded, stripped and left brown in places.

Because this garden had previously experienced snail and slug damage on its New Zealand Rock Lilies, I didn’t immediately assume the Liriope were suffering from disease, poor soil or a nutritional problem. Instead, I parted the dense foliage and inspected deep inside the crowns.

That revealed the real cause—large numbers of snails sheltering among the leaves.

Melbourne’s recent wet conditions have created an ideal environment for snails and slugs. They shelter in cool, damp areas during the day and emerge to feed on fresh foliage, often remaining hidden deep inside dense plants such as Liriope.

The next step will be to remove the visible snails and undertake a targeted treatment using Searles Snail & Slug Pellets, applied in accordance with the product label. The plants will then be monitored for further activity and healthy new growth.

The important lesson is that a plant that looks as though it is dying may actually be responding to pest damage. Correct identification should always come before treatment.

Horticulture HQ
Qualified horticultural care based on observation, diagnosis and appropriate seasonal treatment.

🍑 Late-winter care for four apricot trees today.Pruning an apricot tree involves much more than simply shortening its br...
18/08/2026

🍑 Late-winter care for four apricot trees today.

Pruning an apricot tree involves much more than simply shortening its branches. Apricots produce fruit on selected one-year-old shoots and on fruiting spurs carried along older wood. The close-up photographs show some of these short, knobbly fruiting spurs, with their developing flower buds clearly visible.

When pruning, it is important to retain enough productive wood for the coming crop while also renewing selected branches, controlling the tree’s height, improving airflow and maintaining a strong, balanced framework. Removing the wrong wood can substantially reduce future fruit production.

Following pruning, the trees were fertilised with organic pellets and treated with Yates Copper Fungicide. The buds were swelling but had not yet opened, making this an appropriate preventive treatment window for diseases such as shot hole, freckle and bacterial gummosis.

Today’s fine, sunny weather was ideal for the work, providing dry pruning conditions and allowing the copper treatment to settle and dry thoroughly on the trees.

Good fruit-tree pruning is about understanding what each piece of wood is doing—and knowing what to remove and, equally importantly, what to leave.

Horticulture HQ
Qualified horticultural care for productive and healthy gardens.

Here is a small planting we completed for a Strata Manager back in September 2024.Narrow garden beds beside driveways ca...
16/08/2026

Here is a small planting we completed for a Strata Manager back in September 2024.

Narrow garden beds beside driveways can quickly become a maintenance problem if the wrong plants are selected.

We planted this row of Lomandra confertifolia ‘Little Con’ two years ago, and they have been brilliant. They’ve established beautifully, remained compact and stayed within the garden bed—without needing to be continually pruned back from the driveway.

A tough, attractive and low-maintenance Australian native that works particularly well where space is limited.

Choosing the right plant for the right location can prevent years of unnecessary maintenance.

A post for everyone with a lemon or lime tree.The Secret Lives of Citrus Gall Wasps (and Why Your Lemon and Lime Trees D...
15/08/2026

A post for everyone with a lemon or lime tree.

The Secret Lives of Citrus Gall Wasps (and Why Your Lemon and Lime Trees Don't Need an Energy Drink Right Now) 🍋🐛
Melbourne spring is just around the corner, and while we are all getting excited for warmer weather and blooming gardens, there is a tiny, four-winged villain that will shortly be getting dressed and crawling out from its 10-month feeding holiday in the stems of your local citrus trees just waiting to ruin your citrus dreams: The Citrus Gall Wasp.
Now, picture this from the wasp's perspective: it emerges from an existing woody gall on your tree in late October (Spring in Melbourne), dusts off its tiny boots, and looks around for the ultimate luxury real estate—soft, tender, fresh new shoots to inject its eggs into. And how do we accidentally roll out the red carpet for them? Start the fertiliser up in late winter and Spring.
If you go dumping a rich fertiliser feast, particularly one high in nitrogen onto your lemon tree in the next 12 weeks, you are essentially telling the local wasp population, "Hey everyone, come on over! We’ve grown a fresh, all-you-can-eat buffet of soft, sappy growth just for your babies!" Next thing you know, your poor tree is sprouting lumpy, swollen galls, trapping you in an endless loop of citrus heartbreak.
The Golden Rule for the next 12 weeks: Put the fertiliser away. Let your citrus trees coast through the end of Winter and Spring without a massive growth spurt. By denying the wasps that tender new growth, you're breaking the breeding cycle and keeping your lemons smooth, happy, and productive.
Save the heavy feeding for the end of the year and into early next year when the wasp threat has passed. Your lemons (and your sanity) will thank you! 🌿✨

For further info - here is a great link that Agriculture Victoria have on their website: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-insects-and-mites/priority-pest-insects-and-mites/citrus-gall-wasp

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3130

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