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Find the right secateurs for your winter pruning!

Winter is the best time of year to give your garden a heavy prune, and there is nothing worse than having a pair of blunt or broken secateurs when you’re trying to get the job done! At ASQ Garden & Landscape, we stock a number of different types of secateurs. From every gardener’s dream brand Felco, to more budget-friendly options, we’re sure to have a pair to meet your needs!

Come along to our pruning demonstration on Saturday 8 July and let our friendly and qualified staff help you pick the right pair of secateurs! Click here for more information

Flowers - a forgotten harvest

We often think of flowers as beautiful things to rest our eyes on in the garden, but flowers have been used for pollination, medicines and to repel and attract insects for hundreds of years.

Now, we are seeing many well-known restaurants serve dishes adorned with flowers which not only look, but also taste delicious! If you’re looking to add flowers to your cooking this winter, make sure you pick up some of our favourites including:
- Calendula
- Roses
- Cornflowers
- Fuchsias
- Lavender
- Salvia
- Violets
- Geraniums
- Nasturtiums
- Citrus flowers 
- Borage blossoms

Lavender ice cream recipe
Ingredients:
8 washed and dried stems of English lavender 
600 mL thickened cream
Rind of 1 small lemon
160g sugar
4 egg yolks

Method:
1. In a saucepan, put washed and dried stems of English lavender with the thick cream and lemon rind 
2. Heat until almost boiling, then stir in the sugar until dissolved
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and set aside
4. Strain the lavender through a fine sieve and slowly pour into the bowl of egg yolks
5. Return the lavender and egg yolks to the pan and stir over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
6. Freeze until frozen around the edge, but not in the centre
7. Beat mixture until smooth in a food processor or bowl
8. Freeze again and repeat this process twice more
9. Cover with greaseproof paper and freeze
Recipe serves 6-8

New season fruit trees

 We all agree that eating fruit you’ve grown yourself, tastes better and is healthier for you. Deciduous fruit trees can be planted out from a pot at virtually any time of the year, but the best time is now in winter, when the plant is dormant. 

Once the hole is dug with the correct dimensions, hammer in a stake to hold the tree. Position the tree and tie it loosely to the stake, then begin backfilling around the roots with a mixture of Grow Better Enriched Organic Planting Mix, cow manure and gypsum. Water in well, adding a generous dose of Plant Starter or Seasol to give the plant the best start.

Many fruit trees and vines are available for planting now. These include apples, apricots, cherries, figs, grapes, hazelnuts, mulberries, pears, peaches, nectarines, persimmons, quinces, plums, pomegranates, berries and nuts.

Warm up at ASQ Skydancers!

With a variety of delicious breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and kid’s meals, our new menu will have you wondering what to order next!

The highlight of the new menu is the addition of our hot spiced Harcourt Apple Cider, the perfect cure for a cold winter’s day. With the option for non-alcoholic or the addition of butterscotch schnapps, this unique recipe really is something the whole family can enjoy. A new range of hot chocolates is sure to delight the sweet-tooth of the family with dark, white and peppermint flavours now on the menu as well as our new turmeric latte which is a delicious caffeine-free, anti-inflammatory, immune boosting super drink which tastes great, too!

ASQ Skydancers really is the perfect place to sit back, relax and take some time out this winter, all whilst enjoying the beautiful surrounds.

View our new menu here!

Keep your fire burning

Now that winter has well and truly set in, we don’t want you running out of firewood!
If you need to keep the home fires burning, or you’re soaking up the atmosphere around your backyard fire pit, then grab some of our redgum firewood!

Bulk redgum $148.95 per m3 
available at Castlemaine, Eaglehawk and Maryborough

Bagged firewood $9.95
available at Castlemaine and Harcourt

Tea Camellia 

The Tea Camellia is a spectacular evergreen which can be kept in a pot or used for hedging. The fragrant white flowers open up to display a yellow centre and are complimented by the beautiful, glossy leaves, which can be used to make Chinese tea! Native to Asia, Tea Camellias are grown across the globe in tropical and subtropical regions. Although these beautiful plants prefer to grow in moist conditions, they are easy to grow in Victoria with the right love and care. Position your Tea Camellia away from wind and the harsh sun and keep it in slightly acidic soil.

To brew your own Chinese tea using the leaves from your Tea Camellia, pick two leaves and a bud then roll them to break down the structure. Allow the leaves to dry for 6 to 12 hours, then place them on a tray in the oven at 200 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Shred the leaves then store them in a container ready for your next pot of tea!

Get pruning this winter!

Winter is the best time to prune, as most plants are either dormant, or towards the end of their flowering season.

Plants are pruned to improve their shape, maintain good health and to encourage flowering along with new, bushy growth. When pruning, it’s important to keep in mind that in order to produce good and consistent crops, trees need to produce new wood. Another reason for pruning is to let ample light and airflow into the centre of the plant.

A few basic tips to remember are:
1. Be sure to use a sharp, clean pair of secateurs and cut on a 45 degree angle, away from the bud
2. Remove any deadwood and growth that is shooting straight up or back in towards the middle of the plant
3. Then cut last season’s growth back evenly by about a third to an outward facing bud

After pruning, water well with a generous amount of Grow Better Plant Starter to enhance the health of your plants.

For some, the prospect of pruning can be a little daunting, but you will do your trees more good than harm by pruning them. And for the home gardener the best way to learn how to prune is to just give it a go!

Richgro Lime Sulfur

Start your spring cleaning early with Richgro Lime Sulfur!

A particularly humid autumn has left your plants vulnerable to pests and fungal diseases. Lime Sulfur is a mixture of calcium polysulfides, making it one of the most effective pest control products on the market. Before spraying plants, clean up any fallen leaves and spray the Richgro Lime Sulfur according to the directions listed on the back of the bottle!

English Box

With its dark green leaves, English Box remains a very popular ornamental plant for gardeners.

Valued for its tolerance to being pruned within an inch of its life, its evergreen nature has a great acceptance for topiary and hedging. At this time of year, English Box can be planted bare rooted. It’s also a great time to give established English Box a good feed of Grow Better Blood & Bone and lime to keep them green!

June Special Offer: Bare rooted English Box $4.95 each (was $12.95)

Bush roses 

Winter is a great time of year to buy and plant bush roses! There are many varieties to choose from including Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, David Austin’s and Delbard’s. Bush roses require at least six hours of sunlight per day, so find a suitable position where they can soak up the sun before planting!

June Special Offer: Bare rooted Bush Roses $9.95 each (was $19.95)