Cleaning, sharpening and oiling are all tasks that can be undertaken.

Pruning and trimming can leave residues of sap, gum and dried plant tissue on the blades. Some tools can be taken apart so that cleaning can be more thorough.

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After the cleaning and sharpening has been completed, the blades should be sprayed with, or dipped into disinfectant. This is essential if the gardener wants to avoid spreading disease from one plant to another.

The most recognised time to prune roses is mid to late winter, depending on weather conditions and location. The beginning of July is often regarded as being suitable for rose pruning, unless heavy frosts are

experienced later in the season. A dry season will often result in a wonderful show in spring. However, this will also depend on how much mulch and care have been given to roses over the last season.

If hybrid tea roses are pruned lightly through summer and autumn, particularly when cutting the flowers to enjoy the blooms indoors, they will flower much better. Prune dead flower heads back to three to four buds from the flower. This will encourage a new flush of flowers within six weeks.

Many rose growers like to spray their plants with lime sulphur after they have been pruned, and while they are leafless, in an effort to kill off any scale and other insects that sometimes live in and around the bark of the bushes. Larger stems that have been cut or sawed can also be painted with an acrylic paint in order to prevent diseases entering the cut surfaces.

Fortunately, whatever expertise you have with the pruning of roses, the bushes are very forgiving and will survive even the worst prune. The best way to learn is probably to discuss methods with a more experienced gardener.

Modern breeding has resulted in a wide variety of citrus fruits being available, ranging in size from dwarf forms through to full size trees. Many are most suitable for smaller gardens and backyards, and pot culture.

Some of the more usual varieties of lemons are Lisbon, Eureka, and Meyer.

Lisbon lemons have their heaviest crop in winter and are the best for cooler climates. It is a vigorous grower, with thorns on the stems.

The Eureka lemon is thornless and the fruit has few seeds. However, it is not as hardy in extremes of heat and cold. Because it continues to bear for many months, it is a popular variety for the home garden. Fruit is produced in winter.

Meyer lemons has quite a thin skin with sweeter fruit. This is because it is considered by some to not be a true lemon, rather a cross between a lemon and an orange. It crops for much of the year but the main cropping time is in summer.

A newer variety is the lemonade tree, which is a hybrid lemon, producing very juicy fruit with a mild flavour. Fruits are easily peeled.

Limes are very popular for cooking and juicing, but also make delicious marmalade, especially if combined with ginger.

The Tahitian lime has seedless fruit produced on a nearly thornless tree. While limes prefer subtropical climates, they are generally tolerant of light frosts and colder winters.

The West Indian lime is a seedy fruit with a true lime flavour. It requires warmer temperatures.

Kaffir limes produce leaves and fruits that are essential ingredients in certain Asian dishes. Wheeny grapefruit are one of the two main varieties. Heat is required for the production of good flavoured fruit, which matures in late summer. Fruit can take 12-14 months to mature.

The other main grapefruit variety is the Marsh grapefruit. It is seedless and also produces better flavoured fruit in warmer climates, ripening between August and November.

A newer variety is the Ruby grapefruit, producing fruits with a reddish flesh that is seedless and much sweeter than the Marsh grapefruit. It also makes a very tasty marmalade. Fruits ripen in autumn to early winter.

There are several varieties of mandarin available, including Page, Nova, Fremont and Hickson, while some of the more common varieties are Imperial, Ellendale and Emperor. Page, Fremont and Imperial mandarins all have good flavoured fruits, which ripen in late autumn to early winter. Imperial is perhaps the most frost-tolerant, while Hickson are well suited to coastal areas of high humidity.

Tangelos are a cross between grapefruit and mandarins, producing fruits with a strong orange-coloured skin. The fruits are very juicy, although the trees are not very vigorous.

Areas of a fine sawdust-like material on a tree trunk, with the particles stuck together, will indicate the presence of borers. These are grubs that burrow into the tree's wood, weakening the timber and eventually causing branches to fall off and the tree to die.

Once the sawdust covering has been scraped away a hole, in which the grub will be active, will be evident underneath. A piece of thin wire can be used in an attempt to remove the grub. In addition, an insecticide can be sprayed into the hole, which can then be plugged with putty or a similar material.

Maitland and District Garden Club