The following is a list of vegetables that you can plant in April in Sydney, a temperate zone (just click on the link for the growing guide for each vegetable):

• Amaranth
• Beans – broad beans, fava beans
• Beetroot
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Daikon
• Endive
• Garlic
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leek seedlings
• Lettuce
• Mizuna
• Mustard greens
• Parsley
• Peas
• Radish
• Rocket
• Shallots
• Silverbeet
• Snowpeas
• Spinach
• Turnip

Plant of the Month – The intoxicatingly fragrant Daphne x transatlantica ‘eternal fragrance’

A neighbour is growing this beautiful plant in her rockery. I could smell the wonderful perfume 10 m away and went looking for the source and found this attractive compact bushy Daphne growing in full sun.

In general Daphne can be quite difficult to grow successfully but Daphne ‘eternal fragrance’ has been developed in the UK to be more heat and drought and frost tolerant making it a great border plant for a wider range of climates.

The plant forms a low spreading shrub about 60cm tall and 90cm wide and has a very compact dome shape. The oval-shaped dark green leaves are about 2-3cm long.

As always, this Daphne needs good drainage, so plant in a mound of well draining medium if the soil is clay. It grows well in full sun or a semi shaded situation and will do well with protection from the hot afternoon sun.  Keep mulched in hot conditions and avoid heavy pruning into old wood as it will not regrow.

Daphne ‘eternal fragrance’ is longer flowering than other varieties, flowering from September to March. It  has a very strong perfume that, as I said, can be apparent at quite a distance away.

It can be mass planted as a perfumed border or grows well under the dappled canopy of trees or other low light situations.

Daphne ‘eternal fragrance’ is also suitable to be grown in pots on verandahs using a free draining rather than heavy potting mix. Ask your supplier for a suitable mix for potting.

If you have tried to grow traditional daphne and failed, perhaps its time to seek out this truly beautiful fragrant variety for your rockery or just near a window or doorway to enjoy the heady perfume is gives out. It beauty, hardiness and fragrance make it a real winner for the garden.