The birds are louder, the weather’s warmer and all over Australia wildflowers are bursting out in blooms yellows, purples, oranges and reds. It must be Springtime!
With the warmer weather rolling in, now is the perfect time to get weeding, fertilising and feeding your garden… plus planting of course! There’s so many varieties of perfumed and pretty flowering plants which are ideal to plant right now, adding a new vibrancy and beauty to your garden. In this blog we share some essential things to do in the garden this Springtime to make your garden look spectacular.
1. Tidy Up
Before you go on a Spring planting binge, get your maintenance jobs done, such as the items below. Then you can stand back with a clean, fresh slate and plan what you want to add to your garden.
Garden Clean-Up Checklist:
- remove weeds
- clear leaves and debris
- repair cracked or broken pavers and garden ornaments
- clean up unsightly algae or mould growth
- clear and trim back overgrown areas
- repair raised garden beds and fences
- save seeds from your winter gardening
- re-pot plants that have outgrown their pots
- organise your garden shed
- prepare your soil for planting
2. Get Planting!
Spring is the perfect time to brighten up your straggly garden with some new plants. Whether it’s vibrant heliconia, a cheeky lipstick palm or some lush tropical plants and trees to give your garden foliage more density, it’s the ideal time to get creative and add colour and interest to your garden.
A great way to create a greener garden or make a cooling shade for your patio is with a vertical garden. There’s so many plant varieties you can explore and experiment with!
Check out our Spring Specials on sale now for all your planting needs.
3. Pruning
Pruning is one of the most satisfying jobs in the garden! Trimming away branches and leaves removes stored energy and encourages new growth. Pruning early in Spring also helps stimulate blooming plants for a healthy Summer season ahead.
The pruning process will breathe new life into any overgrown trees and shrubs that haven’t been blooming well. Research your plant variety and pruning methods before you get started.
Tip: Make sure you clean and remove any dead, diseased, bug-damaged, or broken branches from your plants as soon as possible after damage occurs so that damage does not spread to the rest of the plant.
4. Weed Your Garden
Now is the time to get on top of the weeds before they get on top of you. Block out some decent chunks of time and dig out your knee pad for kneeling and getting to the back of garden beds. If your weeds are truly thriving (ouch..) selective weed killer sprays maybe necessary to get the job done.
While you're digging up and destroying weeds, look for places where the soil has become compacted or malnourished and loosen up the soil and add new compost, nutrients and soil matter materials to bring it back to life.
5. Protect with Mulch
Mulch helps keep weeds at bay and shades the soil from the hot sun, which is quite important in hot climate areas, like Queensland. Mulching also helps reduce the amount of watering necessary, making it an important job for areas that don’t get much rain.
6. Fertilise, Fertilise, and Feed!
Everything from your lawn to your shrubs, small plants and trees will benefit from some fertilising TLC right now. Go for it!
Organic fertilisers like chicken pooh will smell for a day or so, but are full of goodies for the soil. Liquid fertilisers are excellent for accelerating rapid growth on vegetable and flower seedlings too. Just be sure to water in well or time with some predicted rain.
Try some Seasol for general plants and top up your mulch to seal the deal and your garden will be in great shape for Summer.
TIP: Always apply fertilisers to moist soil and water in well afterwards.
7. Trim Hedges
Spring is the best time to re-shape and help bring your hedges back to life and there’s plenty of excellent hedge trimming tools or garden care professionals who can help with the task. Frequent trimming helps create a nice thick hedge, so this should be done as often as required to maintain that lush and neat appearance. Maybe wild and woolly hedging is more your thing and that’s fine too!
TIP: Trimming off the tips of growth allows sunlight and airflow right into the hedge and encourages fresh growth the whole way through it.
8. Pest Control
With Springtime gardens coming to life, so too do the pests! Pests in the garden such as Weevils, aphids, moniliasis, scabies, powdery mildew and others run rampant in the warmer months. It’s important to get on top of them early before they get on top of your precious plants!
Investigate your garden for signs of pest bugs and diseases and research the appropriate spray and/or removal treatments. Sometimes just removing the troublesome leaf or branch is sufficient. Early and repeat pest control treatment in the garden is necessary during Spring and Summer for a healthy, flourishing garden.
TIP: Explore natural remedies and products that are harmless to insect pollinators and ‘useful bugs’ and animals that are available.
With the Springtime bird song, and flourishes of colour and fragrance popping everywhere, there’s no better atmosphere to get back outside to tidy up and revive your garden after a long, cold winter. Enjoy pottering!
Check out our Spring Specials on sale now for all your planting needs.