Vegetable Gardens
Borders
Lawns
Trees & Shrubs
Bulbs
Pots and Tubs

From the time winter sets in – most of us dream of springtime. A time of re-birth and renewal, when nature emerges from the slumbers of winter. The old saying "Spring is in the air" is quite literal – you can smell the new season, even before its upon us. Spring can be a busy time in the garden, but it is very rewarding with fresh new growth everywhere and many wonderfully colourful flowers as well.
 

• Early spring is a good time to give the soil a good working over with a fork or rotary hoe. This breaks up compacted areas, allows weeds to be dug in where they can rot into useful plant food, and it also helps drainage. Next work in some compost or blood and bone, rake and leave it for a week or so.
• Now its ready for Brassicas – cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli will all germinate well in these colder months ready to take advantage of the lengthening days. Plant them straight into the open ground or in seed boxes if you prefer. September is good for planting root crops like carrots, beetroot, parsnips and onions. Just sow then in shallow rows in well raked, friable soil and firm them down and water in. By October you can plant out some early tomatoes and capsicums, but keep them protected from strong, cold winds.

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Most lawns are not looking their best right now and a few hardy weeds will be staking their claim - so now's a good time to attack - especially bindii which are viscous if left too long. Hand weeding is always best but a Weed and Feed mix will also help the grass to get going at the same time. Top dressing will help revitalise an old, tired and matted lawn. A balanced mix of sand, soil and fertiliser should be raked over evenly – and you can take the opportunity to fill-in some of those dips and hollows while you’re at it. The grass will soon grow strongly to cover it all up again. If you are preparing a new lawn then be prepared to keep it well watered - especially turves that will dry out very quickly as the sun strength increases.

In most cases you will have pruned in autumn - so definitely don’t prune now as the young buds will be on their way by now. The exception is Hibiscus which will have flowered through winter-but will now take a nap until late spring/early summer before flowering again - so cut them back – firmly if you like - and they’ll keep tidy and produce better foliage and flowers as a result.

Spring is best for a fertilising. Natives generally don’t like strong feeds like Dynamic Lifter so stick with a gentler formulation or good old Blood and Bone will always be best. Water the ground well first then sprinkle a few handfuls around the outer root areas (the drip zone) and rake into the surface and finish off with another good watering. Its also good to re-mulch after fertilising – though not too early in the season as the mulch can slow the warming of the soil and retard growth. Blood and Bone has natural slow release characteristics so it will last most plants all year round. Citrus trees will need a special formulation and they may need a feed in late summer as well as spring. Other plants will not worry about Dynamic Lifter (chook poo) or fresh manures, providing that its not too concentrated. Many a zealous gardener has killed their plants with too much kindness (e.g. too much Dynamic Lifter) which can literally burn the roots with its acid.

Watch out for the various "Floriades" at this time of year – bulbs en-masse are one of natures most spectacular visual celebrations.

After the bulbs in your garden have finished their, annual performance its vital to let bulbs die back slowly as they drawn nutrients from the dying leaves to sustain them through until next spring. It also helps to fertilise bulbs at this time with special bulb food.

Spring is best for re-potting tired or pot-bound plants of all kinds. Apart from some natives – most plants like to have their roots pruned a bit while re-potting – it’s a bit like having your toenails clipped – it stimulates growth. Re-pot in a pot or tub just one size larger and settle it back in with a good balanced potting mix all around. Houseplants also like to be left outside for a while in spring – rain is always better than tap water and some sunshine may be very welcome as well. Take care not to over do it though – cold winds or too much sun for shade loving plants can be fatal.