Longer days, blue skies and soft breezes – spring is here.
Now is the time to grab your gardening gloves and get outside.
Before you start digging and planting, take some time to plan.
Just like with any renovation project, it is important to do your research and set a budget.
GARDEN THEMES
Choose a theme that suits your style of home – and one that you love. A garden should be a place to enjoy, a place that doesn’t create unnecessary work and a place that encourages the family to spend time outside. Here are a few of our favourite landscape styles:
- Tropical: This is a popular option for coastal living. Think big, bold plants such as palms, pandanus and hibiscus. Use bright colours and include some sort of water feature.
- Cottage: This theme conjures up themes of quaint English gardens filled with colour. Plant a wide variety of flowering plants including roses and Blue Lace flowers. Fragrant plants such as lilacs are also a perfect match for a cottage garden.
- Formal: A clean, minimalist design suits modern homes the best. Incorporate groomed hedges, pavers and topiary plants. These gardens also usually have large patches of groomed grass. Keep in mind that these types of gardens require a lot of upkeep.
FRESH FOOD
Flowers aren’t the only way to bring colour to your garden.
With a strong focus on the environment, and reducing water consumption, edible landscaping is growing in popularity.
Weave vegetables and fruits with a range of perennials and trees.
SPRING TO DO LIST
- Clean out the garden
- Plant flowers and vegetables for summer
- Fertilise and mulch
- Protect rose leaves with a fungicide.
HOW TO GET YOUR GARDEN GROWING
Leading Sydney horticulturist and garden designer Lyndall Keating shares her tips on how to get your garden growing in spring.
- Plant seeds for flowers and veggies and herbs for summer. If you are thinking about adding any new plants to the garden, this is the time to start.
- Fertilise all plants and lawns as growth resumes. Mulch garden beds in conjunction with fertilising. This will help retain moisture and suppress weeds come summer.
- Watch for pests and disease on new growth such as aphids and snails. Aphids can be squashed or treated. Snails and slugs can be trapped or deterred.
- Repot potted plants that are root bound. Don’t forget to treat your indoor plants as well.
- Watch for weeds. If you have used a good layering of mulch then weeds should not be an issue. If weeds do pop up, then remove by hand or use a spray.
For more from Lyndall, visit gardensociety.com.au
