Gardening and DIY have risen to new popularity heights with Aussies confined to their homes
Nurseries and hardware stores are rivalling supermarkets in popularity amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Here is what you need to know before stepping into a garden or pottering with plants.
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There is a buzz in the air throughout the nation’s leafy suburbs. A hum as hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and lawnmowers whirr into action.
With everyone confined to their homes, interest in gardens and outdoor spaces has never been greater.
Hardware stores and nurseries are now as busy as supermarkets, with experienced and new gardeners and home improvers swarming the shelves for everything from vegetable seeds to paint stripper.
Research by hardware and nursery giant Bunnings found two in five Australians are planning on maximising their gardens in the coming months.
“We’ve seen an increase in popularity across all plant types over the past month,” Alex Newman, a Bunnings national greenlife buyer, said.
“Seedlings and seeds have been high in demand and we are working with our suppliers to increase supply and replenish our stocks, as soon as they become available.”
Everyone has time on their hands, Andrew Winter from Foxtel’s Selling Houses Australia said, adding the lockdown was a great opportunity to make improvements.
“Get into the garden, tidy the driveway, gurney paths, clean fly screens – all those awful, tedious jobs that can transform a house,” Winter said.
These jobs will keep you busy and, with many people feeling anxiety or stress due to the enormous changes they have had to adjust to in recent weeks, they can also be therapeutic.
“Something as physical or tactile as gardening can be so rewarding,” Nicola Cameron, director of landscape gardening business Pepo Botanic Design, said.
She has been using this period of isolation to help people with their gardening via social media.
“Indoor plants are a great way to make you feel connected to nature. They are known to reduce anxiety and create a feeling of wellbeing – we actually stress less with plants around us,” Ms Cameron said.
Often people think they cannot grow anything or have a “brown thumb” but even an outdoor tidy up can make you feel better.
“Collect all the old plastic or broken pots and remove any dead plants. This in itself can be an achievement,” she said.
“Once you have had a good tidy up you may see some built elements of the garden also need some work.”
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If you need a professional for bigger jobs, take some photos and measurements so you can get someone to quote remotely, she said.
Good soil is crucial for healthy gardens. Adding organic matter such as cow manure and compost will do the trick and watering in liquid seaweed fertiliser regularly will stimulate root growth.
“Autumn is a great time of year to plant as the soil is still warm and the plants are able to become established before it gets too cold,” Ms Cameron said.
