Spring gardening secrets revealed

There’s no better time of the year to get out in the garden than spring — it’s warming up and the garden is coming back to life. Here’s everything you need to know before you get to work.

Theo's Nursery owner Bruce Whitfield. Picture: Dominika Lis

THERE’S no better time of the year to get out in the garden than spring — it’s just starting to warm up and the garden is coming back to life.

Bruce Whitfield from Theo’s Garden Centre at Kallangur says there’s plenty to be done to make the most of the ideal conditions, and to summer-proof your garden.

“It’s time to fertilise and replenish the soil. Get some fresh mulch onto the garden so when the heat of summer comes you’re protecting your soil and retaining moisture as well,” Bruce says. This means adding compost and organic fertiliser to garden beds.

“We’re heading into the growing months, so plants need food. They’re much like us, they need food and water,” he says.

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If you like nothing better than to give your trees and shrubs a haircut, you should do it in late August after the last cold blast of winter.

“If you do it too early, new shoots come out and if there’s a frost, it sets them back,” Bruce explains. Spring is the perfect time of year to plant flowering annuals and fruit trees, and potted roses are also popular.

“Everything grows. It’s a good time to get any deciduous fruit trees in the ground — peaches, nectarines and persimmons,” he says.

If you’re keen to grow fruit and vegetables, now’s the time to plant lettuce, parsley, celery and tomatoes. If you’re planting seeds, try beans, watermelons and crops that like the heat. Pests also flourish this time of year, particularly if it hasn’t been a cold winter.

“In a normal season, the cold weather will have cleared a few of the bugs out. If we don’t get cold weather, there will be an infestation of them,” Bruce says. He warns to look out for grasshoppers, which will appear all of a sudden.

“If you’re vigilant, you can save your plants from the worst by picking them off,” he says.

Vegetables can be susceptible to grubs and cabbage moths, while mealybugs and scale can cause problems for indoor plants.

Bruce recommends vegetable-based botanical oil for use on indoor plants.

So, what can we do now to summer-proof our gardens?

“Apply a wetting agent to the soil before re-mulching to assist summer rains to soak in to the soil,” Bruce says. “It’s a good time to put organic fertiliser on — as plants start to reshoot in summer, they love it.”

If your lawn needs some TLC, you can aerate sections that are dry and worn down, using a garden fork. Then apply fertiliser and water. Adding a wetting agent will retain moisture.