Royal Botanic Gardens expert John Arnott’s ultimate spring pruning, mulching and planting guide
Spring is just around the corner and soon gardens around Melbourne will come back to life. Royal Botanic Gardens’ horticulture manager John Arnott says there’s plenty you can do to make the most of your green space. Here’s his top tips.
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There’s something magical about watching a garden come back to life in spring.
And with Melburnians stuck at home under a Stage 4 lockdown pottering in the garden is more popular than ever before.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victorian horticulture manager John Arnott said there were some important steps gardeners could take now to ensure their green space reached its full potential in Summer.
“Warmer and longer days promote active plant growth making spring the ultimate time to get out in your garden,” he said.
“Now is the perfect time to be fertilising and feeding your garden.”
Here are the rest of John Arnott’s top tips for all gardeners – from novices to green thumbs.
THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE
Pruning during spring promotes vigorous growth and bushy plants. The rule of thumb when it comes to pruning is that you should only do it after your plants have finished flowering. A number of plants flower during Winter, so spring is time to focus on them. Leave your spring bloomers alone until they’ve finished flowering.
WHEN TO TRIM HEDGES
September is the time to start shaping hedges. Regular trimming will promote a dense hedge, so this should be done as often as required. Trimming off the tips will allow sunlight and airflow deep down into the hedge and encourage new lush growth the whole way through.
WHY MULCH IS A SUMMER SAVIOUR
Mulching helps retain moisture levels in the soil, particularly leading into Summer when rainfall becomes sparse. Shredding garden waste will help create mulch and compost and is a real time saver. Not only is it a great way to produce a dense, nutrient rich mulch or topsoil, it’s also an easy and cheap way to dispose of garden waste.
GIVING NEW LIFE TO LAWN
As the weather warms up, mowing should be done weekly. This encourages grass to grow sideways, producing a nice thick and uniform lawn. If the grass is not mowed regularly and allowed to get too long, there will be a lack of sunlight hitting the lower parts of the grass blades, resulting in yellow patches. If it’s been a long, frosty winter, aerating the lawn and removing the thatch will allow rainfall and sunlight deep into the roots, promoting new, lush growth.
WEEDING HACK
Just as garden trees and shrubs put on a flush of growth in spring, the same applies to weeds. Staying on top of weeds can be a challenge. Instead of hand weeding, try a regular tidy with a grass trimmer and brush-cutter. It’s quicker and stops weeds from growing into an even bigger problem.
PLANT AHEAD
Spring is a great time to take advantage of moist soil, increased sunlight, and warmer temperatures. Planting now will ensure healthy active roots and give plants time to settle ahead of the typically drier months. When adding a large number of plants to the garden use an auger to reduce the time and effort involved with creating new holes.
STAY SAFE BY INSPECTING TREES
As the weather gets warmer, tree management involves inspecting and observing changes – especially during dry, hot spells where extra watering may be required.
Tree inspections are an important part of risk management and should be carried out regularly, particularly after strong winds and storms. Invest in a chainsaw to remove any damaged branches and make light work of cleaning up.
Mr Arnott also stressed the importance of using the correct tools for the task.
“It is very important that our team are equipped with industry leading power tools fit for purpose across a diverse team,” he said.
“It is also our mission to safeguard plants for the benefit of people and the planet; environmentally friendly tools align well with that value.
“This is why the team at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria use STIHL tools.”
STIHL Marketing Director, Joanne Katsos said “high quality, ergonomically designed equipment” helped get the job done faster and with ease.
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