Late to the party? It’s not too late to get your garden ready for spring
The first whiff of spring is a joyful time for gardeners – unless you left your run a bit late, or didn’t even get started! Here are 10 ways to salvage the situation
Who wants a garden that bursts into vibrant colour and lush growth this spring? “Me, me, me!” I hear you shout. But did you actually prepare for this, or did life get in the way? Never fear, all is not lost. Here are some simple remedies for common areas of neglect, so you, too, can enjoy some of spring’s riches.
1 Spring- owering bulbs
If you’re still sitting on a bag of daffodils, tulips or hyacinths, then for the love of God, get them in the ground. Bulbs aren’t like seeds, which can be left unplanted for years – they need to go through the growing cycle each year. Admittedly, planting this late means you’re unlikely to get good flowering, but feed them up and hopefully they’ll do well next year. To get your fix of spring-bulb flowers this year, splash out at the nursery or florist on a few pots of flowering bulbs.
2 Deciduous plants
Many deciduous shrubs, trees and climbers are usually pruned in winter. These include grapevines, wisteria, hydrangea and some fruit trees (for illustrated advice, refer back to the June issue’s pruning guide). Pruning is important to control rampant growth, promote better yields and improve airflow for reduced incidence of disease. While it’s normally done in the dead of winter, you still have time to prune them. So drop everything and start pruning. That goes for your roses, too (see remedy 3).
3 Unpruned roses
Most established repeat-flowering roses need a winter prune to stimulate new growth and better flowering. And, yes, unless you live in a very cold region, it should have been done by now. So simply pretend you live in a very cold region and do what they do there by pruning later. And by later I mean now! Your first flush of flowers will appear a bit later, too.
4 Vegie-patch failures
If one look at your vegie patch shows you’ve been more successful at growing weeds than cauliflowers, then now is definitely the time to prep yourself for success with the next crop. Yank out the weeds and any weak vegies that have failed to flourish. Apply a generous layer of manure, compost and organic pellets. Finish with a dusting of dolomite, then dig it all in. Water in with liquid seaweed, cover with sugarcane mulch and leave for a couple of weeks to allow the worms and microbes to do their thing. By then, your patch will be ready for planting or sowing warm-season crops. Having done the soil prep work now means your winter failures will soon be but a distant memory.
5 Tired perennials and grasses
So you left the old foliage and flower heads on your grasses, salvias and other herbaceous perennials because you thought it looked architectural and would make nice homes for the wildlife? Surely it was nothing to do with wanting to stay warm and cosy inside beside the heater? Whatever your rationale, it’s time to get snipping. Very soon, those plants are going to start pushing out fresh growth from their bases, and you’ll want them to really shine. Trim the old growth low to the ground and give them a feed, and you’ll soon be rewarded with plenty of vibrant new growth bursting forth.
6 Mossy mess
Cooler winter temperatures, shorter days and extra rain create the perfect conditions for moss and algae growth. Although it might look sweet and rustic, it’s slippery, dangerous stuff on pathways and pavers. And when the hot weather comes, it’ll dry out, leaving dirty marks that are hard to remove. Attack it now with organic herbicides that control moss and algae, or just do some good old-fashioned scrubbing. While you’re at it, check your garden furniture. Once it’s all cleaned up, your garden will be sparkling and ready for spring.
7 Seed stocktake
Yes, somewhere there are smug individuals who checked their seed packets weeks ago, ordered more, and already have their tomato seeds germinating on heat mats. For the rest of us, there’s still time to sort through our stashes of seeds and replenish any that are out of date or simply missing. Growing from seed is a wonderful adventure and offers so much choice. Get onto this now.
8 Depressing lawn
Did you turn your back on your lawn all winter and it’s now an overgrown, weed-infested mess? You wouldn’t be the first person who’s done this, but if you want a lush green lawn this spring, then it’s time to roll up your sleeves. First, mow it and trim the edges. That alone will make it look a million times better.
Next, hand-dig any weeds. I’m not a fan of chemical lawn sprays and, anyway, didn’t you want to incorporate more exercise into your life? Now you’re ready to act as soon as the lawn kicks into growth mode in early spring. At that time you should: test pH and apply lime if it’s too acidic; fertilise with organic pellets (and hold your nose for a few days); and fix bare patches by laying new turf or sowing seed. For simple steps to level a lumpy lawn, see this month’s Planner (page 78).
9 Tool time
If you’ve read this far, then I’m pretty confident you didn’t use winter’s quiet moments to clean and sharpen your tools, organise the garden shed or service the lawnmower. No worries… all those jobs are still waiting for you! Properly cared-for tools make gardening jobs easier and will also help the tools last longer. So yes, you really do need to add those tasks to your list.
10 Forgotten plantings
Winter is the time to plant a range of ornamentals and edibles as bare-rooted plants or dormant crowns – think roses, stone fruit trees, ornamental cherries, rhubarb, asparagus and berry canes. So check online and at garden centres to see what they have left from this winter and get planting. Potted (leafed) versions do appear later in the year, but often the variety is limited – so act now.