Autumn Is Here!
Here we are in March already, and didn’t February go out in style!! I hope your gardens all survived that stretch of very hot weather. This month has started quite mild but March can still be pretty warm so it will pay to keep on top of watering, especially pots.
Still a good time to plant
The soil is still warm enough for a couple of months so plants can establish some root system before the winter chill sets in. Days are generally milder which helps plants settle in and hopefully we’ll get some decent rain so we’ll need to spend less time watering. While I include all plants in this, it rings particularly true for natives, citrus or anything that is from warmer sub-tropical regions, get them in now. New season citrus are due towards the end of March but there are still enough around to get one in and going.
If we do happen to get a bit of rain, or even just showers, that will be enough to see weeds popping up everywhere. Get onto them early before they have a chance to get too big by either spraying, plenty of options available re active ingredients, or by hand weeding. I quite like hand weeding as it gives me a chance to get up close to my plants and get a really good idea of their general health. Mulching, as always will help control weeds too.
Spring flowering bulbs!
Spring Flowering Bulbs are available to plant now and will reward you with a brilliant show of colour, with not much effort, either in the garden or in pots. Daffodils, Hyacinth, Freesia, Ranunculus, Anemone and Tulips are all proven performers. If you buy Tulips, remember to put them in the crisper of your fridge for 4-6 weeks before you plant them, they need a period of chilling to simulate the cold northern hemisphere winter. In the garden, plant your bulbs in large groups or “drifts” to maximize the effect when they flower in spring. Bulbs also look stunning in low pots or bowls. Use a good potting mix and really crowd them in, you can have them touching if you like! This will give you a wonderful display, and being in pots also means that you can move them around the garden or patio to enjoy when and where you want.
A shift towards winter veg & flowers
You will notice a definite shift towards winter veg and flowers on the seedling benches. In flowers we now see pansies, viola, stocks and the like, while the veggie focus moves to cabbage, cauliflower, kale, the onions etc. It’s also time to get stuck into planting seeds. Sweet Pea is the one that springs to mind, I try to have mine in the ground by mid-March, folklore says by St Patricks Day! Good soil preparation is the key for autumn planting, a lot of the winter veg, like cabbages and caulies, are heavy feeders and need lots of compost and animal manure worked into the soil before planting. Don’t forget that all of these plants can be grown successfully in raised garden beds and pots too.
Keep a close eye on any new plantings of brassica; cabbage, cauliflower etc. as they are very prone to infestations of green caterpillars. White cabbage moths lay their eggs under the leaves and the grubs, when they hatch, have large appetites and will strip the leaves in no time. You can control these by removing by hand, spraying with a pesticide or applying tomato and vegetable dust regularly. Snails can also be a problem so think about putting out snail pellets when you plant, preferably the pet friendly one.
Get a little maintenance going
Now that the weather is milder you can look to tidy up plants that may have been scorched over summer. Trim any damaged leaf off now and there is plenty of time for fresh new growth to appear, this goes for hedges too which will benefit from a prune and shape now. A feed with Rapid Raiser or similar fertiliser will be beneficial too, hopefully we get some rain to water it in, if not you will need to do this by hand or with an irrigation system.
If you have not fed your lawn yet this year think about doing that now too. You want lawns to be healthy and strong going into the cooler months to help them hold their colour longer. Still keep the mower a bit higher as a taller, thicker lawn will help to reduce weeds.
Popular now!
We’ve had a large delivery of indoor plants, featured in this month’s catalogue, which are well worth checking out. The Peace Lilies in 250mm pots for $35 are amazing!! That’s the great thing about gardening really, if the weather is terrible outside we can simply bring our garden inside.
Final notes
So, there is a bit happening at this time of the year. Get into your local store now, stock up on all the great new fresh plants and dig in. As always we are here to help with all your gardening questions, don’t hesitate to ask us about anything relating to gardens and gardening, enjoy!
Ask one of our knowledgeable garden staff members for advice if you have any questions regarding anything having to do with your garden, indoors or out. We would be pleased to lead you on the correct path. Call us on 1300 165 165 or visit your local store.