With the shortest day of the year behind us you can bet one thing, spring is on the near horizon! For much of the country however, we do still have the coldest couple of months to get through. If you’ve been planning some big garden projects – paving a deck, pathways or a pond – anything that involves a bit more hard work, then now is the perfect time to get cracking without breaking too much of a sweat.
Things to do
Pruning plants can be done now, however it’s all about the timing. Ideally this should only be done at a time when newer buds won’t be impacted by frost, so if your area is prone to late frosts hold off for a month or so.
If heavy frost sets in you can still prune wisteria (take them back to just above nice fuller buds), crepe myrtles (if you’re keeping them smaller) and grape vines. Sasanqua camellias will benefit from a light haircut if they’ve finished flowering and you can also start pruning roses (we’ll have more details on rose pruning in August).
Try and avoid pruning any spring-flowering plants, spring-flowering fruit trees and deciduous shrubs, aside from removing any dead or damaged branches.
What to plant
Now is the perfect time to plant any deciduous trees, from spring-flowering fruit trees to maple trees. When planting, cut the branches back by around one third with a sharp pair of secateurs.
Did you know that there are three main groups of camellias that we grow in Australia? The ones coming into flower now are the classic Japonicas. With amazing flowers in a dazzling range of forms and colours, they’ll be popping up in nurseries now.
If you are looking for some wonderful, old-fashioned, larger, annual colour, then look out for ‘Russell’ lupins (Lupinus polyphyllus cultivars) as seedlings or advanced potted-colour plants. Lupins have tall, cylindrical flower spikes covered from top to bottom in masses of small blooms. They do have rather sensitive roots so take care to not disturb the root ball when planting.
The Vegie Patch
It’s very much the season of ‘steady as you go’ in the vegie patch right now. If you’re keen on growing, rhubarb crowns are available for planting, and if you’re in the sub-tropics or warmer then yes, it’s tomato time! Other vegetables to plant include:
- Onions
- Peas
- Shallots
- Silverbeet
- English spinach (true spinach)
- Broad beans
- Cabbage
- Winter lettuce varieties.
Flowering now
Although we associate them with spring blossoms, a number of flowering fruit trees – apricot, quince and peach – will come into bloom. In full flower surrounded by a carpet of fallen petals they are truly gorgeous things.
In coastal and other warm areas some of the deciduous magnolias (mostly Magnolia x soulangeana varieties) will show their first blooms. This means they’ll be available to buy in your local nursery too. Deep magenta varieties such as ‘Vulcan’ will add serious wow to your winter garden.
Proteas are often mistaken for Aussie natives, such as banksias and waratahs, and they are in fact from the same family. Proteas hail mainly from South Africa and are reaching their flowing peak now. They’re very robust and reliable, producing masses of flowers once established, however they do need extremely good drainage.
Clivias (Clivia miniata cultivars), another South African native, are just starting to bloom now too. Most often with salmon-coloured flowers, they are available in vibrant oranges, rarer reds, cream and even very collectable green shades and ‘painted’ pastels. They form a low clump with handsome, long, deep green tropical-look foliage and they are a shade lover. That combo of characteristics is their super power – in the depths of winter they bring gorgeous splashes of colour to shady spots in the garden. For something super collectable look out for the varieties with variegated foliage.
Winter is also prime flowering time for many of our natives, especially grevilleas and banksias. Apart from looking fabulous, they give us an abundance of food for birds and other wildlife.
New in the nursery
Bring some welcome colour with these two varieties you’ll currently find in garden centres!
Grevillia ‘Flaming Red’
An abundance of intense red flowers on a neat shaped small to medium shrub. Its lengthy flowering period (autumn, winter and into spring) adds a pop of colour when you need it most. It’s reasonably compact, so is good for pots too. Local wildlife and pollinators will love you for adding this to the yard!
Hellebore ‘Vibey Velvet’
Hellebores (often called the winter rose) feature stunning magenta-red blooms from winter into spring, and they make for great cut flowers as well. Their marbled foliage provides extra visual texture in shady spots. All this on a compact plant that only reaches about 50cm tall and wide. For info visit pma.com.au
For more gardening advice watch Adam on Youtube
The best gardening gloves to buy this winter
Protect your hands against the elements with these cosy gardening essentials!
01
Heart Melting Pink Gardening Gloves
$89 at Garden Glory
Best for: Glamorous gardeners
Available in colours like gold, silver and pink, these oh-so-pretty gloves will have you pruning those roses in style.
Sizes: Small, medium and large.
Colours: Heart melting pink, Silverbullet, Gold Digger, Sparkling Black.
02
Country Style Gardening Gloves
$63.50 at Hard to Find
Best for: Functional style
Built for function as well as panache, these gloves feature mesh between the fingers to enable your hands to move freely. The hard-wearing fabric will remain soft even when wet!
Sizes: One size fits all (equivalent to a ladies s/m).
03
Tough Built in Claws Garden Guru Gloves
$19.95 from Myer
Best for: Multi-purpose gardening
These Wolverine-style gloves will make gardening a breeze, with tough built-in claws that enable you to scratch and dig without needing a rake or trowl.
Sizes: One size fits all.
