Gardening Tips & Tricks
Winter Wonderland
Most people think that as the warm weather stops so too does the gardening. But this is not the case. There is plenty to do as summer has finished and spring is just around the corner. Winter is a great time to inspect your garden and see what jobs really need doing. You might find that some plants struggled throughout summer and are not looking their best and should be pruned or removed. Some plants thrive during summer and just out grow their position so you may need to look at this as well. If you are planning on putting in a new garden, winter is perfect for marking out the design and turning the soil over. The cooler weather makes it much easier to dig the ground so you can add compost and fertiliser to ensure that when spring arrives you will be ready to plant. Vegetables don’t stop growing just because it is winter.
In fact, you can still plant a large variety of vegetables such as broccoli, silver beet and sugar loaf cabbage as these plants do well in the cooler months. Winter is a wonderful time for planting lots of flowers to give colour and brighten up those cooler days. At this time of year there is an abundance of new and favourite varieties so you are sure to find just what you are looking for. You can still find the very popular varieties such as perfumed sweet peas, primulas, snapdragons and salvias as well as a huge selection of pansies and violas.
The giant pansies look fantastic when planted with the smaller violas or bordered by Alyssum. New varieties such as Lobelia ‘Cobalt Splash’, Pansy ‘Antique Surprise’, Snapdragon ‘Razzle Dazzle’ plus many more are available as well. By combining the right colours you can create stunning displays that are high impact such as fiery reds and oranges or cool blues and purples. Weed removal is easier in winter as the ground is soft and there is less flowering weeds to seed and sprout up in your garden. Winter is good for mulching as you will be one step ahead of the warmer weather.
Not only will the mulch save water but will also suppress any weeds that will pop up in spring. As you can see, winter is still a very busy time in the garden so warm up in the garden and enjoy the winter sunshine.
