Winter Gardening to Prepare for Spring

by **Nanneerose** Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:43 pm

Prepare your garden for the warmer months.With spring just around the corner, the short winter days are the best time to prepare the garden for summer – preparation now will give many months of colour and enjoyment. Turn the soil after winter rain and add plenty of compost, manures and fertiliser.
Prune roses, hibiscus and other summer flowering trees and shrubs, and trim hedges. Be sure to leave spring blossoms until after they have flowered later in Spring.Divide borders of flowering perennials, mondo grass, liriopes, agapanthus, and ornamental grasses that have become over crowded.Thin out creepers that have become overgrown.Be careful not to disturb spring bulbs which are breaking through the soil. Keep up the water and feed them well with soluble fertiliser.
Fill empty places in the garden with winter flowering kangaroo paws, hide the fence and bring back the birds with bright scarlet bottle-brushes or pink grevilleas, keep out the weeds with ground covering native blue brachyscome daisies.If you missed out in autumn it is not too late to buy more advanced pots of cheerful pansies, dainty pink primula, brightly coloured kalanchoes, or pastel coloured snapdragons to add instant colour.
Repot tired containers on the verandah or in the courtyard with fresh soil and multi plant them with easy care succulents, rosettes of soft grey, pink or burgundy echevera combine wonderfully with bright green jelly bean sedums, taller growing kalanchoes, strap leaved aloes and Chinese jades.
Cheer up your lawn. Aerate the grass with the garden fork, or if the area is large, hire a spiked roller before fertilising it for new spring growth. Oversow any worn patches with selected grass seed that will match the lawn grass that you have, or patch with rolls of turf. It is only a few weeks until your lawn will start to grow again.Check out the garden centres for spring flowering blossoms, fruit trees, magnolias, apples, pears, cherries, orange and lemon trees.
Trees planted now will have time to establish new roots before bursting into new growth later in spring.Sweep up winter leaves and put them in the compost.Clean away the winter moss from paths and pavers with moss killer or copper spray and get ready for summer sun.
Trim existing marjoram, thyme, mint and other perennial herbs, and replant, parsley, basil and coriander. Make sure that your herb garden is ready for spring BBQ’s and summer entertaining. Try scattering a packet of bright blue flowered borage in the garden. It will pop up everywhere, as the perfect additional ingredient in a glass Pimm’s cup and other cooling summer drinks just in time for Christmas.Plant out early tomatoes, beans, silver beet, and lettuce. Rug up well and enjoy the busy winter days.
- See more at: http://flowerpower.com.au/information/fact-sheets/winter-gardening-to-prepare-for-spring/#sthash.23JVSfyJ.dpuf

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