Gardening
Gardening Tips for Every Season
Having a home garden is a wonderful way to brighten up your house whether you have a flourishing backyard garden or a lively indoor garden. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is not only a sustainable method of growing food but offers a rewarding feeling when you get to taste the fruits of your labour (pun intended!). But how do you ensure that all your spring garden work doesn’t go to waste when winter comes? We’ve compiled the best gardening tips for every season to help you grow your favourite flowers, plants and food year-round.
All Year Round Plants and Gardening Tips
One of the best ways to manage your garden year-round is to choose the right year-round plants for the region you live in. By choosing plants that are appropriate for the climate you’re in, you can set up your garden for success throughout all the seasons. For example, if you live in a humid or tropical area, aubergine, summer squash and capsicums are all fabulous vegetables that will tolerate the hot and wet conditions. In contrast, if you live in a mild and dry climate, leafy vegetables like kale and lettuce will do well in the cooler seasons. The term perennial plant is used to describe plants that will live more than two years, which means that while they will become dormant during the cold seasons, they will rebloom and regrow during the warm seasons. Choosing perennial plants for your garden will enable you to continue to nurture your garden year after year regardless of the climate you live in.
Year-Round Gardening Tip: Choose perennial plants for your garden so they will lay dormant in the winter and rebloom in the spring and summer year after year.
Spring Garden Tips (March to May)
“April showers bring May flowers” is an age-old adage that we’ve heard since childhood, but in order to make it come true, you must put in a little effort to make your spring garden come to life. Choose perennial flowers like daisies, lavender and certain types of lilies. Popular perennial fruits and vegetables include berries, kale, rhubarb, lettuce and asparagus. Regardless of how mild or harsh your winter is, the key to a flourishing spring garden is proper maintenance and care. You’ll want to revitalize your soil, get rid of weeds and generally tidy up your garden, prune old plants and plant new bulbs. In addition to using fertilizers and compost, you may also want to try adding mulch to your garden to help prevent weeds and diseases. Once you have your spring garden tidied up and set up for the coming warmth, regular care is essential to flourishing plants. Set up a watering schedule, keep weeds under control and fertilise your plants to ensure they get the nutrients they need.
Spring Garden Tip: Revitalise your soil with moisture, compost and fertiliser to get your spring garden in healthy shape after winter.
Spring Garden Flowers:
- Daisies
- Daffodils
- Lavender
- Lilies
- Roses
- Tulips
- Lilacs
Spring Garden Vegetables:
- Kale
- Rhubarb
- Asparagus
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Spring Onion
- Coriander
- Thyme
Summer Garden Tips (June to August)
Summer generally brings warmer weather, longer days and less rain, meaning you have a great opportunity to reap the benefits of a successful summer vegetable garden. A good watering schedule will help ensure your soil doesn’t dry out under the hot sun and your plants get enough water in the dry heat. Insects and weeds tend to be a problem during the summer months, so be vigilant in keeping your vegetable garden tidy so your plants have a chance to grow. Some great summer vegetables to grow include corn, capsicums, squash and beans. Beyond growing a veritable salad of garden vegetables, flowers and herbs will also thrive in the summer. Hydrangeas, dahlias, lilies, petunias, sunflowers – you name it – summer is an amazing time to watch flowers bloom all around your home and garden and brighten up any setting.
Summer Garden Tip: Set up a consistent watering schedule to ensure your plants get enough moisture to flourish in the summer heat.
Summer Garden Flowers:
- Hydrangeas
- Dahlias
- Lilies
- Petunias
- Sunflowers
- Aster
- Snapdragons
Summer Garden Vegetables:
- Corn
- Peppers
- Beans
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Aubergine
- Fruit like berries and melons
- Herbs like sage, basil and mint
Autumn Garden Tips (September to November)
The temperatures start to cool and the days begin to get shorter during the autumn months, drawing fewer insects. Wondering what to plant in the fall? Try planting fruit trees, autumn vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage and root vegetables like beetroot, carrots and potatoes. Autumn is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs as the soil will still be warm enough for roots to develop – just make sure that you keep them well watered before they go into dormancy for winter. While autumn is still a lovely time to grow your own fruits and vegetables, it’s also the right time to start prepping your garden for the upcoming winter. You might consider moving some of your plants indoors for the winter, especially herbs. If you choose to do so, make sure you first check for pests. Tidy up dead leaves and plants, cut back most perennials and clean out cold frames for winter use. Mulch your garden beds to help retain moisture while adding nutrients.
Autumn Garden Tip: Use this time to prepare your garden for winter by keeping your plants well-watered, tidying up leaves and debris and cutting back plants.
Autumn Garden Flowers:
- Crocus
- Dahlias
- Begonias
- Chrysanthemums
- Cyclamen
- Pansies
Autumn Garden Vegetables:
- Beetroot
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
Winter Garden Tips (December to February)
While spring and summer are known for prosperous gardens, you can still grow vegetables in the winter if you choose the right types. For example, hardy vegetables like carrots, peas, garlic, onions and shallots can survive mild winter climates. Flowering plants and herbs may not do as well, but not to worry – if you’ve planted perennial flowers, they will become dormant during the winter and have the opportunity to rebloom when it starts getting warmer. It’s important to water your winter garden thoroughly before the ground freezes for the first time. Once the first hard frost comes along, adding mulch around your plants and even wrapping younger trees and shrubs in an insulating material like burlap will help protect from the cold.
Winter Garden Tip: Water your garden thoroughly before the ground freezes for the first time to help the soil retain some moisture during this harsher season.
Winter Garden Flowers:
- Pansies
- Violas
- Snapdragon
- Ornamental kale
- Cyclamen
- Cornflowers
Winter Garden Vegetables:
- Carrots
- Peas
- Garlic
- Onions
- Shallots
Overall, the key to a successful garden throughout the entire year is dedicated care and maintenance. Having an appropriate watering schedule for the climate, season and types of plants is just as important as adding enough mulch and fertiliser to feed your crops. Keeping things tidy by cutting back dead plants, clearing out debris and leaves and keeping weeds under control all contribute to a healthy garden no matter the time of year.
From shovels to seeds, fertiliser to hoses, plants to pots, Arboretum has everything you need for your home garden. Stop by in-store or shop online for all your gardening essentials today!
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