PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOOD X KINGS PLANT BARN
Deep winter may seem like a low period for your garden – but there’s plenty to be preparing for the coming seasons.
Gardening in June
- Dreaming of your own orchard? Now’s the time to plant new fruit trees, including citrus, stonefruit, apples and pears.
- Plant cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli seedlings to keep your table well-stocked with veggies over winter.
- Roses are red… and new season varieties are in gardening centres now. Choose a couple to perk up your backyard – and prune existing plants from the end of June into July.
- Garlic and shallot bulbs love winter soil. Pop them in the earth anytime between early June and late July.
- June is the perfect time to prune any trees that are through with fruiting. Cut stems back just so a healthy bud is left for next season.
- Love your salad greens and sow seeds for spinach, peas and lettuce now – along with onions and silverbeet for a healthy winter harvest. If you’re in a warmer part of the country, you could also consider sowing broad bean seeds.
- Slugs and snails can be a problem in winter, so invest in some pellets or make your own natural repellent using coffee grounds and eggshells.
- It may not feel like it, but spring is coming! Pop asparagus crowns and strawberry plants in free-draining soil now for a bountiful harvest in a few months’ time.
- Start watering indoor plants less, testing moisture levels with a finger. Keep plants away from both heaters and drafts.
- Don’t let wild weather damage your garden. Firmly stake and tie any fragile or young plants, and shield delicate plants and seedlings from frost with a frost cloth.
- Winter can see pests and diseases set in on deciduous fruit trees. Spritz them with copper spray for protection during the cold months – and keep your loppers and secateurs clean to prevent the spread of diseases.
- The garden can look a little bare in winter – so why not add some cheering colour? Try planting bright flower seedlings: we love forget-me-not, pansies, anemones, poppies, lobelia and alyssum. Daphne, camellias and rhododendrons can also go in the ground now for a pop of colour – and for spring blooms to look forward to, sow seeds of calendula, dianthus, sweet william and sweetpeas.
Gardening in July
- New trees and shrubs love getting established in the cooler months, so plant them now for optimum results – we especially love hellebores, daphne, camellias and rhododendrons. Be generous with the compost and fertiliser.
- If indoor plants are your jam, cut back any dead leaves and check for yellow or curling leaves, which can indicate cold damage. If you spot a few, either up the room temperature or move the plants closer to an indirect source of light.
- Get summer flowers in the ground at the end of the month for a glorious end-of-year garden: think gladioli, dahlias, calla lilies and tuberous begonias.
- For a bright spring garden, sow larkspur, primula, salvia, delphinium, wallflower and snapdragon seeds in seed trays.
- Deadhead hydrangeas and any other flowering shrubs, perennials or annuals that are past their best.
- Harvest silverbeet, carrots, leeks, kale and lettuce.
- July can be rainy, so check drainage around veggie beds!
- If you haven’t already, pop your strawberry plants in the ground now. Add a layer of pea straw mulch around the plants to keep the berries out of the dirt and banish any pesky pests.
- Strawberry and rhubarb are a perfect combo – and they can both go in the ground in July! Plant rhubarb seedlings directly into your garden. Use a protective plastic tunnel or dome to encourage early and profuse growth.
- Clear out any gutters once all deciduous leaves have fallen and collect any fallen flowers off your grass. If you have birdbaths or feeders, give them a clean often, too!
- Lawn-proud? Make sure to remove any moss from your lawn using a moss control product, as it can get out of hand in the cooler months. Spot spray any weeds.
- Prune deciduous fruit trees with sharp tools. Apply pruning paste to large cut stems for protection.
