Planting

Even though the soil is cold, winter is the season to plant bare-rooted trees and shrubs including fruit trees. Garden centres will be full of stock from late June right through to early spring.

• Plant bare root roses and deciduous trees and shrubs
• Plant kohlrabi, carrot, leeks, sweet potato, cabbage in warmer areas
• Make a list of winter-flowering shrubs you like for their winter flowers - and remember to plant them next spring! Camellia, daphne, magnolia and wattle bloom in winter
• Plant seedlings of Iceland poppy, cineraria, calendula, pansy and viola

Want to know how to care for roses?
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Fertilising

 While most of the garden 'goes to sleep' over winter, vegetables, bulbs and annuals that flower or crop during this season and into spring will benefit from an occasional application of plant food.

• Fertilise winter flowering bulbs such as jonquils with Miracle-Gro® All Purpose Plant Food when buds first appear. Continue to fertilise all bulbs after flowering has finished to ensure good flowering next year
• Fertilise leafy winter vegetables with Miracle-Gro® Tomato & Vegetables Plant Food

Pruning

Winter is pruning time for most trees and shrubs, apart from those  producing spring blossoms - cut them back after they've flowered. If pruned too soon (in winter), most of their early spring flowers will be removed.

• Cut back herbaceous perennials such as wind flowers, penstemon, catmint, bergamot, canna.
• Prune deciduous trees and shrubs such as maple, ash, elm if required
•  Prune spring-flowering deciduous shrubs eg weigela, flowering quince, forsythia after flowering
• Prune deciduous fruit trees including apple, pear, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, almond and nectarine
• Prune roses in mid-to-late July - make sure pruning is complete by early August at the latest

Lawn care

Watch for signs of waterlogging over winter, especially after heavy rainfall. If required, aerate again to allow excess water to soak into the soil. Lawns which beome saturated on a regular basis may benefit from the installation of a permanent undergound drainage system.

• Treat bindii in lawns as soon as seedlings appear, usually in August, with Scotts® Lawn Builder™ + Weedkill

Controlling garden pests

• Protect winter vegetable crops like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli from aphids with Defender™ Pyrethrum Insect Spray

Planting

• Plant tomato seeds in punnets, keep moist but not wet and place in a warm spot out of the direct sun. When the soil has warmed in mid spring, the danger of frosts has passed and seedlings are large enough, plant out into the vegetable garden or into large containers. Stake taller growing varieties at planting time
• Choose drought-hardy perennials such as nemesia, geranium and scabiosa for summer colour
• Plant impatiens in shady areas
• Direct sow lettuce, silver beet, rocket and bok choy seeds, for healthy greens, from mid spring when the soil has warmed

Fertilising

Feeding the garden in early spring will ensure strong, healthy growth throughout the growing season

•  Feed all garden plants with controlled release fertiliser
• Fertilise the lawn with slow release lawn fertiliser
• Keep fertilised plants watered. If using greywater, use plant-friendly washing detergent. Read more about greywater

Pruning

• Trim back camellias lightly to encourage bushiness
• Prune blossom trees and other late winter / early spring blooming trees and shrubs immediately after flowering has finished
• Prune passionfruit vines back to the main leaders
• Deadhead flowers of spring flowering bulbs then let foliage die off before removing it or lifting bulbs

Lawn care

Lawns need attention as we come out of winter. Cold weather slows growth and allows weeds to get a toe-hold

• Kill off lawn weeds including bindii with Lawn Builder™ + Weed Kill. Apply evenly with a Scotts® lawn spreader and read the label carefully
• Quickly repair bare patches caused by weed removal with Lawn Builder™ Topdress Mix and fresh lawn seed
• Argentine Stem Weevils are active in spring and damage lawns. Lawn Builder™ + Grub & Insect Control will eliminate them. It also kills ants

Controlling garden pests

• Deal with all the major insect pests on your ornamental plants with one spray. Aphids, caterpillars, scale, mealy bugs, lillypilly psyllids, azalea lace bug, leaf hoppers, whitefly and thrips can all be eliminated with Defender™ MaxGuard. DO NOT USE ON FOOD PLANTS
• Apply Defender™ Snail & Slug Pellets lightly and often
• Spray pests on vegetables as soon as they are noticed with Defender™ Pyrethrum Insect Spray

Planting

Early summer is still a good time to plant out flowers and vegetables. Avoid planting in the heat of the day, complete plantings before the end of December and water seedlings in with Miracle-Gro® Seafeed 3in1 to get them off to a good start

• Plant seedlings of zucchini, pumpkin, beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, leeks, lettuce, sweet corn, cucumbers
• Plant herbs in the vegetable garden, pots or dotted among your ornamentals
• Plant autumn flowering bulbs such as sternbergia, belladonna lilies, colchicum by mid December
• Plant petunia, impatiens, celosia, bedding begonia, French marigold, zinnia, salvia, sunflower, torenia, verbena in early summer

Fertilising

To keep plants growing strongly, they need regular feeding. Using a fertiliser that includes a wetting agent will assist moisture and nutrient penetration

• Feed the whole garden with  the appropriate Osmocote® Plus Trace Elements or Osmocote® Plus Organics controlled release fertiliser
• Fertilise phosphorus sensitive native plants (such as grevilleas, waratahs, hardenbergias) and proteas with Osmocote® Plus Native Gardens
• Use Miracle-Gro® MaxFeed Tomato & Vegetables Plant Food (boosted with added calcium) on all vegetables and especially tomatoes to help prevent blossom-end rot

Pruning

Trimming evergreen trees and shrubs in early summer will help keep them neat and tidy as well as encourage bushiness, rather than long, straggly growth

• Lightly prune camellias and azaleas where needed in early summer.
• Keep hedges trimmed - often and lightly
• Continue to dead-head all summer annuals & perennials, and summer-flowering shrubs including roses.  Give the plants a boost with the appropriate Miracle-Gro® MaxFeed Water Soluble Plant Food

Lawn care

• Prepare lawns for the hot dry months by fertilising in early December with Lawn Builder™ + Wetting Agent. Well- fed lawns are better able to cope with heat and drought stress
• Raise the cutting height of the mower to leave the grass longer - this reduces moisture loss from the soil and overheating of grass roots
• Where local regulations permit, or if you have abundant tank water, give lawns one deep soaking per week to keep them green and healthy

Controlling garden pests

• Protect summer vegetables against caterpillars, thrips, aphids, whitefly and other soft-bodied insect pests with Defender™ Pyrethrum Insect Spray
• Mites can do a lot of damage to ornamental plants. Try Defender™ MaxGuard which is also effective and long-lasting against a wide range of other pests. DO NOT USE ON FOOD PLANTS
• Watch out for black spot on roses. Spraying with diluted milk powder may be effective, or use a combination rose spray like Defender™ RosePride