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Sean O'Brien CNP, Horticultural Manager, Hunter Valley Gardens
Its time to feed the lawns up! Weeds should have been sprayed out through winter and now its time to top dress and feed the lawns. Top dressing with as sandy loam will remove any holes or dips in the lawn as well as adding organic matter. A good quality granular fertiliser should then be applied and ensure that it is watered in well.
Once spring bulbs have finished flowering feed them up with any fertiliser. This will ensure the bulb will produce a good show next year. Don’t cut the leaves off!! They may look untidy but it is important to let them die back naturally.
 
Take advantage of the warmer weather by feeding the garden. Just about everything can be fed in spring except anything coming in or in flower at the moment. A general-purpose fertiliser can be used on most things but there are also specific feeds you can give to plants suck as Azaleas, Camellias, roses, Natives and citrus. Insure that any fertiliser is watered in well to stop burning and to get the most out of it.
Look out for the new spring release plants. They will be available from September and many of the new varieties are hardier and more water wise then the older varieties.
Take advantage of the winter rains and mulch, mulch, mulch. There are many different types of mulch and they will all help retain the moisture that has built up over the winter months.
Here are the Top 5 Tips to Get Your Garden Ready for Spring
- Prepare your garden beds with a good layer of manure or compost and a little blood and bone. Dig it in lightly around existing plants and incorporate it well in new beds. Azaleas, camellias and gardenia will be particularly appreciative.
- Get the lawn ready for the warm weather. Spray out any weeds, top dress and aerate particularly in high traffic areas. Feed you lawn with a well balanced fertilizer in September and start mowing !!
- New seasons herbs and veggies are in season so plan the veggie patch now. Remember veggies like tomatoes, corn, zucchini and cucumbers will take up a fair bit of room so allow for the growth and don’t cram them up.
- Citrus trees will need a good pick me up after fruiting so give them a good feed with citrus food and a light prune. Also keep an eye out for citrus gall wasp which causes swollen branches. This can not be treated and will come back next season so needs to be removed and thrown in the bin.
- Clean out the garden shed early. Make sure your tools are sharp and in good working order before spring really kicks in. Have a good clean out of the garden chemicals as many have an expiry date and can not be used from then on. Many councils have collection days in spring so check their website for more information.
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