It’s time to Spring into action

Spring is the grand awakening in the Australian garden – when everything leaps to life, colour floods every corner, and there’s a cheerful sense of promise in the air. Here’s how to get the garden humming, with tips for planting, feeding, and pruning that’ll have things looking bright by summer.

Spring Planting: Bring in the colour and flavour

Now’s the moment to get planting! Spring is ideal for almost everything, from fresh veggies to brilliant flowers:

Vegetables: Plant beans, beetroot, capsicum, carrot, celery, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, pumpkin, radish, tomato, zucchini, watermelon, and herbs like basil, coriander, and chives – you name it, it thrives now, with local climate in mind.

Flowers: Fill beds with spring stalwarts – petunias, marigolds, cosmos, salvias, nasturtiums, snapdragons, zinnias, and sunflowers. Australian native grevilleas burst with colour and attract birds, while ground covers like gazanias thrive in tough spots.

Lawn: Sow new grass seed or patch thin lawn with warm-season turf varieties for a lush entertaining space by summer. This is also prime time to fertilise.

Fertiliser: Feed for growth

Spring’s all about boosting energy after winter’s quiet spell:

Fast-release fertilisers: Give a shot of fast-acting feed as growth surges in early spring -this wakes everything up and gets growth cracking.

Slow-release and organic feeds: Keep the momentum by adding slow-release pellets and organic matter like compost or aged manure, worked into soil and mulched over roots.

Herbs and veggies: Use gentle, balanced feeds and keep up fortnightly liquid fertilising; this encourages leafy growth and gives seedlings the perfect start.

Pruning: The seasonal shape-up

A little strategic snipping now means stronger, bushier plants as things warm up:

Roses: If late-winter pruning missed the mark, early spring is the last chance – cut to outward-facing buds, feed, and mulch for romantic blooms.

Spring-flowering shrubs (wattle, jasmine, azaleas): Prune lightly just after flowering to avoid losing this year’s display, then shape and tidy hedges and vigorous climbers to direct their new spring growth.

Deciduous fruit trees: Remove deadwood and weak shoots but avoid heavy pruning until after flowering or fruit set for best harvest.

Final Spring jobs

Have a go with something new – pop in a citrus in a big pot, add natives for low-maintenance colour, try a scented climber over the pergola, or plan a garden bed around a favourite old chair. Check irrigation, stay on top of pests, and mostly, get outside for a daily stroll to watch the garden’s joyful parade. With a touch of effort – and maybe a nice cup of tea at the end – you’ll have the happiest patch in the street.