Over the years, we’ve come to appreciate that one of the greatest things that makes a house feel like a home is what’s happening outside — in the garden! A beautiful garden is the best first impression your home can make, so we’ve developed seasonal gardening guides to help you maintain and get the most out of your outdoor area.
Here’s our spring gardening guide for what to do in your garden now!
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Maintenance
It’s the things like fertilising, pruning, and prepping that will make the biggest difference to the life and vitality of your plants and lawn. So it pays to put in a little bit of time and effort now to reap the benefits come summer. And after such a wet winter, you may find your garden needs a little extra help this year! Here’s how…
Compost: Breathe new life into your soil by aerating it with a garden fork, then adding compost and manure for a major boost of nutrients. Remember that compost and manure need time to break down and settle in to the soil so do this one early, before you plant anything new. Here’s our beginner’s guide to starting a compost.
Fertilise: Firstly, for your lawn. Use a good quality lawn builder to help strengthen roots and promote new growth. Gina picked up a handy sprayer attachment for fertiliser from Hoselink that makes light work of this task. Flowering plants and spring fruit and veggies will also get a boost from fertiliser so be sure to give them some attention.
Weed: Yep this one sucks, we know! But leave it too long and you can have an overwhelming job on your hands (trust us, we’ve made this mistake before!). A little weeding each week will keep weeds at bay. You can also pick up weeding tools, like the genius stand up weed puller that’s gone viral on TikTok. Kapow weeds!
Mulch: One of the best ways to keep weeds at bay, while also protecting plant roots and locking in moisture, is mulch! We suggest adding a layer of old newspaper on top of garden beds and then layering 5-10cm of good quality mulch on top. Check out our guide here on the best type of mulch.
Get your gardening essentials
Prune: Sharpen up those secateurs and give your plants a good haircut to encourage new growth. Get rid of branches that have died or broken. It’s best to do this once the frosty weather has passed because pruning cuts heal quicker when sap is more active.
Roses and fruit trees can deal with a hard prune. After pruning, give your plants a bit of love with some lime sulphur to stop exposed cuts from getting fungal infections.
Pest watch: Spring might be the time for lovely flowers to start blooming but it’s also when pests such as aphids come out of hiding. Keep an eye out for pests at least once a week and start treating them from the moment you spot them. A natural pest deterrent hack is to simply add 20 drops of Cedarwood oil to a spray bottle with water. Give plants a generous spritz all over and this should do the trick 😉
Lawn care
Lawns get a lot of use but often, not a whole lot of love. You may also find your lawn has become quite muddy or died off in areas because of all the rain. These are the best ways to care for your lawn and get it back in top shape for summer.
Weeding: Yep. This one gets another mention, sorry! Not a fun job but very, very necessary for a happy lawn. Use the same technique of removing as many weeds by hand or the step weeding tool and then applying a ‘Weed N Feed’ to combat weeds.
Aerate and de-thatch: Aerating your lawn has many benefits. Creating holes on the surface of your lawn allows nutrients and water to penetrate — promoting root growth. And in the case of a muddy lawn like you can see below, creates new paths for excess water to flow and drain away. You can find tools to aerate your lawn or just get stuck in with a rake or garden fork.
Edging: Proper edging can give your lawn a crisp, manicured look that elevates its overall appearance. An easy way to get that crisp and manicured look, with clean lines between your lawn and garden beds or pathways, is to install metal edging. FormBoss is probably the best known option, although there are others available. Not only does edging improve the garden’s aesthetics, but it also helps prevent grass from encroaching into unwanted areas. This makes maintenance easier and keeps your landscape looking tidy year-round.
Fix muddy soil: If your lawn has become muddy, another way to improve soil quality is by adding organic matter. After aerating your soil, sprinkle sand, organic soil and peat moss to absorb excess moisture and aid drainage.
Fertilise: Just a reminder that as well as fertilising plants, your lawn needs a light fertilise too. Do this before that summer heat kicks in. We love the range of fertilisers from Hoselink here.
Mower maintenance: While on the topic of lawns, give your old lawnmower a once over to make sure it’s ready and raring to go when you need it. Check the blades, change the fuel, oil and the spark-plug to help keep it running for years to come.
Be water-wise
During the cooler months, we don’t have to water the garden much but come spring-time, your plants need extra hydration. With another La Niña season ahead, this one may be a little less relevant this year but still worth a mention.
Use a wetting agent: Did you know that over time, soil can become hydrophobic? Yep, that’s right… scared of water! Well actually, more like water repellent. Meaning that all your time and effort spent watering and caring for your soil may be going down the drain (literally).
Often, water will not soak through to the roots of your plants where it’s needed the most. This isn’t just bad news for your thirsty plants but also for being water-wise.
Fix this problem by simply adding a wetting agent to help your soil absorb precious water.
Check your irrigation: If you have irrigation in place, springtime is a great reminder to check nothing is blocked or needs replacing. Take a look at the lines, drippers and sprinklers and replace any old or worn parts. Or if you’re thinking it’s about time you installed an irrigation system, you can find handy kits here.
Don’t forget to up the H2O: Remember to adjust how much water you’re giving your plants with the change of season. Many plants will use more as they start to produce flowers. Being beautiful is thirsty work!
Planting
Hooray! You’ve made it to the fun bit! The best things to plant in spring really depend on where you live and the climate.
Bunnings has a handy guide on what to plant in the garden this spring depending on your state. Remember to water new plants every 2-4 days for the first 3 weeks to help them establish.
We hope you find this spring gardening guide useful and that it gives you some tips and ideas to get your outdoor space ready for the wonderful warmer weather ahead!
Check out more gardening and plant care tips
Disclaimer: we’re a proud Hoselink affiliate and this post contains some affiliate links. This means, if you purchase an item we may receive a commission on the sale of the products. This guide was originally published in September 2019 and continues to be updated with latest tips and advice.
