Our very own Paul Gooden shares some gardening tips that will help you get the jump on spring and set your garden up beautifully for the months leading up to summer and beyond.

At this time of year I look at peoples gardens and I get a real buzz out of seeing sunny faced daffodils and serene snowy jonquils on display. Even on drab overcast days they look happy. Of course I rue the fact that I continually forget to sow my bulbs months in advance. It’s an easy job and I just need to be organised.

So right now is a good time to look at your garden and put a little plan in place. If your garden is like mine you’ll probably feel a little depressed by the abundance of vigorous weeds and lack of colour.

After the recent rains we’ve had the ground is nice and soft and easy to work with. So here is a list that most of us can do quite easily and that will make a big difference to how the garden will look, and of course you will feel wonderful for being so organised and industrious.

• Divide clumps of agapanthus and fill in the gaps that are easy to spot and need filling. No need to be too careful because ‘aggies’ are nearly indestructible and they put on a great show in January when the garden can often be lacking in colour.

• My dear mum always said “prune your roses after the last frost so the new buds don’t burn”. Good advice, and I think we are only a week or two away from saying goodbye to Jack Frost for another year.

• Remember to sharpen your secateurs and clippers. If they are blunt, chipped or rusted then why not invest in a new pair.

• Winter is a good time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs. A little hint is to trim a third to two thirds of all branches and leave a third or more unpruned. This works well on Crepe Myrtles and Pseudo Acacia (mop tops) by encouraging new growth but also leaving a leafy framework for early spring foliage.
• Winter is a tricky time with fertilizers. Many plants and shrubs are still dormant and won’t take up too much nutrition. However leafy vegetables and any shrubs with flowers on them, such as winter honeysuckle will respond well to liquid and soluble fertilizers at the moment.

• Be careful fertilizing camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons. They are acid loving and respond best to specific fertilizer blends. They are probably best left out of a ‘general’ fertilizing program until well into spring. But make sure that they don’t get ‘wet feet’. Waterlogged camellias are best moved at this time, especially if they have been an underperforming plant. Find a sunny spot where you can keep the root ball cool in summer with some quality mulch.

• Most nurseries and garden supply stores are stocking up for spring, so now is a good time to look for specials on many kinds of fertilizers. Now is a really good time to spread ‘smelly’ dynamic lifter over garden beds, around shrubs and trees and also vegetable patches. Incidentally now is a good time to dig in those fertilizers to help build up the soil. With the weather being so cold and rain forecast, many of us won’t venture outside to be confronted by the odour from a bag or two of chook pooh. But the smell will dissipate in 24 to 48 hours and the fertilizer will begin to break down over the next weeks and months.

• And finally now would be the perfect time to install a rainwater tank. Rainwater, especially that which falls in a thunderstorm is full of nitrogen. And we all know how well lawns and gardens respond to a good soaking rain. If you install your tank there is every chance it will be overflowing with litres and litres of ‘Adam’s Ale’ before the early and late spring showers are over.

I hope you enjoy your new found enthusiasm and get out in the garden whenever you can. Make the most of any sunshine in your garden. It always makes you feel so good.

Now all I need do is follow my own advice and make this the best garden year ever.

“Sonya have you seen my garden fork? I put it just here about 3 years ago……..!”

Happy gardening, Paul Gooden.