Summer Jobs for the Garden
There’s always something to do in the garden. Here’s our top tips for the start of summer and getting your garden gorgeous for Christmas.
Cut back French lavender now to maintain shape and encourage new growth. English lavender should be just about to burst into flower, so make sure you leave it to share its purple beauty with the bees.
Wisteria can be pruned as flowers finish and to maintain rampant growth.
Prune back bulbs.
Raise the notch on your lawnmower by one or two levels in preparation for the warmer months ahead. This will help maintain moisture in the ground and encourage deeper roots.
Continue mulching your garden. Mulch truly is one of the best gifts you can give your plants. It helps to maintain moisture, suppress weeds, increase organic matter, even out soil temperatures, and also makes the garden look fab. Our preference is lucerne, sugar cane or pea straw. For bare beds, mulch to 10cm. If topping up, mulch to 5cm.
Deadhead roses at the beginning of summer to ensure the next flush of blooms at Christmas.
Plant out your veggie beds with summer crops. We like lettuce, beans, corn, zucchini, pumpkins, beetroot, basil, eggplant and capsicums. For a full list of what to plant and when, take a look at our Cool Climate Planting Guide. https://www.theavidgardener.com.au/product-page/cool-climate-planting-guide