 | Planting Guide |
| Garden FAQ |
| Garden Catalog |
| Workshops |
| Newsletter |
 | Secret Garden Cafe |
To do in Winter
Winter is pruning and construction time, so start by sharpening secateurs and saws.
General
Most plants can be pruned now in all climatic zones but there are exceptions. Avoid pruning anything that blooms in August/September or you will cut off developing flowers.
This is the garden's most dormant period, and ideal to plant deciduous trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials.
As this is true winter, frost can creep up unexpectedly. Protect frost-tender plants by wrapping newspaper around their trunks. Hosing plants before the sun gets to them after a frosty night avoids damage.New garden beds can be organised, seeds and seedlings ordered now. Start a flower garden in a sunny corner. Careful planning will give you banks of colour throughout the year. Topdress all established beds with compost or manure. Keep well weeded.
Construction work like path-making can get under way and new growth softens edges in spring. Use bricks, payers, woodblocks or woodchips.
Clean seed trays and pots.
Back to TopFlowers
Encourage annuals by feeding with liquid fertiliser.
Cut herbaceous perennials back hard, and divide and replant if overcrowded. Retain the outer part of the clump.
Back to TopRoses
July is still a good time for planting new roses or pruning old ones. For new roses you should have dug thoroughly over the site already (but it's not too late) and worked some well-rotted manure or good compost in along with a ration of rose food. Roses exhaust soil so plant in well enriched earth. If planting climbing roses close to a wall, keep the hole at least 30 cm away or roots will not get sufficient rain.
Prune roses, aiming to produce as much fresh growth as possible because new shoots flower best. Remove dead wood, then cut out entirely the oldest stems and any weak, spindly growth. Shorten remaining canes by pruning to an outward-pointing bud to produce an open, vase-shaped plant.
Back to TopShrubs and trees
Most shrubs benefit from pruning. Even if you only cut out dead wood you make room for vigorous new growth. By shortening stems you make the plant grow bushier and produce more flowers. Try to preserve the plant's natural shape.
Those which bloom in summer on current season's growth should be pruned now or later in winter to induce the growth of flowering wood.
Ornamental deciduous trees and shrubs which flower in late winter and spring on the previous season's growth should not be cut back now, as pruning would remove many flower buds. Prune right after they flower around September. Plants in this group include japonica (chaenomeles), chionanthus, forsythia, ornamental prunus, Ribes sanguineum, spring flowering species of may (spiraea), lilac (syringa), viburnum and weigela.
Back to TopBulbs
Spring flowering bulbs emerge now. Apply potash lightly and fortnightly liquid fertiliser. Weed and protect from snails and slugs.
Back to TopLawns
When the weather is suitable make the first mowing of lawns; afterwards topdress with nitrogenous fertiliser. Roll over the surface of new lawns regularly each week.
Back to TopFruit
Prune fruit trees in winter when dormant and leafless. Check each species before you prune as there are differences in the way fruit buds are produced.
Apricots and cherries are prone to dieback through pruning wounds - paint each cut with acrylic paint.
Back to TopVegetables
All zones: Fertilise ongoing crops fortnightly. If some winter vegetables are finished, start preparing that patch for spring. Dig in well-rotted manure and compost. Keep well weeded.
Back to TopCold Zones
Delay pruning roses until early August as late frosts damage young shoots.
Keep soil in good condition from now on or it will become heavy and waterlogged as rains increase. Improve drainage in very soggy areas.
Plant moisture loving plants in damp areas or around ponds -irises, astilbes, monkshood and many of the primulas thrive in the wet.
Citrus trees are best fertilised this month. Do not over-feed; use one-third of a cup of citrus food per square metre spread beyond tree's foliage line. Ensure that no manure contacts sensitive tree trunks.
Prune only deciduous plants, leaving evergreens until frost danger has passed.
Fuchsias are frost-tender and tend to rot in waterlogged soil. They tolerate hard pruning - new lush growth produces blooms. Use pieces of prunings as cuttings.
Topdress rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias with compost and leafmould: do not fork over their shallow root system. Pea straw is very good organic matter to add to soil under these plants.
Back to TopTropical Zones
Fertilise fruit trees with blood and bone or manure, spread lightly within the limits of foliage and gently rake into soil. Prune grapevines to two buds.
Prune native shrubs, removing dead and damaged sections and shaping them as required. A handful of blood and bone can be applied to smaller shrubs, doubling the amount for larger natives. Contrary to popular belief, natives thrive when fertilised - lightly but often.
Trim to shape any time but prune only after flowering.
Many annuals sown in March and April are in flower. Calendula, delphinium, pansy and Shirley poppies will soon show their beautiful flowers. Keep well weeded and fertilise fortnightly.
Back to TopSource: www.bhg.com.au and Successful Gardening Month by Month (Murdoch Books)
A good balance between empty spaces and masses of foliage is important.
Space helps define the shape of the garden and leads the eye through it.