April and May in the Garden
Autumn has arrived! Time for the garden clean up (if you haven’t yet begun). Choose the days without the rain to make for an enjoyable workout in the garden. If you are needing advice or a new design for your outdoor space, give us a call. We would love to help you make your garden area perfect for your needs.
Flowers/Colour
- Annual Flowers: Prepare beds, compost, fertilise – Plant Polyanthus, Pansies, Poppies, Wall flowers etc. for early spring flowering
- It isn’t too late to plant spring bulbs in April
- Tip: If planting bulbs in pots, plant bulbs a little later or plant and put pot in colder area
- Avoid using soft bulbs or watch out for old stock
- Don’t forget to feed existing bulb area with bulb food ‘Fiesta bulb plant food’ also use when planting new bulbs
Edible Garden
- If you haven’t finished, dig out/bag up all of your potatoes/onions now
- Plant citrus, blueberries/raspberries also get ready to prune/tying raspberries now to encourage good fruiting season in summer.
- Fruit Trees – Once leaves fall spray with Champ DP Copper Fungicide” This will protect leaf scars from fungal and bacterial infection
- April is a good time for planting winter veges beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts cabbages, cauli, silverbeet plus winter lettuces
- Autumn is a time to watch out for slugs/snails. Blitzem to control these pests or another option is to sprinkle rotted sawdust around slug loving plants
- Harvest pumpkins store in cool dry place.
- Sow green crops in cleared areas
Trees/shrubs
- Moving plants? – Dig around them but don’t move yet – Tip: – Don’t move plants in flower
- Best time for planting trees and shrubs – While soil is still warm, this encourages root establishment
- Fertilise camellias, rhodos, azaleas, Daphne, buxus hedging with “Rhodo fertiliser”
- Hold off from pruning your Rhodos and Camellias – or you will cut off the flowers
- Any potted plants – indoor/outdoor fertilise for autumn flush of growth
- Lightly trim hedges/topiary now before the frosts set in.
Lawns
- Autumn is the very best time to form a new lawn/revamp existing one, Check out our tips on creating a new lawn
- Fertilise lawns to keep green – If any bare patches sprinkle a little topsoil and grass seed, water in if the autumn rains haven’t arrived after the sowing
- Check for grass grub (dead patches in lawn) Apply ‘Soil Insect Killer’ now to control
- Lawn weed problems? Apply Turfix or Versatill for flat weeds and broadleaf
Garden Clean up
- Prune hedging to allow new growth to harden off before winter sets in
- Rake autumn leaves for compost heap Tip: Avoid using Walnut tree leaves
- Place fresh pea-straw to help keep garden weed free
Roses
- Lightly deadhead roses
- Leave hard pruning for winter
