Summer gardens are made the previous autumn.
Planting in spring often leads to desiccation and death in the first heatwave of a typical NSW summer, but autumn planting allows the growth of the strong, healthy root system essential to survival.
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I’m not saying spring planting is necessarily disastrous - I’m regularly haring off to our local nursery in October having been caught out by a gap - but you truly cannot keep newly planted shrubs, however tough, going after Christmas without a constant stream of valuable water.
The size of flower beds or shrub borders depends partly on where you live, partly on water supply. The higher you are on the ranges the shorter and cooler your summer.
Lucky ducks in the north have summer rainfall more often than not.
In these regions newly planted flowering shrubs and perennials are under less stress and easier to keep alive through summer.
The size of flower beds or shrub borders depends partly on where you live, partly on water supply. The higher you are on the ranges the shorter and cooler your summer.
- Fiona Ogilvie
Central, southern and inland regions generally suffer long dry spells in summer and options are more limited.
But no garden is complete without flowers and this is where autumn planting comes in.
The mercury has dropped, if we’re lucky a welcome fall of rain makes it easier to weed and dig.
It’s a gorgeous time to be gardening.
I like to get plants in place by mid-March as this lets them settle down and make new roots before a potentially menacing early frost.
If I’m caught out by a late heatwave I grind my teeth, keep watering and hope for the best. Most plants survive.
When deciding where to site a flower bed, look for a spot with several hours of full sun that’s sheltered from wind and, if possible, free from invasive tree roots.
Easy in a new garden but in an established one, an empty spot usually involves time consuming digging and relocating, another reason to start early.
It’s vital to eliminate perennial weeds before planting. Never airily assume you can dig them out later, they’ll insidiously invade the roots of every catmint, salvia and lavender bush in sight, causing you ten times more work in the long run.
When planting, dig a wide hole rather than a deep one that descends into infertile subsoil. Some gardeners cosset plants with compost and fertiliser, but life can be tough in a garden. I reckon they adapt better if left to themselves from the jump.
Before planting I immerse pots in a bucket of water until air bubbles stop. I tease out roots, tread plants in, spread mulch and water regularly until around Anzac Day.
By then soil evaporation has ceased and plants should be secure, happy and ready to rock next spring.
Wildwood’s glorious woodland garden at 29 Powells Road, Bilpin (www.wildwoodgarden.com.au/) is open this autumn from 10am to 4pm every Friday to Monday, including Easter, long weekends and public holidays, from March 22 until June 10.
Entry is $10, concession $8, children under 16 enter for free. They have a cafe, gift shop and a great nursery. Call 0417 042 460 or 02 4567 2194.