- When your spring flowering bulbs such as jonquils and daffodils have died down, lift out the bulbs, clean off the dirt and store them in a dry, dark place.
- Propagate daylilies from any plantlets that have developed along the flower stalks. Just plant them into a pot of quality potting mix and wait for them to grow.
- Rains and warm temperatures will see a big increase in grasshopper and caterpillar numbers in the garden. Pick them off and squash them or use a pyrethrum or bacteria-based spray.
- Time to prune your azaleas and dead-head roses to encourage continual flowering.
- Zucchinis may be showing powdery mildew (a fungal disease) on their leaves. Spray with mancozeb or try the one part milk to ten parts water technique.
- Keep an eye out for bronze/orange bugs on your citrus. Knock them off and squash them or spray with Yates citrus and ornamental spray.
- Fruit flies will start to appear. Keep them at bay by cleaning up rotten old fruits and using a splash bait such as eco-naturalure.
- Prune back grevilleas by a third to promote bushiness.
- Prune wisteria, jasmine and other vigorous climbers when they finish flowering.
- It’s important to keep up regular watering of citrus while they are flowering and developing small fruits.
- Keep spraying your developing mangoes with mancozeb to prevent the disease anthracnose.
- Asparagus will be finishing the spring harvest and the bed will now be full of ferny fronds. Keep the plants well mulched and watered to keep the fronds actively growing as this will feed the crown for the following year.
- Summer prune mulberry for a second fruit crop. Cut back new growth by a third.
- Keep the water up to hydrangeas as they develop new buds so you have lovely full flowers.
- If you need to, top dress the lawn now. Don’t cover the lawn too deep or too completely. It’s better to do a couple of light coverings a month apart.
- Keep nipping off gardenia flowers once they have died to promote more flowers. Avoid fertilising while flowering and keep them well watered
Vegetables
Plant celery, Asian greens, chilli, eggplant, silverbeet, capsicum, rhubarb, choko, lettuce, cucumber, squash, beans, sweet corn, sweet potato, radish, tomato, zucchini, carrot, okra, pumpkin, spring onion, rockmelon and watermelon.
Flowers
Plant sunflower, amaranthus, celosia, gomphrena, marigold, petunia, impatiens, portulaca, salvia, zinnia, ageratum, coleus, aster, cockscomb, Californian poppy, begonia, cosmos, torenia and dahlia..
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