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Home > Flower and garden articles > In your Spring garden
In your Spring garden
Now that the days are getting warmer, our gardens are springing into bloom.
This is a great time to give the garden a facelift and tidy-up after winter, and what could be better than to get out into your garden and enjoy all the pleasures of a spring day.
As spring flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils start to fade, make sure you feed them well with a general fertiliser such as blood & bone or dynamic lifter. Don’t forget to dead-head the flower stems first, and then allow all foliage to die back over the coming weeks. During this stage the nutrients will be absorbed into the bulb and stored for next year’s flowers, so foliage should not be cut or tied. Be patient !
 Get stuck into those weeds now - each hour of weeding this month will save you many hours of work later in the year. Remove weeds now, before they flower and set seed and spread themselves.
Once you’ve banished those weeds, spring is a great time to put fresh mulch on your garden beds as this is a very practical way to keep the weeds down. You’ll also be well prepared for summer, as your garden will be more water-wise, plus fresh mulch gives the garden a great facelift. Apply a generous layer of pine bark, redgum chips, sugar cane mulch, or lucerne to all your garden beds.
As we all know, blackbirds can cause havoc in a newly planted garden, scratching out everything in their search for food. A humane way to stop this problem is to cut plastic gutter guard into lengths and place across your garden beds as required. This will protect your plants without harming the birds, and will save you lots of time cleaning up the damage.
Now that the soil is warming up, keep an eye on new shoots coming through in all parts of the garden, as some plants will need to be protected from slugs and snails. Use snail bait, or alternatively sprinkle sawdust, crushed eggshells or bran around the area to help keep these pests away from tasty new shoots.
If your pots and containers are looking a little tired, now is a good time to repot them with fresh potting mix. Use any good quality mix that includes slow release fertiliser and a wetting agent. Remember, your plants will only do well if you give them what they need to thrive, so a good quality growing medium is essential.
When replanting your pots, tip out the plants carefully to check the root ball. If you have trouble removing them from the pot, tip it on its side and tap a few times to loosen the soil first . If the plant looks pot bound, you will need to upgrade to a larger container.
If the roots have grown round and round in the pot, carefully cut through them at 3 to 4 points to prevent the plant from choking itself. Sometimes we have to be cruel to be kind - your plants will thank you for it !
Firstly, place some gravel in the bottom of the pot for good drainage. Position your plant, then carefully fill the container with fresh potting mix to just below the brim to allow room for watering. Tap the sides of the container to settle the potting mix, and water gently to remove any air pockets around the roots. Use enough water to soak the pot, and leave it to drain and settle. Then you can top dress the container with pine bark, coloured gravel or polished pebbles. This will help to keep the roots cool and reduce moisture evaporation. Ornamental stones or pebbles are also great for adding weight to containers with large or top-heavy plants, to stop them blowing over in high winds - and they look great too !
Rose bushes really need an annual hard prune for best results, so if you have not pruned your roses yet, do it this month. But if you are in a frost prone area wait until all chance of frost has passed, to prevent severe damage to new growth. Don’t worry if your roses are already making new growth after winter, they will still benefit greatly from a tidy up now. Be brave and cut them back hard, and you will be rewarded by stronger new growth.
Roses also love a spring feed, so give them a boost now with either well rotted manure, blood & bone, or a slow release rose food. Roses really benefit from generous feeding, for more vigorous growth, increased flowering, and greater resistance to disease.
So, having caught up with some of your spring gardening chores, make yourself a nice cuppa, pull up a chair and admire your handiwork - Happy Gardening!
by Jenny Waldock
Tesselaar Mail Order
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