No matter what time of the year it is, there’s always plenty to do in the garden. Below is a 12-month gardening calendar to keep you on track!

January

  1. For a wonderful Autumn rose display (in 6-8 weeks’ time), cut back now and fertilise.
  2. Harvest beans, zucchinis and other summer vegetables regularly so they’ll produce more crops.
  3. Use fruit fly control in relevant areas.
  4. Sow or plant broccoli, silver beet and basil around tomatoes.

April

  1. Feed shrubs and trees with organic Dynamic Lifter. Make holes down through the lawn and fill with Dynamic Lifter to avoid greedy grass from getting all the nutrients.
  2. Mix some compost or old manure into the soil to prepare for new roses.
  3. Feed lawns with a good quality fertiliser and water in well.
  4. Take daffodil, hyacinth and tulip bulbs out of the fridge and plant into pots or garden beds.
  5. Sow or plant sweet peas, cinerarias (in frost free areas) and primulas.

July

  1. July is the main month for rose pruning. Use sharp secateurs and a good quality saw. Spray with Lime Sulphur after pruning.
  2. Winter lawns can become infested with bindi. Get rid of it now at the fern leaf stage or suffer from its barbed seeds later in the season.
  3. Check plantings of spring annuals and replace any casualties. Buy advanced seedlings for quickest results.
  4. Towards the end of the month feed citrus with Dynamic Lifter PLUS Fruit Food.
  5. Sow or plant English daisies, delphiniums and dianthus.

October

  1. Divide and re-pot congested clumps of cymbidium orchids. Feed with Dynamic Lifter pellets.
  2. Feed lawns with an organic-based food like Dynamic Lifter Concentrated.
  3. Rejuvenate tired old citrus trees by pruning hard, renewing mulch and feeding with Dynamic Lifter PLUS Fruit Food. If cut back severely, the plant may not fruit again for several seasons.
  4. Plant a pot of mixed salad greens (e.g. lettuce, rocket, spring onion and parsley) just outside the kitchen door where they’re easy to harvest.
  5. Plant marigolds, salvias and nasturtiums.

February

  1. Water heavily during dry periods. Deep watering will train roots to grow down, making plants less vulnerable to heat and drought.
  2. Put cold-climate bulbs - tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus - into the fridge. Chill them for at least six weeks.
  3. Treat scale pests. Any sooty mould will gradually flake away after treatment.
  4. Re-pot cyclamens with fresh potting mix. Feed with Acticote, or begin a program with a soluble fertiliser like Thrive.
  5. Sow or plant nigella and dwarf marigolds.

May

  1. Choose cyclamen in full flower to brighten up a cool, well-lit indoor spot.
  2. May’s the last-chance month for planting spring bulbs.
  3. Continue feeding lettuce, cabbages and silver beet with Thrive All Purpose to encourage as much growth as possible.
  4. New season’s packaged roses appear in the shops. Purchase easy for the best selection.
  5. Sow or plant primulas, spring onions and radishes.

August

  1. Finish rose pruning and prune crepe myrtles if desired.
  2. Spray weedy lawns with bindi killer or BuffaloPro Weed ’n’ Feed.
  3. Sow tomatoes indoors, ready to plant out once the soil is warmer.
  4. New season’s dahlia tubers can start to go into well-prepared, sunny garden beds.
  5. Feed camellias and azaleas after they finish blooming. Any trimming should be done at this time.

November

  1. Pot up containers with colourful annuals for decorating summer entertainment areas.
  2. Lift bulbs after leaves have died down, dry and store for next year.
  3. Prune spring-blooming rambling roses (such as banksias) after they finish flowering.
  4. Apply Confider Tablets to azaleas and lillypillies to protect from sucking insects.
  5. Sow or plant ageratum, geraniums, salvias and portulacas.

March

  1. Twisted and curled young leaves on citrus are caused by citrus leaf miner. Spray regularly with PestOil to prevent further damage.Use Success Ultra if the problem is severe.
  2. Prune hedge plants such as box, coast rosemary, grevilleas and murrayas.
  3. Thicken up tired lawns with Yates All Season blend or another fast germinating grass blend.
  4. Keep a Rose Gun Advanced on hand tp treat powdery mildew as soon as it appears on ornamentals.
  5. Sow sweet peas next to a sunny fence on St Patrick’s Day (17 March). Wait a few weeks if weather is still warm.

June

  1. Liliums, with their exotic flowers and gorgeous perfume, are worth a place in any garden. Plant bulbs now.
  2. Petal blight is a fungal disease that causes azalea flowers to rot on the bush. Pick off affected flowers and control with Zaleton.
  3. Reduce watering of indoor plants. Most come from warm climates, so bring water to room temperature before you start.
  4. Crab-apples, crepe myrtles and other ornamental deciduous trees can be planted in this month.
  5. Sow or plant calendulas, snap-dragons broad beans and lettuce.

September

  1. Sow seed or transplant runners into bare patches in lawns. Topdress hollows.
  2. Visit open gardens in your area to be inspired and gather ideas.
  3. Plant a gorgeous native gymea lily in your garden. It will take some time to bloom but when it does, the 6 m-tall flower spike will look like a giant torch.
  4. Prune spring-flowering shrubs and roses as soon as their flowering has finished.
  5. Sow or plant sunflowers, petunias, tomatoes and beans.

December

  1. Clear away garden rubbish and clean out gutters to reduce fire risk.
  2. Water has a cooling effect in the garden. Think of installing a garden pond or fountain.
  3. Raise the mower height during warm weather - longer grass means cooler soil at root level.
  4. Whitefly is a nuisance on tomato plants. Try pyrethrum or Natrasoap applied under leaves.
  5. Sow or plant dwarf beans, spring onions and carrots.

Make your garden smile…

Stacks Image p3362_n465