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Spring: the season when the garden comes alive! These planting and growing tips will get things blooming.
Whether you’re craving freshly harvested produce or a vaseful of cut flowers, now is the season for green thumbs to swing into action. In spring, as soil temperatures increase, growth speeds up (notice the resurgence of weeds!), says gardening writer Rachel Clare, so it’s an ideal time to look into vegetables, fruits and flowers to start growing. “Early spring, around Labour Day, is when it’s warm enough to plant summer crops like tomatoes, beans and zucchinis,” she says. “Late spring is a beautiful time in the garden when roses, foxgloves and other flowering plants come into bloom.” This seasonal guide to spring planting will help you get started.
A gardening gem, climbers not only offer handsome flowers and foliage to your home’s outdoor area, but also have the remarkable ability to wrap themselves around almost any structure. This makes them a marvellous choice for beautifying bare fences, walls and entrances. Luckily, it’s the season for it – spring is a great time to plant climbers, says Rachel Clare.
“If you’re after an evergreen with a lovely scent, star jasmine is a relatively easy-care climber that always looks good and produces flowers throughout spring and summer,” she says. “Native Clematis paniculata, with its star-shaped white flowers that attract bees and butterflies, is ideal for archways and verandas.”
For a romantic vibe in your garden, try planting climbing roses as temperatures start to warm up or, suggests Rachel, wisteria. “This twining deciduous climber is covered in hundreds of racemes of fragrant purple or white flowers in spring.”
Wear gloves and a mask when handling compost. After applying fertiliser around edible plants, delay harvesting for a few days and rinse well before cooking and eating. Store all garden chemicals and products out of the reach of children and pets.
For all your common questions and queries about gardening, visit our advice form.
Some products are not available at all Bunning stores, but may be ordered.
Photo Credit: Sue Stubbs