Jobs to do

·         Watch clivea for signs of caterpillar damage. Act quickly and spray with Yates Success or Yates Dipel. Remove clustered buds on camellias, leaving a single bud to create bigger and better blooms.

·         Make an elegant hanging cane flower basket. Line it with plastic and cut a few holes in the base for drainage. Add hydrated water crystals to your potting mix and plant with a trailing dwarf bamboo.

Tips & Tricks

·         Tulip bulbs need six weeks in the refrigerator before planting into the garden or into pots. They are best planted at the end of May.

·         Encourage more flowers on roses and bougainvilleas by adding a teaspoon of sulfate of potash to the watering can once a month.

·         Paint a courtyard wall red or purple to give your garden a colour boost. Use textured exterior paint and complement with red or purple flowers and berries.

In the flower garden

Plant spring bulbs

It’s time to plant all your spring flowering bulbs (except tulips) into well-prepared soil. Add compost or soil conditioner and cultivate well. Plant your bulbs twice as deep as they are wide. Sprinkle bulb food over them and avoid over-watering which can cause them to rot.

Plant a lavender garden

Lavender is best planted in its own garden area, mixed with different colours and varieties. Once established, never water it again: most lavenders die from over-watering. Lavender hates organic fertiliser and loves a slow-release fertiliser, such as Garden Gold or Osmocote. Check the label, but in warm temperate areas like Sydney, select lavender varieties from the dentata group and the intermedia group. Avoid the augustifolia and stoechas-type lavenders, which prefer cool climates and dislike humidity.

Create a colourful flower display

There’s no excuse for dreary courtyards and balconies with the fabulous new varieties of pansies and polyanthus. Plant in pots and window boxes for strong colour impact.

Go Native

Three best Aussie plants for heavy clay soils: 1) Melaleuca laterita ‘Robin Red Breast’, as long as there is moisture and reasonable drainage. Flowers from December to June; 2) Melaleuca thymifolia, with tiny leaves like thyme and purple or pink flowers;  3) Callistemon ‘Tangerine Dream’ with light orange/apricot flowers September to April.

Centre yourself

For a sensational centrepiece for a sunny balcony or courtyard, plant pink Mandevilla ‘Merlin’s Magic’ into a large pot (or half wine barrel) and train onto a conical powder-coated wire trainer that fits inside the pot. Feed with controlled-release fertiliser such as Garden Gold or Osmocote. Plant matching pansies around the base.

 In the vegetable patch

Plant peas

Sow pea seeds, which are treated to minimise fungal attack, directly into damp soil in full sunshine. Dwarf varieties ‘Greenfeast’ and ‘Earlicrop’ need a 50cm support. Sprinkle lime and granular all purpose fertiliser and do not water until seedlings have germinated. Peas will be ready to pick 12-16 weeks after planting.

Sow rocket

Rocket is excellent for salad mixes - its strong peppery taste adds flavour. Sow seeds in full sunshine, direct where they are to grow. Plants grow quickly, and should be harvested regularly. Remove flowers to prolong the growing period.

Harvest quinces

Quinces should be harvested in autumn, before they drop. They are tough hardy trees, with fruit that is inedible raw but once cooked becomes delicious and aromatic. It grows well where winters are cold and autumns are mild. In humid areas, quince is prone to ‘pear and cherry slug’ and codling moth. They need protection from wind and regular water.

Check the worms

If you have earthworms, it’s a sign that your soil is fertile. When you add organic matter to your garden soil, you will attract earthworms. There is no need to add more worms to your garden! The worms you’ve attracted with organic matter will add nutrient from their castings, and make tunnels to help air and water penetrate the soil.

Plant spuds

Now is the time to plant potatoes into a sunny fresh garden bed free of lime. Seed potatoes are best bought “certified virus free” from your garden centre. These seed potatoes have ‘eyes’ embedded in the skin, from which the new plants will grow. Soil should be well drained, and not manured, as high nitrogen levels lead to poor tuber production.