• St Patrick’s Day, March 17, is the traditional day for sowing seeds of sweet pea.

• Feed roses with pelletised manure to encourage good autumn flowers.

• Buy bulbs now while there is plenty of choice. Choose plump fresh bulbs with no sign of disease. Store tulips in the refrigerator for six weeks before planting.

Tips & Tricks

• Take regular photographs of your garden, from all angles, starting at planting time. This will help you plan from year to year - what to move, what to replace, what colours didn’t work.

• Discourage possums from eating fruit and roses with a cheap radio and long extension cord – switch it on at dusk.

• Don’t try to cultivate soil beneath large trees. You will only damage the roots. Just make planting holes between the roots and insert small plants with tiny root systems that can establish themselves readily.

In the flower garden:

Bulbs

In warm temperate areas, March is the month to buy bulbs, but don’t plant them until April or May, when soil temperature has dropped. Tulips should not be planted until late May and should be refrigerated for six weeks beforehand. Packaged spring-flowering bulbs are available now at your local garden centre and catalogues are available from bulb suppliers.

Van Dieman Quality Bulbs in Tasmania sells fabulous tulips and daffodils via the internet: Visit www.vdqbulbs.com.au or phone (03) 6442 2012.

Garden Express sells a comprehensive range of daffodils via their catalogue: Visit www.gardenexpress.com.au or freecall 1800 063 739 for a copy.

Tesselaar’s also sells a comprehensive range of bulbs from their catalogue:  Visit www.tesselaar.net.au or phone (03) 9737 9811.

Sweet Pea

Sow seeds of sweet pea into sunny soil beneath a wire-covered wall, fence or trellis. Do not pre-soak seeds. Sow seeds in situ and water once. Do not water again until seeds have germinated, as they are very susceptible to rotting.

Make cuttings

Take 10cm cuttings of natives such as banksias, grevillea, Westringea and Brachyscome. Remove lower leaves, dip into hormone powder and pot into small pots of premium potting mix. Keep just moist and well protected from strong sunlight and wind.

Perennials

Prune spent flower stems of perennials such as aster (Easter daisy), shasta daisy, alstroemeria, gaillardia, rudbeckia, helenium, statice, salvia, delphinium and lavender. Feed with Garden Gold to promote another flower flush.

In the Vegetable Bed:
Figs

To protect ripening figs from birds and possums, cover the tree with a bird net. To protect from fruit fly, cover the maturing fig with stocking, a calico bag or a brown paper bag secured with a peg. Pick carefully, twisting the stalk so the soft, sweet fruit is not damaged. Many varieties are available. ‘Brown Turkey’ is a hardy tree with medium-sized fruit with pink flesh, good eaten fresh and excellent as jam.

Peas

Peas grow easily from seed. Sow them now to crop throughout the cooler months. Try Chinese snow peas as they crop quickly and withstand higher temperatures. Choose a sunny, protected spot that hasn’t recently been used to grow peas and beans.

Beans

It’s harvest time for beans. To avoid damaging the plant, always harvest beans by cutting their pods off with scissors or a knife. Pick your beans frequently, as this encourages flowering, which means more beans! When your beans have finished, cut them off at ground level, leaving their nitrogen-fixed roots in the soil. Climbing beans are far more productive than bush beans. Tie together some tall stakes into a pyramid and plant a few seeds at the base of each stake.

Strawberries
Prepare now for strawberry planting. Select a site that slopes slightly as strawberries do not like 'wet feet'. Dig in well-rotted chicken manure and compost, as strawberries are heavy feeders. Allow six weeks before planting.