It's Time To: May

Can’t wait to get into the garden?

Here’s what to do with a few minutes or a lovely long day of mild autumn weather.

It's time to admire the tibouchinas.

Admire

Tibouchinas are colouring gardens with rich royal purple hues. The large range of tall shrubs to compact, pot-friendly ‘Groovy Baby’, means there’s one to suit almost every garden.

Prepare

Get garden beds ready for planting winter roses and deciduous fruit trees. Dig in plenty of compost or manure and fork it over well.

Buy

Treat mum to a potted flowering plant for Mothers Day. Perfumed Zygopetalum orchids, early cyclamens, spider-flowered chrysanthemums or elatior begonias are all charming choices for indoors.

Gather

Fallen autumn leaves should be layered into compost bins, or piled into bags and left to rot down into valuable leafy mulch.

Plant

Makrut (kaffir) lime is a good choice for a large pot close to the kitchen door. A leaf or two added to a curry or stir-fry turns ordinary extraordinary. Liquid feed monthly for a steady supply of young leaves.

Select camellias in bud and flower.

Pretty-up the herb or vegie patch by adding winter-blooming calendulas, Iceland poppies or dwarf marigolds. They’ll add colour and attract beneficial insects.

Protect

Tender plants should be protected from early frosts with frost cloth (available in rolls from nurseries and hardware stores) supported on stakes or frames.

Remove

Clear weeds as soon as you see them. Five or ten minutes weeding quickly deals with these space invaders.