Preparing your garden
The first step before choosing plants for spring is to prepare your garden. Clean out debris, weeds and prune plants that need pruning. Replenish the soil with a healthy dose of mulch and organic compost. You can make your compost or get prepared compost from several vendors in the Melbourne region. When you are looking for compost from the market, focus on mushroom compost which is pasteurised and composted blending wheaten straw, gypsum and chicken manure that helps in rejuvenating your established gardens, conserving moisture in the soil, improving the soil structure of your gardens, and serves as an excellent mulch, particularly for roses.
Mulching
Considering the temperamental climate of Melbourne, mulching is necessary to eliminate weeds and enhance the look of your garden. Mulching helps your plant roots the impact of frost. It also retains moisture in the soil when the season turns warm apart from delivering nutrients to improve soil health and addressing soil erosion in elevated terrains. Before you start mulching, you can also top off your garden bed with a moderate or light sprinkling of fertilizer (slow-release variety) to keep the plants in top condition throughout seasons.
Choosing plants for spring
The digital world offers plenty of resources to choose plants for spring and ideally, you should invest in quality time exploring these. Some gardening Mornington Peninsula professionals like Jim’s gardening even have on-site horticulturists who can take into account the conditions specific to your garden and advise you on what plants are best suited for that. But, generally, you can go with the following recommendations.
Spring flowers
Flowering plants you choose during spring will bring great rewards like fragrance, colour and beauty for several months ahead. September is also an excellent time for flowering plants like:-
- Carnations
- Daisies
- Lavender
- Snapdragons,
- Marigold
- Foxgloves
- Dahlias
Do also know that Petunias and Geraniums are particularly popular since they deliver a splash of colour and you can choose different planting methods like hanging baskets, pots or the garden bed. You can also brighten up your garden by planting sunflowers in the corners of your garden. However, if you experience concerns from frost you are better off sunflower planting till the soil gets warmer.
Vegetables
Homegrown vegetables are particularly ideal during this pandemic season and you can produce a wide range in your own gardens. Spring is also the best season to start planting your favourites and enjoy the produce till the arrival of the next winter. Spring is also the best time if you are establishing new beds in your garden for the upcoming growing season. There are also no-dig garden beds that are particularly suited for people with a great demand on their time, cannot bend over much and those who have pets at home. Choice of vegetable plants for spring include beetroot, cabbages, capsicums, cauliflowers, cucumbers, eggplants, radishes, snow peas, lettuces, leeks, onions, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce etc.
Herbs
There are many useful herbs that you can start growing during the spring and with minimal care, some of them can be productive for several years. Your options include mint, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme, and coriander (particularly suited for spring since the higher temperature will spoil the flavour and taste). Basil is another all-time favourite but it is sensitive to the cold climate and therefore should be ideally planted towards the end of spring.
Fruit trees
A deciduous variant of fruit trees like apples, plums, peaches and pears are ideal for early spring planting and you should get them with bare roots during this period. Oranges, lemons, and kumquats are better for planting late into spring after the soil has adequately warmed up. You should also remember that fruit trees need good drainage and sunshine in plenty. When you have limitations on space, you can choose dwarf variants of fruit trees and some fruit trees may also need cross-pollination.
Native plants
You can also choose native plants since they are better tuned to local conditions and adapt well to the climate and soil conditions in the Melbourne region lending themselves to lower maintenance compared to most exotics. Native plants also lend themselves to the local ecosystem along with the animals depending on each other for survival. In the Melbourne region, native plants can ideally be planted from the start of autumn to the final weeks of spring.
Summing up
The global population is growing towards the 9 billion marks over the next few decades and will witness increasing stress on food production. For developing countries, home gardens are becoming more and more integrated to the local food system as well as the agricultural landscape. Across the world too, food security is a growing concern and those who have the time and ability to care for their home gardens are helping themselves as well as the larger population. The Melbourne region is particularly blessed since most homes have open space to create beautiful gardens which is a luxury in many other cities around the world. Thankfully, there are also many service providers like Jim’s gardening who can help home-owners with professional knowledge and help to enhance the beauty and utility of your home gardens.