Garden Checklist

JANUARY

Time to spray Roses to protect from pests and diseases.
For a wonderful autumn rose display cut back now and fertilise with rose food.
To encourage fresh flowers from your annuals ‘dead head’ plants, and feed with Thrive flower and fruit, this will give them a new lease on life.
Watch out for stink bugs on your citrus.
Apply mulch to help conserve water and stop weed growth.
Feed azaleas and camellias. Water camellias well.

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FEBRUARY

Prepare autumn flower beds by digging in compost and fertiliser.
Water regularly to prevent plants from drying out.
Feed citrus plants and trees, and top up mulch over their root systems.
Keep dahlias blooming by removing dead flowers.
Watch out for mealybugs on strap-leafed plants, control with Confidor.
Don’t forget to put cold climate bulbs in the refrigerator to chill them for at least 6 weeks.

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MARCH

Plant your annuals for winter colour (protect them from snails
and slugs).This is a good month to plant perennials like hostas.
March is caterpillar time they can be sprayed with Dipel
Bulbs for spring and summer colour can be planted now, prepare the flower bed by adding compost and some bulb fertiliser.

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APRIL

Best time to select and plant new trees and shrubs.
Dig a wide hole and mix with compost to give them a good start.
Feed lawns with a good quality lawn fertiliser and then water well to carry the fertiliser down to the root.
Prune and tidy perennials as they finish flowering.

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MAY

Slow down watering to houseplants.
Feed lawns to encourage growth and suppress weeds growth.
Collect fallen autumn leaves, they are ideal for composting.
This is a good time to plant citrus (in all but the coolest spot)If planting into a pot chose potting mix specific for citrus.

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JUNE

Plant new roses, a thick layer of mulch around the base will protect the young plant from frost.
Prune hydrangeas, cut back the stems that flowed last season. Lift and divide perennials.
Prune sasanqua camellias after their flowering has finished.

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JULY

Prepare the soil for spring planting, add compost if necessary.
Plant or transplant deciduous trees and roses while they are dormant.
Prune peaches, apples and other deciduous summer fruit trees.
Time to prune roses. Use sharp and clean secateurs, spray with lime sulphur while the plants are still leafless.
Feed spring bulbs with bulb fertiliser.

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AUGUST

This is the last chance to transplant deciduous trees and shrubs while they are still dormant.
Feed camellias and azalea after they finish flowering. Any trimming should be done now.
Finish rose pruning, plant new roses with plenty of compost added to the soil.
Prune hibiscus and abutilons, these plants flower on new season growth.

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SEPTEMBER

Now is the time to sow new lawns and feed existing lawns. Use a garden fork to aerate the lawn the follow up by applying soil wetta. Top dress hollows.
Protect azaleas from lace bugs with Confidor. Spray hibiscus with Confidor to control hibiscus beetle.
Trim gardenias and feed them with soluble fertiliser, gardenias love their food.
Plant salad vegetables and tomatoes.

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OCTOBER

As the weather warms up watch for pest and diseases.
Mulch all plants to conserve water.
Plant trees and shrubs prior to summer. This is a good time to rejuvenate tired old citrus trees by pruning them hard, renewing mulch and feeding them. Remember if cut back severely the tree will not fruit for a couple of seasons.
Water hydrangeas with soluble fertiliser to encourage larger blooms.

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NOVEMBER

Replace tired spring annuals with some summer colour and plant summer herbs.
Fertilise roses with a good quality rose food.
Re-pot orchids when finished flowering.
Treat yellow new leaves on gardenias with iron chelates.
Pay attention to weeds they grow rapidly as the weather warms.

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DECEMBER

Holiday-proof your garden by applying mulch or compost around all plants to
conserve moisture. Apply soil wetta at the same time.
Watering in the morning allows time for the leaves to dry which reduces the risk of fungal diseases.
Make sure container plants don’t dry out.
Keep weeding and feeding plants.