Welcome to the new monthly gardening post courtesy of Marcelle Nankervis, author of ‘Smart Gardening.’ Marcelle Nankervis was raised on a small farm where her family grew their own produce and used permaculture without even realising they were. This developed a love of gardening that led to Marcelle obtaining a degree in Horticulture. Since graduating, she has worked in the horticultural media for over sixteen years, including on such notable TV programs and magazines as Burke’s Backyard, Better Homes & Gardens and Your Garden. Having lived and worked in several climates around Australia, Marcelle has a passion for gardening for the future and making it really easy for everyone to get involved.
Winter – Temperate Gardens
Garden Maintenance
- If you need to relocate a plant now is the time, be sure to minimise root disturbance.
- Clear out gutters and downpipes from the leaf litter produced by your deciduous trees.
Propagate
- Now is the time to take hardwood cuttings of your deciduous trees and shrubs.
- Prune and divide your autumn flowering perennials.
Lawn Care
- Aerate lawns with a garden fork or lawn corer.
- Lower your lawn mowing height.
- De-thatch the lawn.
The Vegetable Garden
- Enrich soil with compost.
- Apply liquid fertiliser to winter vegetables.
The Flower Garden
- Plant warm climate bulbs.
- Fertilise autumn flowering bulbs.
The Orchard
- Plant bare root fruit trees now while dormant.
- Mulch citrus trees.
- Prune the following trees and vines, apple, pear, peach and grape.
For more detailed information the book can be purchased from www.exislepublishing.com.au/Smart_Gardening or visit Marcelle’s Blog marcellenankervis.blogspot.com.au
Great new section! It will be good to have a monthly garden checklist handy, well done!