Flower garden
Feed and mulch your roses, shrubs and trees – it’s also a good time to plant trees and choose new shrubs, such as camellias and rhododendrons, as they come into flower.
Complete pruning of fuchsias, and prune and plant bougainvilleas, poinsettias and luculias.
Plant violets and new perennials, but take care with more tender plants until the danger of frost is over.
Continue planting dahlia tubers and gladioli corms for your summer display.
You can prolong the flowering of early spring plants like cinerarias, pansies, poppies and primulas by liquid feeding and removing faded blooms.
Divide and replant polyanthus and primroses when flowering is finished.
Sow seeds of viscaria, ageratum, sweetpea, begonia, marigold, gazania, cosmos, snapdragon, petunia, dianthus, gerbera, statice, verbena, geranium, carnation and hollyhock.
Plant seedlings of spring and summer annuals including alyssum, wallflower, begonia, lobelia, nemesia, polyanthus, pansies, salvia, calendula, primula, snapdragon and sweetpea.
Fruit and vegetable garden
Prune passionfruit vines and feijoas to encourage new growth and fruiting.
Plant citrus and fruit trees, and fertilise existing trees.
When fruit has set, spray citrus with a fungicide to prevent fungus disease and verrucosis. You can make your own organic fungicide by mixing 1x galleon water, 1x tablespoon baking soda and 2 and a half tablespoons vegetable oil. Pour into a large sprayer and shake well. Spray on the top and bottom of leaves.
Also spray gooseberries and currants for leaf spot.
Plant out early-crop potatoes after sprouting, and earth up earlier crops.
Sow seeds of carrots, peas (earth up and stake those already up), parsnip, beetroot, silverbeet, swede and turnips direct into the soil.
Sow lettuces, leeks, cabbage, tomato, capsicum, courgette, cucumber and eggplant ready for transplanting later.
Finish onion planting and transplant summer vegetable seedlings into the garden – lettuce, leeks, cabbage and silverbeet.
Plant herbs or sow seeds for a summer harvest.
Lawns
Mow lawns regularly and feed with liquid fertiliser – it’s also a good time to sow a new lawn.
Second thoughts
Repot patio container plants outgrowing their space, using fresh potting mix to supplement what is around root ball, and feed those that don’t need repotting. A slow release fertiliser is a time-efficient and effective way to do this.
Plant up any tired,dreary containers with potted spring colour – anemones, ranuculus, pansies, snapdragon and calendula are all bright and cheerful.
Start planting hanging baskets for summer colour.
Repot and feed houseplants.