IT’S time to get your hands dirty and restore the beauty of your garden for the season.
With so many plants to choose from, it can be hard to know what will work best now and into the hotter months.
Charlie Dawson of Dawson’s Garden Wold gives us his top six spring-summer species.
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READ NOW1. Wisteria – Wisteria are at their best from mid to late September. Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria) is a classic lavender-blue flowering plant, producing unforgettable displays of cascading, fragrant flowers in long clusters of up to 45cm long. Grow them on walls, fences, arches or pergolas. After flowering, prune long vegetative shoots back to 5-6 buds’ length to promote the development of flowering wood.
2. Roses – Plant new season roses now to get them well settled in before the warmer days of summer arrive. If you don’t have enough garden space, many can be grown successfully in large tubs and containers. Floribunda and miniature roses are particularly well suited to growing in containers. When potting roses, use quality Premium Potting Mix.
3. Grevilleas – They are probably the most widely grown group of Australian plants. Grevilleas are incredibly diverse and offer many environmentally friendly planting options. From low groundcover types to showy shrubs and taller varieties suitable for hedging, there is a grevillea for virtually every spot in the garden.
4. Lavender – Lavender is spectacular during spring. My favourite is lavender avonview, which has a compact and vigorous growth habit with showy, fragrant flowers and prominent flag petals on top.
5. Kangaroo Paw – They are the iconic Australian plant. Flowering for much of the year, kangaroo paws are ideal for bedding, mass planting and also to grow in pots. They are easy to grow, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant once established. With emerald greens, striking reds and burgundies, golden yellows, oranges and pinks, they showcase the colours of Australia. As an added bonus, these plants are a great way to attract birds to your garden.
6. Strawberries – My favourite, strawberry chandler, is at its best right now and is fruiting. Chandler is a high yielding, brilliantly coloured strawberry with exceptional flavour. Perfectly suited to Perth conditions, its main fruiting period is spring to early summer.