Fertilize spring-flowering annuals, perennials and shrubs. Flowering plants should get 5:1:5 or 3:1:5 and shrubs and trees should get 2:3:2 (or organic alternatives). Roses pruned in July or early this month will sprout and respond to Vigorosa fertilizer almost immediately. Water well after fertilizing.
As the temperature rises, watering can be increased to at least twice a week. Roots and microbes prefer fresh, oxygen-rich water.
Start covering your bed once it is dry to keep the roots cool. Good materials include pine needles, peanut shells, bark chips, gravel, and straw.
Give your garden some TLC.
Lawns respond quickly to loving care. If they are limp, remove the dead grass and then mow the lawn with the mower on the lowest setting.
Compacted soil can be loosened with a garden fork. Apply lawn fertilizer and water well.
Tall, thin, cool-season grasses, such as: Some plants, such as evergreen grasses or shade plants, do not need a spring treatment other than applying a 5:1:5 fertilizer in late August. These grasses or live modified grasses should not be fed because crown soil kills the grass.
Fertilize only when it is necessary to level the lawn or fill holes. If your garden is patchy in the colder months, loosen the soil, plant new seeds and water them.
If your lawn stays green enough through the winter without getting too bushy, just apply some fertilizer and water well. Soon there will be a green carpet again.
Add flavour
Add aromatic plants to your garden to create a year-round fragrance. Plants that spread their scent, such as exotic muraya , star jasmine or gardenia, can be placed near the living room where you can enjoy the scent, especially in the evening.
Aromatic plants such as lavender, rosemary, lemon verbena and scented geranium should be touched to release their scent. They can be used as borders, along paths, in containers or next to benches where you can touch them lightly or rub the leaves with your fingers.
Place roses with a strong scent in front of those that have no scent. On hot days they scent the entire bed and lean in slightly to smell.
Don't ignore the subtle scents of houseplants that add color, such as porcini mushrooms, petunias, rhizomes and violas.
Walking on water
Regardless of whether it rains heavily or not, one of the most environmentally friendly measures is to reduce water consumption in the garden.
This does not mean giving up on color nor does it mean eliminating all non-native plants. The sensible way to use water in the garden is to give the plants the right amount of water according to their needs and make sure the water reaches their roots.
Aerate the soil by adding compost and other organic materials to help it absorb more water.
Plants that can survive in dry conditions have the highest water needs. This season, learn how to use them when replacing plants that have reached the end of their life.
Native plants include cacti, middens, and succulents such as senesio, crassula, and sedges, as well as flowers such as gazania, pelargonium, and kingfisher. Non-natives have the likes of periwinkles, celosia, marigolds, petunias, sunflowers, salvia, periwinkle and verbena.
Article by Alice Coetzee.
For more information about gardening, visit Get It magazine.
