Winter Gardening

In theme with the COVID-19 iso-gardening that is spamming our social media feed, we thought it would be a great idea to share some of our winter gardening tips. Plus, there's no better time than in these cooler months to get some serious work done. 

• Moisture - with the warmer months gone and our gardens a bit moisture stressed winter is the perfect time to rejuvenate our dry, thirsty soil. If the soil has been dry for an extended period of time it can become water-repellent (hydrophobic) but, don't fret, it can be fixed with a good wetting agent. This will also help the plants with drought tolerance and the coming summer. 
• Weeds - with the recent rain we've had the winter weeds thrive popping up everywhere. The trick is to remove the weeds before they mature and set seed. Weeding by hand proves best results - make sure that you remove the roots and all. For larger areas or plants (they can practically grow overnight) a garden hoe or tiller will be your best friend.
• Jobs - now is the perfect time to get on top of 'those jobs' that you've been putting off because like gets busy. Do you need to relocate under-performing plants to a more suitable spot or replace them with something else? Do you need to fix some irrigation or install some irrigation for the pending warmer months? Is it time to add more shade or to plant native plants to encourage wildlife into your outdoor space - birds, bees, butterflies and other little creatures. 

• Lawn  -  our Australian winters make our lawn care rather difficult. During these cooler months mow higher and less frequently like every 3-4 weeks instead of every week, when mowing its best practice in winter to catch the clippings and rake up all debris to allow maximum sunlight and air lawn needs to thrive, and similar to mowing the frequency you water your lawn too should decrease and you should limit watering to early in the morning. 

The winter veggie and herb planter boxes have also been another highlight of the iso-gardening. If you are also on the home-grown-veggie-train, here are some great year-round herb planter ideas: parsley, mints, chives, lemon balm (smells amazing!), oregano, rosemary, sage, spring onions, tarragon & thyme. Tomatoes are also a great addition to any garden!

A well manicured garden and lawn can make all the difference - a happy property manager & landlord, and a successful sale.