In this article, you’ll find:
- Garden maintenance tips for citrus trees.
- When to prune what in your garden during winter.
- How to plan for a thriving winter garden.
- The best use of fallen leaves.
- Lawn maintenance tips for the winter.
Winter in Australia is no time to get lax with your garden maintenance. Not only do many plants flourish in our cooler season, preparing your lawn and garden beds now will help better their performance in the warmer months.
We’ve scoured the best sources for the top 5 garden maintenance tips for winter so you can flex your green thumb while the weather isn’t scolding hot.
Related articles:
- Guide to maintaining your gardens this summer.
- Budget-friendly tips to improve your garden.
- Benefits of using mulch in your garden.
Top 5 Garden Maintenance Tips for Winter in Australia
1. Add tending to any citrus trees to your winter garden maintenance to-do list.
Along with the nourishment and pruning we mention for many types of plants below, winter is a good time to check citrus trees for citrus gall wasps. You’ll want to monitor your trees throughout winter for swelling or lumps along the limbs, which indicate wasp larvae has been laid underneath the soft tissue, which then hatch and eat said tissue.
To remove the swelling, prune the lumps off and dispose of them permanently. Do not put the cut-offs in the compost. Once completely pruned off, ensure you apply a nursery-recommended product to promote regrowth of the affected area.
If you notice tiny holes in the lumps, the wasps have already emerged from their lair, so it’s best to get on top of the task as soon as you notice the swellings.
2. Get pruning!
Unless you live in a frosty area (if you do, wait until late winter), winter means pruning season for roses, as well as hydrangeas, wisteria and grapes, once they’re bare. It’s recommended by homestolove.com.au that you trim roses back to a framework of only three or four stems, followed by spraying the plants and surrounding soil with lime sulfur to deal with pests and diseases.
If you have citrus trees, you’ll also want to prune back any dead or diseased bark and spray with a nursery-recommended regrowth solution. Avoid pruning any spring-blooming flowers until after they’ve flowered.
3. Make note of what plants, flowers and vegetables you’d like for next winter now.
While mid-year is too late to plant winter-loving greenery, your time to do so is fast approaching. Once spring arrives, you’ll want to start preparing your garden beds, planting and maintaining your winter garden—yes, so soon in advance.
What plants love winter? Many root vegetables, like baby carrots, beets and turnips, love cooler temperatures, as well as pansies, snapdragons and English daisies for a bit of colour.
4. Take advantage of falling leaves for a double-hit garden maintenance tip.
Don’t rake and bin those falling leaves! Well, not your rubbish bin, anyhow. All of those falling leaves make for perfect compost and mulch material. By spring, you’ll have plenty of your own magic to shower on your flourishing plants.
Remember our garden maintenance tip above—don’t compost or mulch any diseases or insect-effected bark.
5. Garden maintenance includes looking after your lawn too.
With how often we Aussies love spending outdoors in the warmer months, our lawns can become compacted from heavy use. However, this can result in oxygen, water and nutrients not being able to seep down deep enough into the roots, but winter is the best time to fix this.
Aerate your lawn during the winter to give it time to renourish itself and prepare for spring and summer. You’ll also want to reduce how often you water your lawn (if there are no water restrictions in your area) and raise your mower height. While grass grows slower as the temperature drops, regularly mowing your lawn will help to maintain any weeds and keep it looking tidy.
Have a big lawn or it all sounds a bit too much for your schedule? It’s okay, there are plenty of garden maintenance professionals to lend a hand. In fact, you can find a locally recommended gardener on Localsearch by searching your suburb below.
Feature image source: Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash.
More from Sarah 
