Gardening In Perth In April

April 7, 2014 Gardening Gals Uncategorized

What a great time to be gardening in Perth in April.  The days are getting shorter and the nights are much cooler.  A perfect time to be planting in the garden.

Vegies to plant in April include – broccoli, cabbage, leek, lettuce, onions, peas, radish, shallots, spinach, spring onion and turnip.

Flowers to plant in April include – alyssum, cornflower, snapdragon, stock, statice, pansy, sweet pea and viola.

April is a great time to attend to the following tasks in the Perth garden:

• Aerate compacted lawns with a garden fork
• Lift and divide bearded iris
• Remove and discard any diseased or rotten fruit that may be hanging in trees
• Rake up and remove leaves regularly as a build up of leaves shades the lawn and eventually kills if if left there
• Compost leaves in black plastic bags. After 6 months they should have broken down and be ready to use in your garden
• Be on the lookout for lumpy psyllids on lillypilly leaves. Prune off affected areas, fertilise and water well to encourage fresh growth
• Repot plants that have outgrown their containers. Use fresh potting mix and a slow release fertiliser
• Mass plant ground covers to create a living carpet to suppress weeds. Good native ground covers include native violet and grevillea
• Empty compost bins and use it to condition vegetable and flower beds and spots where you plan to plant bare-rooted trees and shrubs in winter
• Prune hedges of lavender and rosemary
• Plant annuals for winter and spring colour. Try pansy, cineraria, viola, poppy, primula and stock
• Prune summer fruiting trees that have finished cropping. Pruning after harvest reduces the risk of fungal disease and gives the trees a chance to put on some growth before winter
• Trim native shrubs by about a third after they have finished flowering
• Prune any potted plants that are looking tired and lanky by half
• Top up slow release fertilisers in all pot plants to replace nutrients leached out by regular summer watering
• Apply a wetting agent to pots if water runs straight down the side of the pot and the potting mix below the surface stays dry
• This is the perfect time to establish native trees and shrubs such as bottlebrush, wattle and banksia

There is certainly plenty to do to keep you busy in your Perth garden in April!