Vegies to plant in December include – capsicum, eggplant, lettuce, tomato, zucchini, beetroot, celery and pumpkin.

Flowers to plant in December include – portulaca, sunflower, begonia, marigold, petunia, verbena, salvia and impatiens.

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

• Protect ferns from burning sun and strong winds. Maiden Hair ferns don’t like to dry out at all
• Add mulch to outdoor potted plants to conserve water
• Watch for fungal diseases on roses and vegies. Help keep plants healthy by removing disease affected leaves
• Blue-green algae affects ponds and stagnant water in summer and pets should not be allowed to drink from these as it can cause illness
• Harvest leafy green vegies when the leaves are small and young and harvest often
• Bundle pots together for easier watering, especially if someone is looking after your garden while you are away
• When harvesting Basil, take a bit from each plant rather than stripping one. Pinch out tips to encourage lots of new growth
• Cover your worm farm with damp hessian to keep it cool and shaded
• Keep an eye on any new plantings. Nursery plants are constantly watered so you need to give new plants extra water until their root system has established
• Check irrigation systems to ensure they are all working properly, with all spray heads and drippers running freely
• Top up mulches to reduce moisture loss and moderate soil temperatures during summer. It also helps to suppress weeds
• Ripen green tomatoes by placing them on a sunny window sill

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in November.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Vegies to plant in November include – beetroot, capsicum, cucumber, pumpkin, lettuce, sweet corn, tomato, zucchini, radish, spinach and spring onion.

Flowers to plant in November include – alyssum, marigolds, petunia, portulaca, sunflower, salvia, calendula, lobelia and impatiens.

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

• Plant fast growing leafy green every 6 weeks for continuous cropping
• Lift and divide chive clumps to increase stock
• Tip prune Passionfruit to promote flowers and fruit that form on new growth
• Trim daisies to remove old flowers
• Dress roses with a 5cm layer of well rotted cow or chook manure to feed and condition the soil for summer growth
• Prune old or tatty canna stems to ground level
• Dead head roses so they put their energy into producing new blooms
• When there are just 4 or 5 green leaves left on the stem, your garlic is ready to be dug up
• Harvest sweetcorn when the silks are brown and the kernels seem plump and emit a milky fluid when squeezed
• Plant silverbeet and rainbow chard as a gap filler, even in your ornamental garden
• Fluctuations in soil moisture can cause root vegetables and fruit to split
• Eat sweetcorn fresh before the sugars turn to starch
• Remove fruit from newly planted custard apple, avocado, mango and citrus. They need at least 2 years to establish strong roots and branches for crops
• Sweet potato loves the heat. Buy a tuber and plant it. Trim off the runners into 20cm lengths and plant the cuttings

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in November.

Vegies to plant in October include – beetroot, capsicum, cucumber, lettuce, pumpkin, tomato, zucchini, carrot and sweet corn.

Flowers to plant in October include – alyssum, marigold, petunia, portulaca, salvia, cornflower, lobelia and snapdragon.

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

• Repot orchids as soon as they have finished flowering. They need repotting every 3-4 years
• Cut stems of kangaroo paw flowers and display inside. Leave a stump 10-20cm long where a second flush of flowers will appear from dormant buds
• Ensure your irrigation system is in good working order. Clean filters, flush the drip lines, sprinklers and drippers and repair any holes
• Composting worms start to eat more food now that it is warming up. Chop up scraps finely to speed up the process
• Be sure to keep on top of couch grass and kikuyu in garden beds. These can regrow from any tiny pieces that are left in the ground
• Tomatoes should be rotated to new parts of the garden every year to reduce the chance of diseases ruining your crop
• Buddleja, tea tree, daisies, marigolds, lavender, bottle brush and grevillea are all great plants for attracting butterflies to your garden and now is a great time to plant them
• Prune native shrubs by about a third every 12 months or so to keep them compact and bushy and to stimulate new growth
• Plant native succulents such as pigface around your house as a fire retardant barrier
• Prune only the flowered stems of proteas.  Un-flowered stems are next season’s blooms
• Plant annuals now for Christmas colour. For sunny spots plant alyssum, begonia, petunia, salvia and vinca. For shade plant impatiens

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in October.

Vegies to plant in September include: beans, broccoli, cabbage, leek, peas, radish, rhubarb, beetroot, lettuce, potato and spinach.

Flowers to plant in September include: carnation, dahlia, impatiens, lobelia, nasturtium, snapdragon, sunflower, vinca, petunia, marigolds and salvia.

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

• Check your reticulation is all in good working order before the warmer weather arrives
• Plant up large containers with advanced spring flowering annuals for instant colour
• Prune passionfruit to encourage new growth on which fruit will form
• Trim screening hedges back into shape, pruning hard to restore density
• Clean the fireplace and sprinkle the ash around fruit trees
• Repot potted plants, top up with a slow release fertiliser and apply a wetting agent
• Prune hibiscus back by about a third to encourage lots of summer flowers
• Check lemon trees for swellings on branches caused by citrus gall wasps. Cut away the galls using a sharp knife
• Cut tatty ornamental grasses almost to the ground
• Deadhead and snip the old flower stems back to the base once bulbs have finished flowering
• Spread water wise mulch 5-8cm thick before the weather warms up to suppress weeds, reduce evaporation and condition soil
• Be on the lookout for Pimple psyllids which cause small bumps on the leaves of lillypillies. Prune off the affected areas and dispose if them

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in September.

Vegies to plant in August include: beetroot, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onion, parsnip, peas, silverbeet, artichoke, potato and rhubarb.

Flowers to plant in August include: marigold, begonia, carnation, gazania, nasturtium, dianthus and statice.

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

• Harvest citrus fruit daily. Over ripe fruit will become dry
• Shape deciduous trees while you can see their framework
• Occasionally wipe the leaves of your indoor plants with a damp cloth to remove dust. It will help the plant to breathe better
• Pick pears while a little unripe and allow to ripen in the fridge or at room temperature
• After flowering, prune poinsettia below waist height. Wear gloves and eye protection as the sap can burn
• After harvesting broccoli, leave the plant in the ground as smaller heads will shoot (similar to broccolini)
• Give your garden soil a moisture test by digging a hole a spade’s depth and checking if water has penetrated to root level. If not, apply a soil wetting agent
• Discourage cats from digging in your garden by planting citrus perfumed plants such as lemon verbena and lime scented geraniums
• Harvest fruit regularly from avocado trees. If left too long, the tree could end up cropping every 2 years instead of annually
• To help train climbers up poles, tie them on loosely with plastic ties
• Plant comfrey near your compost and add leaves to your heap. They are rich in nutrients and break down quickly
• If your dog loves to chew plants, ensure the following toxic plants are not around – aloe vera, daffodil, lily, sago palm, tulip and yesterday, today and tomorrow

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in August.

Vegies to plant in July include: artichoke, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, onion, potatoes, spring onions, spinach and strawberry.

Flowers to plant in July include: carnation, foxglove, lobelia, marigold, nasturtium, pansy, poppy, snapdragon and stock.

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

• Clear mulch from plant stems to prevent collar rot
• Remove suckers from deciduous plants. Rip them off rather than cutting them otherwise they reshoot
• Soak bare-rooted roses in some liquid seaweed before planting into compost-enriched soil
• Plant pansies for winter colour
• Cut back ornamental grasses that have browned. Take them right back to the ground and remove any dead foliage
• Tidy up pot plants by removing weeds and trimming off diseased and dead leaves
• Keep garden paths safe by cleaning off fallen fruit, leaves and flowers
• Be on the lookout for mildew and rust diseases. Remove affected growth. To reduce the risk of these problems spreading, water plants in the morning
• Dig out bindies and winter grass from lawns before they set seed
• Lightly prune dwarf apple trees annually during winter to help motivate fruit production and fresh growth in spring
• The best time to plant cherries is during winter
• Once deciduous trees are leafless, prune off any weak, dead, diseased or rubbing branches
• To extend the harvest and provide a steady stream of fresh peas, sow seeds every 3-4 weeks
• Weeding, weeding and more weeding! The old gardening tale states: ‘if a weed is allowed to seed in one year, it will be there for seven more’. Weed seeds have the potential to stay dormant in the ground for up to seven years – incentive enough to get on top of them while they are small

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in July.

Vegies to plant in June include: asparagus, broad beans, cabbage, celery, artichoke, lettuce, onion, peas, spinach spring onions and strawberries.

Flowers to plant in June include: alyssum, calendula, pansy, dianthus, viola, primula, carnation, cornflower, poppy, snapdragon and stock.

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

• Ensure reticulation is turned  off as the winter sprinkler ban comes into effect from June 1 to August 31
• Cut back butterfly bush (Buddleja) to one third it’s size to keep if compact
• Lift and divide clumps of ground covering native violet and replant them in shady areas
• Give lillypilly and Westriginia hedges a light trim to tidy for winter
• Tidy up and reshape overgrown hibiscus and crepe myrtle. Plan to give them a more serious prune in August
• Put potted cyclamen outside at night to enjoy the cool air
• Don’t forget to check that your potted plants and gardens under eaves are getting enough water
• Once the leaves die down it is time to harvest onions, shallots and garlic
• Don’t let beets get too big as they are sweeter when small
• Harvest spring onions and leeks as you need them as they do not store well
• Pick peas daily to encourage continuous crops. They are ready when the pods look plump
• Harvest rhubarb after the plant’s first year, taking no more than half the stems. Hold stems near the base and twist
• Collect, bag and bin diseased foliage on fruit and veggies to reduce spread

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in June.

Vegies to plant in May include – broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cress, spinach, lettuce, onion, radish, shallots, spring onion and strawberries.

Flowers to plant in May include – cornflower, pansy, poppy, stock, statice, viola and calendula.

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

• Lift and divide clumps of native violets and replant in the shade. Keep soil moist.
• Snap off the flowers of herbs to keep the tasty leaves growing
• Thin overcrowded fruit on apple, pear, citrus and plum trees so the remaining fruit can develop to full size and flavour
• If you have an area of persistent weeds, cover them with a thick layer of overlapping newspapers, then a 5-8cm layer of mulch over that
• Overcrowding of bulbs in containers can look really good so pack them in closer for maximum effect
• Prune bottlebrush once autumn flowering has finished. Prune behind the flower heads
• Now is the perfect time to plant coriander
• Transplant any shrubs that are in the wrong spot or are being crowded out
• Lift and dry garlic and onion once the leaves start dying
• If you find aphids on new shoots, squash or squirt them off with a jet of water
• If you have black spot on roses, remove affected leaves, avoid overhead watering and ensure good light and airflow around plants
• Trim westringia, lillypilly and lemon myrtle hedges
• Move cold-tender indoor plants away from cold windows and cut back on watering in the cooler seasons
• Fertilise a newly planted rose once it puts on about 5cm of new growth
• Water citrus regularly as the fruit is maturing. A lack of water can cause fruit to drop before it reaches full size
• Add slow release fertiliser to pot plants
• Give bulbs plenty of water while growing but stop watering when their leaves start to die down
• Pumpkin is ready to harvest when the stalk attached to the vine starts to whither and change colour

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in May.

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!

Vegetables to plant in March include – beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, leek, lettuce, radish, spinach, spring onion and turnip.

Flowers to plant in March include – alyssum, lobelia, stock, pansy, snap dragon, sweet pea and viola.

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

• Prune geranium and pelargonium by two-thirds to encourage new bushy growth before winter
• Remove weeds before they go to seed. The best time is after rain
• Attract butterflies to your garden by planting red, orange, purple, white and blue flowers
• Prune petunias to keep them flowering well into autumn
• Coffee grounds can be put to good use in the garden as slug and snail repellent or in the compost bin
• Divide agapanthus plants from autumn through to early spring
• Prune off citrus branches hanging lower than 1m above the ground to reduce the spread of brown rot
• Plant bee food plants such as brachyscome, angophora, eucalyptus, callistemon, melaleuca, scaevola, grevillea, hibbertis, tea-tree and westringia
• Scorched leaves can be a sign that soil is water repellent. If the soil is dry, apply a wetting agent and water well
• Divide clumping grass-like plants, such as dianella, lomandra and kangaroo grass. Keep several shoots per clump and remove dead material
• Harvest radish regularly to stop them becoming too hot and spicy, woody or pithy
• Start planning spring bulbs

Happy March gardening in Perth!!