Spring is here and there's lots to do and enjoy in the garden at this time of year.
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One of the best things about spring is the increased activity - plants coming into leaf or bud, birds building their nests and little creatures soaking up the spring sunshine.
The warmer days provide a great incentive to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine and enjoy that increased activity. Take the opportunity while you are outside to make a mental note of the most pressing jobs that need to be done.
The early ornamental pears, plums and apricots are putting on their spring show; for some it is the best flowering for a number of years and they certainly look fabulous when they are full blossom.
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Be sure to keep newly planted trees and shrubs well-watered, particularly those you planted as bare-rooted, including your roses, and especially if the weather is dry. Spring days can often be windy and winds will dry out unmulched ground very quickly. Armidale water restrictions have been lifted to level 3, so residents who are on town water can now use hand held hoses and drip irrigation, which is a welcome change.
Trim late winter flowering plants such as Camellia, Daphne, flowering quince (Chaenomeles), Michelia and Magnolia when they have finished blooming. Trim off crossing or diseased branches and lightly shape plants.
For perennials and especially grasses, cut back any dead growth left over from last autumn / winter before too much new growth appears.
Similarly, divide any crowded clumps of perennials that have got too big for their location or gone woody in the centre, before the new growth takes off. When clumps of foxglove, delphinium, daylilies, salvia, penstemon and other herbaceous perennials become too large they need to be split up to rejuvenate the plants and increase flowering. Divide clumps into as many sections as you can, each with a good amount of roots and new shoots, and discard the older centre part. This will give you new plants to spread around your garden or give to friends.
Deadheading any bulbs that have flowered will ensure the plant's energy is diverted to forming next year's flower within the bulb, rather than forming seeds.
- The next meeting of the Armidale Garden Club is on Thursday, September 24, at 7pm in the Uniting Church Youth Club Hall. Everyone is welcome and all COVID rules will be adhered to.