Just because summer is over, that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your garden flourishing for many more months to come—quite the opposite! Now is the ideal time to get out into the garden without the sweltering heat, so you can really enjoy being outside. To help you give those secateurs a workout, we’ve put together a simple guide to making the most of your garden as you prepare it for the cooler months ahead.
Prune
- At the start of autumn, begin deadheading your roses to encourage new growth. Prune back to a five-leaflet leaf, cutting at an angle, or snap off faded flowers at the base of the bloom.
- Now is an excellent time to remove any dead or dying branches from trees to help stimulate new growth. At Hoselink, we have a range of sturdy cutting tools from secateurs, loppers and hedge shears (now’s the time to tidy up hedges before the onset of winter) to a range of pruners and a handy pruning saws ideal for tackling small branches and sap-laden plants.
- There is also plenty of opportunity to be enthusiastic about pruning this month. Bushes, evergreen shrubs, and herbaceous perennials will need cutting back after flowering finishes to avoid decay over winter.
Plant
- Autumn is the ideal time to plant bulbs that are ready to bloom by spring. There are many colourful flowers to choose from, whether you want clusters of sunny yellow daffodils or elegant cup-shaped blooms of tulips springing forth from your flower beds. Sowing them now in an open, sunny position offers them a fighting chance of establishing and growing in time for a vibrant spring display.
- A new addition to Hoselink's collection of gardening tools; the Waterproof Potting Mat! Designed for simple and easy use, as well as to save you from the mess. Perfect for potting up new plants or transplanting!
- New trees can also be planted now, which is ideal for filling gaps in the garden or for bringing delicious produce to the kitchen table during harvest if you opt for a fruit tree or two. With plenty of sun, ample room to grow and well-drained soil, the Australian climate will do much of the hard work for you to ensure a successful crop. Trees, including peach, apricot and citrus, are self-fertile, which means they will produce fruit even when planted alone, so these are a good choice if you’re not looking to set up a mini orchard. If you want to grow a more extensive selection of fruit trees, the likes of cherry, apple, and plum trees need a cross-pollinator to fruit, so two or more of the same variety are best planted together in the winter months.
- To make life even easier, we've introduced the Folding Garden Kneeler and Seat! This handy piece of equipment joins the Hoselink product lineup as a way to garden more ergonomically and comfortably. It seamlessly transitions between a seat and a kneeler, making your gardening experience easier than ever.
Look after your lawn
- Pamper your lawn before the harsher winter weather takes hold by regularly clearing grass and beds of fallen leaves—have you seen Hoselink’s compact extendable rake? You can always use gathered leaves by adding them to a compost heap.
- Towards the end of autumn, in May, you should give your lawn a final mow, being careful not to cut it too short.
- Autumn is also a good time to treat any weeds and fertilise your lawn. Ensure you choose a fertiliser specifically designed for autumn use to help your lawn stay healthy through the winter months.
- You can plant new grass seed now if your lawn needs a boost.
Care for your hose
- Here at Hoselink, we recommend releasing water pressure from your garden hose and watering accessories and storing them in a dry, sheltered spot, such as a garden shed or garage, over winter if you live in an area prone to frost. This helps prevent frozen water damage and ensures a healthy, happy hose when you come to use it again in spring.
Tidy up garden beds
- It’s time to step back and plan for a new planting year. Any spent summer flowers should be removed from beds, and the soil should be prepared for the next season.
- Plants that have outgrown pots should be transplanted into new, larger pots with some fresh potting mix.
- Raspberry canes must be cut back, and strawberry patches must be weeded and tidied.
- If you have citrus trees, spread some mulch around the base to protect its shallow roots, ensuring the mulch does not touch the trunk.
Feed the garden
- Autumn is the best time to lay on a feast for your garden. Watering with a fertiliser is a great way to ensure roots get plenty of nutrients, so we recommend using Hoselink’s Fertiliser Spray Mixer and Australian Made Fertiliser Range. Offering both lawn and garden fertilisers and seaweed tonics, there's a solution for everything in the garden! Use the 3-Day Green Lawn Fertiliser to keep your lawn looking fresh, the Garden fertiliser for an all-round treatment, or the Seaweed Tonic as a plant medicine when your garden needs some extra TLC.
Maintain your tools
- When you’ve finished your autumn pruning, it’s a good idea to service your garden tools. Sharpen and oil secateurs and lopper blades, wash garden gloves and clean your sprinklers and spray guns ready for spring.
Create a compost heap
- Fallen autumn leaves provide the perfect base for a healthy compost heap that will offer an excellent source of nutrients for your garden beds or veggie patch. Free and easy to make, set aside a designated space or container in your garden to get started – recycling pallets to create a makeshift compost container is ideal. Blend a mixture of fruit and vegetable scraps, grass cuttings and weeds with dried leaves, shredded newspaper, small branches and straw. Your compost heap will need to be regularly turned over with a garden fork to get essential air into it. Avoid adding the likes of meat and dairy products, diseased plants, animal manure or large branches to your heap.
Plan winter projects
- As the gardening season winds down and you’ve finished all your autumn jobs, why not plan ahead and focus on new projects? Whether you want to lay a garden path, install a rainwater tank, build a raised bed, or simply plan your first veggie patch, there is plenty to keep you busy as you wait for the next season.