This week I have been doing the last of the pruning and start of the winter clean up around gardens. I have cut back woody munstead lavenders, some will survive but as lavenders give up after a few years I don't expect all of them to come away again. Those that don't are easily replaced with new freshly grown plants, these English munstead lavenders are a front border of a rose garden which I have had years of pleasure from. Lavenders need feeding now as they start to put out new spring growth. Slow release complete plant fertiliser along with a little lime will boost them. Any plants that are starting to push out spring growth will benefit from feeding, I have noticed my peony roses are pushing up through the pea straw so I now must watch where I put my feet because at this stage the shoots will break off if bumped.
If you have not trimmed back ornamental grass's do it now, cut the old seeded ends well back and clean out the dead thatch around the base, its amazing how much you will need to cart away after a hair cut but they will look wonderful and will grow back to their soft wafting shape in no time. Use what you have cut off as mulch around the garden, a cover for the compost or in the chook house if you have one.
I guess the weeds are growing again at your place as they are at mine! I had the sprayer out last week and I see this week it has worked so it must be warm enough now, however with the ground being still soft hand and hoe weeding is really easy, get weeds out before they take off and seed everywhere, or dig them in before they seed.
Get summer flowering seeds in now, seeds I plan to sow soon are lobelia, petunia, nemesia, saliva, nasturtium and marigolds all these summer annuals need sun light and protection with plastic or glass through the day and frost cloth nightly until frosts are over and night temperatures are milder. Water seed trays early in the day and only when dry on top. When seeds have germinated apply liquid fertiliser once a week, then prick out of seed trays and grow on in a deeper compost / potting mix, keep protected, liquid feed once a week then hardened plants off by putting trays out in the open for a week or two before planting out into the garden.
Lawns
It would pay to have lawn fertiliser on hand for when it rains, grass is beginning to awake from dormancy and a well feed lawn is a healthy lush lawn that should leave no room for those annual spring lawn weeds to grow.
Prepare the ground now for new lawn sowing, let the weed seeds and couch grass come up then spray it, or if only a small area the chemical-free way, dig weeds out before the ground is still to cold to sow grass seed. When nights become milder and the ground warms up sow seed thickly, water early in the day allowing time for ground to retain the warmth of the day into the night and grass seed will strike quickly leaving no room for flat weeds. Annual weeds will mow out with the first mow, do not feed newly sown lawns until they have toughened up.
Vegetables
Sow leaf veg seeds into seed raising trays and prick out and pot on to get a good root mass before planting into the garden, again water early in the day so they don't go into the night cold and wet.
Glass houses come into use from now on for raising seedlings but they still get very cold over night at this time of the year so frost cloth will be needed for a little longer yet. I see tomato plants on offer in Garden centers, they will need to be nursed along right now and protected at night. If temperatures are too cold for them they will just sit, look sad and leaves will curl, tomato plants should never go into the night wet.
Cheers, Linda
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