Vegetables to plant now include leeks, cabbages, lettuce, potatoes, silver beet, spinach, peas, beans, broccoli, beetroot, carrots, radish and spring onions. Sow snow and sugar snap peas.
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Start hardening off tomato, zucchini, eggplant, cucumber, capsicum, chili, squash and pumpkin plants for planting out in a few weeks.
Flowers include: Aster, salvias, bedding begonia, Californian poppies, carnations, cornflowers, dahlias, nemesia, pansies, petunias, phlox, snapdragon, stocks, marigolds, ageratum, lobelia, delphiniums, sweet william, gazanias, nasturtiums and zinnias.
Totally corny
Sweet corn is a vigorous grower and needs a soil rich in organic compost so prepare a bed now ready to plant seeds when the danger of frosts has passed.
Always use fresh seed for best results and plant in a block for more even dispersal of pollen.
They can be under-planted with cucumbers or climbing beans to suppress weeds and maximise space.
Where possible plant vegetables in beds that run in a north-south direction so they receive the maximum amount of sunlight.
If you are unsure about having good drainage, raise the garden beds by about 15cms.
Perfect paws
Kangaroo paws have stunning flowers in colours of red, green, yellow, orange, brown and various combinations from spring to late summer.
These easy-to-grow natives like full sun and good drainage and their nectar-laden flowers are valuable bird attractors.
Blooming business
Remove seed pods from rhododendrons and azaleas, but be careful not to damage the young shoots at the base of the cluster. To do this hold the woody stem firmly with one hand, grip the spent flower foot-stalk with the finger and thumb of the other and give a sharp twist.
Foxgloves, cotoneaster, watsonia, banana passionfruit, agapanthus, English ivy, holly, sweet pittosporum and broom are lovely garden plants but can quickly become a problem if allowed to spread into our rural and bushland environments.
Consider replacing these with similar native plants.
Kalanchoes will flower successfully throughout the year if given a warm, sunny, frost-free position. In winter reduce watering to the point where the potting mix is almost dry, then water well. Apply a complete fertiliser in spring but go easy as too much will result in fewer blooms.
Double act
Plant kiwi fruit in a position that gets full sun, is protected from winds and has moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. You need to buy a pair, one male and one female plant.
These vigorous vines have small, fragrant flowers in early summer followed by small, brown fruits. Provide a strong support.