In the vegetable garden, plant seedlings of winter lettuce, perpetual spinach, kale, leek, onions, silverbeet, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Dig compost into resting garden beds ready for spring planting. Plant soft berry fruits in a reasonably good, open, well-drained soil that has had some complete fertiliser added.
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ABOUT THYME
The fragrant, low growing herb, thyme, develops its strongest flavour if grown in tough, dry conditions in well-drained soil with lots of air movement and plenty of sun. A great plant for a rockery, border edge or aromatic groundcover.
SWEET SCENT
For a superb display of sweet peas this spring, it's not too early to prepare a bed now by digging a trench about half a metre wide and 60cms deep in readiness for planting seeds in spring. In the bottom of the trench, add aged compost, then refill with the removed soil that has been enriched with blood and bone meal and a complete fertiliser high in nitrogen.
NATIVE BLOOM
Tasmania has many native daisies that make excellent garden plants with a variety of sizes, forms and colours to suit most garden situations.
ELEGANCE
The hellebores are flowering now, so to extend the vase life of these elegant blooms, you need to pick them early in the morning with as long a stem as possible and place them immediately into fresh water in a clean container.
When ready to arrange, re-cut the stems under water by making a 2.5cm upward slit.
CLIMBING THE WALLS
If you would like to grow your own fruit but limited space is a problem, plant multi-grafted trees or dwarf varieties of peaches, nectarines, apricot, cherries and citrus.
Espalier trees by affixing them to a wall, grow maypole apples in large containers or take advantage of a fence for climbers such as kiwifruit, grapes and passionfruit.
Standard mandarins and cumquats could line a pathway.
Visit your local nursery or plant centre to see the full range of this season's dwarf and full sized fruit trees.
Spray the trunks and branches of fruit trees with White Oil to help remove scales and other insect pests that are eagerly awaiting for the new leaves to emerge in come spring.
STANDING TEST OF TIME
Carnivorous plants have survived for thousands of years, in fact, over 600 species are known to exist.
Some Drosera spp., or sundews, can be seen growing in many parts of Tasmania and are quite common.
Their leaves are covered with sticky hairs that entrap unsuspecting insects, which the plant then digests.
