There is beauty in a winter garden

Just because the temperature has dropped and the rain is falling, it’s no excuse to abandon your garden! We asked John Draper from Mandurah Community Gardens to give us some good reasons to get busy in the garden this winter, so put on your wellies and get out there!

Over to you, John.

“As the days have shortened and we prepare ourselves for the winter months ahead, our gardens are also going through changes in preparation for the colder months. The deciduous plants are shedding leaves, the very last of the summer veggies are being harvested, and the local pollinators are finding warm locations to rest or complete their lives after reproducing. Work for the gardener certainly slows down during winter, but with some light maintenance we can keep things ticking over ready for the blast of new life that meets us all when spring rolls around.

“Trim back herbaceous perennials, lightly trim off any finished flower heads on shrubs and trees, clear up deciduous leaves and add them all to your compost pile. Always leave a few patches of leaves and light twigs here and there in the garden as safe havens for pollinators like small lizards and insects.

“Weeds are of course one of the biggest tasks in the garden, but early removal will save many hours of work later on. A small hoe with a long handle will very quickly make light work of tiny weeds that can be scraped out and ploughed under as green mulch. A short time each week or so repeating this process will allow you to catch any new weeds or any that chose to regrow. DON’T let them grow to a size that requires hard yakka to remove!

“Snails and slugs will quickly over-populate the garden through the cooler months and certainly need managing. My nightly patrols with a torch and bucket picking them up as I find them has certainly been my most successful method of lowering their populations, then squashing or adding salty water to those collected. To protect newly planted seedlings from pests, I find ground eggshells sprinkled heavily in a circle around each seedling works well, or a copper compound spray used on the soil around each plant. You could also try an iron compound snail pellet so it harms others less. A consistent maintenance program will definitely bring any pests back to a functional balance.

“Winter is planting time for deciduous trees, including fruiting and ornamental flowering. Ensure good soil preparation with the addition of manures and compost to the hole and backfill soil. Always add a thick layer of mulch around all new plants in early spring. Plant out subtropical plants such as mango and avocado in late spring, with a windbreak fitted for protection from winds – this is essential.

“Winter is still a great time for growing a lot of veggies and some herbs, especially in our fairly mild winters. Here on the west coast, coriander and English spinach are most successful when grown in the cold months. Also try chervil, caraway, fenugreek or corn-salad for fresh additions to soups etc.

Broccoli, broad beans, cabbage, beetroot, cauliflower, gourmet lettuce, radish, turnip, parsnip, swede, silverbeet, Asian greens and mustard leaves can also be planted in the midwinter months.

Seedlings from nurseries will have been grown in climate-controlled environments, so don’t forget to take time to harden up your seedlings over a week or so before planting out in the cold conditions, or you could loss them from shock.

“Kale is essential in my garden, not for eating but as a centennial. It acts as my sacrificial plant, both as a warning of insects moving in, and a decoy distracting attacks away of more palatable veggies!

“So make the most of the breaks in the weather and spend some time in the garden. Time in nature stimulates all our senses at once, it’s one of the few environments that does, and it is well known to create great improvements in our physical and mental health, no matter what our age.”

Great advice John, and thanks for the excellent tips! Mandurah Community Gardens is located on Coodanup Drive off Wanjeep Street (next to Coodanup College). You can find out more or get in touch at https://www.mandurahcommunitygardens.com.au

If you would like to find out more information about buying land at Frasers Landing, email Project Sales Manager Kaylene McTernan at kaylene.mcternan@frasersproperty.com.au or call 13 38 38.