With the festive season and holidays just around the corner, your garden or green space will be a hub of activity as you celebrate with family, friends, and neighbours. Whether it’s hosting a traditional Christmas Day backyard cricket match or enjoying gatherings, it’s essential to have your green space looking its best.

Follow our easy 7 Steps to Prepare Your Garden for the Festive Season, and you’ll become the envy of your neighbours with the most beautiful garden or green space this season.

Step 1 – Clean up the garden

In the weeks leading up to the holidays, or whenever you find time, assess your garden and lawn to determine what needs attention to impress your visitors.

• Deadhead spent flowers and prune any dead or diseased foliage.
• If there are empty spaces in the garden, plant colourful foliage and flowering plants to add vibrancy. Water new plants in with Seasol to aid plant establishment and strong healthy growth.
• Trim back overhanging branches to allow more light and direct sunlight into the space.
• Check soil moisture and apply a soil wetter such as Seasol Super Soil Wetter & Conditioner to ensure your plants receive adequate water.
• Remove weeds by hand or with a trowel, and if the infestation is severe, use an organic weedicide such as EarthCare Organic WeedKiller. Remember to place diseased foliage in the garbage bin, not in the compost bin, as this can spread disease.

Step 2 – Clean up your green space

If your green space is a balcony in your apartment or a small courtyard in a townhouse, take some time to give it a festive refresh.

• Harvest produce from your vegie and fruit pots and remove any diseased foliage.
• Remove plants that have finished production and replace them with advanced seedlings for a steady supply of homegrown fruits and vegetables for your family and friends to enjoy.
• Introduce potted colour flowers or foliage plants using Seasol Advanced Potting Mix and water with Seasol for healthy growth.
• Arrange pots of various sizes in a single colour or complementary colours to add style and impact.
• Install a vertical wall garden to add colour and interest. These can typically be found at hardware and garden centres, and increase the space to grow plants. Regularly apply PowerFeed All Purpose including Natives every two weeks for strong, vigorous growth, flowering and fruiting.

Step 3 – Prepare your lawn for Christmas entertaining

Whether your lawn is for outdoor entertaining or hosting the traditional Christmas family cricket match, now is the perfect time to make it look its best.

• Raise your mower blades higher for a lush green lawn. Mowing too low can scalp the grass, resulting in a patchy lawn.
• Water deeply and regularly to encourage roots to grow deeper into the soil, ensuring they are strong and have access to water and nutrients.
• Apply Seasol Super Soil Wetter & Conditioner hose-on to enhance water penetration.
• Tackle pesky weeds by either removing them with a trowel or spot-spraying with EarthCare Organic WeedKiller.
• Enhance your lawn’s colour and achieve that deep green look with Seasol Organic Iron for Deep Green Lawns. Boosted with Seasol to help lawns cope with heat and foot traffic.

Step 4 – Indoor plants as Christmas cheer

Use new and existing indoor plants as part of your Christmas decorating. They can add a touch of class to any festive theme. Prepare them with a little TLC:

• Warmer temperatures and increased light combine to boost plant growth. Feed indoor plants with PowerFeed for Indoor & Potted Plants every two weeks to help them flourish.
• Clean the foliage with a damp cloth and then apply EarthCare White Oil insect spray for an extra shine.
• Ensure they have enough moisture but don’t overwater. Put your finger deep into the soil to check for moisture before watering.
• After watering, allow pots to drain. Empty excess water in drip trays or saucers under pots.
• Add Christmas joy by placing your indoor plants in festive cover pots. Move plants around to complement the colours of your Christmas decorations.
• Bring outdoor pots indoors for a few weeks, especially living Christmas trees. Introduce new plants like red poinsettias, anthuriums, amaryllis, Christmas cacti, or orchids for added holiday flair.

Step 5 – Tasty vegies for the Christmas table

Whether you have one or two balcony vegie pots or an entire garden vegie plot, here are some tips for delicious vegies to enjoy at Christmas.

• Vegie growth thrives in sunny and warmer temperatures. Remove any damaged growth and move vegie pots to catch the sun.
• Ensure regular, deep watering for proper cropping, and keep the soil cool by applying organic mulch such as pea straw, sugar cane mulch or lucerne over the top of the potting mix.
• Feed your plants weekly with PowerFeed PRO SERIES Tomatoes & Vegetables for a bumper, healthy, tasty crop.
• Regularly inspect plants for pests and diseases. Remove diseased foliage, and pests by hand or apply EarthCare White Oil insect spray.
• Harvest produce in the early morning before the heat of the day when it is tasty and at its best. If you have an abundant harvest, give some to family and friends to share. It can make a welcome homegrown present.

Step six – Last-minute Christmas garden preparation

A few last-minute gardening tasks can add a festive sparkle to your garden. Get the family involved for some fun together!

• Perform a final check of your garden by removing spent flowers and weeds. Also, clean up old pots and garden tools.
• Sweep or pressure wash paths and decks to eliminate dirt and debris.
• Clean your BBQ and outdoor furniture. Add Christmas lights, decorations, and cushions to your entertaining space for a cozy atmosphere.
• Mow and edge the lawn, giving it a last-minute health boost with Seasol Lawn Care.
• Fill outdoor pots near doorways and entertaining areas with colourful plants for instant vibrancy. Water them with Seasol GOLD to help with plant establishment and enhance flowering.

Step 7 – Wonderful garden Christmas gifts to share

If you are looking for a gift for an experienced or even a novice gardener, think plants and the garden or pots.

• For a passionate gardener, a gift voucher from a local hardware store or garden centre is hard to beat, along with a container of Seasol and PowerFeed, the perfect gift for the garden.
• For the novice or new gardener, think easy indoor plants like snake plants (Sansevieria), devil’s ivy (Epipremnum), or fruit salad plants (Monstera deliciosa) with a container of PowerFeed Controlled Release for Pots & Planters to keep them looking good.
• Alternatively, think big with the gift of a good-quality wheelbarrow or pull-along cart. For an older relative, check out powered wheelbarrows or a kneeling pad to make gardening easy.
• For a cheaper, homegrown option, nothing beats a basket of fresh homegrown produce and beautiful blooms from the garden.