Prepare your green space, spring is around the corner!

With longer hours of daylight and warmer conditions, August can be deceptive, and conditions can change quickly.

In cold climates, the warm sunshine can give way to a last burst of cold, so be prepared for late frosts and cold winds. In warmer areas, be ready to water plants if a burst of hot or windy weather arrives.

Person wearing gardening gloves holding a potted plant with visible roots, illustrating repotting techniques for containerised plants in preparation for spring gardening.

Repot containerised plants

As days warm and growth returns, it is the ideal time to repot containerised plants that have outgrown their pots. Both indoor and outdoor potted plants can be repotted during August.

Signs that plants need repotting include a drop in the potting mix level in the pot, a potted plant that’s unstable and easily blown over, and a plant that’s not thriving and needs frequent watering.

Repot plants into a slightly larger pot. Use fresh, premium potting mix such as Seasol Advanced Potting Mix. If the pot is already large, lightly prune the root system and soak them in a bucket or container of Seasol (40mL of concentrate per 9 litres of water) for a couple of hours before replanting into the same pot with fresh premium potting mix.

What to look out for when repotting

While repotting, remove weeds and any pests that you may find living in the pot or potting mix. If the root system has become highly compacted or is spiralling in the container (known as root bound), soak the roots in a bucket of Seasol and gently prune and tease out the roots.

At replanting, make sure that the roots are completely covered and surrounded by premium potting mix with no air pockets. Use Seasol to water the plant into its new container to help with plant establishment. Then ,regularly apply it every 2 weeks to promote root development and overall plant health.

If the plant is too big to repot, use Seasol Potting Mix Booster to refresh the potting mix and top up the levels with Seasol Advanced Potting Mix. Refresh the potting mix by removing cores of the old potting mix and replacing it with new potting mix.

For more tips, check out our pot planting guide for happy, healthy plants.

Seasol Advanced Potting Mix bag beside a person preparing to repot a flowering plant, with empty pots and Seasol liquid concentrate nearby, illustrating gardening techniques for plant establishment.
Shovel lifting a pile of green and brown compost materials, including leaves and plant scraps, in a compost bin, illustrating composting techniques for gardening.

Rev up the compost heap

Composting will have slowed over winter, but as the warm conditions return, it’s time to get composting active again. Turn compost in compost heaps regularly using a fork to encourage the breakdown of materials.

If the compost heap is dry, moisten it. If it’s raining, a good tip is to take the lid off. If it is wet, cover it with a tarp or lid during rain events until it dries and add material such as brown leaves, shredded paper (that is not glossy) and cardboard to keep it dry and warm.

Maintain a good balance between wet ingredients, often called “greens,” including materials rich in nitrogen like fresh grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags without staples and dry ingredients, often called “browns” including carbon-rich materials like dried leaves, shredded paper, and cardboard, create a balanced compost mix.

Use compost that is well-composed to dig into garden beds before new plants go in or as a mulch around new plantings, including roses and fruit trees.

Planting vegetables in late winter

August and the winter vegie patch or pots are in full production with tasty vegies such as broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, onions and peas. Harvest crops as soon as they are ripe for maximum flavour to share with family and friends.

When harvesting, check plants and remove dead and diseased foliage. Remove plants that have finished cropping and improve soil health with Seasol Super Soil Improver. Enriched with soil-beneficial probiotics, it helps release nutrients in the soil, delivering them to plants to promote healthy root systems and growth.

There’s also time to grow late crops of cool-season vegetables, including English spinach and snow peas. These plants grow and crop quickly to produce a harvest while summer vegetables establish. August is also planting time for carrots, parsnips and potatoes. When planting seedlings, mix PowerFeed Controlled Release for Tomatoes & Vegetables into the soil or potting mix to promote vigorous, healthy growth.

Hand harvesting fresh broccoli from a lush garden, surrounded by healthy green leaves, illustrating late winter vegetable care and harvesting techniques.

Five important jobs for late winter

  • Finish planting or potting bare-rooted plants before they begin to wake from dormancy. When planting, mix Seasol Plant + Soil Booster into the soil and water it in with Seasol to help the plants establish.
  • Consider adding more native plants to the garden, such as grevilleas, banksias, kangaroo paws and correas, to entice birds and beneficial insects. To encourage strong growth and stunning flowers, apply PowerFeed All Purpose including Natives regularly every 2 to 4 weeks.
  • Install a rainwater tank to capture as much rain as possible for the upcoming seasons. Visit your local hardware centres for helpful advice.
  • Protect new and frost-sensitive plants from late cold, frosts and wind with temporary covers or screens and regularly water with Seasol GOLD every fortnight.
  • Treat lawn weeds as they appear, either by hand weeding or spot spraying with EarthCare Organic Weedkiller spray. Ensure to spray only on the weed, as it is a contact spray, it will kill anything it touches.
How to grow and look after Daphne for beautiful scented blooms

Enjoy the subtle scent of daphne

Daphne (Daphne odora) is a standout in the winter garden. Not only is this evergreen shrub laden with pretty clusters of pink or white flowers, but it also produces a heady scent that permeates the winter garden.

It is a bit of a finicky plant, but grown where all its special needs are met, it should do well and produce those much-admired heads of scented flowers. They make an ideal addition to any garden or pot, especially around pathways or doorways where people can enjoy the fragrance.

If you haven’t experienced the delight of a daphne in bloom in the winter garden, look for plants in bloom at your local hardware or garden centres.

Daphnes like well-drained soil and an east-facing position where they receive morning sun and afternoon shade, that is protected from summer heat.

For more information, check out our daphne guide.

Magnolias look spectacular in late winter

Deciduous magnolias are small trees that produce eye-catching flowers in late winter. Flowers may be white, pink or deep purple to claret and are borne on bare stems before leaves regrow. Popular small tree magnolias include Magnolia x soulangeana, with magnificent large purple flowers shaped like a tulip and Magnolia denudata, with beautiful, ivory white, goblet-shaped blooms. Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) forms a spectacular shrub with showy white or pink flowers.

To get the best show from a deciduous magnolia, grow it where it has room to spread its branches without pruning. Select a position that is sheltered from frost as buds form, as frost can spoil the unopened blooms. Also, find a spot that provides shade from the hot summer sun and drying winds.

Water plants well during late spring and summer, and liquid feed with PowerFeed PRO SERIES for Roses & Flowers every 2 to 4 weeks during the growing and flowering season.

Pink magnolia flowers blooming on bare branches against a clear blue sky, showcasing the beauty of deciduous magnolias.