Prepare Your Garden for Summer
With temperatures beginning to climb and forecasts pointing to a warmer, drier summer due to El Niño, now is the perfect time to prepare your garden for the months ahead.
Apply a layer of mulch to garden beds to help retain moisture, suppress weeds and regulate soil temperatures. Organic mulches such as pine bark, lucerne and compost gradually break down over time, improving soil structure and overall soil health as they decompose.
If you’re planning to add new trees, shrubs or perennials, October offers one of the last ideal planting opportunities before summer heat takes hold. Plants established now will have time to develop strong root systems and settle into their new homes.
Regular applications of Seasol can help reduce transplant shock and encourage healthy root development while plants establish. For best results, apply regularly throughout spring and follow the directions on the label.
Add Colour That Lasts All Summer
If your garden is lacking colour after winter, October is the perfect month to plant flowering favourites that will perform right through summer and beyond.
Dahlias can be planted now for spectacular displays throughout summer and autumn. Available in a huge range of colours and flower forms, they provide months of blooms and also make excellent cut flowers.
Liliums are another great choice, producing elegant trumpet-shaped flowers and beautiful fragrance throughout summer. They thrive in sunny garden beds and large pots.
For longer-lasting colour, consider planting flowering shrubs such as hibiscus, hydrangeas, gardenias and roses. Be sure to allow enough space for plants to reach their mature size and choose a position suited to their growing requirements.
To encourage strong growth and continuous flowering, regularly remove spent blooms and feed with PowerFeed PRO SERIES Plant Food for Roses & Flowers every couple of weeks.
Welcome Pollinators to Your Garden
A thriving garden attracts more than just admiring visitors. Bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects play a vital role in helping flowers, fruit trees and vegetables perform at their best.
Plant a mix of flowering plants that bloom across the seasons to provide a reliable source of nectar and pollen. Salvias, lavender, native daisies, grevilleas and flowering herbs are all excellent additions.
Providing shallow water sources, shelter and a diverse range of flowering plants can help support healthy pollinator populations and keep your garden buzzing with activity throughout spring and summer.
Grouping flowering plants together can make them easier for pollinators to find and encourage more frequent visits. Even small gardens, balconies and courtyards can provide valuable habitat when filled with nectar-rich flowers.
Refresh Container Gardens
Potted plants often need extra attention during spring as growth accelerates.
Check plants for signs of becoming rootbound and repot where necessary using a quality potting mix, such as Seasol Advanced Potting Mix. Remove any dead or damaged growth and top up mulch to help reduce moisture loss during warmer weather.
As temperatures rise, pots and hanging baskets can dry out much more quickly than garden beds, particularly in sunny positions. Regular watering and feeding will help keep container plants looking their best throughout summer.
If you’re short on time, Seasol Pot Plant & Soil Recovery is a convenient way to help revive tired pot plants and refresh depleted potting mix, supporting healthy growth throughout the growing season.
Whether you’re growing herbs, flowering annuals or feature foliage plants, a spring refresh now will reward you with healthy growth in the months ahead.
Give Your Lawn a Spring Refresh
After winter, many lawns can look patchy, pale or uneven. October is the ideal time to encourage fresh growth and strengthen roots before the heat of summer arrives.
Regular mowing, deep watering and feeding will help create a thicker, healthier lawn that’s better equipped to cope with warm weather. If you have any bare patches, repair them now while growing conditions remain favourable.
For an easy spring boost, apply Seasol Click & Grow for Lush Green Lawns + Iron and Soil Wetter. A new addition to the Click & Grow range, this convenient hose-on formulation helps support healthy root growth while promoting a lush, vibrant green lawn.
A little attention now can make all the difference to how your lawn performs over summer.
