Sydney is lucky to have relatively mild winters, but even here the winter garden is sometimes one where the structural elements come to the fore. As leaves fall and growth slows down, constructed elements and structured planting become the mainstay of interest that carries the garden through to Spring.

  • Cleaning and maintenance: it’s a chore, but keeping your paving clean, your timber oiled and painted surfaces sound is important to the longevity, as well as the aesthestics, of your garden. Winter is a great time to get on top of these longer-term cycles while the garden is quieter, be it scrubbing or power-washing your tiles to touching up the paint job on the fencing.
  • That doesn’t mean you can’t also be enjoying your plants and thinking ahead. If you want to plant deciduous fruit trees or shrubs like roses, consider buying them as ‘bare-root’ stock, meaning plants with little to no soil attached to their roots. Plants sold this way are best planted over winter while their roots have little risk of drying out, and they can get new feeder roots into your native soil quickly once spring arrives.
  • Certain weeds begin their cycle over winter – onion weed is among the most persistent and difficult to eradicate. The long, strappy leaves have a pungent allium scent, but don’t confuse them with society garlic (Tulbaghia spp.), a common ornamental. Like many alliums, onion weed forms many small ‘bulbils’ around the main bulb underground. Pulling out a clump by hand can disturb the bulbils and cause them to break off and propagate. Physical removal is best done by carefully digging up and disposing of the entire clod of soil, to ensure the whole clump is removed without a chance to break up. Chemical methods are effective, but consult a qualified horticulturist first – herbicides are hazardous and environmentally harmful if used incorrectly.

OUTHOUSE offers in-person consultations with qualified horticulturalists to help you get the most value out of your landscape. We can provide verbal advice, planting plans or a full landscape design. Get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

View past tips for June here!