Happy New Year! January can be a hot month, when many gardeners go on holidays: make sure your garden will survive!

• Watering is a top priority, so keep pots and gardens well watered on hot days and if you are going away, arrange for a kind friend or neighbour to do this chore for you. It is possible to rig up an automated system to water garden beds - and pots too. Investigate at your local hardware store and check what watering restrictions may apply in your area. Water either in the early morning or late afternoon or evening. Take care not to wet leaves on hot days as the water can end up burning leaves such as those of camellias.
• Weeds are growing rampantly, so where time permits, get on top of these as they only complete with your plants for moisture and nutrients and make the garden look unkempt! A good layer of mulch, such as sugar cane mulch, will help keep weeds down and retain moisture in the soil.
• Bearded irises can be divided now. Trim the leaves back by one-third and cut the rhizomes into sections, each with a set of leaves and some roots. They thrive in hot, dry positions with the top of the rhizome exposed. They enjoy a little lime, which can be added when you replant them.
• Cut back deadheads on plants like Acanthus mollis, Agapanthus, Justicia carnea, Canna and Dahlia. The seed pods of Acanthus and Agapanthus should be put in the green waste bin rather than composted. Regular deadheading of Justicia carnea, Canna and Dahlia will keep them flowering for months! Give them an occasional dose of liquid fertiliser to help them along.
• Harvest your vegetables regularly and keep the plants in good condition with water and fertiliser. If your lettuces have gone to seed, it is possible to plant a second crop - choose a different spot or grow the more compact varieties in a large trough. At this time of year they will do best in part-shade. Keep basil and other herbs nipped back to prevent flowering, which will debilitate the plants. I grow basil and mint in troughs that I cover with a wooden frame covered with fine mesh. This excludes the nasty flea beetle that can completely ruin the foliage of these two herbs.
• Start feeding potted Cymbidium orchids with a fertiliser formulated to encourage blooms. Other potted plants will benefit from feeding with a soluble fertiliser; apply during a cool part of the day.
• Climbers with unruly growth can be tamed by pruning. Other plants which look untidy now can be trimmed: they will rejuvenate quickly. Daylilies with ratty foliage can be cut back hard and will regrow with fresh leaves. Fuchsias can be given a light trim to promote more flowers; don't prune heavily, however!
• Abutilon are afflicted by the awful leaf-rolling caterpillar at the moment. Cut them back and spray with Yates's low-toxic Success to defeat this pest. Aphids may also be attacking daylilies: use Eco Oil for them.
• Annual summer flowers can be lightly trimmed and given regular fertiliser to prolong their lives.
• Please remember to be cautious when gardening in the heat of the day: use hats, sunscreen, long-sleeved shirts and sunglasses! I find early morning, late afternoon or early evening are the ideal time for gardening in these hot months.

February can be an unpleasant month!

• February can be a very unpleasant month, with high heat and humidity. This can have an effect on gardens, with some plants succumbing to fungal diseases. There are some products you can pour or spray over your plants if you see sudden signs of wilting due to these diseases. The organic Eco Fungicide is one such product.
• There can be a rather 'wild' look in the garden at this time of year. I don't mind this effect, but some trimming back and deadheading this month will tidy the garden up for autumn, when our gardens can look at their very best.
• Give your camellia shrubs a dose of a liquid fertiliser such as Aquasol at this time. Keep feeding Cymbidium orchids with a fertiliser to encourage flower spikes to form.
• Vegetable gardens need attention: keep picking crops as they mature and give liquid feeds on days that are not too hot. Seeds of peas, spinach, carrots, cauliflowers, broccoli, beetroot, silverbeet and radishes can be sown this month. If you lack space, try growing a few crops in large tubs placed in a sunny position. Citrus can be fed at this time, making sure the fertiliser is watered in well.
• This is a good time to divide and replant bearded Iris. They need to be grown in a sunny, very well-drained position. The tattered leaves of hellebores can be cut off now to allow fresh new growth to occur.
• Some people prune back their Hydrangea macrophylla in this month. This can make those bushes carrying a lot of burnt flower-heads look much better; but if you prefer to keep the ageing flowers, wait till July before you prune them. Note that the thin-stemmed Hydrangea types such as the 'Endless Summer' collection should be pruned in February to give them a longer period of time to regrow. This can also apply to other thin-stemmed types, such as Hydragea serrata. Pruning now can free up space around the shrub so that spring-flowering annuals or perennials can be introduced. Roses can be lightly trimmed to promote an autumn flush, as can Fuchsia. Abutilon can be badly attacked by the leaf-rolling caterpillar at this time of year so cut them back hard or try Success spray - a harmless bacteria-based spray that really does seem to work. The scruffy old leaves of Acanthus mollis can be removed now, as fresh new growth will soon appear.
• Spring bulbs will start to appear in nurseries and catalogues soon, but shouldn't be planted until April. Many bulbs are not suitable for our climate but usually, those which hail from South Africa or Central or Southern America will do well. Cold-climate bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths need to be put in the refrigerator crisper towards the end of this month to chill them for later planting in May.

This is one of my favourite months of the year!

• It's time to buy spring bulbs, though it is a bit early to plant them yet: wait till next month. The nurseries and catalogues are full of tempting bulbs, but it is wise to remember that many bulbs - such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths - will only flower in their first year in Sydney. This doesn't matter if you are happy to regard them as annuals for an eye-catching show in spring. It is best to put these bulbs in the frig for a few weeks before planting, to chill them. This is necessary to break down certain 'growth inhibitors' that accumulate in the flower and leaf buds when they are formed during summer in these particular bulbs, and which prevent the buds opening. If you want bulbs that will naturalise and flower from year to year, choose from the many South African species and cultivars that do so well here.
• Winter and spring annuals can be put in now. Make sure your soil is well prepared with compost, aged manure and a little fertiliser. Pansies and violas will give a very long display through winter and spring, and are perfect for pots. Primula are easy to grow and useful for shady areas. They often self-seed from year to year. St Patrick's Day - 17 March - is the traditional time to plant sweet peas, so if you plan to do this, prepare your soil with compost and a little lime.
• This is a good time to prune your zonal and ivy Pelargonium plants. The resulting pieces can be potted up. Cuttings of other plants such as Fuchsia, Salvia, Plectranthus, Pentas and Justicia, as well as woody shrubs like Weigela, Abelia, Camellia and Hydrangea, will strike well if taken now: keep the pots of cuttings well watered in a humid environment such as a large clear plastic tub with a lid - except for succulent-type plants like the Pelargoniums, which may rot off. Some people swear by using honey (or even Vegemite!) to dip the cuttings into before inserting them into the propagating mix. I use a good-quality seed-raising mix for this. A very diluted solution of seaweed-based plant tonic will help cuttings to strike; apply when you first take the cuttings and then regularly thereafter.
• Dahlias can be given a feed of high-phosphorous fertiliser now to keep them blooming a bit longer. Regular deadheading will also keep them flowering longer. Cannas benefit from the same treatments. If cannas are showing rust on their leaves, cut the affected foliage off and place in your green bin; don't compost this material. Any Canna stems that have completely finished flowering and look ratty can be cut off at ground level.
• In the vegetable garden, the soil where summer crops grew can be amended with lots of organic matter dug in, to prepare the beds for some autumn plantings of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, silverbeet, lettuce, broad beans, peas, snow peas, radish, carrot, beetroot and parsnip. Garlic cloves can be planted now. Spray your citrus trees with Eco Oil to deter the bronze orange beetle, which can ruin your citrus crops in spring. It also helps to control citrus leaf miner, which is still active at this time of year.
• Any heavy rain we experience at this time of year can cause fungal problems for some plants. If a plant appears to be droopy, despite having enough water, you can try spraying with a proprietary anti-fungal preparation. If the plant does succumb, remove it and put in your green waste bin, rather than the compost heap, so that the fungus doesn't spread. It can also be advisable to remove some of the soil where the plant grew, as this may be contaminated with fungal spores. Despatch into the garbage bin.

April is a wonderful time to be in the garden!

• This is the ideal time for bulb planting (except for tulips and hyacinths which should be left until May). Give bulbs a well-drained spot with plenty of sun (although snowflakes and bluebells can cope with shade). Prepare the soil with some compost and bulb fertiliser before planting and keep the soil moist once the bulbs are actively growing. They will appreciate some liquid food during the growing season, and after flowering too. Bulbs also do well in pots. Some recommended bulbs for our climate include snowflakes (Leucojum), bluebells, Freesia, Babiana, Watsonia, jonquils, Cyrtanthus, Lachenalia, species Gladioli and starflowers (Ipheion).
• Seedlings of winter and spring annual flowers can be planted out now, as there will be a good range in the nurseries.
• Cymbidium orchids will benefit from fortnightly feeding to promote flowers, and violets, azaleas, Camellia, Hibiscus and Rhododendron can be lightly fed with a soluble fertiliser.
• Spring-flowering perennials can be divided and replanted now, and it is an good time to plant out new perennials and shrubs as there will be plenty of time for them to establish before winter sets in. Summer-flowering herbaceous perennials, such as Echinacea and Phlox, can be cut back now, and can be divided and replanted now or this task can be left until late winter/early spring. Cut back Japanese windflowers to the ground after flowering finishes; they will regrow fresh leaves before too long. This is also a good time to divide overcrowded clumps of bromeliads.
• Cut back climbers which have become rampageous. Lanky zonal and regal Pelargonium also benefit from a hard prune now. The subsequent new growth can be tip-pruned to form a compact shape. Use the prunings to strike news cuttings: this is an excellent time to propagate cuttings from many plants.
• Weeds should be kept under control to stop them competing with your plants for moisture and nutrients.
• With the cooler weather, we will regain our enthusiasm for vegetables, so check out the seedlings in your local nursery or buy some seeds. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beetroot, broad beans, snow peas, sugar snap peas and regular peas can all go in now. This is a good time to plant some coriander seeds as this herb does best in the cooler months. Don't forget that many vegetables can be grown in large tubs placed in a sunny position and given regular feeding and watering.
• Spray your citrus trees with Eco Oil to deter the bronze orange beetle, which can ruin your citrus crops in spring, and put up some sticky traps in your trees to catch citrus leaf miners, which are active now, busily ruining new foliage growth.
• Prowl round your garden and have a look at any shrubby perennials that are looking woody and unproductive (such as Plectranthus, Salvia, Pentas and Fuchsia). Take cuttings so you can plant out new specimens in spring to replace the old ones that are getting past their use-by dates.

May heralds cooler weather and the colouring of autumn leaves. And there is plenty for us to do in the garden!

• This is the best time of year to buy an autumn-colouring tree for your garden leaf to ensure it has the potential for good colouring. It's best to buy locally, because a specimen bought in the Southern Highlands this year may disappoint you next year, as the Sydney climate does not produce as good a leaf colouring in many trees as cooler areas do. However, we can choose from examples such as Acer palmatum (Japanese maples), Chinese pistachio (Pistacia chinensis), crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia) and a number of others, which do quite well here.
• As well as providing a wonderful background for the warm-coloured perennials and shrubs still in bloom, autumn leaves when they fall on the ground create a beautiful seasonal touch to our gardens, and they are also a fantastic addition for the compost heap! If they can be shredded before being added to the heap, they will break down much more quickly. Smaller leaves can also be raked directly onto shrub borders as mulch.
• May is a good time to move shrubs that are in the wrong place. Ensure the ground is moist before you start, then insert a spade to its full depth in a reasonably-sized circle around the shrub, then lever it out of the ground. Water with a seaweed solution and mulch the plant in its new position, and prune back by about a third.
• Move potted Cymbidium orchids into a sunny spot now. They need bright light to form their flower spikes. Feed them with an orchid fertiliser formulated to encourage blooms.
• Cut back spent the flowering stems of summer and autumn perennials as they fade. If they are clump-forming plants that have become congested, you can divide them up at this time too - plant out into a spot enriched with compost, and water in well. Give the spare pieces away to friends so that you can share your favourite plants with others.
• The smaller Salvia shrubs that are coming to the end of their flowering season can be pruned now - these include the 'Wish' series, 'Indigo Spires', Salvia sinaloensis, Salvia muirii, cultivars of Salvia microphylla and Salvia greggii, and 'Marine Blue'. Cut back by about one-third to a half. Autumn- and winter-flowering Salvia should be left until August.
• You can finally plant out tulip and hyacinth bulbs now! Give them a sunny position and add some bulb fertiliser to the soil. They probably will not flower again next year but it is a joy to have them in the spring garden. In our climate it is best to buy fresh bulbs of these each year if you wish to grow them.
• It is not too late to put in spring annual seedlings. There is a lot of choice in the nurseries, with pansies, violas, Primula, Lobularia (sweet Alice), cineraria, and bedding Lobelia being some of the classics that do well in our climate. Give them good, fertile soil in a sunny position or in pots with good-quality potting soil, and keep the Aquasol up to them throughout their short lives to get the best results.
• New plants can be put in and plants in the wrong spots can be successfully moved to better positions at this time. Make a list of all the plants you wish to move over the cooler months. Add some compost to the soil and keep the plant well watered for a few weeks after planting.
• You can take cuttings of your favourite coleus plants now, in case they don't make it through winter. They will strike if placed in a glass of water (a little Seasol can be added to the water) - they can be then potted on into potting mix. Keep the potted cuttings protected from the cold over winter and then plant them out in spring.
• If you love roses, autumn is a good time to visit a specialist rose nursery to choose from roses in flower, if you wish to buy them later in the season to plant bare rooted.
• In the vegetable garden, you can plant peas (including snow and sugar-snap varieties), broad beans, winter lettuce, English spinach, cabbage, onions and shallots, radish, carrots, beetroot and parsnips. In a nursery recently I purchased baby-leaf spinach, which I am looking forward to trying this winter.
• Aphids are still a pest in May, especially on daylilies and hellebores. Spray with Eco Oil to control. Spray your citrus trees with Eco Oil to deter the bronze orange beetle, which can ruin your citrus crops in spring.

Though the weather is cold, there are lots of jobs to be done in the garden in June!

• I try to remember to fertilise my spring bulbs now with a soluble plant food. Winter/spring-flowering annuals such as pansies also need feeding to keep them growing well, as do my vegetables: at the moment I am growing lettuces, snow peas and peas and I need to keep these free of weeds to avoid competition for food and water, and protect them from snails. I don't put out fertiliser on the main garden at this time, as nothing there is really actively growing - I'll wait till late winter to do this.
• I have discovered that this is a good time of year to severely cut back ornamental grasses, such as all my Miscanthus cultivars. If I leave it too late (as I have done in the past) the new growth will have already started to emerge in late winter, which makes it very difficult to cut back the old dead stuff. I also cut my daylily leaves to the ground now and spray with Eco Oil to deter aphids.
• I like to cut back my perennial chrysanthemums and Canna to the ground and divide them up now. Other summer-flowering perennials such as Phlox, Rudbeckia and Aster need dividing too. I usually add compost to the soil to revitalise it before replanting the perennials. Leftover bits can be potted up to make new plants. Daylilies can be cut back to the ground - this tidies them up and fresh growth will emerge before too long.
• I like to take cuttings of cold-sensitive plants such as coleus and Alternanthera now in case a severe frost during winter kills my main plants in the garden. I keep the potted cuttings protected from the cold weather in a large plastic lidded box, which acts like a humidicrib. I use a potting mix based on a small packet of vermiculite or perlite, mixed with one hydrated cocopeat block. This makes a good medium for propagating cuttings as it drains well but also retains some moisture.
• I don't prune any of my warm-climate frost-sensitive plants such as cane and shrubby Begonia, tender Salvia or Pentas now, however ratty they may be looking. If visitors are coming, I may very lightly trim them to tidy them a little but proper pruning will make them vulnerable to a very cold winter's night, which may maim or even kill them! I leave this pruning until mid-August or even later for some specimens. However, this is just how I do it - other people do prune now and they are probably a lot tidier than I am! I like to have the framework of the old growth through winter otherwise everything would be bare for a long time till it started to grow again, and I also feel that this also provides protection to the plant in case we do get a very cold spell. If you live in a mild area, it is probably less of an issue.
• If garden borders are covered by a thick layer of large leaves from deciduous trees, it is a good idea to rake these off and put them in the compost heap. The leaf layer can form a barrier to rain getting into the soil and can smother small plants. Rake off leaves caught in plant foliage as well.
• Sasanqua camellias can be pruned now (once they finish flowering, of course!) if you are using them as a hedge, want them to be more dense, or want to train them into a tree-like form by selectively removing branches.
• Watch out for the nasty black and yellow amaryllis caterpillar (also called the lily borer) which can be around at the moment, attacking Clivia and Amaryllis. Use pyrethrum or Success to get rid of them (or squash them!) as they are very destructive. Spray your citrus trees with Eco Oil to deter the bronze orange beetle, which can ruin your citrus crops in spring.

The coldest month brings new gardening tasks to do!

• Pruning: Those who are itching to prune can get stuck into some of it now:

  Hydrangea bushes can be pruned now. I cut the dead flower heads back to the first pair of strong plump buds closest to the old flower head. Weak, straggly stems are taken out at the base, and I also remove completely a couple of very old gnarled woody stems each year. Lacecap varieties are pruned more lightly, cutting back to the second pair of leaves below the old flower heads. You can use some of the pruned pieces for hardwood cuttings. If you want to change the colour of your Hydrangea, you can start to add aluminium sulphate to the soil around those you wish to have blue flowers, or lime if you want pink flowers. I have never done this.

  If I had roses or deciduous fruit trees, I would prune them this month. Citrus trees can also have old wood removed now. Fuchsia can be pruned, cutting back by about half. Young plants should only be pruned lightly. Kniphofia plants can be cut to the ground after flowering. The leaves are valued by weavers to make into baskets!

  Trees can be shaped at this time. Some large shrubs - such as Camellia, Photinia and Viburnum - lend themselves to being formed into small trees by removing lower branches and thinning and shaping the canopy. This gives space below for planting smaller perennials and groundcovers. Sasanqua camellias can be hard pruned once their flowers finish if they have become too tall - they will bounce back.

  I still think it is best not to prune very cold-sensitive plants yet, as they prefer to be done in mid-August or even September in some cases, and will be more prone to frost-damage if cut back too soon. Also, don't prune spring-flowering deciduous shrubs such as Deutzia and Weigela, as you will be cutting off the flowering wood!

  I cut back some of my strappy-leafed plants aound this time. I remove Kniphofia foliage right at ground level once flowering is over. Weavers of natural fibres value these leaves highly for making baskets! I also cut back Liriope foliage to the ground if it is shabby. Daylilies that haven't already had their foliage removed can also be done now, Fresh growth will soon appear.

• Moving plants: This is a good time to move plants that are in the wrong place. Water the plant well a few days before the move. Try to take as much of the root ball as possible and make sure it is at the same soil level in its new position as it was in its old one. Keep it well watered afterwards, but avoid over-watering. Applications of Seasol will help the plant to recover from the shock of being moved, as will the use of an anti-transpirant such as Stressguard.
• Vegies: This is an ideal time to plant asparagus and rhubarb crowns. Seed potatoes can also be put in now. Winter-growing vegetables such as peas, snow peas, spinach, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower should be kept moving along with regular applications of soluble fertiliser.
• Fertilising: Annual flowers such as pansy, primula and cineraria will appreciate some foliar feeding as will bulbs. Winter-flowering perennials such as hellebores, violets, Cymbidium orchids, Bergenia and Salvia will appreciate being given a liquid fertiliser formulated to promote more blooms.
• Dividing: Summer-flowering perennials which form clumps, such as Phlox, Aster, Rudbeckia, Shasta daisies and Physostegia can be lifted and divided now if they haven't yet been done. Amend the soil with compost before replanting the pieces.
• Spray Eco Oil: on the foliage of citrus trees, as this will help control insect pests such as the bronze orange beetle later in the year. Daylilies with aphid infestations will also benefit from some Eco Oil now.

For me, August is one of the busiest months of the gardening year.

• This is one of the busiest months in my garden, as around the second week of August I begin a massive program of pruning most of my summer- and autumn-flowering shrubs and shrubby perennials, including Salvia, Buddleja, Plectranthus, Brugmansia, Justicia, Tibouchina and Duranta. I prune many foliage plants and perennial herbs, and cut my Clematis viticella hybrids back almost to the ground at this time too. For pruning suggestions for individual plants, see my plant reference directory. It will all look rather bare for a while but it is a wonderful relief to be able to cut away all the scruffy old stems and start anew.
• Cane and shrub Begonia can be pruned in late August. Some of the very cold-sensitive plants, such as Pentas, Heliotropium, Hibiscus, Clerodendrum, Alternanthera, coleus and New Guinea Impatiens are probably best left unpruned until early September, when the weather really starts to warm up. In very cold gardens, maybe all the pruning I do in August should be left till September, but for most Sydney gardens it should be fine. Other pruning can include the removal of old wood from citrus trees and the trimming of Camellia sasanqua which have finished flowering. One idea is to remove long unwanted stems low down in the Camellia where they join another branch.
• Excessively long or old woody or diseased growth on citrus trees can be removed this month. This will give it an overall better shape and keep the canopy to a manageable height, making fruit picking easier! Passionfruit vines can be cut back quite hard now, reducing the length of the laterals and removing old woody growth.

• The entire garden can be fertilised with an all-purpose food this month, watered in well; and time spent applying a layer of organic material, such as compost or decayed cow manure, will be amply rewarded later in the year. A final layer of cane mulch or other mulch will keep weeds down and retain moisture. Citrus trees can be fed with a specialist fertiliser, then mulched. Lawns can be fed now with a suitable slow-release product. If lawns aren't fed, weeds will gain a foothold. Application of a soil-wetting agent to the lawn at this time is also beneficial, to help moisture penetrate.
• Flowering annuals, bulbs and vegetables need to be kept well watered and fed with soluble fertiliser to keep them growing well. If you grow Fuchsia, you can start to feed these with a nitrogen-rich soluble fertiliser now too, and continue this every fortnight until October, when a flower-promoting food can be begun.

• If you enjoy sowing seeds, this is the time to start thinking about putting in vegetable and annuals flowers for summer. Keep the seed trays in a warm place until germination has begun. It is such fun to grow plants from seed and you will have plenty of spare seedlings to share with your gardening friends!
• The prunings from the summer- and autumn-flowering shrubs that are cut back now can be used as cuttings and should strike reasonably well.

• Azaleas will soon begin to flower and if you do plan to spray with Bayleton or Yates Zaleton to control petal blight, this needs to be done from now on, every ten days or so. I have only two tough old bushes, which I never spray. I just remove and destroy afflicted blooms each year to try to control the spread of the disease.
• Snails will be around so need to be guarded against, especially in those plants which are budding up now, such as Clivia. Try a snail hunt at night with a torch or set a beer trap, rather than using pellets, which can be a threat to domestic animals and wildlife. Another idea is to use physical barriers such as cardboard tubing or mesh or plastic sleeves around vulnerable plants such as small seedlings.
• Aphids like new spring growth so will have to be looked out for. Eco Pest Oil is useful for these pests, or they can be squished by hand! Eco Pest Oil can also be used on citrus trees to control for citrus leaf miner and the bronze orange bug, which can be very destructive if not caught early.

• This is probably the last month I would attempt moving established plants around. Water well after the move, using some diluted seaweed concentrate in the watering can; and prune back some of the plant's branches to help it cope with the stress of being moved.

• This is a good time of year to rejuvenate your perennial herbs. Trim back thyme and oregano, and divide chive and lemon grass clumps, replanting into fresh soil. Lemon grass can be cut back close to the ground at this time too, if it has become woody. Mint growing in pots can also be divided and replanted into fresh potting mix. Replace any herbs such as sage or thyme that have become woody and unproductive. Plant seeds or seedlings of annual herbs such as basil, coriander and parsley to have crops coming on.

• Check that your more brittle plants are well staked at this time, as there can often be very strong winds in August that can snap off branches. This is particularly the case for winter/spring-flowering Salvia specimens.

• Weeds such as chickweed and basket-weed can be profuse at this time and it is good to get on top of them before spring arrives. Flickweed is a nasty weed in lawns: remove it and other lawn weeds by hand and throw away into your green bin, never into the compost heap. Weeds in paving can be controlled reasonably well by pouring boiling water over them!

• This is a good time to remove old, shabby foliage from strappy-leaved plants such as Clivia, Arthropodium, Agapanthus, Albucca, Phormium, Hemerocallis, Hymenocallis, Tulbaghia and Liriope. It immediately gives a tidier look to the garden. If the foliage overall is looking very unsightly, it can be possible to cut the whole lot to the ground in this month and allow it to regrow, particularly the last four plants mentioned above.

• This time of year can be quite dry, and prevailing winds may add to the problem of lack of rainfall. Keep your garden well watered, especially those plants that are coming into flower, and vegetable crops. Check the government guidelines for any watering restrictions in force in your area.

Spring is here, with new tasks to do!

• Prune cold-sensitive summer- and autumn-flowering shrubs and shrubby perennials, such as Pentas, Impatiens, Hibiscus and Heliotropium. Foliage plants such as coleus, Alternanthera and Iresine can also be trimmed back now to encourage compact growth. As winter-blooming shrubs finish flowering, they too can be pruned.
• Keep giving potassium-rich liquid feeds to spring annuals and bulbs. As the bulbs finish flowering, they can be dead-headed, but let the foliage die down naturally and keep applying the same sort of fertiliser. Camellias can be given a liquid feed such as Aquasol as well as a dose of slow-release fertiliser. Continue to give Fuchsia liquid feedings with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser once a fortnight. Aerate and fertilise lawns.
• Move potted Cymbidium orchids into a semi-shaded position to protect them from the sun during the warmer months ahead.
• Make sure your plants have enough moisture. Strong winds and lack of rain can dry the soil out considerably at this time of year. Once the ground is moist and has warmed up a bit after winter, this is a good time to apply a mulch, using cane mulch or perhaps your own compost mixed with cow manure. Don't apply it too thickly, as this will prevent the rain from getting through. Mulching helps retain moisture, stabilises soil temperature, prevents many weeds from taking hold, and adds organic matter to the soil over time.
• Give your pot plants some TLC now by repotting into bigger pots with some fresh potting mixture or topping up existing pots, then adding a slow-release fertiliser. As with any fertilisers applied now, make sure you water them in well.
• In the vegie patch, keep maturing crops growing well with regular soluble feeds and think about what to plant for the warmer months ahead, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, beans, silver beet and herbs such as basil. Plant seeds of some of these as an economical way of growing your own food! Try to practise crop-rotation, by avoiding planting the same groups of vegetables in the same spot two years running. This will give rise to stronger, healthier plants.
• If you grow azaleas, they may be affected by petal blight. Spray with Bayleton or Yates Zaleton if you feel you must use a chemical control: or simply remove and destroy afflicted blooms. Other problems that can occur now include snails attacking Clivia flowers and the emerging leaves of Hosta, Echinacea and Dahlia: set out some pet-friendly snail bait to control these pests; there can also be aphids on new rose growth and a small black flea beetle that loves Salvia foliage: use a pyrethrum spray to despatch these, or hold a bucket of water with some detergent in it beneath the plant and ruffle the leaves, in the hope that they will fall into the bucket! Cultivating around typically affected plants during winter might help, as the larvae overwinter beneath the plants. Also watch for aphids on daylilies and spray Eco Oil for these too. Watch out for snails hiding under citrus leaves - remove and squash. Keep spraying Eco Oil on citrus trees to control bronze orange beetle, aphids and citrus leaf miner.

November is one of the prettiest months of the year in our Sydney gardens.

• Lay down some mulch on your garden beds, if this hasn't already been done. The ideal time to do it is after good rain has fallen, whilst the ground is moist. Lucerne, cane mulch or rough, partly decomposed compost can be used.
• As spring-flowering shrubs and climbers finish blooming, prune them back. Deciduous flowering shrubs such as Weigela and Deutzia should have about one-fifth of the old flowered canes cut out completely at ground level, to encourage new growth, with the rest of the canes being shortened back by about one-third, to a newly developing shoot. Evergreen exotic and native shrubs such as Rondeletia, Brunfelsia and Callistemon can be given a firm overall trim.
• I prune Abutilon in late November, as they seem to have a rest from flowering then. Long-blooming shrubs such as Lobelia latifolia and Streptosolen can be pruned quite hard when they finally cease flowering. Persicaria 'Red Dragon' benefits from a pruning towards the end of November as the dramatic colour of its spring leaves starts to fade by then: cutting back will give a flush of fresh, bright foliage. Another plant which can be pruned now is Sedum spectabile, such as the cultivar 'Autumn Joy'. This will make it into a stockier plant.
• Hydrangea shrubs are coming into their own now and are at their most lovely in November. Make sure they have enough water. When choosing a site for these plants, pick one which has protection from the hot afternoon sun in summer, which really takes its toll on the leaves and blooms. Morning sun seems to be acceptable for them. Where there is no room to plant one in the ground, the more compact ones do quite well in large pots. When very hot weather is forecast, I throw old sheets over my Hydrangea to protect the blooms, removing the cover in the evenings.
• Keep all your vegetables growing well, with sufficient water and regular fertilising. Make sure tomatoes are staked at the time of planting. There are some wonderful sources of interesting vegetable seeds around these days.
• Pests are out in force and you need to be vigilant to keep them in their place. Try to use the least toxic alternative when spraying them. One very bad pest is the bronze orange beetle that attacks citrus trees and can really cause a lot of damage to the new shoots and the baby fruit. The best strategy overall seems to be to spray the leaves monthly through autumn, winter and spring with Eco Pest Oil to suffocate the early stages of the pest, But by now they are too big for that! It is apparently possible to vacuum them up with an old vacuum cleaner! I knock them with a stick into a bucket of water with some detergent or metho added. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and goggles when doing this, as the beetles squirt a nasty liquid when disturbed that can be dangerous, especially to eyes. Note that when they are large (at this time of year), they can fly in from neighbouring properties, so it is still necessary to check for them on a daily basis and deal with them. If you plan to pick them off by hand, wear a few pairs of thick rubber gloves, as the liquid they secrete when handled can go through gloves and stain your hands for days!
• Spring bulbs which have died down can be dug up and stored in an airy place over summer if desired. Where the soil is well watered during summer, this is a good option for these bulbs, which generally like to be fairly dry when they are dormant.
• As spring-flowering perennials cease blooming, their stems can be cut back. Spring annuals can finally be pulled out, and replaced with summer-flowering ones. Keep your daylilies deadheaded, by snapping off the spent blooms regularly. The plants will look a lot better if you do this.

December is a busy month, when there is not so much time for gardening! However, there are a few important tasks to remember.

• Keeping plants sufficiently watered is the main priority at this time. Pots need daily watering and garden beds need attention twice a week if no rain falls. A dripper system is helpful in garden beds. If a heatwave is forecast, run the dripper system the day before, if possible within watering restriction guiedlines that may be in place. The ground should be well mulched to avoid evaporation of moisture. Soil-wetter products will also help the ground absorb moisture better. If you are going away on holidays, make sure you arranged for someone to keep an eye on your plants for you.
• The garden can be given a bit of a tidy up in preparation for Christmas visitors! I find that by early December, many of my flowering plants, such as Salvia, Verbena, Gaura and Nicotiana are looking a bit straggly and tired so I trim them back to promote a fresh crop of flowers. There are lots of weeds in my garden at this time, too, that need to be pulled out, as they compete with the plants for moisture and nutrients. Deadhead the spent flowering stems of Acanthus mollis and Phormium, throwing the spikes into the green bin - do not compost as seedlings may come up through your garden if this is done. Deadhead Canna and Dahlia regularly to keep them flowering well and keep them tidy.Make sure tall plants have sufficient support so they don't snap off when it is wet or windy. Cradle stakes provide good support.
• Late-spring annuals such as poppies, honesty (Lunaria), Chinese forget-me-not, Orlaya and Nigella are at the end of their lifespan now and I am starting to pull them out. To scatter seeds for next year's plants, I shake the pulled-out plants over garden areas where I'd like these annuals to grow, and it usually works! Punnets of summer annuals are available for planting out in garden beds or pots and they can provide a splash of colour. Keep them well watered and fertilised for best results.
• Vegetables are coming along well now and need to be kept well watered and given regular fertilising. Keep an eye out for insect pests and deal with them early. You can still plant seedlings of vegies such as tomato, capsicum, corn, eggplants, silverbeet, beetroot, beans, rocket and parsnip as well as all herbs.
• Give your camellia shrubs a feed with some soluble fertiliser such as Aquasol as a boost.
• Lawns need regular cutting now - don't set the blades too low. The clippings make a good addition to the compost heap or bin. Feed lawns again to keep them lush.
• If yours is predominantly a spring garden and you'd like to have more in bloom in summer, it is useful to scour the nurseries in summer to see what is out. Many summer-flowering plants have an amazingly long blooming period and need little maintenance.
• Climbing plants which have finished flowering and are now sending out long tendrils can be cut back - these include star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and Wisteria. Hedges and topiaried shrubs also benefit from shaping now.
• The nasty bronze orange beetle that attacks citrus trees can still be around in December and can really cause a lot of damage to the new shoots and the baby fruit. Spray with pyrethrum or Eco-oil. It is apparently possible also to vacuum them up with an old vacuum cleaner or knock them with a stick into a bucket of hot water. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and goggles when doing this, as the beetles squirt a nasty liquid when disturbed that can be dangerous, especially to eyes. The best strategy overall seems to be to spray the leaves monthly through autumn, winter and spring to suffocate the early stages of the pest and to keep an eye out for them in September and October when they are small and easy to squash or flick into a bucket of water with some detergent added to despatch them. Be alert for the first sign of the Abutilon leaf-roller caterpillars and spray with the biological control spray called Success.
• I don't garden a lot in the hot days of summer. Beware of the dangers of sun exposure whilst gardening and please wear a good hat, sunscreen and sunglasses! Early morning is the best time to be in the garden. I have also been reliably informed that watering the garden in the early evening in summer, with a glass of wine in hand, is very therapeutic!
• If you want to propagate a Daphne, Boxing Day is supposedly the ideal day to take cuttings! I have tried this hint, which was given to me many years ago, and it did work. Use new growth for your cutting and keep it moist and well shaded. They do take a long time to develop roots and establish but they are worth it. Soft-wood Hydrangea cuttings taken now will strike well.