How to plant and maintain your garden

1. Dig the planting hole

Dig a hole twice the width of the plant pot and slightly deeper. Dig the hole in the soil below the mulch – if you plant into mulch your plant will dry out and die.

2. Pre-soak the plant

Pre-soak your plants in a container of water before planting. In dry soils, fill the planting hole with water allowing it to drain before planting.

3. Remove the plant from the pot

Turn the pot upside down and strike the rim gently against a solid object. Allow the plant to gently slide out of the pot.

4. Place plant in the hole

So the plant is slightly lower than the surrounding soil level, creating a well to catch water. Firmly replace the soil around the plant, break up any lumps as you go.

5. Water the plant in well

Water your plant to settle soil around the roots. Plants may require a good deep soaking weekly during the first year.

Watch our perfect planting video below to learn how to plant perfectly to grow thriving plants.

Indigenous and native plants need mulch. Mulch suppresses weeds, helps plants retain water in the summer heat and stay warm in winter.

• Remove any weeds from the garden bed before you lay mulch. This reduces competition and makes post-planting maintenance easier.
• Add a layer 3-5cm thick of Eucalyptus(Eucy) or Pine Bark mulch to all garden beds (these varieties are suitable for native or indigenous gardens).
  • Eucalyptus mulch consists of hardwood chips and bark mixed with finer shredded leaves and twigs.
  • Pine Bark mulch is made from the shredded bark of pine trees.

• Top up the mulch yearly. Keep a small gap between mulch and plants stems to avoid mulch rotting the plant.
• To avoid mulch blowing onto paths use a thicker chip mulch like 20mm pine bark mulch.

Be cautious of recycled hard wood mulch. Our sandy soils don’t get enough rain to break down hard wood mulch. The mulch can form a thick hard layer on top of soil stopping water reaching the plants. It can also breed mould and fungus harming plants.

Coloured mulch can be beautiful, but steer clear of black mulch as it retains heat in summer baking nearby plants.

Watch our mastering mulch video below to view samples of the different mulch types.

Reduce competition

Remove weeds around your plant, reducing competition for water, light and nutrients, helping your plant grow.

If you have pets add a tree guard. Remove the guard once the plant has become established.

Watering

Monitor new plants during their first summer. If there has not been heavy rain by mid-summer, they will need weekly or fortnightly watering. Deep, occasional watering helps the plant establish deeper roots.

Mulching

Mulch increases soil water retention and increases soil organic matter.

Maintain a mulch layer of 3-5cm and top it up as it breaks down – generally once every year.

Pruning

Indigenous plants are used to be nibbled by wild animals so they love being pruned. Pruning prevents plants from getting leggy and untidy. As a rule of thumb, prune a plant by one third  after flowering, or tip prune plants every 1-2 months. 

Check with your nursery regarding specific species.

Watch our precise pruning video below to learn more.

Fertiliser

Native plants don’t need fertiliser and it often just encourages weeds. Too much phosphorus, can kill many native plants.

If you do choose to fertilise either use seaweed solution or mix a small amount of slow-release, low phosphate fertiliser into the soil.

Chewing, sap-sucking and rasping pests are part and parcel of gardening. We can often tolerate a minor infestation, but need to take action if the pest is damaging our plants.

Tips to reduce pest problems

• Check your garden regularly for pests
• Do not locate plants too close together so there is good ventilation to prevent fungal diseases
• Attract natural predators to your garden (c reate the right habitat and your garden will be jumping with ladybirds and small birds feasting on garden pests)
• Insects often attack weak plants (give your plants a boost with seaweed liquid and a deep water to improve their health)
• Squash or remove pests with a gloved hand, e.g. snails and slugs
• Spray the pest off with a jet of water e.g aphids
• Cut off heavily infested plant parts
• Consider using neem oil which is a safe, organic all purpose insect controller

Home remedies

Garlic spray has broad application as an antifungal agent and as a repellent of softbodied insects such as aphids. To make a garlic spray, add 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic to 1 litre of water. Let it stand overnight, strain and spray.

A tablespoon of molasses dissolved in 1 litre of warm water with a teaspoon of pure liquid soap is an effective spray for caterpillars and other chewing insects. Apply regularly to the leaves.

Pour linseed or fish oil set in a flat dish at soil level to trap earwigs.

Deter snails and slugs by ringing your plants with a circle of coffee grounds or sawdust. Or set beer traps.