With the change of season, spring-bulb planting is very important in the next month or so as the soils begin to cool, says gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON. 

NOW’S the time to turn over the soil where bulbs are intended to grow. If you hit clay in the garden bed, try raising it to increase drainage for the roots and ensure the bulbs are not sitting and rotting in water. 

Bulbs to grow through winter include daffodils, jonquils, tulips and hyacinths. 

Though not true bulbs, other popular spring flowers to try, if space is at a premium, are anemones and ranunculus. They’re both considered a corm and deliver bang for your buck with flower size and colour. They’re fantastic for pots, courtyards and rooftop gardens. 

Corms are a little different from bulbs and when the seasons change, they can put on a delightful display. Confusingly, the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) is not a true crocus. A member of the Liliaceae family, it has completely different flower parts to crocus blooms. 

If you want to ditch the daffodils, then a local, native lily that grows well in our region is Bulbine Lily or Golden Lily (Bulbine bulbosa) with the added bonus of fragrance and butter-yellow flowers on a stunning flower spike. It multiplies quite quickly and is suitable for rockery gardens as well. 

BULBS that flowered poorly last spring or are in too much shade can be lifted and divided now. 

Dig the clump of bulbs with a fork gently out of the ground and tease with hands to pull apart. If they’re resisting, a blast with the garden hose will help separate them. 

Replant them in a sunny spot with a little compost in the hole and water in. As a general rule, bulbs should be planted double their depth. Most spring bulbs will be dormant so no need to fertilise as nutrients won’t be taken up now. Only fertilise bulbs when they’re growing. 

RUE (Ruta graveolens) is a tough, small plant that can be grown as a hedge to about 60 centimetres tall. It’s not bothered by the frosts and can be pruned in late winter or early spring. It likes full sun and a dry location. Once established they need little to no water. They like nutrients-poor, lime-rich soil and a pH of six or more will keep them happy. 

Their fern-like leaves are blueish to green and the foliage contrasts well in the garden. Although considered an old-fashioned plant once grown for medicinal reasons, its strong smell acts as a natural insecticide in the garden and makes a great repellent for cats, rats and insects (such as mosquitoes). It can be planted close to roses or fruiting plants such as raspberries to keep the insects away, with the added bonus of the flowers being beneficial plants for pollinators.

Sprigs can be brought indoors and used as an insect repellent for ants and flies.

Jottings 

• Feed vegetables with seaweed solution or liquid fertiliser to keep them growing fast and keep the water to fruiting crops.
• Have all stone fruit pruned before cold weather comes next month and when most of the leaves have fallen, spray with copper.
• Plant evergreen shrubs now and prepare soils for winter deciduous tree planting.
• Prepare soil for planting sweet peas on St Patrick’s Day (March 17). 
• The 2023 Autumn Flower Show, Fitzroy Pavilion, EPIC, from 10am, March 4-5.
• ANBG Autumn Native Plant Sale, Banksia Centre car park, 8.30am-11am, March 4.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au