Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

It’s that time of the year. The sun finally makes its way into your garden/house and you look around and think, what a mess! Whether it’s kitchen cupboards that need a good cleanout, the kids’ room that is dying for a scrub or the garden than needs some love and care, it’s time for a spring clean.

The first job that needs my attention is the garden. For the last month I’ve looked desolately as the weeds creep through the beds and thought to myself, when it’s warmer, I’ll tend to that… Well this weekend’s forecast is sunny with temperatures in the late 20s, so I have no more excuses. It’s time to attack the garden!

Only problem is, I have no idea where to start. Apparently you don’t have to be born with a green thumb to grow a garden, so it’s time to turn my little patch of dirt into a horticulturalalist’s delight. Ok in all honesty, I’d just be happy with a garden that grows.

First step is removing the weeds then according to doubleg2006, I should work the dirt then go and buy some fertiliser and top soil.

After you have pulled out all the weeds and flowers first till the dirt till you get it all loosen up, now next add the top soil and the fertiliser and mix them together with the existing dirt and oh don’t forget to water after you have tilled all the top soil and fertiliser to keep the order down. More

Right! So I’ve got a fresh bed ready for some planting. But what should I get? Considering my record with killing plants, I probably shouldn’t be too ambitious. Sheltie has some great advice:

Your best ‘rule of thumb’ here is to look around locally and see what the council grows in their nature strips, parks etc. plus what plants schools have growing as well.  Some plants used are varieties of bottle brush, westringia, grevillias, gazanias, kangaroo paw, marigold, plumbago, geraniums. More

Australian natives are a good idea, they are obviously ideal for our hot Australian summers and don’t require too much water, very important with the drought. I should also consider plants that grow well in less sunlight as I have a south facing garden so it’s not very sunny in winter.

So once I’ve planted my seedlings, watered them, it’s apparently time to add the mulch. Forgive my ignorance, but why do we need it? Julie’s got a good answer:

Mulch does several things.. it helps control erosion (splashing and runoff of soil in heavy rains). It helps balance moisture in garden beds. The sun can’t bake the soil when mulch is shading it. Mulch, as it decomposes adds organic value to soil and it provides a uniform, finished look in garden beds. It really doesn’t do anything to cut back on bugs. More

Alright I think ready to garden. Do you have any more advice for me before I pull on my overalls and grab my shovel and fork?

Caitlin
Community Manager

I don’t know about you but I absolutely can’t wait for Spring. I’m looking forward to those first warm breezy days when all the flowers come out to bloom. I love that distinct spring smell and I really can’t wait for those lazy afternoons sitting in the sun drinking a cool glass of rosé.

I’ve found this winter has been particularly hard, as I (somewhat foolishly) chose May as a good month to move from the UK back to Oz. I am getting to the end of my almost year long winter and as a result, I’ve almost forgotten what hot weather feels like.

Spring in Australia starts on 1st September, but funnily enough it won’t be autumn for all countries in the northern hemisphere. According to Au T,

For countries such as the United States, the seasons are determined astrologically – and begin at the solstice and equinoxes. So spring begins when the days hit equal length then get longer, autumn when they hit equal length then get shorter etc. More

The beginning of spring means different things for us all. One of my favourite memories was hearing my Dad say this little ditty every year:

I checked its origin on Answers and it seems that not only are there extra verses, but there is much debate about who wrote it and what the actually words are.

For some around the world, there’s still lots of cold weather and snow in spring, while for others it’s synonymous with a stuffy nose and watery eyes, all the hallmarks of hayfever.

For many, Spring is an excuse to do a big Spring Clean and get into all the nooks and crannies that have been gathering dust for the past year. According to Kathij, spring is traditionally a good time for cleaning, because:

Typically people’s houses have been closed up for the autumn and winter months, and in the old days of candles and open fires everything was musty and dusty, so opening up the house to fresh air and giving everything a good cleaning was necessary. More

What are your favourite things about Spring?

Caitlin
Community Manager