Landscaping in Australia, must take account of the various weather conditions that occur throughout the year as each season comes and goes. This applies not just to Australia but to every other location around the world.
However, given that Australia is in the southern hemisphere, and its climate is unique to its location then it is safe to say that landscaped gardens in Australia require different attention to various gardening matters than those in Philadelphia, Berlin, or Beijing. More especially those differences will mean that when it comes to planting and replacing plants within a landscaped garden, these will differ also.
So what might landscaping in Australia’s gardens require and more specifically how will these tasks differ within each season? Well, to find out the answers, please read on and you will discover our year-round guide to planting in Australia’s landscaped gardens.
Summer (December, January, and February)
If you live in Australia or have ever visited it in the summer months, you will know that it is sunny, dry, and extremely hot with an average daily top temperature of over 30° centigrade. This combination means that you have to choose what you plant in the summer very carefully.
The kinds of plants most suited to this time of year are shrubs, which provide excellent shade in summer, grasses, and succulents, whose appeal is they require very little maintenance. Additionally, those who like to grow edibles have plenty to choose from as tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, eggplant, basil, mint, and coriander are all suitable for summer planting in Australia.
Autumn (March, April, and May)
Generally, the temperatures in autumn in Australia do not dip much below that of the summer except when we get into April, and even then it still averages 25°centigrade. We are also likely to see two or three more days of rain each month.
As for planting in autumn, Australia’s garden owners should be looking towards planting fruits such as figs, pears, and apples. Staying with all things edible, herbs which include thyme, chives, and basil are ideal candidates. Those who like to add colour in the form of flowers to their landscaped gardens should consider planting bulbs with crocuses, daffodils, and tulips being the most popular.
Winter (June, July, and August)
Given that sub-zero temperatures in Australia are as common as a sighting of Haileys Comet, we are unlikely to see much snowfall, however, that does not mean it remains dry. To the contrary, Australia has more than its fair share of rainy days in winter, with Australia gardens seeing some rain almost every other day in the months of July and August
For planting in winter, you should be looking at using evergreens to provide additional winter colour in your landscaped garden. This is also the ideal time to plant winter vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. Root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beetroot, and parsnips are perfectly happy in the colder temperatures of winter, as are onions, garlic, and leeks. Finally, for summer desserts, plant strawberries in winter as they ripen towards the end of spring.
Spring (September, October, and November)
Spring in Australia is when we start to see more sunny days, less rain, and higher temperatures returning although you should be aware that at night the thermometer can still dip to low single figures.
Spring is when landscaped gardens see the addition of trees, which are a great way to provide shade for the coming summer months. Vegetable growers should be looking to plant corn, tomatoes, beans, chillies, and cucumbers. You can add herbs to your recipes by planting dill, mint, parsley, basil and coriander in spring.
For fruit lovers who wish to try something different, you could try planting passionfruit vines, although to ensure they grow as they should, which is to climb, you will need to have a climbing structure in place.