What to plant in your garden this month

There’s no better time than right now to get stuck into some gardening. If you’re not much of a green thumb, here’s a short guide to how to get your garden blossoming this spring. 

Hungry?

According to polling from the Australia Institute, growing food makes us feel happy, healthy and relaxed. In this period of mild, sunny weather, it’s the perfect time to get cracking on some crops for summer. 

For your more bulky garden greens, try:

• Zucchini 

• Eggplant 

• Capsicum

• Green beans 

Keep an eye on the temperature overnight, however, as if it’s dropping below 10C it’s best to hold off until it warms up.

If you're looking to get some homemade salads going in summer, try: 

• Mignonette lettuce

• Summer variety radishes 

• Mint

• Tomatoes

If you’re partial to caprese salad, consider planting tomatoes and basil together, as they thrive in the same moisture levels and growing conditions.

Promoting biodiversity

If you're not so much into old-fashioned English lawns and hedges, consider embracing native flora.

• Coastal rosemary

• Grevillea

• Waratah

• Correa

Coastal rosemary is a native shrub with a much less pungent aroma than it’s Mediterranean cousins. Leave this one out of your Sunday roasts, as it is inedible. Grevillea and waratah are two other native shrubs you can buy easily and grow in your garden, though regular pruning is recommended for both. 

For less experienced gardeners, white correa is an easier alternative. It’s a hardy, low maintenance shrub, sporting white starry flowers in spring and summer. 

Suburban classics

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the classics. Try planting bougainvillea to climb along your front fence and bloom through summer. For pastel shades of pink, blue and white, plant hydrangeas, which require regular watering and prefer shade or dappled sunlight.