SPRING CLEAN YOUR GARDEN

Shake off winter and get your yard prepped for warmer months to come

- Adam Woodhams

The days are growing slowly longer as we make our way through the last month of winter. Spring is on the horizon and the first hints are there with early flowering bulbs and trees. The perfect spring and summer garden starts now, so make the most of it!

FLOWERING NOW

As we shake off the last of winter, some of the most gorgeous spring blooms are already starting to fill the landscape in many parts of the country.

• The Prunus family (often known as the spring blossom trees) include the ornamental flowering and fruiting varieties of peaches, cherries and plums. They are bursting into bloom now, and in delicate shades of whites, shell pinks and candy pinks, they are a breathtaking sight.

• Spring bulbs are starting to put on their annual display. The jonquils are finishing their run as the daffodils come to the fore. You'll also find the delightfully fragrant freesias starting to put on their spring show in a huge range of colours. If you've planted freesia bulbs, do bear in mind that many of the newer, more colourful hybrids often don't have a strong perfume.

• One of the most intoxicatingly perfumed plants of spring, the vigorous climber white jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), is coming into flower. The fragrance will travel long distances, adding an air of mystery. "Where is that beautiful smell coming from?" is a common question as it starts to bloom. If you want your own, you'll find them in full bloom in nurseries now.

• Many of the most stunning natives are flowering now. Look out for the incomparable beauty of the NSW waratah (Telopea speciosissima) and the divine, purple flowering Hardenbergias.

WHAT TO PLANT