With the festive season behind us, renowned gardening expert Sabrina Hahn suggests it's the perfect moment to turn our attention to the great outdoors. The summer period offers a golden opportunity to revitalise your garden, infuse it with vibrant life, and prepare it for the seasons ahead.
Combating Weeds and Embracing Colour
Reflecting on a winter inundated with weeds, a common experience for many Western Australians, Hahn emphasises proactive measures. She specifically mentions the pervasive flickweed (Cardamine hirsuta), which scatters hundreds of seeds destined to germinate in the following year. To tackle this 'seed burden' in the soil, Hahn advocates a multi-step approach: clear existing weeds, plant out bare patches, and then apply a protective layer.
Her recommended tactic involves using newspaper or cardboard as an underlay beneath mulch. This barrier significantly reduces the rate of weed seed germination, giving your desired plants a fighting chance. Hahn notes that bare soil is an open invitation for weeds, so the solution is to either cover it with mulch, fill it with plants, or ideally, do both.
Vibrant Plant Picks for a Summer Fiesta
While native species form the foundation of her garden, Hahn loves incorporating a dazzling array of perennials, biennials, and annuals to create bursts of colour. For long-lasting displays, she highlights geranium 'Rozanne' as a perennial favourite due to its near year-round flowering habit and spreading nature.
To achieve continuous summer colour, she recommends biennials like gaillardia 'Mesa Yellow' and 'Mesa Red'. For a truly explosive, festive look, Hahn suggests planting brightly coloured zinnias in shades of orange, red, yellow, and hot pink. A significant bonus of planting gaillardia and zinnias is their tendency to self-seed for years; Hahn mentions her own plants have been happily reappearing for seven summers, offering delightful and free gifts from nature.
Sabrina's Three Essential Garden Jobs This Week
Hahn also provides a concise list of immediate tasks for gardeners:
- Inspect your plants for insects, particularly tiny jumping spiders, using a magnifying glass.
- Underprune zucchini leaves that are touching the soil to help prevent the spread of powdery mildew.
- Enrich your tomato plants by digging crushed eggshells into the base and manually removing looper caterpillars.
Her weekly tip encourages gardeners to use the relaxed holiday period to simply enjoy their outdoor space and dream up new projects, as the best ideas often come from quiet contemplation.
Sabrina Hahn's gardening column, Green With Envy, appears inside Saturday's The West Australian. Readers can submit their questions to 'Ask Sabrina', GPO Box D162, Perth, 6001, or via email to home@wanews.com.au, including full name and suburb.
