A garden’s growing season always seems to sneak up on us. It’s still a bit cold and you are reveling in the fact that you can get away without mowing, but then you look out the window and realise that the hedge appears to be planning an escape and the trees and bushes are suddenly reaching far beyond their limits of a month ago.
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To get you inspired, treat yourself to some new garden tools. Here’s what you might need.
Hedges: According to Tristan Eastaugh, product manager at Cyclone, if you want a tight, close-knit hedge, it is best to prune little and often and start clipping plants when they are young to encourage compact, bushy growth. To achieve good even cover keep the top of the hedge narrower than the base. If you prune on a subtle angle the upper branches won’t shade out the bottom. Always prune flowering hedges after they have finished blooming.
Tool options include Cyclone Heavy Duty Straight Hedge Shears (RRP $39.98) or Hoselink’s 2-in-1 Hedge Shears (RRP $69.90) with telescopic handles and built-in anvil lopper.
Pruning: Cut early bloomers, like lilacs and forsythia, in late spring as soon as they finish flowering. If you prune too early you’ll remove flower buds and sacrifice the display.
Tool options include the Cyclone Compact Bypass Lopper (RRP $27.98) or Hoselink’s colourful Secateurs (RRP $35.90) which come in pink or blue and are easy to find if you put them down on the grass.
Vegie patch: As the soil warms up you can begin sowing seeds for new flowers and veggies. Tomatoes, eggplants, capsicums, chillies and sweet corn can all be planted in spring when the risk of frost has passed. Prepare garden beds for planting by digging plenty of compost and organic matter through the soil. If you’re short on space try growing compact vegies like bush or cascading varieties of tomato, leafy greens, chillies or capsicums in sunny pots.
Hoselink offer a Trowel, Fork & Weeder Set for $36.90, or for serious preparation use Cyclone’s Burr Hoe ($65.99)
Spraying: To help reduce single-use plastic gardening specialists Nylex are urging homeowners to switch to re-usable products when fertilising, and managing pests and weeds. Alyce Rigby, Product Manager at Nylex said “ready-to-use weed and pest sprayers are notorious for being thrown in the bin after mere minutes of use, yet one bottle of concentrate lasts the equivalent of 32 on average single-use spray bottles – significantly decreasing the amount of plastic you throw away. These single-use sprayers also cost on average 76 per cent more than buying a good quality sprayer and concentrate, so in choosing an environmentally friendly option you also get more bang for your buck,” she said.