This is a guide aimed at people in Sydney who are new to gardening and want to learn how to care for their garden easily.
Have you ever wished to venture out of your Sydney home right onto a flourishing green space? The melodious sound of birds, flowers illumined by colours in all shades, the sparse space where you can feel yourself as the owner? It's not only for master gardeners, who created it. This guide will show us how Sydney garden maintenance for beginners is possible despite the city’s hard environment. We'll dedicate this section to providing the necessary information, like Sydney's weather patterns and advice on selecting the right low-maintenance plants.
Sydney's climate and your garden
Unlike other parts of Australia that are blatantly cloudless all year long, Sydney enjoys a surprisingly mild climate. You will be experiencing exceptionally favourable summers, perfect for grilling and outdoor activities, with cool winters that hardly see frost. However, those idyllic summers can be accompanied by significant droughts that reduce the supply of water for our plants. The most important thing to deal with for selecting plants that could survive in your backyard refuge in Sydney is understanding its unique climate. Among your plant stars, choose those that need a lot of sun, and those that require less water in the wetter and drier parts and areas of Sydney respectively.
Choosing the perfect plants for your Sydney garden
In selecting plants for a beginner Sydney gardener there are two factions – natives and non-natives. You are not going to be surprised why native Australian plants are a good choice for multiple reasons. Next, they evolve with the localised Sydney climate and are thus not burdened by constant watering and feeding. For the second aspect, native plants are inherently thrifty with their water, it is unavoidable that there will be such long periods of dry spells. However, one may probably call this the best advantage. The local native fauna invites a steady flow of colourful birds and therefore butterflies turning your garden into a tiny wild sanctuary.
Some low-maintenance native plant superstars for your Sydney garden include:
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Kangaroo paws: This one is difficult to pronounce, well, you know, my natives have red and green flowers, which makes them in any case rather showy.
Getting started: essential gardening tools for beginners
You don't need a garden shed all brimmed with fancy items to be a happy gardener. Truly, you can do it with the most basic of tools. A few basic tools will do the trick:
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Gardening gloves: Use gloves to prevent thorns and dirt od carrying into your house.
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Hand trowel: Tiny but sharp, these are great for digging small holes and planting seedlings.
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Watering can: This reliable companion will never let your plants go thirsty, no matter how hot it gets.
If you are extending yourself financially for a good pair of secateurs, you can choose to make do with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors as a cheaper substitute.
Planting like a pro: tips for beginner gardeners
After you have selected your tools and your plant grocery list, it's time to get down to the planting part.
Good quality soil is what the plants need to make them stronger. If you have been noticing that your soil seems less thriving, consider adding some organic matter such as compost before planting. Here's something for a planting beginner: Instructions. Almost all Nurseries and Garden Centres are complete with informative booklets about specific plants, or you can search the web for a wide variety of information.
Watering wisely: keeping your Sydney garden hydrated
As water is life for your garden, and we are under Sydney's water restrictions, it is important to consider how we are utilising it. The key thing is to do deep watering less frequently every time, till the water is absorbed down to the root. A superb method for holding moisture in the soil and minimising evaporation is mulching around your plants at any time. Another clever tip? Easier on the environment and the wallet is the rain tank to contains rainwater to water a garden. In keeping with the drought-tolerant plants, these low-water needy varieties should be incorporated into your garden design as part of the conservation effort.
