Preparing your Northern Districts garden for summer

Although it might seem like a long way away, now is the time to start thinking about preparing your Northern Districts garden for the summer. Think about those long summer days when you’ll be spending more time out in the garden and enjoying summer evenings by the pool or having a barbecue with family and friends. Here are a few ways that you can prepare your garden for those glorious summer days ahead.

Consider the water needs of the plants you choose

Although the Northern Districts region does get rain all year round, some plants will need more water, especially if they’re exposed to the hot sun for most of the day. For this reason, it’s important to make careful plant selections and choose varieties to grow together that have similar water needs. This means you’ll be doing less spot-watering and enjoying more relaxation time in the garden.

One thing you can do right now is find a good source of mulch and apply this around all of your plants. The mulch will stop too much moisture from evaporating so that when you do water, more of it will stay in the soil to benefit your plants. Plus, it will limit the amount of pesky weeds that seem to proliferate in the warmer weather. Hot tip: Spread the mulch on damp soil.

You might also want to take a trip to Bunnings or any other hardware store nearby and have a look at the range of automatic watering systems you can use in your garden. These are usually quite easy to install and many can be just connected to an outdoor tap and put on a timer. This means you won’t even have to think about watering if you set up a regular schedule.

Provide some summer shade with a vine-covered pergola

If you’re envisioning spending lazy summer days sitting in the shade with a good book and a cool drink, why not think about building a pergola that you can cover with a deciduous vine like wisteria, ornamental grape or even a potato vine? As they grow, these vines will provide much-needed shade in summer but will let the sun shine through in the cooler months. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the stunning flowers or fruits as a bonus.

Add some decorations to make your garden come alive

It’s amazing how a few simple decorations can really make your garden come alive. Solar lights strung along a fence can add a festive touch to your barbecue area. Alternatively, place a row of different-coloured solar lights along your driveway to welcome your guests when they arrive.

You might even like to add a more tropical theme to your garden by strategically placing tiki torches around the perimeter of your entertaining area. You can create other interesting effects by putting fairy lights in glass jars or scattering glowing orb lights around your garden.

Use large moveable planters to define your outdoor spaces

You can easily find plenty of beautiful large planters to buy and fill with your favourite plants. However, don’t settle for placing these in one spot and leaving them there. Look for ones that have built-in castors (or snap up a castor work platform from Aldi when they’re in stock) so you can move pots around. Alternatively, think about some planter stands with wheels to make a moveable screen. 

Having a few mobile planters in your backyard means you can easily move them around to create defined outdoor spaces to suit your mood or any special gathering you might be planning. If you don’t have a particularly green thumb, you can even buy artificial portable hedges that won’t require any special care. 

Screen off a courtyard with an outdoor shower

Even if you have a fairly large yard, it’s not that difficult to screen off a small section next to the house for a pretty and functional courtyard garden. If you want to make it even more special, why not get a plumber to install an outdoor shower? Make sure you fill the space with lots of tropical plants in pots of various sizes and place a small table and seating in one corner. 

This is one way to create your own tropical oasis where you can quickly cool off when the summer heat gets a bit overbearing.  

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