After quite a warm autumn, winter has arrived! Winter gardening is often about preparing for spring, but Melbourne is lucky enough to have a climate perfect for many colourful winter blooms too. 

One of the most important winter activities is rose pruning. We know this can be a little intimidating so we are holding our annual Rose Pruning Demonstration on Sunday the 8th and Monday the 9th at 10 am. All types of roses will be discussed and all your questions will be answered. We look forward to seeing you!

Tony's Tips

June 2025

Many plants go dormant as winter starts but there is still plenty happening in the garden if you know where to look. A lot of cool climate plants are actually at their best over the next few months.

Daphne Perfume Princess is a favourite of mine, as it grows more strongly than normal Daphne and flowers right through winter. Like all Daphnes, it hates wet feet and collar rot so plant up on a mound of improved soil for amazing results. 

Serruria is a member of the Protea family which, like many in the family, flowers through winter. It is very drought tolerant but hates wet feet. They are great in pots of native potting mix or planted up on a mound to ensure excellent drainage. Serruria is very attractive in both the pink and the white and is a terrific cut flower.

Things to Do:

• Prune your roses! I vary my pruning to suit the vigour of the rose—bush Roses I prune back by 60 to 70%, climbers and David Austin Roses I reduce by about half and old fashioned once flowering roses such as Banksia and Albertine, I prune after they flower in spring. I prune standard Roses back to about the size and shape of a basketball.
• If your Roses had a bad year for fungal diseases, spray over and around the pruned plant with Lime Sulfur. This will clean up any overwintering disease and give your roses a fresh start for Spring. If you discover white scale on the bare branches, spray with Pest Oil to suffocate it.
• A warm autumn means a late leaf drop. Put all these leaves in a hole, a pile or a bin, sprinkle liberally with Blood and Bone to hasten breakdown and you'll have compost before you know it.
• Plant Primulas, Primroses, Pansies, and Poppies for winter and early spring colour. This is also the last month to plant foxgloves for flowers this spring. Also plant Certified Seed Potatoes and Rhubarb crowns this month.
• Native plants look great through winter but you can give them a helping hand by using a native-specific fertiliser to encourage more flowers.
• If you feed your lawn regularly, now is a good time to correct the build up of acidity with Garden Lime.
• If you are feeding your plants in winter, use an organic fertiliser as it’s more effective in cooler soil than inorganic fertiliser.
• Watch out for Aphids on the underside of new growth on Helleborus and Pansies. Treat with Bug Killa. 

Plant of the Month

Camellia Japonica Volunteer

Camellia Japonica starts flowering early in winter and continues right through to spring. My favourite Camellia this month is Volunteer; a very strong grower with masses of deep pink and white bicolour flowers from May to late Winter. I’m a big fan because the glossy green foliage fills the garden out all year and they flower profusely through the cooler months. Plant up on a mound of organically improved soil in a shaded or morning sun position for years of pleasure. 

A Note on Gift Vouchers

As we mentioned last month, the new owners of Acorn Nursery will be taking over on the 1st of July. Because of this, we won't be able to accept gift vouchers that are over three years old after the 30th of June.