With most of Australia experiencing a very wet winter, some homeowners will find it necessary to replant their gardens. Heavy rainfall can cause surface roots to become exposed and shallow rooted plants may even come loose. Here are some tips to help you replant your garden this winter.
Start with the soil
Heavy rains may have sent the nutrient rich topsoil down the drain, particularly if you live on a slope. This loss of topsoil can be detrimental to any new plants that you grow as they may not have all of the nutrients that they require to thrive, particularly for plants that have roots close to the surface such as turf or groundcover. It can be useful to replace this topsoil and even out any holes or uneven paths before you start replanting the garden. Garden supply stores can help you to find a good topsoil to act as a base for the garden that you want.
Check the reticulation
Reticulation can seem like your lowest priority in the wet weather, but it's important to get it fixed if you have had hail or flood damaging to your systems. In stormy weather, reticulation heads can break off the system and there can be damage to delicate sprayers which you will need again when the weather turns back to sunshine in spring and summer. Spares can be bought from most garden supply stores.
Plan the plants
If you find that many of your pants did not manage to survive it can be worth reconsidering the types of plants that you have in the garden. Native plants can often have a deeper root system which makes them more hardy in summer and can also help them to withstand hard winter rains. You can also look to put covers around more delicate plants to help them from copping the brunt of heavy rainfalls.
It's a good idea to try and plan the replanting for a relatively dry period so your new plant has a chance to develop some root growth into the earth before the next heavy rains occur. You can try adding some draining matter such as clays particles or river stones directly below the plant so that it does not get too soggy and develop issues before it's had a chance to grow.
If you are unsure of how to get your garden back to its old standard you should ask the staff at your local garden store. They can provide advice on what may suit your local climate and soil types.
