Now is the perfect time to be planting, the weather is warming up and it’s a delight to be out in the garden.  It may seem crazy to be planning for Christmas but by getting plants in the ground now you will have a blooming beautiful garden by the time the in-laws arrive!

1. Christmas bush

Ceratopetalum gummiferum, as the name suggests will be covered in starry red flowers at Christmas, these trees grow well in a pot or free draining soil in a sunny spot out in the garden.  Don’t prune them until after they have finished flowering – or just let your wife cut them back taking all the flowers inside for a table decoration, like mine does!

2. Fresh tomatoes

cannot be beaten in a fresh festive salad so get them in the ground straight away for the most amount of fruit.  By removing the lower leaves and planting them deep you promote more roots which is better for nutrient uptake and bigger fruit.  Lots of compost in the soil with a handful of blood and bone will set them up perfectly and liquid feed every 10 days for a bumper crop.

3. Zucchini 

Whilst you’re out in the veggie patch plant a zucchini (or courgette as I still call them).  Don’t be fooled by their small sizer at the moment you need a minimum of 1 meter squared per plant as they get big and they do so quickly.  Check daily for fruit and spray with 50% water and 50% milk weekly to keep powdery mildew away.

4. Petunias

Save yourself a bomb by investing in a mega punnet of petunias, found at your local nursery this punnet of plants will cost around $25 have anywhere from 50-100 plants in it.  All you need to do it prick them out and plant them in open spaces at the front of your garden, around the rim of your pots or in a hanging basket.  Keep them feed and watered and your garden will be full and festive in no time.

5. Looking for a Christmas tree that isn’t a Christmas tree? 

The western Australian Wolly bush is a soft silvery shrub that begs to be hugged – it won’t be flowering by Christmas, but it will look great covered in baubles and tinsel.