Summer has been, and afterwards our gardens may look a little worse for wear. Keep your native beauties looking fresh, vibrant, and healthy, and beat the heat with these tips from Austraflora!

The best time to prune your natives is straight after flowering, which is around November. Plants are coming into active growth and producing healthy new shoots. You’ll find that the plant will recover really quickly and before you know it, you’ll have lots of new flowers. Tip prune a younger plant, but don’t be afraid to be a bit more adventurous with pruning an established native. Pruning ensures a compact shape with lots of new fresh growth.

Fertilise with Searles Flourish Native for fast results. Searles Flourish Native is a blended, soluble, complete plant food, which is formulated specifically with a low phosphorous (P) content to suit the requirements of many native and phosphorous sensitive plants. You can apply easily with a watering can. Soak in around plant’s roots and out beyond the foliage drip-line. For even quicker results, you can apply directly to the foliage. It is the perfect treatment as a ‘pick me up’ for a tired native.

Revitalise your garden with some pops of cheery colour! Whether it be in the way of flowers, interesting foliage, or even a few interesting décor features!
Native gardens don’t equal “drab”. Visit your local gardening center or jump online for some great ideas. At Austraflora, we love to share inspirational design and plant suggestions. You need an amazing project to remind you of the connection you have with the living things in your garden. Even browsing beautiful gardens online will help you to feel inspired to spend more time in yours.

Try to get outside at different times in the garden. If it’s too hot to enjoy during the day, schedule some time for your friends and family to have a backyard cuppa or meal in the early morning or late afternoon. Planting some Leptospermum “Mozzie Blocker” from Austraflora should help keep the mosquitoes at bay too!