The best garden ideas for spring

There’s something magical about the arrival of spring. The days stretch a little longer, the air turns sweeter and gardens begin to hum with new life. It’s the perfect time to refresh your outdoor space with these garden ideas and let nature put on a dazzling show. This season, it’s all about bold colour palettes and striking displays. And if you’re keen to conjure up some nostalgic charm, you’re in luck – traditional favourites like dahlias and hydrangeas are back in fashion, proving that what’s old is new again.

Safety tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment. Always store products out of the reach of children and pets.

Overview of the tips to creating the best spring garden

• Flower beds: “Creating a beautiful flower bed is like arranging a living bouquet,” says florist and flower grower Petrina Burrill. “Start with height – tall flowers like delphiniums or foxgloves at the back, medium ones like cosmos and zinnias in the middle, and low-growing petunias, pansies or alyssum at the front.”
• Group planting: For impact, plant in groups, instead of single flowers dotted around the garden. Petrina likes to plant in odd-numbered groups of three or five. “It looks more natural than single or even-numbered plants,” she says.
• Colour combinations: To create a harmonious colour palette, Angie Thomas from Yates suggests choosing plants with flowers in key colour combinations. “Soothing blues and purples go well together, orange and blue are complementary colours, and the combination of yellow, greenish-yellow and green flowers and foliage creates a beautifully balanced look,” she says.
• Fill in the gaps: Spreading flowers like petunias offer great value, says Angie. “They’re fast to establish and cover space quickly. Easy-to-grow seeds like cosmos, zinnias and sunflowers provide loads of colour for very little effort, while flowers like alyssum often self-seed, creating free future plants with no extra work,” she says.
• Add pots: Plant a striking display in a pot using the classic ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ method: choose a bold, eye-catching plant for height and drama (thriller), surround it with mid-sized plants to add body and colour (filler), and let trailing plants cascade over the edge for softness and movement (spiller).

Think about the best light

Getting the aspect right is crucial, advises florist and flower grower Petrina. “Think of sunlight as food for your flowers – most blooms need at least six hours of direct sun to perform their best,” she says. “Without enough light, you might get lots of lovely green leaves but disappointingly few flowers.” If light is limited in your backyard, horticulturist Angie recommends choosing flowering plants that prefer more sheltered spots. “Impatiens, ajuga and clivias do best in shady areas of the garden,” says Angie.

Supercharge your soil

If you want vibrant flowers and healthy plants, you need to start from the ground up. “Flowers are only as good as the soil they’re growing in,” says Petrina. Soil that’s enriched with organic matter helps support strong roots and, ultimately, better blooms. Compost, aged manures and worm castings are all forms of organic matter and can be dug into the soil before planting to build soil health and boost flower power. “It’s like giving your plants a daily vitamin!” says Petrina. Most flowers are ideal for growing in garden beds, but for smaller spaces, look for compact varieties that are suitable for containers. Hydrangeas, for example, can grow into medium-sized shrubs, but there are dwarf forms that are perfect for pots. Similarly, towering sunflowers and tall dahlia varieties may feel too large for pots, so go for the more compact forms instead.

Should you plant seeds or seedlings?

Not sure whether to start with seeds or seedlings? According to Petrina, both have their perks, and the right choice depends on your confidence, time and budget. “Seedlings are ideal for beginners because they give you that instant gratification and head start – you’ll see flowers much sooner,” she says. “They’re also more reliable if you’re nervous about germination.” However, seeds are incredibly budget friendly. “One packet can fill an entire garden bed for the cost of just a few seedlings. Plus, seeds open up a whole world of varieties you simply can’t find as seedlings.” But why choose? Use a mix of both. “Don’t be afraid to experiment!” says Petrina. Also consider including flowering perennials and shrubs in your planting. Roses, salvias, lavender, buddlejas, hibiscus, ixora and plumbago can form the backbone of your display, helping to add more colour and vibrancy to the show.

How to maximise flowering

To promote a long-lasting floral display, a top garden idea is to regularly feed and deadhead your flowers. “Feeding with a high-potassium fertiliser promotes healthy leaf growth and flowering,” says Angie. Combine this with deadheading (removing spent blooms), as this encourages further flowering and keeps the plants looking tidy, too. “As soon as my roses are done, it’s off with their heads!” says Petrina. Consistent watering, especially for new plantings, is essential. Petrina recommends applying a naturally derived mulch around plantings to help retain moisture and suppress any pesky weeds.

The best plants to grow in your zone

Check out this climate zone map to see which flowers will grow best in your state It’s tempting to grow flowers outside our climate zone, but Angie Thomas advises plants do best when grown in their preferred weather range. “Gardeners in the tropics should look for warmth- and humidity-loving plants, and in cooler climates, choose those that do best in milder conditions,” she says. Of course, there are some plants which are adaptable and will grow across most, if not all, climates at this time of year.

Climate zones explained (see map above)

• Tropical: Hot humid summer
• Subtropical: Warm humid summer
• Semi-arid/arid: Hot dry summer, mild-cool winter
• Temperate: Warm summer, cool winter
• Cool/cold: Mild-warm summer, cool winter 

Tropical zone

Plant now: aster, calendula, carnation, celosia, chrysanthemum, cosmos, dianthus, hibiscus, ixora, petunia, plumbago, rudbeckia, salvia, verbena, zinnia.

Cool/cold zone

Plant now: ageratum, aquilegia, alyssum, calendula, coreopsis, cornflower, everlasting daisy, delphinium, dianthus, hydrangea, lobelia, nigella, peony, petunia, phlox, potted rose, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower.

Semi-arid/arid zone

Plant now: aster, billy buttons, calendula, celosia, cosmos, everlasting daisy, flannel flower, forget-me-not, kangaroo paw, marigold, phlox, salvia, zinnia.

Temperate zone

Plant now: ageratum, alyssum, brachyscome, calibrachoa, cosmos, dahlia, everlasting daisy, gaillardia, hydrangeas, nasturtium, African daisy, penstemon, petunia, potted roses, salvia, scabiosa, snapdragon, sunflower.

Keep in mind…

• Store all garden chemicals and products out of reach of children and pets.
• Wear gloves and a mask when handling mulch, compost and potting mix and also when pruning, along with long sleeves, as the leaves and sap of some plants can be a skin irritant and/or cause allergic reactions.
• Take care when selecting your plants as some can be poisonous to children and pets, check their suitability for your region, as some may be classified as weeds in certain states and territories.

Some photographs feature products from suppliers other than Bunnings.

Keen to plant some vegies this season?

Try this spring vegetable garden refresh.

Photo credit: Photo credit: Reuben Looi; Adobe Stock. Map: Bernhard Schmitz.