The Garden Diaries: Western Australia in September

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With warmer weather just around the corner, it’s time to get off the couch and get out into the garden. Here’s some ideas for what you can do in your backyard in beautiful WA.

Hero plant this month: Tomatoes Lycopersicon esculentum

In September it’s all about tomatoes. There’s a huge variety available in sizes and colours ranging from red to black, yellow and striped. When they’re home grown, they taste delicious. Tomatoes grow well in pots, hanging baskets or in the ground.

Plant seed in pre-moistened soil and in about a week the seedlings should emerge. Fertilise every few weeks when the plants are growing.

Growing tomatoes is a great project for kids. Buy some seed and plant in little pots. Kids can watch them germinate and grow into fruiting plants.

Tomatoes are also available as seedlings in punnets or single pots. Buying like this means a lot of the hard work is already done. Plant in a sunny well-drained position. It’s preferable to select a patch that hasn’t grown tomatoes the previous season. Mix in organic compost before planting. Remember to keep plants well-watered and feed regularly. Stake larger growing varieties.

What else to plant

Plant citrus, hellebores, and evergreen trees like eucalypts and casuarinas. Look out for the quirky and aptly named ‘Cousin It’, with its cascading foliage. Perfect as a ground cover or feature in a rockery.

While they like sun in winter, hellebores thrive in shady spots. Enjoy their evergreen foliage and the range of dainty, coloured flowers from dark, plum shades to whites and a range in between.

There’s nothing like growing your own greens so you can pick these fresh from the garden every day. Plant lettuce, bok choi, rocket and basil seeds now.

Remember the Perfect Plant Promise. All our plants (except seedlings) are guaranteed for 12 months. If you're not 100% happy, return your plant (with receipt or tax invoice) and we'll refund it.

Maintenance

In August, it’s a good time to dead head any winter flowering plants and perennials like pansy or sedum.

Give shrubs a tidy up too. Prune to shape and remove any dead wood to promote new growth.

It’s also the perfect time to add trace elements to the lawn to give it a good boost ready for spring. If you need help with knowing what to apply, pop into your local store for some advice. Lawns will also benefit from a dose of seaweed solution to help the activation process.

Feed vegie seedlings, to give them a boost as well as citrus and natives. Be sure to use a low phosphorous fertiliser on any natives.

Harvest

Winter vegies are coming to the fore. Pull leeks, carrots and onions. Pick coriander regularly. Cauliflower and beetroot are also ready for picking. Don’t leave beetroots in the soil to get tough and woody.

So there you go, there’s plenty to do in your garden in August in Western Australia.

Our Perfect Plant Promise

Remember the Perfect Plant Promise. All our plants (except seedlings) are guaranteed for 12 months. If you're not 100 percent happy, return your plant (with the receipt or tax invoice) and we'll refund it.

Start planting today

Check out the wide range of plants online or visit your local Bunnings Warehouse to find out how you can bring your garden to life.

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Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer or visit our Health & Safety page. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.