The energy is palpable in the garden this month as warmer weather incites new buds and blooms. Encourage activity with a feeding frenzy, writes Helen Young.

Timely tasks

As plants burst into life, feeding them is the top priority. Use organic fertilisers that improve the soil as well as provide nutrients. Apply lawn fertiliser towards the end of the month, ideally timed with rain. Use soluble fertiliser on bulbs as they finish flowering and on newly planted seedlings. Sow pretty Cosmos 'Bright Eyes' for summer colour (Yates donates 40 cents from the sale of each packet of these seeds to Retina Australia). Feed potted plants with slow-release fertiliser and re-pot if required.

Re-pot congested cymbidium orchids – be sure to use orchid potting mix. Prune camellias, poinsettia, winter-flowering natives and hibiscus. Tip: prune fuchsias and geraniums for full, bushy plants.

The productive garden

The beds you replenished last month with compost and manures are now ready for planting with summer vegies. Practise crop rotation to reduce the build-up of pests and diseases. Sow sweet corn and bean seeds directly into the soil. Tomato, eggplant, capsicum and chilli seeds are easier to start in small pots on a warm windowsill. Push seeds of pumpkins, melons, zucchini and cucumbers into small mounds of soil. Kitchen herbs such as basil, dill, chives and parsley also go in now. Plant a passionfruit vine on a sunny fence or shed, adding plenty of fertiliser. Protect tiny seedlings from snails – a ring of spent coffee grounds, a saucer of beer dregs, Multiguard Snail & Slug Killer or a toilet roll core inserted around each seedling will do the trick – and use an organic Dipel product or low-toxicity Yates Success to deter hungry caterpillars.

September in bloom

Blossom trees drop petals like confetti and bulbs in all colours put on a brief but dazzling show. Early roses, jasmine and wisteria scent the air, along with lilacs, Rondeletia and port-wine magnolia. They're joined by azaleas, Pieris, Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis), California lilac (Ceanothus) and a host of natives, including rock orchids and kangaroo paws.

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