Sabrina Hahn’s winter gardening guide: What to do in the garden this winter, from pruning to growing veggies

Winter may look drab outside, but the native garden in particular has loads of colour. It’s important to have a range of plants that flower at various times of the year as a food source for bees and birds and as an attractant to other important predatory insects. All parts of the garden can have winter colour: the veggie patch, the native garden, the ornamental garden and, of course, trees. Nurseries offer a large variety of plants to suit both small and large gardens. For gardeners who can’t wait to start the winter pruning session, now is the perfect time to grab the loppers and begin pruning. However, it’s crucial to avoid pruning spring-flowering plants now, which includes ornamental fruit trees such as plum, peach and cherry, as well as wisteria. If they are pruned in winter you will be cutting off all the flowering stems. The same principle applies to the old-fashioned once-blooming roses; it’s best to prune them immediately after they finish blooming at the end of spring. What’s pumping in the veggie patch Cool-season vegetables are among the best crops to grow. Winter vegetables thrive in colder conditions because many sap-sucking pests are significantly reduced in population during this time. In regions that experience frosts, crops like cauliflower and Brussels sprouts often perform better than in warmer climates. In addition, kale and other green veggies tend to have fewer issues with whitefly during the winter months, making it a reliable choice for winter gardening. Homegrown and hand-picked winter veggies are nutritionally packed and great to keep you healthy. Around Perth there is a multitude of veggies to grow. For your greens, broccoli, broccolini, broad beans, spinach, mustard greens and cabbages are ideal to plant now. These plants can tend to bolt seeds in warmer weather, particularly baby spinach. You will get much larger heads on cabbages and broccoli in winter than any other time of the year. Lay down asparagus crowns into prepared trenches in a spot that will be dedicated to only asparagus for many years. June is an ideal time to start planting root vegetables. You should sow carrots, parsnips and turnips directly in the garden from seed. Avoid planting carrots and parsnips together, as they can cross-pollinate and result in odd-looking root vegetables. It’s worth noting that parsnips take significantly longer to mature than carrots. Depending on the variety, you can harvest carrots in about 50 to 130 days, while parsnips can take up to 300 days. Once your root vegetables reach a height of 3cm, remember to thin them out. These tiny plants make a tasty micro-vegetable that can be added to salads. Always incorporate flowers among your vegetables. Planting varieties such as wallflowers, violas, cornflowers, ageratum and cineraria can help attract bees and birds to your garden. Five winter pruning tips 1. If your partner insists they need a chainsaw to do the pruning, never leave them unattended — you will return to find only a stump left. Somehow they think that if you start up a chainsaw, it’s not worth it unless there’s barely any plant left. It’s a boy thing. 2. Always have your pruning tools sharpened — it makes it far easier to cut and is better for the plant. After sharpening, spray your tools with a lubricant to stop a build-up of sap and rust spots. This also goes for chainsaws. 3. Do pruning in stages, and always stand back and look at the plant before taking the next cuts. You don’t want to destroy the shape of the plant and you still want it to bear either flowers or fruit, but it also needs to have a good balance of branches. This is more difficult to attain with a chainsaw-wielding enthusiast. 4. Always disinfect your pruning tools between each plant. This also goes for roses. Have a small spray bottle with methylated spirits and spray all surfaces, and allow it to evaporate before starting to prune again. 5. Do not put bitumen-based paint on pruning cuts. Plants have their own mechanisms to heal cuts and callous over wounds. These products inhibit or prevent the natural process of healing. Make your pruning cuts at an angle so that water rolls off the pruning cut. Tip of the week Use these cooler days to improve the soil and dig in compost, manure and biochar, and allow the winter rains to keep moisture in the ground to feed fungi, bacteria and worms. Do you have a question for Sabrina? To submit a question to Green With Envy, inside Saturday’s The West Australian, write to Ask Sabrina, GPO Box D162, Perth, 6001 or email home@wanews.com.au. Please include your full name and suburb. Due to the volume of questions, not all of them will be answered.