Wangaratta Spring Garden Guide: Clean Ups, Lawn Care and Getting Fire Ready

Spring is the time to clear out everything winter left behind, including fallen leaves, dead growth, overgrown shrubs and tired garden beds. Pruning back shrubs and cutting away dead material now encourages healthy new growth and keeps plants in shape for the rest of the season.

It is also the perfect window to weed garden beds before weeds flower and set seed, to edge your lawns and paths for a crisp finish, and to give the whole property a reset. Getting this done early means far less work, and far fewer weeds, to battle through summer.

This is the big one for North East Victoria. The lush spring grass that looks so good in October dries out fast and becomes a serious fire fuel load by summer. Across our region the CFA fire danger period typically runs through the warmer months, and keeping grass short is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to protect your home.

As a guide, long dry grass should be slashed and kept low, ideally under 10 centimetres, around the house, along fence lines, driveways and property boundaries, to reduce fuel and create a defendable space. The time to act is in spring and early summer while the grass is still soft and manageable, not when it is a metre tall and bone dry. Always check current CFA advice for your area, as the rules and the declared fire danger period can vary each season.

Plenty of properties around Wangaratta sit on bigger blocks, semi rural acreage or lifestyle land, and that is a lot of grass to keep down before summer. Hand pushing a mower around a few acres simply is not practical.

We are set up with ride on mowers and slashing gear built for big jobs, including paddocks, long driveways, fence lines and open blocks. A scheduled spring and early summer slash keeps your acreage tidy, manageable and far safer when the fire danger period hits.

A spring clean up generates a lot of green waste, including prunings, clippings, leaves and cleared weeds. Piles of dead material left lying around not only look untidy, they also add to the fuel load near your home. We clear it all out as part of the job so you are left with a clean, finished result.

Once beds are cleared and weeded, a fresh layer of mulch helps lock in moisture through the dry months, suppresses new weeds and keeps your garden looking sharp. It is a small step in spring that pays off all summer.

Spring is when a healthy lawn is made. Regular mowing at the right height encourages a thicker, greener lawn that naturally crowds out weeds and copes far better with the heat and dry spells of a North East summer.

Getting on a regular mowing schedule now, either weekly or fortnightly through the growing season, means your lawn stays the right length, never gets away from you and looks its best right when you want to be enjoying the backyard.