What to plant in your garden this month on the Mid North Coast

Butterflies are everywhere, wildflowers are in bloom, and the sound of cicadas is starting to fill the air. The warmer weather of spring is well and truly underway, and it’s not only time to pack away the firewood and change over your wardrobes, it’s time to plant new items in your garden. 

The Mid North Coaster spoke to Alex Dalley, from Mountain Nursery in South Kempsey, who has a thriving home veggie garden and a wealth of knowledge of Australian native flora. 

Here’s Dalley’s pro tips for what to plant this month – from salad items to bird-attracting plants.

🫜Vegetables to plant this month:

• Cucumber

• Tomato

• Climbing and dwarf beans

• Spring onions

• Leeks

• Beetroots

“This is basically what’s in my garden, what I’ve just sowed the last couple of weeks,” Dalley told the Mid North Coaster.

“It could be a good time to start sewing some basil if you like that,” he said. “And leafy greens go at every time of the year”.

🪴Native trees and plants for your property:

“Right now is probably peak Kangaroo Paw season,” Dalley said.

“They’re going to thrive in your garden as soon as you put them in. A really quick impact plant”.

Other natives to plant this month:

• Paper Daisy, also known as Everlasting Daisies or Strawflowers

• Winged Everlasting, also known as Egg Daisy

• Flannel flower – “If you’re lucky enough to sprout some from seed”.
  Side note: Mountain Nursery is well known for its Flannel Flowers, growing large quantities with flower heads the size of your palm.

• Isopogon – “They occur naturally on our headlands”.

• Grevillea – “They’re good at attracting the birds”

• Acacias – “Also super impactful and great for birds and bees”.

• Beronia – “Pink to hot red flowers that are well suited for our coastal region”.

“Banksias have just sort of finished [flowering] but they're sort of a year round thing. They’ll continue to grow,” said Dalley, whose Banksia Robur is inundated with rainbow lorikeets.

“I love looking at birds and I feel like that's a draw card for people planting native stuff”.

“It’s also a beautiful time to plant a flowering gum… They’re pretty iconic when they continue to flower year after year”.

Dalley said his list is also valid for summer months, as the current weather on the Mid North Coast has a real summer-y vibe to it.

He mentioned Christmas Bush as well. 

“There’s lots of different varieties. Talk to your nursery about what one’s best suited. There’s a bit of timing difference, and a colour difference.”

Other nursery options on the MNC include (not limited to):
Macleay Valley Nursery in South Kempsey
Bonville Nursery, Bonville
Parkland Nursery in the Manning Valley