Spring is not one season in Australia. September in Hobart and September in Darwin have almost nothing in common, so general spring advice fits most of the country badly. This guide covers what spring means in each climate zone, what to plant, what is better left until autumn, and the spring jobs that do more for a garden than any new plant.
Spring across the Australian climate zones
| Zone | What spring means | Plant now |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical (Darwin, Cairns) | The build-up to the wet: hot and humid | Wait for the wet; plant tropicals as the rain begins |
| Subtropical (Brisbane, northern NSW) | Warm and drying | Tropicals, palms, subtropical natives |
| Warm temperate (Sydney, Perth) | Mild, the main growing window | Almost everything; water through summer |
| Cool temperate (Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra) | Warming after frost | Frost tender plants, once the frost risk passes |
| Cold (Tasmania, tablelands) | Late and short | Wait until after the last frost |
Our guide to why plants thrive in certain seasons explains what is going on underneath.
Autumn is usually the better season for permanent plants
A lot of imported advice pushes spring. Across most of Australia, autumn beats spring for anything permanent: trees, shrubs and hedges. A shrub planted in autumn gets the whole cool season to grow roots before its first summer. One planted in spring gets a few weeks. Our guide to the best time to plant a tree in Australia sets out the windows by region.
The exceptions are cold districts, where frost on new roots is the greater risk, and frost tender or tropical plants, which need the warm season ahead of them. What spring is best for: palms and frost tender tropicals, vegetables and annuals, and dividing or moving clumping plants.
What to plant in spring, by climate
- Brisbane and the subtropics: palms, cordylines, xanadu, heliconia, golden penda, hibiscus. Anything that wants warm soil to establish.
- Sydney and coastal NSW: almost anything, with attention to watering through the first summer.
- Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra: frost tender plants once the risk has passed, with vegetables and perennials.
- Perth: plant early in spring so roots establish before the dry summer, and mulch heavily.
- Tasmania and the tablelands: wait for the last frost, then plant vegetables, perennials and hardy shrubs.
Good spring choices
- Natives for colour. Kangaroo paw flowers from spring into summer and takes heat. More are in our Australian natives range and our roundup of native plants with red flowers.
- Flowering shrubs and perennials. French lavender for sun and dry soil, and hydrangeas such as White Knight for moist part shade. Our guide to hydrangea colour and growth explains how the soil turns the flowers blue or pink.
- Low care fillers. Succulents for hot, dry spots (see the world of succulents) and ornamental grasses such as fountain grass, used in drifts as our guide to ornamental grasses describes.
- Edibles. Tomatoes, beans, zucchini, cucumbers, basil and other summer vegetables go in once the soil is warm and the frosts are over. Spring is also the time to plant citrus in cool districts. Our guide to growing a successful fruit and vegetable garden covers layout and rotation.
Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils are planted in autumn, not spring. In spring, plant the summer flowerers: dahlias, lilies and gladioli.
Preparing the ground
Identify the soil, then improve the whole bed, not single holes. Our guide to soil types covers the ribbon test, and how to prepare the soil for planting sets out the steps in order. If you feed at planting, the science behind fertilisers explains the numbers on the bag.
Spring jobs that matter more than planting
- Mulch before summer. Getting 75 mm down in spring does more for a garden than any new plant. In Perth and Adelaide, do it early, before the soil dries out.
- Check sandy soil for water repellence. If water beads on the surface, apply a wetting agent before mulching.
- Feed established plants as growth resumes, with a low phosphorus native fertiliser on natives.
- Prune winter and early spring flowerers as soon as they finish: camellias, tibouchina, wattle.
- Leave the spring and summer flowerers alone. Pruning now cuts off the buds.
- Service the irrigation before you need it, not in the middle of a January heatwave.
- Watch the new growth for pests. Aphids and caterpillars arrive with it. Our guide to identifying and treating common plant pests and diseases covers the usual ones and the mildest way to deal with each.
Looking after new plants
- Water deeply twice a week for the first month, then weekly, and more often in hot, windy weather.
- Protect tender seedlings from late frost in cool districts, and from snails everywhere.
- Space plants for their mature size. Crowded plants compete and catch mildew.
- Pair plants that want the same conditions. Our guides to companion planting with shrubs and pairing plants cover how.
Plant early in the season, not late
The most common spring mistake is planting in late spring, when the plant gets only a few weeks before the heat arrives. Early spring gives it two or three months of mild weather. If you have missed that window, waiting until autumn is usually better than planting into December.
Common questions
What is the best thing to plant in spring?
Frost tender and tropical plants, palms, summer vegetables and annuals. Trees, shrubs and hedges do better planted in autumn in most of Australia.
Is spring or autumn better for planting in Australia?
Autumn for permanent plants in most districts. Spring in cold areas and for anything frost tender.
When should I plant tomatoes?
Once the soil has warmed and the last frost has passed: early spring in warm districts, late October or November in cold ones.
Ready to plant?
Browse our flowering plants for colour, delivered Australia wide.
If you are ordering these online, read what to do when your plants arrive first. The first two days after delivery matter more than the first two months.
