Winter is a Great Time in the Garden
May 24, 2020
About now a lot of people will be retreating indoors and they’ll possibly stay there until spring. On the 1st September, many will emerge from
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I am a gardener in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie providing regular gardening services only to residential clients and have the experience and knowledge to help you.
Let me transform your gardens and outdoor areas into beautiful liveable spaces for you to enjoy.
For regular garden maintenance, make HOLTS your first call. We are not a landscaper or a lawn mowing contractor.
You will receive reliable personal service and a genuine ongoing commitment.
Explore our site to view extraordinary before and after transformations, read testimonials and more.
We carry out long term regular garden maintenance services in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie; offering reliable and competent servicing with 30 years of wide ranging experience. Over this time, using this experience, many very unsatisfactory, messy and difficult gardens have been transformed into beautiful spaces; making these properties more pleasing places to live with and greatly improving their re-sale value.
When you take a look around our website, you’ll see the positive reviews and photos which show multiple examples of gardens which have had a lot of help from Holts. This is something which sets us apart from everyone else. I won’t just tell you what I can do for you and your gardens; I can show you what I have done; with a lot of impressive before and after photos. There is no other gardening service anywhere with more experience or more examples of gardens which have been so greatly improved. A number of my competitors were not even born in 1993.
Holts can also help should you wish to plant out your gardens with good performing, suitable plants. I know what will work in your situation as a result of many years of maintenance gardening. And just as importantly, I can prevent problem plants from ever making it to your place.
Finally, you can rely on HOLTS to provide you with a level of service, hands on experience and commitment which is unrivalled. And the result will be that your gardens will become better maintained, neater, more beautiful and with little or no noxious weeds over time.
HOLTS can help!
The Gardening Guide include’s Brian’s favourite plants for low maintenance, colourful garden and simple ways to make your garden beautiful
Hi, I’m Brian Holt.
I’ve been around gardens all of my life and a professional maintenance gardener for 30 years. Prior to that I was a school teacher, after graduating in 1980 at Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst. My own beautiful gardens are testament to how much I love gardening!
About now a lot of people will be retreating indoors and they’ll possibly stay there until spring. On the 1st September, many will emerge from
You may be a bit worried about how your gardens are going to cope with the hot dry weather this summer, given that it’s been
One of my favourite plants is Bergenia, aka Pig squeaks. This is it in flower now, in our winter. It’s growing in dappled light under trees, in shallow well drained soil. There are a number of varieties #pigsqueaks #bergenia #winterflowers #inaustralia #inmygarden #gardens #gardening #gardentips #gardenmaintenance #newcastlegardener #gardener #pinkflowers
One of my favourite plants is Bergenia, aka Pig squeaks. This is it in flower now, in our winter. It’s growing in dappled light under trees, in shallow well drained soil. There are a number of varieties #pigsqueaks #bergenia #winterflowers #inaustralia #inmygarden #gardens #gardening #gardentips #gardenmaintenance #newcastlegardener #gardener #pinkflowers
Now is a great time to plant cuttings here & also plants. This is a couple of varieties of Geranium, with contrasting foliage. Winter is a useful time to plant, establish, divide & transplant many plants & shrubs in the garden. Also don’t forget rose pruning, looking out for onion weed & dealing with lawn weeds. Hold off on fertilising & major shrub pruning until the middle to end of August #wintergardening #inaustralia🇦🇺 #mygardenlife
Now is a great time to plant cuttings here & also plants. This is a couple of varieties of Geranium, with contrasting foliage. Winter is a useful time to plant, establish, divide & transplant many plants & shrubs in the garden. Also don’t forget rose pruning, looking out for onion weed & dealing with lawn weeds. Hold off on fertilising & major shrub pruning until the middle to end of August #wintergardening #inaustralia🇦🇺 #mygardenlife
Trim leggy growth from your Alternanthera at this time of year (winter for us here in Australia). That way they’ll put resources into growing fresh new purple shoots instead of trying to grow seeds #gardentips #gardenhacks #mygardenlife #gardening
Trim leggy growth from your Alternanthera at this time of year (winter for us here in Australia). That way they’ll put resources into growing fresh new purple shoots instead of trying to grow seeds #gardentips #gardenhacks #mygardenlife #gardening
A Camellia Japonica I’ve had in a pot for close on 30 years. A customer asked me to dig it out of her garden & it’s been with me ever since, like so many other ‘orphans’ in my garden. I’ve discovered that Camellias like to be kept moist in pots & this one is hanging into more flowers this year because of all of our rain this winter. Along with many other plants it also received a dollop of compost before the flowers opened. If you like Camellias but don’t have much space, keeping them in pots is easy & they remain compact. They especially look good on verandahs of old houses; offering that touch of elegant old world charm #camellia #potplants #flowers #camelliacare #camelliasinpots #mygardenlife🌹🌼🏵
A Camellia Japonica I’ve had in a pot for close on 30 years. A customer asked me to dig it out of her garden & it’s been with me ever since, like so many other ‘orphans’ in my garden. I’ve discovered that Camellias like to be kept moist in pots & this one is hanging into more flowers this year because of all of our rain this winter. Along with many other plants it also received a dollop of compost before the flowers opened. If you like Camellias but don’t have much space, keeping them in pots is easy & they remain compact. They especially look good on verandahs of old houses; offering that touch of elegant old world charm #camellia #potplants #flowers #camelliacare #camelliasinpots #mygardenlife🌹🌼🏵
Photo taken by the Mars Rover. I plan to turn this into a garden. Rubble & onion weed have to go. Do you think man (gardener) can conquer this inhospitable landscape? #surfaceofmars #ashocker #gardenfix #canhedoit #willmankindprevail
Photo taken by the Mars Rover. I plan to turn this into a garden. Rubble & onion weed have to go. Do you think man (gardener) can conquer this inhospitable landscape? #surfaceofmars #ashocker #gardenfix #canhedoit #willmankindprevail
Lotus Vine (Lotus Maculatus) aka Parrot’s Beak, growing in a customer’s garden. Iv we successfully grown a cutting at my place. I’d like it in a hanging basket. How good are those flowers? #lotusvine #flowers #fleurs #mygardenlife
Lotus Vine (Lotus Maculatus) aka Parrot’s Beak, growing in a customer’s garden. Iv we successfully grown a cutting at my place. I’d like it in a hanging basket. How good are those flowers? #lotusvine #flowers #fleurs #mygardenlife
My Dwarf Thornless Bougainvillea in pots. These are tough, great looking plants which do well in containers. Though the one with the pink had to be brought back from the dead, when it lost all its leaves & had very few roots ( probably Curl Grubs had been through the soil) #bougainvillea #gardens #gardening #mygardenlife #gardenmaintenance
My Dwarf Thornless Bougainvillea in pots. These are tough, great looking plants which do well in containers. Though the one with the pink had to be brought back from the dead, when it lost all its leaves & had very few roots ( probably Curl Grubs had been through the soil) #bougainvillea #gardens #gardening #mygardenlife #gardenmaintenance
So you’re thinking, a little splash of Star Jasmine would be nice around the front of the house. Yes it would but be prepared to do a lot of trimming to keep it contained. And when you do, wear old clothes & eye protection, as it rains down white milky sap which won’t come out of clothes. Maybe don’t pick Star Jasmine for a spot like this #gardenmaintenancenewcastle #gardener #gardenersnewcastle #starjasmine #mygardenlife #abcmygarden
So you’re thinking, a little splash of Star Jasmine would be nice around the front of the house. Yes it would but be prepared to do a lot of trimming to keep it contained. And when you do, wear old clothes & eye protection, as it rains down white milky sap which won’t come out of clothes. Maybe don’t pick Star Jasmine for a spot like this #gardenmaintenancenewcastle #gardener #gardenersnewcastle #starjasmine #mygardenlife #abcmygarden