autumn planting for Australian spring abundance

Oriental Poppy and Clarkia - both beautiful in early spring after an autumn planting.

In Australia, autumn is peak sowing season

Spend five minutes on Instagram or Pinterest and you’ll see endless gardening tips about what to plant in spring. The problem? Much of that advice comes from cooler climates in the Northern Hemisphere and simply doesn’t apply to Australia. In fact, for most of the country, autumn is the real planting season. Hardy annuals, and even some half-hardy annuals, are best planted right now.

In Australia, autumn planting works because soil temperatures are still warm from summer, good for both germination and to ensure roots grow quickly. The cooler air temperature after summer also reduces stress on young plants. Instead of struggling through heat and baking conditions, plants settle in slowly over the cooler autumn months. By the time spring arrives, they have already established a strong root system and put on plenty of growth, meaning they flower earlier, usually grow larger, and perform far better than flowers planted in spring. Flowering in spring and not the scorching heat of summer (as you might get from a spring planting) also favours many hardy and half-hardy annuals - think longer lasting and better all round blooms.

Seed raising v’s direct planting

I find my garden at this time of the year is already pretty full - Cosmos, Dahlias, Zinnias and other late summer flowers are at their peak. The last thing I want to do is pull these beauties out to make room for autumn planting. The solution for me is seed raising for plants that need to get going now. These can be slipped into the garden as seedlings once the late summer flower go over. In my experience, flowers like Snapdragons, Sweet William and Scabiosa do well being raised in paper pots or seedling trays, and are happy to wait to go in as space frees up. Others, like Ammi and Sweet Pea I like to sow direct, and will prioritise making room in my garden or pots for these.

I’m in a temperate climate, and I’m writing this in March. For most of Australia the following list of hardy and half hardy annuals that can go in now and over the next few months.

Flowers to sow in autumn in Australia

• Sweet peas

• Cornflowers

• Nigella

• Stock

• Bells of Ireland

• Forget-me-nots

• Rudbeckia

• Ammi

• Feverfew

• Clarkia

• Foxgloves

• Snapdragons

• Strawflowers

• Yarrow

• Poppies

For cooler climates, getting these up and growing earlier in autumn is best. In warmer climates, you have more time. In fact, with flowers like poppies, you are often better off waiting until late autumn.

Even if the instructions say you can’t - be a rebel

Every garden is different, and even areas within the same garden can have very different conditions. I recommend trying to grow anything you really love, even if the planting instructions suggest it might not work in your climate. Especially if you are growing from seed, the financial investment is minimal — and you might get lucky.

Over time, gardening teaches you that rules are only guidelines. Climate, soil, and microclimates all play their part, and sometimes the best discoveries come from simply trying things for yourself. Plant a few seeds this autumn, experiment, and see what thrives in your garden. You might be surprised by what grows.

If you’re interested in learning more about seasonal flower growing in Australia - especially if you are a beginner - you might enjoy my beginners flower growing course. More details available here.