Summer is the toughest time of the year for Aussie gardens. Some parts of the country are suffering record high temperatures, others are flooded. Here are Jamie Durie's tips for maintaining a healthy garden.

Dry summer
It's a great time to start thinking about putting drought tolerant plants in your garden that can also do wonders for your skin. Plant some Aloe Vera in your garden; it can help treat things like sunburn and is also good for eczema, acne and rashes.

Wet summer
The higher the heat the more amount of evaporation from the soil and transpiration from plant leaves. Mulch to keep the moisture in the soil and your gorgeous plants. If you've had a lot of rain this month, check the ground for erosion around any large trees to make sure the soil and root system isn't at risk of becoming unstable.  Trees can be staked for support but only if there are high winds.

Veges you can plant now for later
It's a good time to start investing in the most important part of the garden, your soil. If you want a good flush of flowers and vegetables, add organic compost, blood and bone, wetting agents, mushroom compost, seasol and washed river sand to the soil in your vegetable garden in preparation for planting winter vegetables and or flower beds. Give it a good turning with a garden fork and mulch it in preparation for planting

Preparing for spring
Install a compost bin and reduce the amount of green waste being sent to landfills. After Spring you will have lots of new, lush growth in your garden.  After mowing the lawn and pruning the plants, put all your leaf and lawn litter in the compost. Buy a recycled plastic compost bin and fill it with not only garden waste, but also food scraps, wood waste, shredded newspaper, blood and bone and lime.

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