‘Springter’ arrives at Vaucluse House

Now that our daylight hours are growing longer, the shallow ebb of Sydney’s winter warms into the few weeks before the spring equinox. This transition is very interesting, it’s an exciting and productive time for all of us birds, bees, lizards and Gardener’s alike.

As a new member of the Gardens Team, this is my first time seeing this beautiful transition at Vaucluse House. Due to the combination of plants here, I’ve noticed a juxtaposition of late winter flowering species with early spring flowering species. Seeing the old flowers fading while new flowers develop is very cool.

In the Kitchen Garden our winter crops are coming on ready for harvest, while we’re planting seeds and preparing for the warmer months to come. It’s at this time we begin to see the results of our winter pruning, particularly the roses, and for the Gardens Team its time to knock over some late winter jobs before we get down to business in the growing season.

So, ‘Springter’ has sprung in Sydney. To me it feels like Winter and Spring are shaking hands and agreeing on a handover period. It’s a brief but inspiring time for a sentimental gardener like myself, especially at Vaucluse House. Soon the temperatures will rise along with the humidity and the Jacaranda will flower, taking us into late Spring and early Summer…. ‘Sprummer’? Maybe?