Leguminous weeds are broadleaf plants from the Fabaceae (bean) family. In tropical and subtropical lawns, these weeds typically grow beneath the height of the mower blade and are mat-forming.

Although distinct patches can form, initially they tend to move through the turfgrass assisted by horizontal stems which peg roots from their nodes into the soil.

Topics covered are:

• The Good
• The Bad
• Reading your Site
• Shifting the Balance

Weeds looked at are:

• White Clover (Trifolium repens)
• Creeping Indigo, Lawn Indigo (Indigofera spicata)
• Creeping Tickfoil (Desmodium triflorum)
• Burr Medic (Medicago polymorpha)
• Common Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica)

The 'spring garden' is often a brief and fleeting moment in warm climates. It may occur over the winter months or dry season in the tropics or during late winter and early spring in the subtropics. Make the most of the season and have some fun in the garden with some of those traditional spring flowering annuals and vegetables, because very soon the temperatures will start to rise and we will be planning the summer garden and the arrival of the 'wet'.

If you are after a mild moist spring, you might have to move south, as being in the 'summer dominant rainfall' zone of Australia, the likelihood is that the winter and spring months will be dry. It also starts to heat up quite rapidly, so without additional watering many plants will wilt and defoliate.

The article looks at:

• Vegetable Garden
• Annuals
• Shadehouse
• Pond

Special information is also provided for:

• Vegetable planting schedule for Aug, Sep and Oct
  for subtropics and tropics
• Annual planting schedule for Aug, Sep and Oct