WINTER may not conjure up thoughts of lush garden beds, but for Warwick green thumbs it is in fact the best time to get planting.

Southern Downs Garden Centre's Brent Macdonald said the unique climate of the Rose City made winter an ideal time to plant flowers like roses.

"The start of June is the true beginning of rose season here in Warwick,” Brent said.

"Winter is actually a much better time to be planting because the conditions aren't as harsh for plants as in summer and we have the largest array seedlings.

"It's a great time to be planting things like poppies, peonies, violas, sweet peas, foxgloves, and an older style we have this year is the godetias.

"We like to have unique new varieties or tried and true old classics and the godetias used to be grown about 30 years ago and are just now making a comeback.”

Brent said roses needed a soil with a pH of 6 to 6.5 but more importantly a high organic matter content, so rather than just planting straight into the ground people should be looking at getting their soil mix just right.

"The earth around Warwick can be quite variable depending on where you are but often isn't ideal for planting out,” he said.

"There's also a lot of vegetable varieties like broccoli, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, spinach and peas are all great to plant now as well.

"Many are 10-to-12-week crops so you'd definitely have a harvest of winter veggies by August.

"Because of our climate here we can six weeks earlier than those in Brisbane could, so Warwick gardeners can often get two harvests out of their crops whereas Brisbane gardeners would only get one.”

Garden maintenance is also an important step to take during winter.

"For deciduous trees, winter is a good time to remove any lower limbs as it will be much easier to see the whole structure of the tree while they've lost their foliage,” Brent said.

"Again it's a good time to be planting deciduous trees, and mulching is also important during winter as it helps suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.

"I personally don't like using controlled environments like hot houses because I think it weakens the plant and all our plants here in the centre are kept outside.

"I'm not opposed to people using frost cloth for more frost sensitive plants like frangipanis or hibiscuses that might have a sentimental value but aren't necessarily suited to our climate.”

Brent said jacarandas would also need frost protection when they're young.

"Once they've matured a bit they tend to be quite hardy and last through the winter to flower in September,” he said.

For information, stop into Southern Downs Garden Centre at 195 Bracker Rd or phone 46670884.