By VICKEY TAYLOR
Isn’t spring every gardener’s favourite season? There’s so much action in the garden. New growth, new flowers, new plantings and it is the same in the garden centre too.
As we are all spending more time at home we have more time to spend in the garden. There’s lots that can be done in the garden and now is the time to be getting out into yours. This spring we have got all the latest releases of lavender instore Razzleberry, White Lace, Fairy Wings Spellbound, Purple Reign just to name a few! Lavender is one of our favourite flowering plants. It’s always been hardy and colourful but with improved breeding, it’s even better!
Lavender – a great ornamental colour
All Lavender plants flower but they aren’t all purple – add pink, white, blue, mauve and every shade in between to the colour palette. There are so many types of lavender and many are very fragrant especially the traditional English and French Lavenders. As well as looking pretty, they’re useful and bring in bees and other pollinators into your garden, so if you’ve got fruit trees or vegies you want pollinated, plant some lavender!
Best position Full sun to part shade. The more direct sun, the more flowers you’ll have
Care Fertilise with a good general purpose fertiliser, and use a good rose or flower feed throughout Spring and Summer to get the most flowers. Prune well after flowering and don’t be afraid to cut them back by about a third. A well pruned lavender will be thick and bushy, long lived and won’t go woody
Does it grow in pots? Of course! Lavender makes a stunning potted plant. They have non-invasive roots and grow well in medium to large pots
Pests and ‑Disease What pests and disease! Lavender are very tolerant, just be careful not to get them too wet in winter.
Have you heard the news?
Edible gardens are all back in vogue whether you have a small courtyard or a large area we have you covered, our trained horticultural staff can assist you with planning your edible garden. We have a great seasonal range of herbs and vegetables arriving each week.
Time to start fertilising
Everything in your garden will be starting to put on new growth. Fruit trees, roses, lawns, shrubs, indoor plants, natives and trees, so for strong healthy plants, encourage that new growth with the appropriate fertiliser. Our go to favourite general purpose fertiliser is Searles 5 IN 1, an organic pelleted fertiliser that slowly breaks down releasing nutrients to your plants being organic, it’s great to use on herbs, veggies and fruit trees. For more targeted feeding we’ve got specially formulated citrus and fruit, rose and flower, native and camellia/acidic fertiliser as a slow release granule.
Plant me now
- Citrus – it’s a great time to plant and there’s lots to choose from including native finger limes!
- Spring annuals – Petunias, marigolds, etc.
- Herbs and vegetables – tomatoes, basil, strawberries
- Geraniums – Coming into flower, add instant bright colour!
- Fruit trees – still plenty of fruit trees in stock, regular and dwarf sizes available.
Almost everything – get planting!