Return to the Perennials & Annuals Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
Posted by herdegensx6 NSWAust (My Page) on Fri, Aug 27, 04 at 20:52
| Hi all
As a realtively new gardner I am keen to pick up tips on how to keep a flowering border looking its best through spring and summer.
Currently I have a lovely long border edged with lobelia, pansies and 'poached egg plant' (the little white and yellow flowers that self seed loke mad), white ranunculi, cosmos and backed up with pillars of climbing iceberg. Looks lovely now...what should I be replacing my pansies with - I know they wont last all summer - any other plant suggestions - I live close to Coffs Harbour on the north coast of NSW - sub tropical climate.
Kindest regards,
Sally. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
| Aaahh ... sub tropical climate, warmth, close to a beach, suppose you even get rain. If you provide accommodation, I'd be quite happy to provide on-site advice - might take a year or two to fine tune the garden :-) And now to the serious bit. Take any advice offered but remember that even minor variations in location can affect flowering times by a week or more. You can buy plants in flower at your local nursery but take into account that these have been grown in controlled atmospheres and "in the wild" may not be flower in the same time frame. Your best bet is to take special notice of what is flowering in your neighbour's gardens, including perennials, trees and shrubs - this is a long term activity. Keep a garden diary, noting when something started flowering and when it finished, when you planted seeds or seedlings & how long they took to flower. You might even join a local garden club. Your local nursery should be able to give you valuable advice as well. Also, don't forget trees and shrubs which have coloured foliage. |
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
- Posted by sebd VIC Aust (My Page) on
Sun, Aug 29, 04 at 6:33
It is great that you have cosmos already in flower. What if you collect the seed and keep putting it regularly into seed raising mix? Last year I had about three cycles of cosmos which really helped. I just kept scattering the seed as it didn't have to fit a border as such. If you keep picking the pansies they also keep flowering too. The polyanthus do the same if you keep taking out the dying individual flowers you can extend the flowering time for much longer. Today I planted some penstemon in seed raising mix and hope that it will take off. These plants are quite hardy and have a long flowering period. To buy the tubes can be a bit expensive so I've taken cuttings and also in winter split the root system. Last year my pansies did well and actually are still flowering. A dose of seasol or similar can help keep them going for longer. These days I try to get some polystyrene boxes and put my seeds into these. It is cheaper than buying the mega punnets.
If you wanted to replace your pansies you could try snapdragons which self seed well, petunias are good too. If they get leggy you just cut them back and they take off again. Hopefully your lobellia will self seed. I planted some today and they were like tiny ant eggs in size. Good luck. |
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
| I'd also suggest some perennials which will be dormant when the spring show is on and flower in summer when you can remove the pansies. I'm not a petunia fan, but they do seem to do very well almost all year and could be replaced easily without losing colour. Shasta daisies multiply well and are white. I have cosnmos which has self sown and flowered right through winter, and I'm on the south coast of WA. My Perth ones died off in winter! |
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
| Thanks SO much!! The tropical climate is nice...yet my roses love to wallow in black spot and I have a very temperate taste when it comes to gardens - think I need to move to Tasmania sometime. I will take all your tips on board. I too love anything that self seeds (except maybe a Japanese Windflower that grew all over the garden but didn't give me one flower!)the cosmos are wonderful things. Thanks again,
this is a wonderful forum - I hope that one day I can help with advice, not just ask of it.
kidest regards,
Sally. |
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
- Posted by rross NSW Aust (My Page) on
Sat, Sep 4, 04 at 21:06
| One annual I find showy and quick-growing is Coreopsis - Mahogany Midget. It grows quite low and flowers prolifically over a long period, especially if you deadhead it regularly. It's a lovely deep red. I bought the seeds at Flower Power just because I liked the picture, and it's been reseeding for a couple of seasons now. |
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
| Hi , just been reading all the great advise here and saw mentioned by Sally the Japanese Windflower. I think this is a lovely plant,haven't any in the garden, but wondered how long it takes to flower then ?Regards Dahlia. |
RE: how do I keep my garden flowering?
| | |
| I wouldn't dream of having a garden without an old fashion favorite...zinnia. They are great for cutting and come in bold color. Not to mention easy and cheap. Only use seed. Throw a section of seed on the prepared soil and run a rake through it. When sowing seeds in the garden I always cover the seeds with new topsoil. It's a visual thing, it reminds me that I have planted something in that spot. It always lets the rest of the family know not to step on that particular spot. Zinnias look best in a mass. Don't forget to collect the seed for next season. |
|
|
|
|
