Flower Power!

The power of the flower is pretty hard to match. Whether it be the joy of giving or receiving a freshly hand picked posy or bunch of flowers or watching as something special starts to bloom for the first time.

As quoted by the Koran ‘Bread feeds the body indeed but flowers feed the soul’

Its official, gardening experts are delighted to see the end of the ‘stone age’ where all garden designers wanted to plant was flaxes, grasses and stones. Flowers are back and are appearing in drifts, gardens, pots, baskets and containers everywhere. With hundreds of exciting old, new and interesting types being available there is certainly a flower for every spot.

Flowers are easy to grow, if you can keep a lawn green or grow your own veggies, then flowers will certainly bloom for you. Like everything in the garden, it’s all about preparation, planning and care.

Regardless of what flowers want to grow, you will only be successful if you choose flowers that will grow in the area you provide for them. Like people, flowers can and do adapt to different places and environments, but given the right home, food and amount of water they flourish and willingly reward you with bloom after bloom after bloom.
Hunt down a copy of the newly released Tui NZ Flower Garden, this book has over 1000 photographs, 150 different flowers and pages and pages of ideas. Best of all its easy to understand and is something that has been designed to provide both ideas and inspiration and shares the tips and tricks needed to get it right.

Once you have worked out what you want to grow and where you are going to grow it the fun bit starts. Choosing the flowers!

Only choose healthy plants, bargain bin flowers are usually there for a reason, walk away unless you can deal with them not surviving if they are past the point of no return. In cases where you are planting in large drifts, maybe along a driveway, choose a range of plants that are already in flower and some that are still yet to flower. This will prolong the flowering period to provide a longer colour display.

The trick to keeping your flowers blooming is food and water and a little dead heading where required. When planting in the ground or in pots and containers use Flower Power potting mix, this is packed full of all the goodies flowers need to bloom and keep blooming.

If flowering plants have been in pots and containers for a year or two, apply Novatec fertiliser to give them a prolonged boost of flowering energy. Keep the soil moist, not wet or dry.

Some of the best flowers:

Fragrant Flowers – Daphne, Michelia, Sweet pea, Star jasmine, Gardenia

Edible Flowers – Calendula, Borage, Nasturtiums, Rosemary, Hyssop

Picking Flowers – Roses, Lilies, Carnations, Alstromeria, Daisies, Hydrangeas

Hanging Basket Flowers – Lobelia, Petunias, Impatiens, Begonias

Christmas Flowers – Christmas lilies, Pohutukawa, Penstemon, Fuchsia