Brightening up your Garden in Winter

There’s no reason why you can’t have colour in your garden in winter. Most of the flowering bedding plants that we know originated in the Northern Hemisphere. So South Africa’s winters are mild in comparison.

The following flowering plants will do well in your flower beds in winter :

• Calendula officinalis is a very cold tolerant daisy-type flower.
• Ornamental kale produces bright white, lavender and green foliage, and the colder the weather, the more intense the colours become.
• Violas and pansies are very cold tolerant and are available in a wide range of colours and sizes.
• Sweet peas and phlox both fare well in the cold and make great cut flowers.
• Primulas grow quickly and flower easily, despite cooler temperatures

Summer flowering annuals will have leached the nutrients from your flower beds, so it’s important to replenish these nutrients before you plant your winter seedlings. Add a generous amount of compost and 3.15 fertiliser to the soil and water in well. Most seedlings don’t like having wet feet, so add organic material like peanut shells and dried leaves to prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged. And always water before 2pm to prevent the development of fungal diseases.