Petals of beauty
Add some spirited burst of colours to liven up your garden space, suggests Stephanie Choo
Get plants which are best suited for your patch. Warm-weather annual flowers such as petunias, sunflowers, marigolds, gazanias, cosmos, gomphrenas and zinnias, although small in stature, offer non-stop blooms in a wide array of colours.
These bright show-stoppers are not only sun-loving but can also tolerate the tropical heat.
Annuals are perfect for adding colours quickly to the garden. But they live only for a season (lasting for several months only). Once they wither and die, discard and replace them and give the garden new colour by growing new types.
Perennials such as hydrangeas, hibiscuses, plumbagos, pentas, rice button asters and milkweeds are more expensive and grow into many sizes. Read up or find out from the retailer about their mature sizes so that you’ll know if they meet your needs.
Although the bloom period of perennials is shorter than annuals, these plants will last for years. This means that once planted, you’ll need to maintain them not just for a short period but continuously. This can be inconvenient if you’re a frequent traveller and are often not at home.
Get young or even full grown potted annuals and perennials that are already in bloom at the nurseries. Nowadays, they’re also available at supermarkets and home centres. Nurseries are better as they’ll have a wider and healthier selection. You can even ask them for advice.
Repot or transplant newly-bought plants into the ground as soon as possible to maximise their blooming time. Grow annuals in medium-sized pots as they do not have deep root systems. With . .
perennials, grow them in large pots.
Keep plants hydrated by watering them thoroughly and deeply daily. Try to water them early in the morning or late in the afternoon so that the plants would have absorbed enough water to handle the heat.
Very few plants can tolerate wet feet. Ensure the soil enables water to flow through and can come out of the holes at the bottom of the pot. Apart from water, plants require nutrients to stay healthy. Feed weekly with any all-purpose balanced fertiliser formulated for flowering plants.
Concentrate first on the basics of plant care. Only when you’ve become proficient in your gardening skills should you progress to learning more difficult tasks such as germinating seeds and rooting cuttings.