Colour for Your Winter Garden

Yates Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow' teamed up with pretty violas.

Alyssum's Winter Wonderland

Alyssum is usually grown as an attractive filler, in amongst other flowers. It's not a centre stage diva, so it's easily overlooked, but there's a reason alyssum is such a popular choice for an annual border! Alyssum makes all your other flowers pop; but it's equally gorgeous grown on its own, to give you broad patches of colour. In addition, alyssum stays in flower from spring, right through to the end of autumn.

Yates Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow' is a long lasting, hardy annual, smothered in masses of tiny, honey scented white flowers. In warm and temperate zones during June, it’s as easy as scattering seed direct where they are to grow, then only just covering with 2mm of loose soil or Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix. Firm down, then keep the soil moist while the seeds germinate (which takes around 2 weeks). In cool zones, look for alyssum seedlings in your local garden centre.

Yates Alyssum ‘Carpet of Snow’ grows to a petite 10cm tall and begins flowering 2 months after sowing. Just to tempt you, here are some favourite flowers to team up with crisp white alyssum:

• Try violet or periwinkle-coloured violas in amongst white alyssum - it's a harmonious but eye-catching combination.
• Contrast yellow, fiery orange or bronze-coloured pansies with white alyssum in a pot. The alyssum softens the texture, but really accentuates the warm hues.
• In a garden bed, tall purple or lavender salvias at the rear and a swathe of white alyssum in front is a pretty sight.
• Yates Alyssum 'Magic Circles' mixes white, violet, magenta and pink alyssum varieties together, for a harmonious, muted pastel display.

Yates Alyssum 'Magic Circles'

Before sowing seed or transplanting alyssum seedlings, enrich the soil or potting mix beforehand by incorporating some Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food. It adds valuable organic matter which benefits soil structure, encourages earthworms and beneficial soil microorganisms and helps hold moisture in the soil. It will also provide organic slow release nutrients to the alyssum as they establish.

Protect seedlings from damaging snails and slugs with a light sprinkling of Yates Blitzem Snail & Slug Bait. Feed alyssum plants every week with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food, to encourage strong healthy plants and lots of snowy white flowers. Trim the plants back regularly to help keep them tidy and encourage new growth and flowers.

As if being pretty wasn't enough, alyssum also attracts beneficial insects, so it really over-delivers in a garden!

Elegant Moth Orchids

Phalaenopsis orchids, more commonly known as ‘Moth’ orchids, make a stunning potted plant. The flowers are long lasting and moth orchids can live for many years, so they’re a worthwhile (and very pretty) investment. It’s like receiving a bunch of flowers every day, for weeks on end!

You might have heard moth orchids are hard to care for, but if you adopt a few simple care steps they're an easy and rewarding plant to grow; they can even re-flower for you.

• Moth orchids are native to tropical Asia, where they naturally grow within the canopy of trees, attached to tree trunks. In a pot, they need their preferred humid, free draining habitat duplicated. That's why orchids are planted into chunky, fast-draining orchid mix. Often their roots will grow spider-like, up or over the edge of the pot, similar to the way they'd grow over and around tree trunks in the wild.
• Orchids love humidity and bright but indirect light. Don’t place moth orchids next to an air conditioner, heater or hot westerly facing window.
• Every one to two weeks, water the orchid below the foliage, as moisture pooling in the crown or remaining on the leaves can encourage disease. A small watering can with a narrow spout is ideal. Overwatering can kill your lovely orchid, so allow it to almost dry out between waterings. During especially hot and dry weather, it's a good idea to mist the overhanging aerial roots with water, each day.
• You can sit your potted moth orchid on a saucer that’s filled with pebbles and keep the saucer topped up with water. This creates a more humid environment around the plant, but avoids the roots permanently sitting in water.

• To keep moth orchids well-nourished and give them the best chance to re-bloom, feed them regularly with an orchid food, like Yates Thrive Orchid Liquid Plant Food. This food is formulated specifically for orchids, to promote beautiful flowers and healthy green leaves. If you end up with excess plant food left in your watering can, you can use it to feed other flowering plants, they'll also appreciate it!
• Moth orchids are usually sold with their flower spike supported by a small stake. Keep this stake even after the flowers fade, as you can use it again for next season's flower spike.
• Cooler temperatures at night trigger the development of flower spikes, so look out for newly developing flower spikes when autumn gets colder.
• Monitor your moth orchids for sap sucking insect pests like scale and mealybug, which can seriously depress plant health. These pests can cause leaf yellowing, or encourage ugly sooty mould fungus to grow on leaves. Spraying the foliage with Yates Bug Oil Conqueror Oil Insect Spray or Yates Conqueror Oil will control these insect pests.

Pro Tip: self-confessed orchid fanatic Klare, from our Yates Horticulturist team, shared this tip: "after flowering, encourage more flowers by pruning the flower spike back to just above the second node from the base. A new branch will then emerge from that point, together with flower buds".

Fiery Bidens

Bidens are a group of hardy plants in the daisy family, deservedly popular for their bright, warm colours. Bidens are available in golden yellow hues, shading through rich burnt orange into deep reds. Some cultivars have attractive bicolour yellow and orange petals. Bidens is a vigorous plant, growing to around 20-30cm tall and is heat and drought tolerant. Cooler temperatures will help promote the burnt orange tones.

In warmer areas, bidens can flower from winter through into spring and summer. In the cold winter zone, bidens look their best during the warmer months.

Bidens loves a garden spot with full sun. It looks fantastic planted along the edge of a retaining wall, or in a pot. If you combine them with other ‘hot' coloured flowers (try calibrachoa!), bidens makes a real statement.

When planting Bidens into pots or hanging baskets, start with a good quality potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix and feed each week with Yates Thrive Roses Flowers Liquid Plant Food. It’s boosted with extra potassium, the key nutrient that encourages flowering. Lightly trim your colourful creation regularly, to maintain a tidier look and keep new flushes of flowers appearing.