Proteas
Not just any old blossom, protea flowers are blooms with attitude. If you can give them full sun and reasonable drainage, proteas will love you.
Yates Account
Join now
Create a Yates account today!
Sign up to join the Yates Garden Club for monthly e-mails packed with seasonal inspiration, tips for success & exclusive promotions.
Plus if you’re a Garden Club member you can take part in the Yates Growing Community - a blog to share successes, get advice & win prizes in fun challenges along the way!
Forgot password
Enter the email address associated with your account, and we'll email you a new password.
Another popular perennial plant for those shaded or part shaded areas of the garden are Hostas (Hosta spp.). They come in an array of leaf colours from lime green to deep purples and provide cover for those tricky areas in the gardens, like under trees or in shaded spots.
How to grow Hosta in a garden
- Choose a morning sun to full shade position with well drained soil.
- Enrich the soil with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed. If the soil is clay based, add gypsum and fork in well.
- Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the plant from the container and gently tease the roots.
- Position in hole and backfill, gently firming down. Form a raised ring around the plant, creating a well so that water will go where it’s needed most. Water in well.
- Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.
- Feed with Yates Thrive Rose & Flower Granular Plant Food. TIP: for an added boost apply Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.
How to grow Hosta in a pot
- Choose a pot at least 250mm wide with adequate drainage holes.
- Position in morning sun to full shade and fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.
- Remove the plant from the container and gently tease the roots.
- Position in hole and backfill, gently firming down. Water in well.
- Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.
- Feed regularly with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. TIP: for an added boost apply Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.
Growing tips
- Hostas are herbaceous, meaning they will die back during the cooler months but will reappear again in spring.
- Hostas like moist and cool environments, so avoid allowing the soil to dry out in between waterings.
- Great for understorey plantings in shade or areas with filtered light.
Azalea
Azaleas vary from small, delicate shrubs that are happy in pots, up to hardy 1.5m shrubs ideal for border planting. Here's how to grow azaleas in your garden.
Lavender
Lavender are hardy perennial plants with silvery-grey, aromatic foliage & dense spike of flowers in shades of purple, blue, pink and white.
Echinacea
Echinacea is a hardy herbaceous perennial with large fragrant pink daisy-like flowers. Used for therapeutic purposes and as a delicious tea.
Recommended products
Yates Thrive Rose & Flower Granular Plant Food
Specially formulated to grow all types of flowers. With high potassium for large & abundant flowers, added calcium & iron for stronger flowers.
Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food
Provides your flowers & roses with the balanced nutrients they require for healthy growth and flower production.
Yates Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
Share
Share this article on social media