Hellebores
Hellebores are the moody, gothic jewels of the winter garden. Learn how you can grow them in garden or in pots.
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The Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa spp.) is an old variety of cottage plant that has recently made a well-deserved comeback. A hardy and attractive plant, suited from temperate to cooler climates, these plants flower heavily from spring and into summer, attracting bees and other beneficial insects to your garden.
How to grow pincushion flowers in a garden
- Choose a sunny position in the garden and prepare the planting area well by digging in Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed.
- Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots.
- Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Form a raised or doughnut-shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed. Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.
- Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, woodchip or pea straw, keeping it away from the base of the plant.
- Apply Yates Thrive Rose & Flower Granular Plant Food from spring until mid-autumn to promote good soil health and plant growth. TIP: For an added boost, apply Yates Thrive Fish Blood & Bone Plant Food Concentrate.
How to grow pincushion flowers in a pot
- Choose a pot at least 200 mm wide. Position in full sun or part shade and protect from strong winds.
- Fill chosen pots with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.
- Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots. Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well.
- During the flowering period, feed every 1 to 2 weeks with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. TIP: For an added boost, apply Yates Thrive Fish Blood & Bone Plant Food Concentrate.
Growing tips
- Scabiosa are fantastic and hardy cottage style plants, adding splashes of colour where needed to your gardens and pots.
- Happy in full sun where they will flower heavily. They will form a clump and flower for many years.
- Prune lightly and remove spent flowers as required to encourage new flowers. Feed regularly to keep them flourishing.
- Great used in a mixed cottage garden, where they add colour and bright splashes where ever they are planted.
- Mix with salvia, daisies, lavender and other cottage perennials to give year-round colour and interest.
Gardenia
Gardenias have soft scented blooms in white or yellow. Depending on the variety, can be grown as a shrub, standard, hedge or ground cover.
Freesia
Freesias are a spring flowering bulb that produce scented blooms in a range of vibrant colours including pinks, white, yellow, mauve and red.
Flax
Flax (Phormium spp.) are highly versatile plants which can grow well in swampy or dry conditions. Great for large pots or en-masse in garden beds.
Recommended products
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.
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 Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
Yates Thrive Fish Blood & Bone Plant Food Concentrate
A balanced fish based plant food boosted wtih added NPK to ensure strong, lush plant growth and healthy soil.
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