The Magic of Gardening with Flora

It’s that special time again when everyone gets the gardening bug, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out. Labour Weekend is on the horizon and the silly season is fast approaching, and the garden has sprung to life! Flora Brons of Flora Grow provides a helping hand for where to start.

Dahlias

If you aren’t lazy like me, you would have lifted your dahlias and will therefore need to plant them out. Or if you are dahlia obsessed like me, you would have also purchased more … whoops! Anyway, it’s time to plant them out. Traditionally, in Canterbury we use Labour Weekend to mark the safety of frosts being over, however, this isn’t always 100 per cent foolproof so proceed with care. If you have planted out your dahlias and you think there is going to be a frost, you can cover them up with some wool or woodchips to protect them.

Divide Perennials

This is one of my favourite and most rewarding jobs. Not only because I love seeing plants replicate themselves, but buying plants can be expensive and this is a great way to make more plants for free. By now you should be able to see new buds forming at the base of your perennials and there will be signs of new life pushing through. There are many ways you can create multiple plants from one through asexual reproduction, but division seems to work well for many perennials.

You will need a sharp tool like a Niwaki Trowel or a spade. Dig the plant up and then simply divide it into smaller clumps with your blade and plant the original clump back in the same spot.

Alternatively, you can just cut side pieces off – the Niwaki Trowel is useful for this too. Once you have dug a clump up, you can start to tease apart the different plants joined together depending on the type of perennial. Either replant them or you can pot them up to grow them on for a new area.

Vege Planting

If you are worried about any frosts, keep them under cover or against a wall that will protect them from a frost for a little bit longer. Things you can plant out now:

• Leeks (Plant now to harvest in the winter, they’re a slow crop)

• Courgettes (Provide lots of space for them. At least 1 m radius)

• Corn (Plant closely and in a group to improve pollination)

• Tomatoes (Plant deeply to build up a tronger root base along the stem)

• Potatoes (Plant in a V trench and keep adding soil each time a new shoot comes through until you have a mound)

Sweet Pea Tips

If you haven’t already, plant out your sweet peas and get them supported with a frame of some sort. Feed your sweet peas, as they are hungry. You can feed them a liquid seaweed fertiliser every 1–2 weeks to encourage more flowers. And remember, once they start flowering, pick them every day to encourage more blooms!

With an agricultural degree from Lincoln University, along with an entrepreneurial mindset, Flora Brons was inspired to develop Flora Grow to educate and influence the community on sustainable living through her knowledge of plants and the ecosystem. Her passion for plants, nature and people drives her continued success. floragrow.co.nz