Growing tips

... for Colourwave® Summer Colour

With a small amount of effort, this summer colour will give you masses of flowers for 6-9 months of the year. Just follow the tips below and enjoy your new garden. Remember Colourwave® Summer Colour is best planted where it can get full sun, but they will still do well with a bit of shade.

Garden Planting

Always plant Colourwave® Summer Colour with the soil level of the root ball even with the soil level in your garden. Dig the hole twice as wide and deep as the root ball of the plant, and mix the native soil, 50/50, with good quality compost. Water thoroughly.

Container Planting

Fill your planter with potting mix to a level where sitting the new plant in it will put it level with the top of the planter. Add potting mix around the plant, pushing it in with your fingers to remove air spaces. Water thoroughly and add a bit more mix if there is any settling.

Fertilising

Every two to three weeks, a good watering with a foliar feeding fertiliser will keep your plants green healthy and blooming like mad. A slow release fertiliser sprinkled on the soil after potting or planting gives an added boost. Well balanced fertilisers and a hose end sprayer can easily be purchased at your local garden centre. Ask a Garden Centre Professional for their best recommendation on products.

Watering

Watering some times can be a bit tricky, but if you check carefully the first week after planting there should be no worries. Plants generally like to be kept moist, not too dry or waterlogged. If you garden soil has heavy clay you may water a bit less. Open sandy soils need a bit more, as do containers. Sunny spots in the garden generally need more water than those with partial shade, and so on. The only watering rule of thumb is, check your plants daily for the first week or two, and then you will know what their general needs are, and can change your watering schedule according to the weather.

Mulching

Organic mulch around your plants like bark chips can help to reduce watering and keep weeds at bay without spraying chemicals. A layer 7-8cm thick will do the trick, and be sure to keep the mulch clear of the crown of the plant, to keep it from rotting. This mulch over time will help to enrich your garden soil too.

Trimming

Trimming a couple times during the summer will keep your plants full and bushy. It is not always needed, but can help to maintain your plants to fit their place in the garden.

Enjoy

Now that everything is planted and growing wonderfully, sit back, relax, and enjoy the garden colour.