In my garden, I have a carpet of self-seeded Tokyo Bekana, a pumpkin and sweet potato vying for space as well as many other plants growing happily in the shade of the Mulberry tree. Yet, at the moment, it’s the Zinnias who are the stars of the show. Their vibrant, cheerful colours are like little spots of sunshine in amongst the different green and silver tones of foliage. Zinnias belong to the asteraceae family; the same family as the sunflower, dahlia and daisy. It’s an unfussy plant that doesn’t mind the heat of summer. They prefer well-draining soil and a sunny spot. Zinnias come in a myriad of colours arraying from orange, yellow, pink, purple, red, white and green; the only colour that they don’t come in is blue. As well as brightening up your garden, zinnias make great cut flowers. When the stem is firm about 20cm down from the flower, it is ready to be picked. A good clean cut with some sharp secateurs or scissors will do the job nicely. Personally, I love it when I can cut the flowers and put them in a vase on the kitchen bench. They not only brighten up the room but they can also brighten up someone’s day and that, is the part I love the most. Enjoy your vibrant blooms and Merry Christmas, until next time!!
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For a long time now, we have been battling against a drought. In 2010/2011 it flooded and now it seems that we’re receding back into the wet.
So, with all this rain, mud and slippery sludge… what about our gardens? Currently, I see more weeds than I do plants but it’s just following the pattern. Every time there’s rain, the weeds burst forth with renewed vigour. And then so do our plants. When it rains, the rainwater cleans out the stomata or the respiratory pores in the plant’s leaves. With this flush, the plants are better equipped to take in carbon dioxide and other nutrients required for photosynthesis. Rainwater contains nitrate, which is one of the key macro nutrients that are essential for plants to thrive. But what about too much rain? What does that do to our plants? Too much rain can injure plants and compact the soil, this leads to erosion. Excess water can reduce the oxygen in the soil which leads to root rot and other diseases. Despite the fact that too much rain will waterlog the soil, the sun will always dry it out and with a good balance of the two, your plants will thrive. So, enjoy the rain, the mud and the drizzly grey days that come with it. Look for the sunshine and enjoy your gardens! |
AuthorHi, I'm Alexis. Big sister of three brothers, a homeschooled grade 10 student and a Christian farm girl living in Kilcoy, Queensland. Welcome to Flowers Amongst Weeds. ArchivesCategories |
Photo used under Creative Commons from bertknot