5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

THE SEASONAL GARDEN | With melissa king
WHAT’S HOT RIGHT NOW
Presenting some of the latest and greatest plants that will make
excellent additions to your garden at this time of year
Lavender ‘Ghostly
Princess’
The plant: This new lavender is irresistible
with ghostly silver foliage and pretty,
scented, pink flowers. It maintains a neat,
compact habit at just 70cm tall and wide,
so it’s perfect for pots and decorative
borders. It produces an abundance of
blooms from late winter to spring.
Growing: For best success, plant ‘Ghostly
Princess’ in a sunny or partly shaded
position with good drainage. Cut it back
by two-thirds in late summer and give it a
good dose of slow-release fertiliser to keep
it looking its best. Plants will also benefit
from the addition of dolomite lime.
Design: Use it to create decorative
formal or informal hedges around flower
and herb gardens or make a feature of
it in pots on a sunny patio. It also
combines beautifully with other
winter–spring flowering plants
in a mixed border. ‘Ghostly
Princess’ is a great choice for
tough coastal areas and waterwise
gardens. pga.com.au
Heirloom Rainbow Collection
The plants: I grow heirloom varieties of vegetables as much
for their flavour as for the extraordinary colour they bring to
the garden and table. The aptly named Heirloom Rainbow
Collection is a celebration of colour and showcases some of the
best heirloom varieties to grow at home, including the gorgeous
Beetroot ‘Chioggia’, with lollypop-like rings of white and pink
flesh, Bean ‘Speckled Cranberry’ with decorative hot-pink and
purple seeds, Pumpkin ‘Delicata’ with green and yellow-striped
skin, the cheery yellow- and burgundy-flowered Marigold
‘Naughty Marietta’ and Eggplant ‘Listada di Gandia’, a French
heirloom with beautiful white-and-purple-striped skin.
Growing: The vegetables and flowers in this mix will thrive in a
sunny position with good drainage, so prepare beds with compost
and organic matter before planting. Sow the seeds in spring when
the soil warms. Water and liquid-feed regularly and you will be
rewarded with a bountiful summer and autumn harvest.
Design: Many of the varieties in this mix are as colourful in the
garden as they are on the plate, so give them pride of place in the
kitchen garden or flower border. Why not throw a garden party at
harvest time and show off with a colourful garden-inspired menu?
diggers.com.au
12 | Good Organic Gardening