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SELWYN TIMES Tuesday <strong>December</strong> <strong>13</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 33<br />
Gardening<br />
Put on a spectacular<br />
summer show with portulaca<br />
• By Henri Ham<br />
IF YOU want to make a bit<br />
of a statement in your garden<br />
this summer, you can’t go past<br />
portulaca.<br />
This striking plant grows to<br />
around 10cm high and produces<br />
beautiful flowers with<br />
layers of fabric-like petals. It’s<br />
perfect for planting in borders,<br />
bedding, edging, rock gardens,<br />
pots and hanging baskets. And,<br />
if you get some in the ground<br />
soon, it will keep the show<br />
in your garden running all<br />
through summer.<br />
For those wanting to show off<br />
colour in their garden, you can<br />
purchase mixed bundles but<br />
a couple of the favourites are<br />
tequila cherry, which is bright<br />
pink, and tequila yellow.<br />
Because portulaca tolerates<br />
heat and drought so well,<br />
it pays to plant it in full sun.<br />
It grows very nicely next to<br />
livingstone daisies or gazania as<br />
they are all fans of the sun and<br />
they all grow to similar heights.<br />
Plant each seedling around<br />
25cm apart from the next.<br />
Portulaca looks lovely when<br />
TOLERANT: Portulaca likes heat and drought so plant it in full sun.<br />
grown in a basket with petunia<br />
– particularly varieties like red<br />
crystal and primetime violet<br />
star. And the great thing about<br />
using hanging baskets or planters<br />
like the paradise planter<br />
is you can move the show of<br />
colour around wherever and<br />
whenever you want.<br />
Once everything is planted<br />
you can expect to see flowers in<br />
around four to five weeks. You<br />
won’t need to water portulaca<br />
very often, but just keep an eye<br />
on the soil. If you stick your<br />
finger in the soil to about your<br />
first knuckle and it’s dry, it pays<br />
to give them a bit of a drink.<br />
Lastly, if you want the show<br />
to continue all summer, pick<br />
off the dead-heads. This will<br />
encourage your plants to keep<br />
flowering – and it will make<br />
your plant look better.<br />
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FUn aCTiViTiES<br />
for the kids<br />
With school holidays creeping closer and<br />
closer, you will be desperately thinking of<br />
some activities to keep the kids occupied and<br />
entertained. Here are a few ideas to get them<br />
out in the fresh air.<br />
Sow Sunflower seeds<br />
Sunflowers add a bright burst of colour and also<br />
draw much-needed bees to the garden. They are<br />
super easy to grow, and give the kids something to<br />
keep an eye on as they begin to grow. Here are some<br />
tips for planting.<br />
1) Pick a part of your garden that has plenty of sun.<br />
For taller varieties, make sure that you plant them<br />
near a fence or trellis so they are protected from the<br />
wind, and so you can tie them back if they start to<br />
topple.<br />
2) Sunflowers like to grow when the weather’s warm<br />
so now is a great time to get in to it.<br />
3) Push the seeds into the soft soil. Make sure<br />
they’re down at least one centimetre, then water<br />
well (using a watering can) afterwards<br />
4) As the plants grow, keep them well watered, and<br />
give them some fertiliser every couple of weeks.<br />
Plant a hanging basket<br />
These looks great, and<br />
take up very little space.<br />
Head down to your local<br />
garden centre and grab<br />
a hanging basket and let<br />
the kids help you pick the<br />
flowers you want to add<br />
in. use South-Hort Patio Plus as your growing mix,<br />
as this contains all the vital nutrients your plants will<br />
need to keep flowering, and help them get through<br />
the summer heat.<br />
Paint pots<br />
Grab some plain terracotta pots, and some paint and<br />
let the kids get creative. Once they are done, choose<br />
some flowers or some herbs and get planting. Once<br />
again, use South-Hort Patio Plus. This mix is designed<br />
specifically for growing in pots, containers and<br />
baskets.<br />
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For more information,<br />
check out our website:<br />
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Make sure that you practise safe gardening. Slip,<br />
slop, slap and wrap! We recommend using gloves<br />
while you are out in the garden, and that you wash<br />
your hands as soon as you are finished. If you have<br />
any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call, or send<br />
your question to us my email info@igro.co.nz.<br />
<strong>13</strong>94 Main South Road, RD7 Weedons<br />
www.igro.co.nz | Phone 03 347 9415
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