January
KDSSLQHVV ÁRZHUV Some of midsummer’s flowers are like garden Prozac. Being amongst them has the ability to turn anxiety and a ‘down’ day into a happy day. Soothe your soul, make yourself happy and celebrate summer with the following:
Sunflowers
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(Helianthus annuus) Sunflowers grow quickly and easily, and can be sown from early spring to midsummer. Garden centres will even have some of the modern and dwarf varieties in colour bags now, ready to plant and nearly in flower. Plant tall varieties of sunflowers in full sun in the background of a flower bed where they will shade other plants, and use the dwarf varieties somewhere in the middle. Enrich the soil with compost and plant the seed about 3mm deep and about 50cm – 90cm apart. Water well and keep the soil moist until germination, which is between 5 and 10 days. Growth thereafter is fast and furious.
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‘Dwarf Sunspot’ – A classic yellow with big seed-filled heads on dwarf bushes up to 60cm high. ‘Cut Flower Mixed’ – A lovely mix of yellow, red and brown shades with a height of between 100cm – 170cm.
