So many flowers

It’s so important for us all to grow lots of flowers, to provide food for insects such as bees, butterflies and other beneficial pollinators throughout the year. Flowers also have the magical ability to lift our spirits and bring beautiful colour into our gardens and outdoor spaces.

Here are some Yates ® flower seeds that you can sow in spring all around New Zealand:

Alyssum – Carpet of Snow, Magic Circles Mix (cool areas) Asclepias Silky Mix (late spring)

Bee Pasture Butterfly Field

California Poppy – Goldrush, Sunshine Mix, Thai Silk

Calendula Pacific Beauty

(cool areas)

Catmint

Cosmos – Bright Eyes, Sensation, Tango

Dahlia Cinderella Mix

Delphinium Pacific Giants (cool zones)

Echium Cottage Charm Everlasting Daisy Mixed Gerbera Mix Gaura Sparkle White Gypsophila Baby’s Breath Linum Blue Dress Marigold – Crackerjack, Cupid Mix, Safari Mixture

Nasturtium – Jewel Mixed, Cherry Rose

Nigella Love-in-a-Mist Pansy – Giant Supreme

(cool zones)

Petunia – Neptune Shades &

Plum Carpet (late spring) Phacelia (cool zones)

Portulaca Sun Dancer Salvia Blue Bedder

Snapdragon – Tetra Mixed, Twinny Appleblossom

Statice Strawflower

Sunflower – Moonwalker, Dwarf Sensation, Yellow Empress, Bronze Shades, Ginormous FlowerZilla

Verbena Imagination Village Green Border Wildflower Meadow Mix Zinnia Gold Medal Here are the easy steps to starting a fabulous flower patch:

step 1

Choose a sunny spot in a garden that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day. If there are any weeds or grasses in the area, spray with Yates Zero ® Weed Killer and let them die back completely (usually around 2 weeks).

step 2

Mix some Yates Thrive ® Natural Blood & Bone into the soil, to enrich and improve the quality of the soil and help give the new flowers the best possible start. Follow the directions on the seed packet and either sow seed direct where the flowers are to grow or sow into trays of Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix. Water gently and keep the soil moist. For seedlings grown in trays, transplant them into their final home once they’re large enough to handle.

step 3

Once the seedlings are established, encourage lots of healthy growth and promote masses of vibrant flowers by feeding each week with Yates Thrive ® Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. It’s as easy as adding 1–2 capfuls into a 9L watering can and applying around the plants and soil.

No backyard? No worries! Many flowers are also perfect for growing in pots. Seed packets include helpful information about whether your chosen flower is suitable for growing in pots. Compact flowers that are perfect for growing in containers and window boxes include ‘Dwarf Sensation’ sunflower, alyssum ‘Magic Circles’ and marigold ‘Cupid Mix’.

Seedling tip

Protect seedlings from damaging snails and slugs with a light sprinkling of

Yates Blitzem ® Snail & Slug Pellets.

19-26 OCTOBER 2020 NATIONAL GARDENING WEEK

L et ’s get more gardeners gardening!

National Gardening Week aims to foster a love of gardening with a focus on growing not only plants but friendships, good health, strong communities and closer connections with nature.

Planting for a better planet has never been more important - for food, for the environment and for health. The call is out to New Zealanders to get growing this National Gardening Week and reap the rewards of home-grown food.

With the huge interest in gardening and living sustainably, Yates would like to help grow Community Gardening Groups and Garden Clubs nationwide.

If you are a member of a Community Group or Garden Club and you would like to do a membership drive during National Gardening Week, Yates will provide you with packets of seeds for new members when they sign up. Or you may like to pay it forward and give the seeds away to people in your community who need a helping hand to get a vegie patch started.

JUST DROP US AN EMAIL WITH IDEALLY HOW MANY PACKETS OF VEGIE SEEDS YOU WOULD LIKE:

loveyourgarden@yates.co.nz

Please note the offer is valid until the end of November 2020.