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in Lifestyle

Spruce up your patch of earth, plant these flowers now

by Lucinda Dordley
21st September 2021
Spring is the perfect time to start a garden of light-loving flowers to spruce your property up. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Spring is the perfect time to start a garden of light-loving flowers to spruce your property up. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

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Spring is here, and that means it’s the perfect time to fill your flower beds with beautiful blooms. As the air warms and more sunshine floods the day, take the opportunity to plant some sun-loving blossoms in October.

Asters

These beautiful blossoms enjoy sunshine, so it’s best to plant them in a bright patch. First, water the ground before planting your seeds. It is best to plant them 8cm apart to allow them ample room to grow and flourish.

Once the seeds have been planted, keep the soil moist. After seven to 21 days, you will see shoots appear, and in no time, you will have a beautiful patch of bright asters in your garden.

Cosmos

Cosmos are a sun-loving flower and add colour to your garden. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
Cosmos are a sun-loving flower and add colour to your garden. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

The one requirement these delicate flowers have is to be planted in soil with good drainage. They also enjoy sunshine, and it is best to plant them as the days become sunnier, but before temperatures soar.

For cosmos to thrive, they should be planted 5cm apart and 1cm into the soil. If temperatures are still too low and you wish to ensure your flowers have a stronger chance of sprouting, you can grow them indoors, provided the area gets a lot of natural sunlight. These flowers can tolerate light frost, but hate being left in the cold.

Cosmos also make good cutting flowers, as they can grow quite high.

Marigolds

Marigolds are a hardy flower and require very little care. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
Marigolds are a hardy flower and require very little care. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Marigolds are a very versatile flowers as they grow well in both dry and moist soil. Because of their hardiness, they are a very easy flower to care for. Marigolds only need water once every two weeks if the weather is particularly dry.

If you would like to use fertiliser on them, a water-soluble one is recommended. However, they will also thrive without fertiliser.

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Lucinda Dordley

Words and people: these have been Lucinda's only two passions from a very young age. As soon as she found out that journalism was the perfect marriage of the two, she knew it was what she had to be. She has worked in many spheres within journalism, including crime and human interest news, lifestyle, and tech for publications such as The Cape Argus, Fairlady Magazine, Cape Town Etc, Getaway Magazine and Popular Mechanics. In her spare time, she can be found with a book in hand or chatting to someone to find out what their story is.

Tags: GardeningOctober
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