Even though winter is a long way off, start sowing winter flowers now for colourful winter containers.
There is no reason why our winter gardens should be drab and colourless. Nature provides us with an abundance of colourful winter and spring flowers. Poppies, snapdragons, Namaqualand daisies, pansies and violas to name a few provide a riot of colour.
Flower filled containers offer the easiest and quickest way to bring splashes of colour into the winter garden. Container plants need less attention than in summer and will thrive in sunny spots where you can most appreciate them.
Quick tips
- Wash containers with soap and water before filling with new potting soil.
- Sow seed directly into the containers following the instructions on the seed packet. You can also sow into seed trays and later transplant into the containers.
- Keep the soil moist during germination and keep the containers in partial shade, should March into April be hotter than usual.
5 cool beauties to grow from seed
There is nothing like the delightful fragrance of sweet peas. Dwarf varieties like Kirchhoffs ‘Bijou Mixed’ can be planted in containers and window boxes. They are easy to grow but need full sun to produce pickable long lasting blooms.
To speed up germination soak the seed for 12 hours to soften the outer covering. Sow directly into containers. Don’t sow too deep. Container grown sweet peas can be sown more densely for an abundant effect. However, feed twice a month with a liquid fertiliser, diluted at half strength, to meet their high nutrition needs. Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
Stocks (Matthiola incana) ‘Linger Longer mix’ is a classic winter flower that’s grown for its fragrance. This dwarf heirloom variety produces flower spikes in shades of pink, mauve and white. The bushy plants (30 to 35 cm high) are ideal for pots or rectangular troughs for the patio.
Start seed in seed trays. Sprinkle the seed over the surface and lightly firm down. Seeds need light to germinate. The seed trays should receive bright indirect light and be kept moist. Covering with a plastic bag will create warm, greenhouse effect. Transplant when seedlings are big enough to handle.
Water regularly (the soil should not dry out) and fertilise at least once a month. With regular watering and feeding, the plants will keep flowering for longer.
‘Tom Thumb’ dwarf snapdragons provide a brilliance of colour and only grow up to 25cm.
Sow seed in early autumn directly into a container or into seed trays. They thrive in winter and spring sunshine and like a fertile planting mix. During winter it is best to water on sunny mornings so that the foliage can dry off by evening, otherwise rust and mildew could develop.
Nemesia ‘Carnival Choice Mixed’ is a dainty indigenous flower that does best in winter and spring. It doesn’t need any special treatment when grown from seed. Sow directly into containers or seed trays.
The airy plants grow up to 25cm high, with large flowers on semi-dwarf plants. Grow in full winter sun. For a mass effect, plant densely in a container. Pinch out growing shoots of young plants to make them bushier. Water regularly in winter and cut back stems after flowering to encourage more blooms.
Bellis perennis ‘Double Mixed’ is a most under-rated winter flower. Commonly known as the lawn daisy or English daisy, the tiny flowers look like white, rosy-pink or red buttons that bob above the bright green leaves. It is perfect for smaller containers and even in window boxes that receive morning sun and afternoon shade, . The 15 – 20cm high plants are strong and vigorous plants and will flower through to October and even longer if kept in a cooler spot in spring.
Iceland Poppy ‘Super Giant Art Mixed’ takes three months to flower when grown from seed, which means that poppies sown in March should start yielding flowers from June onwards. They show off best planted in elongated trough-like containers. Press the seeds gently into the potting mix and cover with the lightest sprinkling of soil (3 mm). Poppy seeds need light to germinate.
Once the seedlings are established they only need watering once a week or every two weeks in cooler weather. For strong growing plants, fertilise with a liquid feed once a month. Once they start to flower remove dead flowering stems at ground level, to extend the flowering time. Increase watering as the weather warms up in spring.
For more information: www.kirchhoffs.co.za or buy seed online www.gropak.co.za
Article and images by Alice Coetzee.
