Gardening in Spring – What to do in October

Now that the spring equinox has passed spring is here the days are steadily warming up, plants are bursting with blossom and we are all starting to work in our gardens. Starke Ayres celebrates South Africa’s National Garden Day on Sunday 17 October. A dedicated time for gardeners to kick back and celebrate the joy they derive from their gardens. Starke Ayres will be celebrating for the entire weekend with “Sharing is Caring” where our customers can pot up a free flower, Rodney the resident garden gnome at Rosebank will be out and hiding from all the children again as well as in addition to our garden centres in house specials and combo deals to brighten up your gardens. Why not Purchase a 30cm Coir hanging basket and plant it up in-store with a family member friend or loved one. Only on 16th & 17th each 30cm coir basket comes with FREE Starke Ayres Bonemeal and Hydrocahe (for moisture retention), mixed into the pre-prepared correct soil mixture. If you plant the basket IN-STORE the soil is for free at our dedicated potting station. Just a way to bring friend together and share memories. With a takeaway Starke Ayres 10g Nutrifeed sachet to ensure your plants are well fed.

Every gardener loves a rose but keeping them healthy in Cape Town can be hard work. Two introductions that will definitely appeal to aspirant rose growers are the disease resistant pink Knock Out® and the Nelson Mandela roses. The shrubby Knock Out® landscape rose reaches a height of 1 metre and can bloom throughout summer. Nelson Mandela is a fiery orange floribunda rose with an upright, free flowering habit, reaching up to 2 metres.

Petunias are the ultimate summer bedding plant. These easy to grow, hardy plants bear trumpet shaped blooms in a range of vivid colours. Plant them in composted well drained soil and water deeply and regularly (but do not over water) They will reward you with copious blooms till early next year if you deadhead and monthly with Starke Ayres organic 3.1.5, or water soluble 3.1.6 fertilizers. We have in excess of 12 different colour varieties to please any colour palette.

Container gardening is always popular, especially in smaller gardens or apartments. We are adding to our wide range by introducing light weight corrugated steel planters. They are strong, rubberized to prevent corrosion and are available in a range of shapes and sizes, with or without bottoms to suit any gardener. They can also be used as ponds. Because they are larger than the standard range of wooden boxes and terracotta pots the range of plants that can be grown in containers has just exploded!

Dahlia Bulbs have arrived and its still not to late to choose a beautiful indoor cover pot and plant and Amaryllis Bulb. Amaryllis become dormant in Winter and rebirth with more flowering stems and flowers next year. Simply a gift to yourself that only gets better.

Starke Ayres, West Coast Village

Tel: 021 554 8450