Time to Sow and Grow this May
Here’s what you need to do to make sure your garden will be blooming through Spring and Summer! Brought to you by Starke Ayres.
• Don’t miss out again this year in September and sow the following seed varieties now, African daisies, Bokbaai vygies and Sweet peas for that spectacular flower show your neighbours will be envy of. Sow them in situ in well-prepared garden beds using Gold dust, Compost, Palm Peat and Bonemeal to mention a few.
Tip: Soak your Sweet Pea seeds overnight in lukewarm water with some Kelpak to improve the germination. Choose between the Tall climber variety, Multiflora or the dwarf type, Bijou. Bijou are very fragrant, easy to grow and a very good cut flower for vases or posies and look magnificent in a hanging basket or window box.
• It’s finally Cymbidium Orchid time and easy to grow and they are arguably the most elegant of plants. Their flowers speak with poise and splendour, enough to melt any heart. On Mother’s day (10 May 2020 ) give a gift of flowers to your mom with the arrival of Cymbidiums, Phaleonopsis and the fragrant Zygopetalum. Zygo’s sweet fragrance and easy culture make it a must-have orchid. Zygopetalums are robust, growing fans of long, lily-like leaves from large pseudobulbs. Feed orchids with Starke Ayres Flowering Orchid food or Baby Bio Orchid Food.
• It is still a wonderful time of the year for planting trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers. Some fragrant shrub options are Plumeria rubra, Gardenia augusta, Heliotropium arborescens and Brunfelsia pauciflora. Planting trees and shrubs don’t just provide shelter for birds, but also security and a natural food source. Consider planting Winter / Spring flowering Aloe spp. (Which are bursting into bud right now) Halleria lucida, Tecoma capensis and Leonotis leonurus are easy to grow bird-loving plant favourites.
• Clean up the veggie garden. Winter is a time for a vast range of veggies so prepare your vegetable beds or pots with extra compost. With more occasional rainfall figures it is the perfect time to plant winter veggies like peas, broccoli, cauliflower, baby cabbage, broad beans, lettuce, rocket. cabbage, carrots, spinach, onions and turnips. May is onion planting time. Choose from the Starke Ayres performance-tested range Texas Grano Onions (Early maturing) or Caledon Globe (Late maturing). Feed your vegetable garden with Gorganic natural Seabird Guano, or ask our qualified horticultural team for any other organic options. Control insect infestations with Makhro Home and Garden’s, Organicide or Organicide Plus.
• Dig up summer annuals and plant Winter annuals like Pansies and Violas. Do not forget the dwarf or taller wind-resistant fragrant Stocks or for the cut flower country gardener Delphiniums and Foxgloves which will provide a food source for bees.
• In the shade where you previously had the sun in Summer, dainty showy Primula’s, large flowering Cineraria’s or Begonias will grow best. Annuals will give their best performance if fertilised frequently (Once a week) with a water-soluble fertiliser such as Starke Ayres Nutrifeed, Nutrisol, Seagro, Multibooster or Dr. Fishers 500g Multifeed Flowering.
• Autumn is the ideal time to reduce muddy areas and time to Lawndress and sow Starke Ayres “Cool Season” lawn grass seed which as we are not in a frost zone easily germinate and provide a lush surface for those Sunny winter days without the stress of having to water too much. We have a wide range to suit sunny or shady areas and our staff will be happy to assist you. Tip: 1 30dm bag of Lawn dressing usually covers 6 – 8 m/sq.
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