Be water wise this Christmas
Many garden enthusiasts use their December break to spruce up their gardens, but with the current drought this can be difficult.
The trick here is to use water wise plants to make your garden a place of paradise. There are many plants available that do not require much watering.
The ultimate water wise and environmental warrior plant, Gazanias, will also attract butterflies and bees to the garden and thrive on a little neglect.
Gazania plant care does not involve much of anything, other than watering. They have green or grey leathery leaves and too many flower colours to mention.
Some varieties are clumping and others are spreading which means that there is a Gazania perfect for any garden or patio planter.
Planting
Gazanias do best in well-drained soil. Soil that has high clay content holds too much water and they will die off quite quickly in the rainy season. A light fertilising of bone meal at planting with a little compost will give them a good start.
If planting them in a container make sure that the container drains well and that you use potting soil, not garden soil. Garden soil in a container goes hard or won’t drain and the plants will suffer.
Watering
Water sparingly and in the rainy months try keep them as dry as possible. If you over water them they will die which is why they are the ultimate water wise plant. Although they’re drought resistant, expect more and bigger blooms when you water.
Feeding
Gazanias are not hungry plants. Once a summer, a feeding with an organic fertiliser is all they need. If one overfeeds, one will find that they get more and more leaves and fewer flowers.
In containers feed them with Multifeed Flowergro, once a month, to maintain flowering as in a container nutrients are washed out with regular watering.
