|
|
|
|
| |
Summer
is the time of year when gardens come alive with
colours and flowers, and petunias are terrific annuals
to grow in hot weather plants. Here's how to create
a stunning flower garden with petunias.
Petunias easy to grown either from seed or you can
buy them as seedlings. There are lots of different
varieties to choose from - singles, doubles, picotees
(with a contrasting edge), striped, veined, trailing
types, dwarf strains, large blooms and petite blooms
in just about every colour under the sun, and some
are even scented. Which ever type you choose, their
cultural requirements are the same and here are
a few tips to ensure your petunias produce masses
of colourful blooms until well into autumn.
First, petunias need full sun - this really brings
on the flowers. They can be grown in garden beds,
pots or hanging baskets providing they receive plenty
of sun. When planting them in the garden dig through
plenty of Searles 5 in 1 to enrich the soil with
lots of nitrogen-rich animal manure to get your
plants off to a good start. If growing petunias
in containers it's important that the potting mix
you use is of good quality. For best results use
Searles Terracotta & Tub Mix. Make sure the
soil is kept moist when the plants are young.
Now the real trick with petunias is to pinch out
the first few flowers before they open. This will
make each seedling bush out and your plants will
ultimately produce more flowers and a far better
display of colour. It will also give you the opportunity
to check for pests. Snails and aphids are the main
offenders and there are environmentally-friendly
products available at your local garden centre to
treat each problem swiftly and easily.
To promote and prolong abundant flowering, fertilise
weekly with Searles Flourish Soluble Plant Food.
When your petunias finish flowering, just prune
them back and you'll be rewarded with another flush
of fabulous colour. They can easily last for up
to a year with this care. |
 |
Now
here's your checklist for success:
• Make sure your petunias are in full
sun
• Prepare garden beds before planting with
Searles 5 in 1 Organic Plant Food
• For containers, use Searles Terracotta &
Tub Mix
• Pinch out the first flowers and prune after
flowering
• Fertilise weekly with Searles Flourish Soluble
Plant Food |
Now
that will really bring your garden alive with COLOUR!
Happy Gardening with Searles from the
Searle family.
© Copyright 2002
JC & AT Searle Pty Ltd
You may make a copy of this Fact Sheet for your
personal, non-commercial use only. Please do not
make any other use of this Fact Sheet without first
obtaining our permission. |
|
|
|
|
