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Poppies and Petunias
As the sun sets to welcome the evening sky in all its colourful glory, sit back and relax on the balcony with some potted poppies and petunias for company. These lovelies are the perfect choice for all-year-round charm and vibrancy. Here is how to successfully grow and care for your new patio and balcony besties.
Cute petunias in containers
Petunias are available in a range of colours, each as bright as the next. Position them in a mostly sunny spot and ensure they are never completely dry. Perform the finger test to see when to water petunias as you would rather want to underwater than overwater these babes.
- Soil: Petunias require well-draining, aerated and slightly acidic soil. Potting soil mix works well, especially if you combine it with a little peat moss to lower pH levels.
- Fertiliser: Petunias are hungry feeders and thrive when given plenty of nutrients. While most potting mixes provide a good base, it’s best to boost them with Bio Ocean after planting for sustained, organic nourishment. For added root strength and resilience, mix in Bio Rock Root Builder at planting. This combination ensures your petunias get the food they love without compromising soil drainage, keeping them vibrant and blooming beautifully all season long.
- Deadheading: This encourages plants to direct their energy into creating more flowers, rather than wasting it on already fading blooms. Deadheading also keeps your plant looking neat and tidy. Simply remove flowers that are beyond their prime by pinching them off from just below their base.
Perfecting potted poppies
Poppies are a timeless classic. They might not be the easiest flower to grow but their vibrant colour and sweetness is certainly worth the extra care. Poppy varieties that grow well in pots include oriental poppies, Iceland poppies, California poppies, and Shirley poppies. Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule) provide an incredible, colourful show during winter.
- Planting: Poppies dislike being transplanted. As such, we recommend purchasing poppy seedling trays along with a little booster food to help with the transplant shock. You can get all these from your GCA Garden Centre. Place containers in a full sun position and be sure to water the seedlings gently as they have very delicate roots. Once in flower, poppies need to be deadheaded to increase the number of blooms.
- Soil: Poppies enjoy a neutral to slightly acidic pH. They require excellent drainage but rich soil. A loamy, well-draining potting mix will be perfect.
- Water: Poppies enjoy minimal water during and before their flowering season. They can be watered every day but ensure not to overwater each time you do. When they’re about to flower, and throughout their flowering period, water moderately, maintaining excellent drainage.
- Fertiliser: Fertiliser should only be applied during the growing season. For best results, start your potted poppies off with Bio Rock Root Builder to strengthen delicate roots and support early growth. If you didn’t use Bio Rock at planting, a balanced liquid feed every two weeks will help sustain them. During the growing season, supplement with Bio Ocean to provide a rich, organic boost that enhances soil health and encourages vibrant blooms. This combination ensures your poppies receive the nutrients they need without compromising drainage.
- Pests: Be on the lookout for aphids and water regularly to avoid red spider mite damage. Ensure you choose a good-quality potting mix to avoid root rot.
If you’re looking to enjoy sunsets in the city, you simply can’t go wrong with these balcony besties. A wide selection of pots and hanging baskets will further help to highlight your new additions, so be sure to consider the style of your chosen containers when planning your new living décor.
May in the Garden Checklist
Be a winter-winner this May by getting your garden maintenance in check, sowing cool-season seeds, and flowing with the rhythm of autumn’s last month. As we celebrate Africa Month, let’s honour our ingenious heritage while keeping our green fingers busy. And don’t forget Mother’s Day – Phlebodium makes the perfect indoor plant baby to gift the woman you adore!
Crispy Blooms to Plant
- Bulb up: Celebrate African colour with Sparaxis (Harlequin Flower), Ixia, and Tritonia. Add perennial bulbs like Sweet garlic (Tulbaghia fragrans), Weeping anthericum (Chlorophytum saundersiae), and Red-hot poker (Kniphofia praecox).
- Bush out: Pork bush (Portulacaria afra) is a local hero hedge – drought-resistant, fast-growing, and perfect as a barrier plant.
- Succ in: Aloes are in full swing – try Peri-Peri, Sea Urchin, and Porcupine varieties.
- The 4 P’s: Plant poppies, pansies, petunias, and primulas for cheerful winter colour.
- Rose bed revival: Pick long-stemmed roses now. Reduce watering if plants are in full leaf, but keep spraying. Edge rose beds with winter annuals like pansies, poppies, or compact snapdragons for a burst of colour.
- Split & divide: Japanese Anemones (Anemone japonica) and Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) are ready to be divided once flowering stops.
Be wise, fertilize: Winter annuals like stocks and larkspurs thrive with extra nitrogen. Feed with Flower & Fruit, which combines an organic base with slow-release nutrients plus water-soluble boosters for maximum performance.
Eat Like a Winter-Winner
- Eye candy: Plant ornamental kale between winter veggies. Companion plants include beetroot, violas, pansies, onions, nasturtiums, and spinach.
- Mixed masala: Interplant leafy greens and root crops with herbs like lavender, thyme, oregano, parsley, yarrow, and comfrey.
- Cuppa’ your own Joe: Try growing a coffee plant (Coffea arabica) indoors in bright light – imagine grinding your own beans!
- Un-gogga your cabbage: Use chopped-up old basil plants as mulch around cabbages to repel insects.
- If it’s yellow, it ain’t mellow: Remove yellow leaves from brassicas to prevent disease.
- Fruitful advice: Feed avocado trees with Bio Ocean and mulch well. In coastal and lowveld areas, also feed granadillas with Bio Ocean. Plant litchis and citrus, and keep mango trees dry before flowering.
Tricks of the Cool-Season Trade
- Prevent pests: Healthy soil, good drainage, mulch, and regular feeding with Bio Rock Root Builder or Bio Ocean = stronger plants with more flowers, fruits, and veg.
- Spray away: Keep spraying conifers with insecticide.
- Rake it, baby: Rake fallen leaves off lawns to prevent sunlight blockage, then compost them. Coastal gardeners can still apply one more dose of fertilizer before winter sets in.
- Freeze alert: Water between 9 AM and 3 PM to avoid frost damage.
Plants for Good Autumn Foliage
- Large gardens: American Ash, Water oak, Pin oak, Swamp cypress.
- Medium gardens: Chinese maple, White stinkwood.
- Small gardens: Washington thorn, Rosebud cherry.
- Berry-bearing beauties: Try Heavenly bamboo, Rose hips, and Guelder rose for vibrant autumn colour.
With Atlantic Fertilizers Bio Ocean and Bio Rock Root Builder in your toolkit, your May garden will be nourished, resilient, and bursting with seasonal charm.