Are you a brown thumb? - Sep 15, 2017
I'm planting up the veggie patch!!!!
Dear gardening friends
We had an amazing response to our story about Oasis Spreading Petunias last week.
These spectacular ground cover Petunias, can grow up to one metre wide and they stay low to the ground. I grew this red flowering variety last year and it looked amazing in these large terracotta urns all spring and summer long.
I had a lady in yesterday who said hers, are still flowering from last year! This is unusual and they would never survive the winter at my place.
On Wednesday I took down our hanging baskets at the front of the shop and replaced the Pansies with these Oasis Spreading Petunias. I tipped out all the Potting mix and replaced it with Tim's Best Potting Mix. The soil was full of roots so that's why you can't recycle it.
I planted one seedling per basket only. I'm using the red and the purple varieties this year so it will really pop at Christmas time. If you've had no success with hanging baskets switch to these Yates Tuscan Self Watering Baskets. They are amazing. Use the biggest one, because it holds the most Potting Mix. The Potting mix holds the water, so more Potting mix = more water which = more growth.
These Tuscan Self Watering Baskets have a well, that stores the water, so on those really hot windy days your plants won't drop dead! You still need to remember to water them, but if you forget one day, the plants will survive. Water the plants from above and let the water run thru to fill the well.
If you're still using Coco fibre lined baskets chuck them away. All you're doing is providing nesting material for the birds. The wind blows thru this lining and drys out your plants.
Always use Tim's Best Potting Mix in hanging baskets.
Our Rose bushes are bursting into bloom, so if you love roses, come and see our amazing selection. We still have over 1,000 potted rose bushes. Bring your nose and sniff out the most Fragrant varieties. Look at the foliage too, and you will see which varieties are the most disease resistant. Now is the best time to choose roses because you can sniff and observe.
Please, never fertilise newly planted rose bushes or you will kill them with kindness.
Actually never fertilise any newly planted trees or shrubs. But please improve the soil with IGC Planting Compost. This contains a Wetting Agent, Seaweed, Compost and a long term slow release Fertiliser.
The beautiful white rose in the photo above has burst into bloom in the car yard next door to our nursery. Every year this rambling rose gets smothered in these single white flowers for a couple of weeks.
I was researching this Rose during the week and discovered some amazing history. Originally from China, this Rose somehow found its way to America where it grew wild in Indian country.
It's actually called "The Cherokee Rose". It has great significance in Cherokee culture. The white petals are said to represent the tears that fell when the Cherokee women and children were forced marched to the US Forts. The gold stamens represent the gold that was taken from their people.
We don't sell this Rose, but I'm sure you could grow it from a cutting if you talk to Ryan from Carsell. It's wild, so you will need to grow it over a shed? It does have a perfume but it is very thorny.
We have much friendlier climbing roses in the nursery and they will flower for 9 months rather than 2 weeks.
But The Cherokee Rose is spectacular!!!!!
Azaleas are busting into bloom. They flower better when it's dry, and we have some of the best varieties for you. This enormous red flowering variety is called "Goyet". It has these double bright red blooms in spring and autumn. If you love Azaleas come and see our huge selection.
Our potting mix trial is really showing how poor these chain store Potting mixes really are. If you are growing flowers or vegetables in these mixes then you are going to get poor results if you don't add Fertiliser. Tim's Fast Food might help, but so many gardeners are going to think they are brown thumbs when their plants don't perform.
Just imagine how many new gardeners and kids are going to be put off gardening for life, when they plant seedlings in these mixes this spring?
The top 2 bags, which the plants are thriving in, are sold at Tim's Garden Centre. We want you to have success. We don't want cheap Potting Mix. We want the Best Potting Mix. We want you and your kids, to become great gardeners!
I'm planting up my vegetable garden today.
Come and see us for the best seedlings if you are planting up your veggie patch this weekend.
Happy gardening
Tim