Agapanthus
Vibrant, colourful flowers with shiny green leaves, Agapanthus can really brighten up your garden.
Another popular perennial plant for those shaded or part shaded areas of the garden are Hostas (Hosta spp.). They come in an array of leaf colours from the lime green to the deep purples and provide cover for those tricky areas in the gardens, like under trees or in the shaded spots.
How to grow hosta in a garden
- Choose a spot in the garden with semi-shade to full shade and that gets protection from the harsh afternoon sun. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.
- Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots.
- Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed. Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.
- Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the main stem.
- Feed every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive All Purpose Liquid Plant Food.
How to grow hosta in a pot
- Choose a pot at least twice the size as the selected plant. Position in semi-shade to full shade and fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.
- To assist with soil moisture retention, mix in some Yates Waterwise Water Storage Crystals into the potting mix.
- Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots.
- Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well.
- Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the main stem.
- Feed every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive All Purpose Liquid Plant Food.
Growing tips
- Hostas will die back during the cooler months, but will reappear in spring.
- Don’t allow the soil to dry out, as Hostas like moist, cool environments.
- Great for understorey plantings, in shade or areas with filtered light.
Ageratum
Ageratum flowers are tough plants that can even handle a bit of shade. They are the truest blue annuals you can find for your garden.
Ajuga
Looking for options for groundcover, try growing ajuga. Ajuga has a wide variety of foliage colors usually in the rich deep burgundy realm.
Allamanda
How to grow yellow Allamanda! A tropical evergreen shrub features large golden-yellow flowers. Please note in QLD it's an invasive plant.
Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser
Create organic nutrient rich soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter for better root growth, stronger plants and more flowers and fruit.
Yates Waterwise Storage Crystals
These crystals absorb up to 400 times their own weight in water. This water is then released back to the plants over time as they require it.
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