Agapanthus
Vibrant, colourful flowers with shiny green leaves, Agapanthus can really brighten up your garden.
Most ginger plants are grown for their flowers and foliage for the ornamental/floristry market as opposed to their spicy rhizome. There are a few exceptions, like the edible ginger (Zingiber officinale) and the cardamom which are commercially grown for human consumption. Ornamental Gingers are very popular in warmer temperate gardens, where they reward with fantastic floral displays in a multitude of colour. Many are evergreen, however some species will die down and regrow year after year.
How to grow ornamental ginger in your garden
- Choose a sunny or semi shade spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with organic matter and Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is heavy or clay based, add gypsum and fork in well.
- 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 and cut away any circled or tangled roots. If planting from a rhizome, do not plant too deep, as this can cause rot to occur.
- Position in prepared 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 base of the ginger.
- Water deeply, once or twice a week during establishment. Keep damp once growing.
- Feed every 6-8 weeks from spring to autumn with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Food to encourage healthy growth and lots of flowering.
How to grow ornamental ginger in a pot
- Choose a pot at least 300 mm wide and deep. Position in full sun or semi shade.
- Fill chosen pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
- Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well, then once or twice a week depending on weather conditions.
- Feed every 6-8 weeks from spring to autumn with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.
Growing tips
- Prune down old growth at end of growing period.
- Remove spent flowers during growing period.
- Give a big clean up and prune down at the end of summer if required. Fleshy off cuts can be composted and any rhizome divisions replanted.
- Gingers work well in tropical gardens. They work well as an undergrowth planting, where the taller trees/garden gives protection to the lower ginger. Mix different gingers together, planting taller varieties to the back and shorter ones to the front of the garden. They also work well with other accent plants like cordylines, alternanthera and coleus.
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.
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