The magic of mandarinsMandarins are little packages of juicy and nutritious deliciousness. They’re so handy to pop in a lunchbox and varieties like Emperor are extra easy to peel.
Mandarins will grow in all but the coldest areas and prefer a sunny location with well- drained soil. Growing a range of varieties can provide fruit from late autumn through to early spring.
Dwarf mandarins that grow no taller than around 2m are perfect for backyards and can also be grown in a large container filled with good quality potting mix such as Yates Premium Potting Mix. When planting a new mandarin tree, mix some Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food into the bottom of the planting hole. Dynamic Lifter improves the quality of the soil and supplies the newly planted mandarin with gentle, organic nutrients as it establishes.
Mandarins, like other citrus, are heavy feeders and require lots of nutrients to support all the foliage, flowers and developing fruit. From spring until the mandarins are harvested, feed each week with Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food.
Mandarin tip: sometimes mandarins will produce fruit only every second year (called biennial or alternate bearing). To help minimise this, remove some of the fruit when it’s still small and green, which reduces the drain on the tree’s energy reserves. And don’t forget to feed, feed, feed.
Flowers and shrubsBrighten gloomy winter days by planning a flower garden and plant some deciduous trees and shrubs that will burst into life in spring.
Dianthus Double Pinks is a delightful dianthus that has masses of sweetly fragrant fringed flowers in shades of pink, red and white. They make a perfect potted flower or a border plant. In temperate areas, start the seeds off in trays of Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and transplant the seedlings into a sunny spot when they are large enough to handle. In cool zones, wait until spring to start sowing.
Once the flower seedlings are around 5cm tall, start feeding with potassium fortified Thrive Roses and Flowers Liquid Plant Food, which contains a balanced blend of nutrients to promote healthy leaf growth as well as lots of colourful flowers.
To keep dianthus looking tidy and encourage new growth, trim lightly after each flush of flowers.
Winter Garden Gift IdeasNothing delights a gardener more than a gorgeous plant. While winter months are here there are still some lovely seasonal options for birthday gifts or simply to brighten up the indoors then plant out into the garden later on.
Hellebores can be found in garden centres in July. Hellebores, also called ‘winter roses’, like their summer counterparts are breathtakingly beautiful as a gift and when combined with a complementary pot create a gorgeous table centrepiece.
Cyclamens in full flower are stunning and will flower for many months. Perfect for a cool, brightly lit windowsill.
During flowering, feed hellebores and cyclamens each fortnight with Thrive Roses and Flowers Liquid Plant Food, which helps restore the plant’s nutrient reserves.
Forest pansies‘Forest pansy’ might sound like a beautiful flowering annual flower, but it’s also the name of a stunning Cercis tree.
Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ is a beautiful small tree which has deep wine red to purple heart-shaped leaves in spring, aging to deep orange green in summer before putting on a spectacular autumn display of red autumn foliage. If that wasn’t enough, Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ has masses of pale, rose pink pea shaped flowers in spring that appear along the branches.
Growing to only around 3m tall and 3m wide, it’s a wonderful tree for a small garden. Cercis prefers a protected, full-sun position with moist, deep and well-drained soil.
Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ can be planted while dormant during winter. Dig a hole at least twice the width of the root mass, mix some Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food into the soil at the bottom of the hole, and then carefully plant the Cercis, ensuring that soil is gently backfilled around all the roots. Water in well with Thrive Natural Seaweed to encourage strong early root development and help reduce transplant shock.
There are other gorgeous varieties of Cercis available, including ‘Hearts of Gold’ which is a hardy tree that has golden foliage throughout summer.
Roses in winterRoses may seem like high maintenance plants, however with a few simple steps throughout the year, it’s surprisingly easy to keep them looking fabulous.
During winter, there are two important rose jobs, which will reward you with healthier roses and more flowers during the warmer months.
• Pruning — winter pruning, when the roses are leafless, is the ideal time to completely remove any dead stems (which are usually grey) and then cut all the remaining healthy stems down to around knee height. If you have time, prune each stem to just above an outward facing bud. If you’re time-poor or a bit unsure, then take no notice of the buds! You can even use hedge shears rather than secateurs. It’s better to prune roses than not at all.
• Spraying with lime sulphur — once the rose is pruned, it’s a great chance to spray with lime sulfur, which is a smelly but very effective way to help break the rose pest cycle. Lime sulphur will control scale insects, which are lying in wait on rose stems during winter, ready to attack new spring growth. Breaking the pest cycle during winter will help give the rose the best possible fresh start in spring.
Pruning tip: if you live in a really cold area, delay pruning until August.
— Courtesy of Yates
