6. Good Organic Gardening - November-December 2016 AvxHome.in

With melissa king | THE SEASONAL GARDEN
Marigold
‘Strawberry Blonde’
The plant: I’ve got a soft spot for
marigolds. Their vibrant blooms always
remind me of summer — and this one
is extra special. ‘Strawberry Blonde’ is
pink and fabulous! The flowers start out
a pretty strawberry-blonde colour and
change from pink to bronze and yellow as
the season progresses, so you get multicoloured
blooms on the one plant.
Growing: Plant ‘Strawberry Blonde’ in a
sunny spot now and you’ll be enjoying
a parade of vibrant blooms in six
to eight weeks. Liquid-feed and
remove spent blooms regularly to
encourage more flowers.
Design: It’s a compact plant
growing to just 20–25cm high
and wide, so it’s perfect for
pots on a sunny patio or massplanted
in garden beds for a
splash of cheery colour.
oasishorticulture.com.au
‘Crimson Red’
‘Red Hot’
‘Pure White’
‘Blush’
Diamonds in the Dark Crepe Myrtles (Lagerstroemia)
The plants: If, like me, you are already
a fan of crepe myrtles, you are going to
love the Diamonds in the Dark series of
Lagerstroemias. Plants in the collection
boast near-black foliage, which provides a
wonderful contrast to vibrant warm-season
flowers. Look out for ‘Crimson Red’, ‘Best
Red’ and ‘Red Hot’ with flaming red blooms,
the gorgeous light-pink ‘Blush’ and ‘Pure
White’ with snow-white flowers that stand
out beautifully against the dark foliage.
Growing: Grow them in full sun with
good soil drainage. Water well for the first
month to help plants establish. Once they
are off and growing, they are remarka bly
dry tolerant. Give plants a boost with
complete organic fertiliser in early spring
and late summer.
Design: Diamonds in the Dark crepe
myrtles grow to just 3m tall, so they
make perfect feature trees for a small
garden or, for maximum impact, try massplanting
them. They also make colourful
flowering hedges. You can even plant
them in big decorative pots to place on
a sunny patio or deck.
diamondsinthedark.com.au
Good Organic Gardening | 13