“Few flowers have nicknames, and none are so beloved as “mums”. A pot of chrysanthemums says, “I love you”, for decades – long after a bunch of roses has faded.
The secret to long-blooming mums is to plant them in a sunny, well-drained spot, feed them every six weeks in warm weather, water them every week and prune shoots when they reach about 1.5cm high to encourage them to branch and give you masses of blooms.
What to plant in February
Plant mesclun greens thickly in a pot by the back door. Feed and water well, and snip regularly for salads.
Dry heads of hydrangeas, banksia and statice, and bunches of strawflowers and Echinacea upside down to fill vases through winter.
Fill the vegie garden with broccoli and cabbages for winter eating.
Cut back rose stems when flowers fade to encourage a spectacular showing.
Food plants:
Sweet potato
Passionfruit vine
Herbs
Beetroot
Capsicum
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chinese cabbage
Cucumber
Eggplant
Lettuce seedlings
Pumpkin
Radish
Silver beet
Sweet corn
Watermelon
Flowering plants:
Hibiscus
Bougainvillea
Ageratum
Celosia
Cosmos
Iceland poppy
Salvia
Sunflowers
