Plant Like a Flower Farmer and Get a Jump-start on Spring!

by Francois

As with all things in life, the key to success is planning.

Give your garden the jump-start it needs to put on a spectacular spring flower show. The time is now!

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Why sow in autumn?

Sowing in autumn for spring flowering is one of the most important seasonal aspects of flower farming. If you sow or plant in autumn, your plants will use the ideal, moderate temperature of autumn to start establishing themselves and the whole of winter to grow a strong root system. You won’t see much movement aboveground in winter, but that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening! Having ample time to grow a large root system before the weather warms, is key to having strong, healthy and flourishing plants come spring. In the Western Cape you will have the bonus of taking advantage of the winter rainfall to keep your plants happy throughout the winter months.

When to sow

Ideally you want to get your seeds / plants into the ground somewhere between March and the end of April. If you need to start seeds in trays, you will want to use the less hot temperatures of March to start them and then transplant in April. If you are direct sowing, you can wait a little bit longer and sow the seeds in April. If your area will receive some showers in April, that will be ideal to help your direct sown seeds germinate and establish. Otherwise, keep them moist until they germinate and water the seedlings frequently until they are established. That way the plants will have some time to settle in before the colder winter months. 

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What to sow

If you are starting your journey with gardening and growing, you might want to take a step back and do some planning before diving in. Putting in the effort at the start, will better your chances of success later on. We have an entire section devoted to PLANNING your garden which you might find useful. If you are an old hand at gardening, by all means dive right in!

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Listed below are some of the varieties that are available in the online shop. Click on any of the flower varieties below to see them in detail.

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Seeds
Agrostemma (Corncockle)ArtichokeClary Sage
Bachelor’s ButtonBells of IrelandBupleurum
CalendulaDelphiniumOrnamental Wheat
Didiscus Lace FlowerDusty MillerFoxglove
Iceland PoppyLace FlowerLace Flower Green Mist
LarkspurLove-in-a-MistMountain Garland
StockRudbeckiaSnapdragon (Chantilly)
Queen Anne’s LaceSweet PeaStatice
Yarrow
Bulbs
AnemoneRanunculus

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How to sow

If you have never started plants from seed or if you just want a refresher, head over to the GROWING section of the Journal. There you will find all the information you need – from the basics of seed starting and caring for your seedlings, up to flowering and much more.

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We sincerely hope you will take advantage of this upcoming cooler season and give your garden the love it deserves. We promise you, the reward will not disappoint!

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Happy growing!

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