Blooming winter bounty

Winter annuals offer a vibrant burst of colour to gardens, with popular blooms like antirrhinum, cyclamen, marigolds, pansies, petunias, phlox, sweet alyssum, verbena and many more. These flowers come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, textures and hues, providing endless options for gardeners, whether planted in flowerbeds, pots or hanging baskets.

Time to begin planting for winter is generally from late October to early November. However, if you’ve missed the initial window for preparing your winter flowering garden, don’t worry, there’s still time to get things underway!

You’re not too late, as in a few days select your plants, prepare the soil, and plan your garden layout.

Since the time for sowing seeds has passed, you will now need to rely on healthy saplings from a reputed nursery.

Before planting, carefully assess your garden’s size and layout. Consider factors like sunlight and accessibility.

Layering techniques

To create a visually striking and harmonious garden, combine complementary flower colours with layering techniques. By pairing vibrant hues and arranging plants at varying heights, you can craft a dynamic, well-balanced layout that draws the eye and adds depth to the space. This combination of colour and structure not only enhances the overall aesthetics of your garden, but also creates a more engaging and visually appealing landscape.

A three-tier layering design works beautifully with tall winter annuals like antirrhinum, cornflower, hollyhock, larkspur, and lupin in the back.

The middle layer features medium-sized plants like calendula, marigold and sweet sultan, while the front showcases low-growing flowers like dianthus, nasturtium, pansy and sweet alyssum.

Growing medium

Soil composition plays a crucial role in nurturing healthy plants and promoting abundant flowering.

Planting saplings

• To plant saplings bought from a nursery in a 9-12-inch pot, start by filling the pot with soil mix.
• Next, dig 3-4 holes within the pot. Gently remove each sapling from its nursery pot and place the sapling in each prepared hole, ensuring the root ball sits at the correct depth. Add more soil around the roots if needed.
• Water thoroughly and place the pot in a shaded, well-ventilated area for about a week.
• Then, gradually move the pot to a sunnier spot. For both Cineraria and Geranium, plant one sapling in each pot to ensure ample space for growth and development.

Characteristically the growing medium should be:

• Porous and well-draining to prevent waterlogging.
• Rich in nutrients to support robust growth.
• Capable of retaining water, nutrients, and air, ensuring roots have access to essential resources without becoming waterlogged.

Growing medium recipe for this region

• One part coarse river sand — Provides good drainage and prevents waterlogging.
• One part garden loam — Offers a balanced structure.
• One part vermicompost or well-rotted manure — Nourishes plants with essential nutrients and improves soil fertility.
• One part leaf mould — Improves soil structure, water retention and aeration.
• One part coco peat — enhances aeration and soil structure allowing plant roots to spread and grow effectively.
• Ten mugs (mug of top diameter 5'', bottom diameter 4'' and height 5'') contain approximately one cubic foot of soil mix.

To one cubic foot of this soil mix add:

• One tablespoon NPK (acronym for nitrogen, phosphorus potassium)
• Two tablespoons Bone meal
• Three tablespoons Neem khali
• One tablespoon antifungal powder like Bavistin

Fertilisation

• After every 10 days drench the soil mix with a solution of one gram of NPK to a litre of water.
• Once the plants pick up growth drench the soil mix with a solution of 2 grams of micronutrients to a litre

  of water.

• When buds emerge, drench the soil mix with a solution 1 gram of potassium per litre of water. Repeat every 10 days. Potassium supports the energy needs of developing buds and enhances the quality of the flowers, promoting stronger, healthier blooms.

Deadheading

• During flowering, regularly remove spent and faded flowers to encourage new blooms and maintain the plant’s health and vitality. This helps
• The plants to look better.
• The garden to look tidy and presentable, as spent blooms litter the area around.
• Restrict the plant from continuing to send vital nutrients to the spent blooms.

  The writer is President of the National Cactus & Succulent Society of India