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Summer
BLOOMS
BY MARy y SEBASTIAN
Bored of seeing barren backyards this summer? ABODE tells you what to plant to recreate the perfect backyard that’s fun, cool and colourful to look at – and all this the easy way! Come summer and the backyard garden is a mirror image of shrivel and waste! So, we leave it to wither till autumn sets in and the temperatures are cooler. After all, at 50 degrees, why bother with all the hard work if the flora is just going to fry and die! Well, that is not true. There is so much you can plant during summer, and with much less the effort. Yes, even at 50 degrees, there are blooms that would blow your socks off. And these have a timeless
Gomphrena globosa
appeal. Undemanding by their very nature of growth, all they will require from you is a little bit water, some fertilizer and soil, and lots of love, every now and then. So we at ABODE decided to do a little snooping around to see what you could grow in your backyard that was low maintenance, yet pretty at the same time. And we found lots to share:
The Bachelor Button is a very rugged looking and therefore an easy plant to look after. With very low maintenance, this bushy plant is excellent to grow on garden beds and comes in shades of white, orange, magenta, purple, violet, rose and pink, and has a prolonged cut life. Which is why it would make a great table decoration piece this summer!
42 ABODE AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2011
Celosia plumosa
With plumes resembling that of an ostrich, this one comes in a variety of striking colours like yellow, red, orange and even silver. The blooms have a velvety feel, and retain their colour throughout the extreme weather. They thrive well as a potted plant, but even as a border plant they bring that extra zing to the backyard.
Kochia trichophylla
An excellent foliage plant, they grow symmetrically, almost round and can grow up to 90 cm tall. Starting off as a green shrub, they slowly turn bright red as they mature, almost like a burning bush, and look striking if they are planted as a hedge or along paths. You can also plant them in pots (mind you, it’s one pot per plant!) and even use them as ornamental figurines around your garden.