While it’s very exciting that spring has arrived, it does have other implications for me. Not only is it the start of a great deal of work for me, preparing Driftwood to open the garden gate to the public again on the 1st June, but it is also a monumental birthday for me this year as I celebrate my 70th birthday in April too. But I digress.
Tried and tested plant food
Over the last 12 years I have adopted a religious feeding regime for my plants and garden, to ensure everything always looks its best. These days I use Richard’s Flower Power.
Back in 2016, during a visit to see Driftwood, Richard offered me the chance to try his Flower Power Plant Food. Up until that point, I had been using a very well-known alternative, that, to be honest, I had found very positive.
I began using Flower Power instead and as the saying goes, “I’ve not looked back.” I continued with the same regime I had with the previous product and can honestly say, I have been very impressed.
It’s feeding time in the garden
I tend to begin feeding at the start of April and continue through until late September. As a general rule of thumb, I feed all my flowering plants every 8-10 days and usually keep a note of the date so I can check back. That said, I always feed every single plant, tree and shrub throughout the summer too. The results are guaranteed to impress visitors, and they do, with many amazing comments made in person and on Trip Advisor such as this one by Suzanne in July 2022. “A stunning garden with an eclectic mix of magical ornaments and much-loved mementoes. Everywhere you looked, you discovered an amazing array of beautiful plants, most adapted to the salty sea air conditions, but other non-conformers still blossoming because they were “wanted!”
A little goes a long way
I find Flower Power really easy to use and a little goes a long way as it is super concentrated and goes much further than ordinary plant foods. I just add 5g to 4.5 litres/1 gallon of water and feed with my watering can. OK I hear you say, it must take you ages to do the whole garden by hand if you water everything. In the days when I had over 300 containers in the garden, it could take me 6 hours, starting at the front and working my way right up the garden. The redesign I completed in the autumn of 2021 and 2022 reduced that number to just over 100, so it has become a much more manageable task.
I find watering and feeding can be extremely therapeutic too, especially if you are in the right frame of mind, not only are you giving the plants what they need, it provides the perfect opportunity to inspect and “talk” to your plants and thus, encourage them to blossom.
Why do plants need feeding?
Like any living thing, plants need water and food to survive. In the wild, plants would suck up nutrients from the soil.
Many experts recommend that you feed in spring or summer, during the growing season. Very few plants need feeding through the winter months, even if they are winter-flowering. Plants are able to make their own food by capturing the energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar. But, in order to stay healthy and bear flowers and fruit, they take additional nutrients out of the soil or compost, so it’s important to provide them with supplementary fertiliser. The basic nutrients required by plants are nitrogen (N) for leaf and stem growth, phosphorus (P) for root growth and potassium (K) for flowers, fruit and to maintain healthy growth.
A potted plant will, of course, need more food than a plant that is planted in the soil, as the potted plant would be dependent on the nutrients that you provide. It is very important to make sure you check the manufacturer’s guidelines to using the fertiliser and ensure you do not overfeed your plants. It is always useful to create a gardening calendar to include the feeding of your plants, as well as other seasonal chores for your garden. I always find they are useful to look back on each year.
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