With the arrival of autumn, my thoughts turn to flowers. This might not make sense to those who are in cool climates, but here in the subtropics autumn is our peek flowering season. We still have things like the cosmos and galphinias hanging on from summer, but we also have the huge flush of autumn flowering subtropical plants adding colour to the garden right now. Salvia Anthony Parker is a mass of purple, the pink of the rosebud salvia is just starting, the firespikes are starting to flower in red and pink and Chinese rain bells are a mass of pretty pink bells. I’m not going to list everything that is flowering now, because last autumn I counted 117 different things in flower in my garden.
With all of these flowers around I have been pondering the role of flowers (and gardens in general) in mental wellbeing. I have always grown flowers in my front garden particularly, as flowers make people smile, and I want people to smile as they come in. But our gardens and our flowers can do a lot more than just make us smile. They can make passersby smile, and in doing so, make someone else’s day.
I am reminded that back in 2022 in the aftermath of the flooding, a gardener I was sharing recovery tips with told me he had found $200 in his letterbox with a note from a complete stranger begging him to save his rose garden because it made them so happy to drive past it on their way to work each day.
Over the years that I worked in garden maintenance, I would always have people stop and comment if I was working in a garden that had flowers, even if they were just a few cosmos or nasturtiums. The busier the street, the more people stopped. It brought home to me that there simply are not enough flowers in our neighbourhoods, and perhaps if there were more, the general population would be just that bit happier. I’m not suggesting that we could solve the current mental health crisis by planting more flowers, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try! And with that thought I encourage you all to grow flowers that can be seen from the street and give a little joy to both yourself and the world around you!
Some flower growing tips for you include:
Look out for an interesting subtropical shrub that is in flower now to add to your garden. By buying a plant in flower each month you will ensure that your garden has year round flowers.
Now is the time to think about planting sweet peas and nasturtiums here in the subtropics.
With ANZAC day school children are looking for flowers to make posies and wreaths for remembrance. It’s a great time for us to also remember to plant flowers.
If you are growing annual flowers, treat them more like vegetables and give them plenty of compost, remembering that they live fast and die young.
Now is the perfect time to not only put in a few more flowers, but to plan the changes needed in the garden to ensure you have a floral haven all year round. If you are having trouble knowing how to make these changes, never fear, I can help! I have found all the recent garden coaching clients I have been working with are all wanting help to transform their gardens into flower full – low maintenance spaces. Yes, a garden full of flowers can also be low maintenance. Book a garden coaching package with me and I will help you transform your garden as well!
