Achillea Summer Pastels

Description

Achillea Summer Pastels is a quick growing variety that will flower the first year when sown early. This plant produces a beautiful mixture of pastel shades including cream, lemon, lilac, pink, salmon and red, flowering July to September. The tiny flowers of Achillea Summer Pastels grow in groups which forms a beautiful flat plate which make for an ideal cut flower because of their vivid colours and neat form. They are an amazing plant to grow if you want to attract pollinators like bees to your garden. It will grow to an approximate height of 60cm so is an ideal choice to add colour to the backs of your borders.

Cultivation Instructions:

Prepare a nursery bed well in advance, ensuring that it is weed free. Choose a time for sowing when the soil does not stick to your shoes but is moist below the surface and fairly dry on top. The soil should be crumbly and even. Rake the surface after a light treading.

Mark out drills in the nursery bed or mark out an area for scattering the seed to rake in afterwards. Rows should be approximately 30cm apart and clearly labelled at the end.

Sow the seed carefully and thinly, aiming to get a seed every 2cm (3/4″) and then gently rake the soil to cover, and firm with the back of the rake. Water gently if the weather is dry for a period, but do not water too often as this will encourage the roots to form just below the surface and you will be watering all summer long to save your plants. Aim to encourage the root to look further down for water, and you will have a more relaxed summer and a finer show of flowers in the long run.

When the plants have formed their first pair of true leaves, thin the plants to 10cm (4″) apart and firm the soil around the bases.

In September or October carefully raise the plants taking a ball of soil with the roots using a trowel and plant them in the flowering site and gently water them in. It is sometimes beneficial to give a little protection from winter winds for the first year

Do not plant if soils are waterlogged.

Care Tips:

Over winter autumn planted seeds in a cold frame and plant out the following spring.

Growing Information:

Height: 60-70 cms

Aspect: Full sun to slight shade.

Soil type: Moist well cultivated soils that are well drained.

Flowers: July-September.

Full growing instructions provided