LET IT GROW

Summer is here and it's the most wonderful time to be in the garden

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With Christmas just weeks away, even nature seems to be joining in the festivities. In many regions jacarandas are cloaked with masses of purple blooms, while in the subtropics poincianas are ablaze with a canopy of vibrant red-orange flowers.

FLOWERING NOW

Spring may be over but there are plenty of gorgeous blooms to be found, both now and well into the new year.

Flowering in just about every colour of the rainbow, the gorgeous FRANGIPANI adds a divine scent to any garden. Gently pick a few flowers and float them in a bowl with water to perfume your home too. And if you're feeling a little short on colour, CALENDULA and MARIGOLD will add stunning pops of cheerful orange and yellow. CORNFLOWER will bring cooling blues and lobelia creates waves of blue, mauve and whites in pots and hanging baskets. You'll find them, and many more, in the nursery as advanced potted colour for instant impact.

Technically corms (as they grow from thick underground stems rather than bulbs), GLADIOLI are a traditional style plant that's worth rediscovering as they'll magically reappear, year after year, once planted.

Don't panic if you didn't get any in the ground as many nurseries will sell them in pots.

THINGS TO DO

As summer sets in and starts to heat up there are a couple of simple priorities...