When it comes to understanding what to plant when gardening, selecting the right seeds is essential for a successful and abundant harvest and can significantly impact your garden's productivity. This planting guide covers everything from flower and herb seeds to vegetables and natives, offering valuable insights on selecting the best seeds for your garden. We will also run through gardening climate zones and how to best navigate our site using the search and filter functions to help you plan and prepare for the upcoming season. We hope you find this garden planting advice helpful.

 

Understanding Your Garden Space

Are you wondering what to plant in a small garden or looking for advice on gardening for a large space? Before selecting seeds, take some time to assess your garden space. This is particularly important for those with limited space, such as small urban gardens or balconies, or larger areas that could need some added considerations.

 

What to Plant in a Small Garden: Creative Spaces

When you have limited gardening space, opting for compact and space-saving varieties of plants is ideal. Consider planting various herbs, cherry tomatoes, cut-and-come-again lettuce and dwarf fruit trees to maximise your small garden's potential. These options save space and offer a delightful range of fresh produce.

You could use ceramic pots in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colours. These provide good insulation for the plant's roots and can be both functional and decorative, or fabric grow bags that are lightweight, affordable, and allow for good aeration of the roots. They are also easily portable and can be folded for storage when not in use.

Using vertical space for gardening in small areas allows you to grow upward or hang plants from baskets, such as cucumbers, gem squash, sweet peas, and hyacinth bean vine. This maximises growing areas, increases productivity, and is a great way to make the most of confined spaces.

 

What Should I Plant in a Large Garden: Endless Options

In large gardens, you have the space to cultivate a wide variety of plants. It's important to consider each plant's sun and shading requirements in large, open gardens. This can be achieved by planting taller varieties, such as corn, sunflowers, and amaranthus, throughout your garden to provide shade for anything more stressed by heat. You can also consider planting living mulch like nasturtium, pumpkin, thyme, or Irish moss. Let them spread out while keeping the ground below cool and damp with minimal evaporation.

Large gardens are also perfect for planting perennials such as dahlias, fennel, asparagus, hollyhock, lupin, angelica Chinese, sorrel and ashwagandha, to name a few. Let them stretch out and spread where they like.

  

Navigating Garden Climate Zones: Four Regions to Consider

New Zealand has diverse gardening climate zones, each with unique characteristics impacting gardening practices. From mountainous areas with temperature fluctuations to subtropical regions with warm temperatures and high humidity, understanding your specific planting zone is crucial for successful gardening. Here's a breakdown:

1. Mountainous Areas: Lowest winter temperatures: -12.2°C to -6.7°C. 

2. Cool Climate Zones: Lowest winter temperatures: -6.7°C to 1.7°C.

3. Temperate Climate Zones: Lowest winter temperatures: 1.7°C to 7.2°C.

4. Subtropical Regions: Lowest winter temperatures: 7.2°C to 12.8°C.

Identifying your planting zone is crucial for successful gardening, as different plants thrive in various zones in NZ. Our previous growing advice post, 'Climate Zones in New Zealand,' can assist you with your planting guide and help you know what plants will thrive in your area.

 

Selecting the Right Seeds: What Should I Plant?

Choosing the right seeds can be overwhelming, especially with the multitude of options available. We've got you covered whether you're interested in vibrant flowers or nutritious vegetables. If you're overwhelmed with thoughts of 'what should I plant', you will love the ease of use our website offers. 

You can search by type of plants, such as vegetables, flowers, herbs, sprouts, microgreens, and more. Filter by times to sow with many options from Early Spring to Late Autumn. Go deeper into the uses of flowers by choosing to see only cut flowers, edible flowers, attract beneficial insects, and more. Or even the location of your plants: Will they be in a border, containers or pots, or maybe you're after a climbing variety? There are all the ways you can use our site to help quickly find what you're after. We have also considered many other ways to select seeds, from Subscriptions to Hardiness to Height and Colour.

Then we have made it even easier with our collections range, which is a selection of our best sellers chosen by experts to ensure your success for your purposes, such as Spring Vege Patch or Autumn Container Vegetables, Fragrant Flowers, Bring on the Bees, and Flowers for Children to name a few.

Flower and Vegetable Varieties: Sun or Shade

When selecting seeds, matching the right plants with the right growing conditions is essential. Whether you have a shady spot or a bright, sunny area, there's a wide variety of flowers and vegetables to choose from that will thrive. Look for vibrant flowers that are perfect for partial shade and hardy vegetables that will flourish in full sun—there's a seed for every corner of your garden.

Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers That Grow in Partial Shade

1. Partial Shade Vegetables:

   - Lettuce

   - Spinach

   - Kale

   - Radishes

   - Broccoli

2. Partial Shade Herbs:

   - Peppermint

   - Parsley

   - Chives

   - Coriander

   - Lemon Balm

3. Partial Shade Flowers:

   - Aquilegia

   - Bells of Ireland

   - Foxgloves

   - Calendula

   - Sweet Williams

 

Vegetables, Flowers and Plants That Grow in Full Sun

1. Full Sun Vegetables:

   - Tomatoes

   - Capsicum

   - Cucumbers

   - Zucchini

   - Corn

2. Full Sun Herbs:

   - Basil

   - Rosemary

   - Thyme

   - Oregano

   - Sage

3. Full Sun Flowers:

   - Marigolds

   - Sunflowers

   - Asters

   - Amaranthus

   - Snap Dragons

 

Incorporating Native Plants

Natives are an excellent choice for planting out your garden. Many are perennials, meaning you can plant them once and enjoy them for years. We have a great selection of natives this season, from kowhai to manuka, plants that grow in full sun to partial shade. Including native plants in your large garden can attract local wildlife and create a more sustainable ecosystem. Consider planting native grasses, wildflowers and bushes to support local biodiversity.

 

Start Selecting The Best Seeds For Your Garden

Engaging in gardening can be incredibly rewarding, especially with the proper knowledge. By understanding your garden space, climate zones and the diverse range of available seeds, you can make informed decisions that will yield a flourishing bountiful garden. With the ultimate seed selection guide at your disposal, you're well-equipped to take your gardening endeavours to new heights.

Head to our website to explore our wide selection of seeds perfect for your garden.

Look out for our upcoming catalogue, which will arrive in your mailbox soon. It's packed with exciting new varieties and trusty favourites to prepare you for the upcoming growing season. 

🌱 Sow ~ Nurture ~ Nourish 🌱