Don’t forget…. next month is our ANNUAL SALE, more news coming.  We  have had a busy month of harvesting potatoes, beans, peas, carrots raspberries, black currents etc.  There is the usual story with the courgettes/zuchinni, if you miss one on the plant, it rapidly grows into a marrow.  Here is a yummy recipe using courgettes, for you to enjoy.

Stir Fried Courgettes with Feta

• 2 large onions cut into wedges
• 6 – 8 small courgettes cut into strips
• 2 red capsicum de seeded and cut into strips lengthways
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• 175gm Feta Cheese, cubed
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Basil

Instructions:

• Stir fry onions for 2 minutes in olive oil, add courgettes and capsicum until just tender.  Remove from pan into warmed serving dish, add remaining ingredients, mix together and serve.

Edible Garden

• Dig up/dry out and bag up potatoes (store in a dark place), garlic and onions
• February is the perfect time for sowing winter vegetables – beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, leeks, cabbages, cauli, silverbeet plus winter lettuce
• Prepare gardens for winter planting, dig in compost/pea straw
• With the season being later than usual, you may just be starting to harvest your tomatoes, remove diseased fruit
• Harvest apples, pears, plums and peaches.
  
• Maintain a regular fruit tree spray programme
• Apply citrus fertiliser to Lemons, Grapefruit, Mandarins and water in
• Remove water shoots from grape vines and protect fruit from birds

Flower Garden

• Keep dead heading flowers/roses to keep them looking their best
• Cut down/back perennials

Lawns

• Be on the look out for grass grub problems deal to with Soil Insect Killer or Diazanon for treatment/prevention of grass grubs
• Fertilise lawns to keep green – ‘Osmocote Lawn Builder’
• Lawn weed problems?  Apply Turfix for flat weeds

Trees/shrubs

• Fertilise camellias, rhodos, azaleas, Daphne, buxus hedging to encourage good root growth
• Prune stone fruit trees once fruit is harvested and seal cuts with Bacseal Pruning Paint
• Any potted plants – indoor/outdoor fertilise for autumn flush of growth
• Trim hedges/topiary to allow new growth to harden off before winter – Wait for an overcast day or prune early or late in the day
• Now is the time to prune Pittosporum, Wisteria, smoke bushes (Cotinus family) or Maples Tip – Never prune these in winter.

Roses

• Mildew or insect problems?  Spray with ‘No Fungus Super Sulpher’

ABELIA grand. Hardy evergreen (evg) spreading shrub. Plant 300 – 400mm

Dwarf white Small white flowers in summer.

BAY Plant 500 – 700mm

BUXUS

Sempervirens Traditional box hedge Plant 150 – 200mm

Suffruticosa Slower growing dwarf form Plant 100 – 150mm

CYPRESS LEYLANDII Plant 1 – 1.2 metres

ESCALLONIA Fast growing evg hedge, flower spring/autumn. Will stand dry cond.

Apple blossom Flowers are apple blossom pink. Medium Plant 300 – 400mm

Fielders White Flowers pink in bud opens to white. Large Plant 400mm

Field Scarlet Bright red flowers. Small. Plant 250 – 300mm

EUONYMOUS

‘Emerald Green’ Plant 150 – 200mm

LAVENDER

‘Pukehoe’ and ‘Hidcote’ Plant 250 – 300mm

Dwarf English Plant 150 – 200mm

LONICERA Honeysuckle box

nitida V. fast growing. Suitable for low hedges. Plant 200 – 300mm

PHLBELIUM Satin Wood

squameum Fast growing erect tree. Plant in well drained soil in sun or partial shade Plant 1 metre

PHOTINIA Evg with red young leaves. Likes well

Red robin drained moisture retentive soil. Sun or partial shade. Plant 800mm – 1m

TEUCRIUM Fast growing and likes sunny free draining. fruticans Grey-green leaves with silvery white stems.

Small pale blue flowers. Plant 250 – 300mm

• Instant lawn must not dry out before it is well rooted in.
• Apply sufficient water at night or early morning to last through the heat of the day.
• Avoid watering in hot sunlight.
• Avoid having water lying on the surface in hot sunlight (it can literally cook grass).
• Watch ‘Hot Spots’ areas – eg areas getting reflected heat from walls etc., areas of poor air movement.
• Sandy or pumice soils demand special care.

After all this don’t be put off – it’s only common sense and what you probably would have done this anyway.

But remember: Newly laid instant lawn needs DAILY attention in hot dry conditions so please don’t disappear for your summer holidays when it has just been laid and expect it to be green and healthy when you get back!

Mowing

Incorrect mowing can cause problems with newly laid turf. Some hints for you:

• Don’t mow for one week – But mow in the second week
• Set mower up (say 2 notches) so that only top third of grass length is cut off
• Mow high for the first 2-3 mows then reduce gradually to your normal mowing height over the next 2-3 mows.
• After 3 or 4 mows occasionally rake lawn before mowing in order to lift any coarse horizontal stems which would then be mown off.

Fertilising

Fertilise lawn 10 – 12 weeks after turf has been laid. Apply at 20 gms per sqm of lawn fertiliser.

We recommend using Evergreen Landscapes Ltd to spread the fertiliser if you are unsure as the lawn can be easily ‘burnt’ by the fertiliser if applied incorrectly.

The perfect lawn requires thorough preparation and attention to maintenance.

To get your lawn in tip top shape, try these tips:

Step 1: Prepare the area

Using an application of herbicide (see pack for application details), remove all existing grass and other growth and debris from the area and dispose of appropriately.

Now is the time to ensure your lawn area is levelled to your requirements and adequate drainage is in place.

Using your Garden Fork, work through the soil to a depth of around 10cm to create a fine bed, adding topsoil where necessary to improve the soil’s quality. Apply fertilizer to the area and leave the bed to compact and settle.

Step 2: Sow seed

There are many varieties of lawn seeds on the market – choose one that will give you the right look you are after and suit the level of effort you are prepared to put into maintenance and the durability you require for your lawn’s purposes.

Before sowing, rake the surface of the soil and remove any left over growth or debris. Sow seeds as per packet instructions and rake lightly to combine seeds with soil. Roll lightly over the soil to compact and ensure successful germination. After sowing is complete, water the area well.

Step 3: Seed care

Keep the area moist by watering every evening. Keep people, cars and heavy objects off the lawn.

Step 4: The first cut

Once the lawn is approximately 3 cm high, it is ready for the first mow. Cut lawn to 2cm in height. After mowing, apply a second dose of fertilizer to the area, and water that evening.

Step 5: Maintenance

Reduce lawn watering to one evening per week. Continue to cut the lawn as required to a height of 2cm. Apply future doses of fertilizer once per month.

Restrain from using weed killer until the lawn is well established (approx 6 months).

Shopping List:

• Herbicide (such as Round Up)
• Garden Fork
• Garden Spade
• Wheelbarrow
• Disposal Area
• Fertilizer
• Grass Seed
• Garden Hose
• Roller

See http://www.canterburyhomeshow.co.nz/seminars.htm for more info…