February Garden Tips

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 Read more

Garden Tips December/January

Mulch and Water – This is probably the most important activitiesfor your garden during the hot summer months with high temperatures and NW winds.

WEB SPECIAL: 1/2 Wine Barrels only $59.00 ea – Why not fill one with a living gift for Christmas – Remember to mention this to get the special..

Edible Garden

• For those who protected their potatoes and other vegetables from the late frosts – start digging up and eating (once flowers start to die off on the potatoes)
• Keep planting lettuce, spring onions and radish
• Pick beans every 2 – 3 days, keep watered
• Once your pumpkin (or melon) vine have 2 – 3 fruit, nip the ends so the growing energy goes into the fruit
• Tomatoes and corn will be ready late January in a good season or warm site
• Strawberries, raspberries and cherries are ripening so cover with bird netting to protect.  If you are making jam to get the BEST results use the freshest berries and do in small batches (1 -2kg)
• Sow sprouting broccoli and cauliflower etc. mid December for planting out in late January – Beware grey aphid and white butterfly
• Stop harvesting asparagus in mid December to allow for root reserves for next season – support with stakes and twine

Prepare Garden For Christmas

• Give flowers from your garden to friends and family
• Enjoy the fruit of your labour on Christmas day – Potatoes, peas (sown mid September), beans, lettuce, carrots, spring onions.
• Enjoy the raspberries, strawberries, black currents for desserts and juice or make jam to give as a gift
• Christmas Gift Ideas for the keen gardener: Pruners, sprinklers, trowel, weeder, stainless steel spade or fork

Irrigation

• Watering systems should be installed to conserve water
• Trickle irrigation is the most economical
• Time clocks will avoid over watering
• If you have automatic irrigation set for early morning e.g. 5am or late evening e.g. after 9pm

Holiday Care for your Garden

• If going on holiday give the garden a good soak before you take off, or make sure the irrigation system is working well and not leaking, or have sprinklers on a timer system and ask neighbours to turn the timer around  if summer is particularly dry
• Mulch is great for keeping the moisture in
• Place potted plants in  cool shade behind the house
• A good idea to have lawns mown by family/neighbours – makes the property look lived in.
• If you have a full vegetable/fruit garden, invite friends etc to enjoy rather than waste

Trees/shrubs

• Ensure any newly planted trees/shrubs have sufficient water to help get them established
• Fruit trees need to be sprayed with Bravo to prevent fungal infections

Lawns

• Water just enough to keep green, browntop and fescue are fairly drought resistant and survive even if browned off
• Do not cut lawns too short to keep them from drying out too quickly and keeps the roots cooler

Roses

• Prune to 5 leaf after flowering, watering will encourage flowering
• Water early in the morning is better for the plant
• Fertilise roses with Evergreen Rose Fertiliser to encourage new growth for  second flowering

Flowers

• Plant your summer annuals now and enjoy the bright colours this brings to your garden
• Dead head/cut down and fertilise to encourage more flowering
• Provide support for Dahlias and Christmas lilies
• Lavender:  After flowering, cut back about 1/3, but make sure not to cut back to hard mature wood with no re growth potential.

Garden Tips October

Fruit Trees

Do you have yours in yet?

Spring is the perfect time for getting your orchard established.

Come and check out our wide range of varieties from apples to walnuts to pears to cherries to citrus plus more.  Note: Some varieties require two varieties for pollination so just ask our educated staff.

Once planted don’t forget to feed now and water over the summer period to encourage large juicy fruit.

Edible Garden

• Lettuce plants – sow/plant every 4 – 6 weeks using a selection of lettuce varieties to add colour to the salad bowl
• Plant new seasons tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes outside after Labour weekend  – Protect from any late frosts
• Sowing beans, runner beans, carrots and corn can be undertaken in late October/beginning of November (When soil temperature warms up)
• Plant new strawberries – cover with wire mesh /bird netting to prevent birds having a feed – Fertilise
• Harvest asparagus – check daily
• Sow fresh herbs now for the summer bar-b-ques and salads
• Eat green peas sown in mid May and Rocket potatoes sown in late Aug/early Sept – Yummy
• Now is the best time to plant fruit trees, so increase your orchard with more varieties.  The spring rains help to establish them

Garden Tips

• Cover new potatoes from any late frosts – e.g. using pea straw or frost cloth
• Use slug pellets for vegetable garden and around hostas
• Spray black spot and fungal diseases in fruit trees and roses
• If you don’t like chemical spray use plant the following fruit trees that don’t require sprays: Blackboy Peach, Cherry, Apricot and Old World Apple trees like Peasgood nonsuch.  (These require very little attention.)

Trees/shrubs

• Best time for planting trees and shrubs this should be done before summer hot temperatures
• Flowering foliage out now looking good for purchase now are Deciduous magnolias, Daphne, flowering cherry trees, Camellia and Rhododendrons
• Viburnum burkwoodii has a lovely scent, is hardy and well worth planting
• Late November latest time for planting out shrubs and new trees unless on a good watering system.
• Prune buxus hedges, topiary etc at the end of November when growth is mature –  Tip: Do this on a dull day to avoid sunburn

Lawns

• Fertilise lawns and spray for flat weeds (Onehunga weed) – Improved Turfix If only a few plants cut out with sharp knife
• Any bare patches due to grass grubs should be top dressed and re-seeded

Roses

• Topdress with Blood and Bone and Rose Fertiliser
• Keep an eye out for aphids– Soapy water over leaves will suppress aphids or squirt with high pressure hose or apply Super Shield

Flowers

• Planting summer annuals – Soak the pack in water before planting. Water immediately after planting, water every 3 – 4 days until well established
• Perennial planting – e.g. lavenders can be planted now…. Try Blue Mountain variety as this is hardy to frosts and flowers longer.
• Stake Delphiniums, Christmas lilies etc

Garden Tips – September

Time to plant your Edibles….. Apples, Pears, Lemons, Strawberries, Potatoes, Asparagus, Blueberries, Garlic and so the list could go on.  Come and have a look at the wide variety of producing plants/seeds we Read more

Garden Tips for AUGUST

POTATOES ARE IN – Get yours now!

Come in to choose your potatoes from our wide selection.  Mention our ‘WEB SPECIAL’ and Read more

Great Value Recipe – So Easy and So Tasty

Harvesting is always such a pleasure to do.  We are featuring tomatoes this month with a                                 yummy hassle free recipe

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Great value Recipe So easy and Read more