The Star: April 13, 2017

32 Thursday April 13 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
The Star
Gardening
Cold weather citrus jewel
$7.90 incl. GST
Give fine-leafed plants a trim visit pukeahu national war memorial park upcycle an old wheelbarrow
growing with you
following the fantail
Learn more about this
bright little bird
for the love of wild
flowers
geoff & Liz Brunsden’s
quest to spread colour
all over the country
Humble
bumblebees
How to encourage more of these
hard-working pollinators into
your garden
Autumn crops
the edibles that deserve
your growing attention
compAnion plAnts
for fruit trees
+ planting advice for
cherries & tamari los
April 2017 | 100%
Real-life gardeners
Elaine Schreiber of Bushview
Gardens, New Plymouth
+ Vicky Barrett of the Dig
It! Royal Oak Organic
Garden, Auckland
off to mArket
setting up your own
plant or produce sta l
For more gardening
inspiration,
pick up the latest
issue of
kiwigardener
GRAPEFRUIT is one of
winter’s colourful citrus
jewels. Packed with
antioxidants just when we
need them, the grapefruit
is a popular fruit tree to
have in the home garden.
The fruit may be an
acquired taste as it can be
rather sour, but there are
a few tricks to draw out
its sweetness.
In the United States,
where grapefruit are a
breakfast staple, they are
much sweeter because
of the way they are
grown. Most commercial
grapefruit orchards are
in the hot states, such as
Florida, where they are
grown with irrigation. In
spite of this, grapefruit
are one of the most coldtolerant
citrus fruits and
will withstand some frost.
When selecting the
place to plant your tree,
find the hottest part of
your property, ideally
with a masonry wall
to release heat to help
sweeten the fruit.
To get the most
sweetness and ripeness
from the fruit, leave it
on the tree for a long
time – it can take up to 14
months to ripen properly.
The variety you choose
is also important.
Wheeny grapefruit takes
a long time to produce
fruit – this variety
tends to produce fruit
biennially.
Citrus needs full sun
and ample moisture, but
reasonable drainage. It
needs a spot with good
airflow but not windy,
and it doesn’t like to be
too crowded.
Golden special is always
productive and the
fruit not too sour. This
grapefruit is a breakfast
staple, sweetened with a
little honey or a sprinkle
of raw sugar.
Citrus care
Citrus are surface
rooters so they don’t
do well with grass
growing around them,
particularly when they
are young. It is much
better to lightly skim the
grass from the surface
without disturbing
the roots of the tree,
removing the competition
to beyond the “drip line”
if you can.
Give your flower bed
some life when it is cold
• By Henri Ham
IT’S EASY to think that
impending winter means
no more colour in the
garden.
But it doesn’t need to be
this way. There are plenty
of annuals which love
cooler, shadier conditions
and will provide the colour
your garden misses over
winter.
Cineraria is one such
plant and produces striking
blue, white, red and
purplish blooms. Primula,
polyanthus, pansies, antirrhinums
(otherwise known
as snapdragons) and wallflowers
are other examples
of brightly coloured annuals
that don’t mind a little
cold weather. These ones
come in a range of colours
like pink, blue, yellow,
white and more.
Once you’ve got your
seedlings you need to find
a shady, damp spot to grow
them in. Cineraria doesn’t
like frost, so under a tree
is usually a good place to
plant.
They like similar growing
conditions to impatiens.
So if you planted
these with us in November,
simply take them out, dig
over the soil and plant your
cineraria in the same spot.
Once planted, keep an
eye out for caterpillars –
VIBRANT: Cineraria
likes cool conditions.
simply pick them off, or
spray with an insecticide.
And watch out for slugs.
Lastly, be careful not to
over water. Because you
will have planted in the
shade and the weather
is cooler as we head into
winter, they won’t need
as much water as plants
growing in full sun.
Then sit back and wait
for your arrival of colour in
around six to eight weeks –
depending on the warmth
of your soil at the time of
planting.
AUTUMN
GARDEN SHOW
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
29 & 30 APRIL
10AM-5PM
Ouruhia
‘The greatest little nursery in town’
www.ouruhianursery.co.nz
SPECIALIST LANDSCAPE NURSERY
BIG
EASTER SALE
• Fruit Trees from $25
• At least 20% off
everything!
HUGE NATIVE SELECTION
On site garden design
Cnr Marshland & Turners Road
8.30-5pm • 7 DAYS • Ph 323 8588
Eftpos, credit cards and most
garden gift vouchers welcome
CELEBRATING AUTUMN
Vibrant flowers & plants from alpines to bonsai
Free
Entry
naTiVe planT
nursery
Trees for CanTerbury
speCialisTs in
• Groundcovers
• Ferns
• Grasses
• Small to big
sized shrubs
• Shelterbelts
• ALL grades
• Expert advice
• Planting now
Ask us about Super
Gold Card discounts
Helping our community grow
42 Charlesworth Street
Ph/Fax (03) 982-1028
OPEN 7 DAYS
www.treesforcanterbury.org.nz
Deal direct with grower and
save 30%-50%
off normal retail prices
Open 7 days
Natives
Exotics
Hedging
Landscape
& Japanese
Maples
- Gift vouchers
available
1029 Tram Road, Ohoka | Est 1974 | No eftpos
www.goughsnurseries.co.nz
Use your outdoor living areas
all year round
• Warm & dry in winter
• UV protection for summer
• Stylish & permanent
• 5 year warranty
“AS SEEN ON TV”
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Visitor Centre & Marquee
Plant & produce for sale,
horticulture discussion, free entry
jointly presented by
Canterbury Horticultural Society
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Grant Stewart
Chris Thorndycroft
Phone 0508 272 446 | www.archgola.co.nz
15 months
INTEREST FREE
Normal lending criteria apply