The Star: April 13, 2017

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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
z The Star Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi Thursday April 13 2017 33 GARDENING ADVICE with $80 PRIZE PACK! Nothing makes the neighbours green with envy, or the kids happier than a well-maintained, lush, green lawn. Autumn is the best time to sow a new lawn or tackle any lawn problems. Over sow any bare or brown patches in the lawn with Daltons Premium 4-in-1 Lawn Patching Gold, which has everything in one bag and is super easy to use. Feed lawns with Daltons Premium Lawn Fertiliser until late April. A Q When is the best time to cut down or cut back perennials for winter? Today’s winning question came from Barry. Congratulations! Most perennials are usually cut back in late April/early May when the top growth has died down. It is also an ideal time to lift and divide your perennials where overcrowding has occurred. Not all perennials die down in autumn; for instance with evergreen perennials, some pruning is required to remove old growth that has produced the previous season’s fl owers. Doing this will enable the plant to produce healthy new shoots in spring that will carry the fl owers for that season. There are a wide selection of fl owering perennials available in garden centres from April/May. Some varieties you can try are; Alstroemeria, Asters, Astilbe, Cannas, Iris, Nemesia, Pansies, Phlox, Polyanthus, Primulas and Snapdragons. Start planting your winter prennials now. Prepare the soil fi rst by adding plenty of fresh Daltons Compost along with Daltons Premium Flower Bed Mix, and thoroughly work it into the existing soil. Most perennials prefer a sunny well drained site, however there are some that thrive in diffi cult shady or semishady spots in your garden, for example Hellebores or Hostas. For more advice and varieties to grow, read the How to Grow Garden Colour guide at www.daltons.co.nz/how-to-guides BE IN TO WIN! Send us your gardening question to be in to win! We have a Daltons Premium Lawn Care Pack to giveaway. Everything you need to care for your lawn! Each pack is valued at over $80 and contains: Daltons Premium Lawn Fertiliser Daltons Lawn Patching Gold Daltons Premium Lawn Soil PLUS a pair of comfortable, versatile Red Back gardening gloves from Omni Products (www.omniproducts.co.nz) Email your question and glove size to: chchstar@daltons.co.nz Entries must be received by 19 th April 2017 Time to get your garden growing with Bettaplants Easter Week Specials Gaillardia Mesa Perennial. Early flowering and well branched plants. Great drought tolerant plant once established at 35cm, available in separate colours of Peach, Red & Yellow. Strawberry Plant Albion Tasty sweet berry. Pointed shape, fruits all Summer. Single potted plants. $2.50, 6 for $12 1934-2017 Pansy Jolly Joker Spectacular bi-colour orange & purple OPEN Saturday & Monday 8am to 5pm Bettaplants 83 YEARS IN BUSINESS Viola Violet Beacon Ornamental Kale A flowering cabbage of small size leaves are slightly waved and form a tight central core and open more towards the outer perimeter. Height 30cm. Packs of 10 $4.70 Packs of 10 $4.70 Want to pick Strawberries early? Plant early. Boxes of 40 $9.99 Viola Maggie Mott Genuine cutting grown, Perennial Viola. Lavender Blue and they last in your garden for years. WINTER VEGETABLE PLANTS AVAILABLE Including Cabbage Wong Bok & Joi Choi Pak Choi Packs of 6 $3.60 or 60c each Packs of 8 $5.50 27 Ottawa Road Phone: 389-7855 Hours: 8.00am-5.30pm Mon to Fri 8.00am-5.00pm Sat Mushroom Compost $9 .95 per scoop Forest Floor $9 .95 per scoop Offcuts $39 .95 per cubic metre Parkhouse Bark $26 .80 per scoop Landscape Lane (off Lunns Rd) P. 348 2915 OPEN 7 DAYS Remember... we are NOT in Parkhouse Road NO GREEN WASTE IN ANY OF OUR COMPOST
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The Star: April 13, 2017

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