WE KNOW WHAT'S GROWING ON!!

Welcome to the first newsletter for 2005.

We’ve had a lovely break over the Christmas period, spending time with family and friends and of course doing lots of work in the garden. Now we’re back on board ready for a busy, exciting year ahead and are looking forward to seeing you at the Garden Centre!

Remember, we’re here to help, so if you need ideas about what to do in your garden, or if you are having problems with soil or plants, just ask, we’re only too happy to be of assistance.

In this newsletter, we give you some ideas about the best fruit trees to be planting, including recommendations for apple trees. We've also got some tips for growing blueberries, which are very high in vitamins C and A, so are a delicious and easy way to make sure you are getting a good intake of these vitamins. Blueberries also have so many uses in the kitchen including desserts, muffins, on top of your morning breakfast cereal and in smoothies, to name just a few!

As garden enthusiasts you will all be aware that work in the garden never stops. There’s always something to do, weeding, spraying, pruning, planting and of course planning. A garden grows slowly and takes shape over time, so thinking about how you want your garden to look throughout the year means you need to plan ahead.

In this issue we look at ideas for planning and planting a vibrant, colourful autumn garden.

In this edition:

WHAT'S GROWING ON...

Silly gardener! Summer goes,
And winter comes with pinching toes,
When in the garden bare and brown
You must lay your barrow down.
Robert Louis Stevenson
The Gardener

What R L Stevenson obviously did not know, is that autumn is in fact our best season locally.

Weather in Wellington is generally settled, mild and (dare we prophesy); warm. After the rush of Christmas and with a relaxing holiday just gone we find people focus more on the home and its surroundings. It can be very pleasant to sit outdoors watching the rich glowing colours of autumn develop; fiery reds cool off into warm embers and sunny yellows are replaced by mellow golds.

Neither of us are fans of that instant makeover style of gardening - we prefer to advise and plan for a longer time frame, allowing for plants to establish and grow into their site before reaching their true potential. This article offers some suggestions for planting the garden out now to enjoy autumn, additions that enhance and intensify the autumn colours.

Elements that contribute to a good autumn display include tall colourful perennial flowers, the changing leaves of exotic trees, and the interesting seed-heads of native and exotic grasses and the spent flowers of summer.

Here are our own ‘must haves’ (plants that we would always have in our own gardens) for autumn:

Alstromeria ‘Red Baron’ - a fantastic flower over the long months of spring, summer and autumn, rich red tones with a yellow eye. A great picking flower as well.

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegata’ – a stunning ornamental grass that continues its strong silhouette through autumn and winter! Vibrant ‘zebra stripes’ down its stems provide for wonderful colour interest, not to mention the dramatic flowing form giving structure to the autumn garden.

Hemerocallis ‘Scarlet Orbit’ and ‘Moroccan Summer’ – the day lily family just loves this hot weather and plants will produce blooms for months in the heat. ‘Scarlet Orbit’ is a huge velvety bloom of deep scarlet red and ‘Moroccan Summer’ is a warm gold.

Beautiful autumn leaf tones will start to become evident over the next few months – we always carry a great selection of maples, flowering cherries and other interesting trees, shrubs and climbers that colour well. We love this tree:

Pyrus calleryana - the ‘Callery Pear’, an ornamental pear tree with big glossy green leaves and pure white blossom in spring. This tree is wind hardy, ideal for trimming if space is limited and has warm reddish tints in autumn.

Our favourite climber that covers unsightly walls and fences:

Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Vetchii’ - ‘Virginia Creeper’ to us! Big shiny leaves turn brilliant red this season. This climber is quick-growing, self-clinging and relatively low maintenance.

Take a look at our selection for your autumn garden!

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TIME FOR FRUITING TREES AND BERRIES

There is a great range of fruit trees suitable to grow here. Take a look at our apple, pear and nashi trees to name a few. And the fig, mulberry and persimmon trees have attractive big leaves for use as a landscape specimen. For more exposed sites olives and plums can cope with some wind.

We begin to order our fruit tree collection now, so if there is a particular request you have do please phone or email us and we will see that it is placed on order for you. Last year we sourced medlars, mulberries and a beautiful quince variety, ‘Giant of Gascony’, among others, for clients.

Apples in particular are now being bred to withstand black spot and other diseases and we recommend ‘Initial’, ‘Priscilla’ and ‘Maclear’ for the home garden.
Don’t forget: The Bolero series of column apples are great for pot specimens – we already have some with fruit so come and have a look!!

Grow your own BLUEBERRIES!
These are surely the easiest berry to grow in Wellington. Attractive blue-grey foliage makes this plant a lovely addition to any garden. Berries are produced from now on until autumn, when seasonal colour comes to the leaves. Remember to select at least 2 differing varieties for pollination and add a little Burnet’s Gold Fruit & Flower slow release fertiliser at planting (if there’s only room for one plant choose Blueberry ‘Muffin’ which is a self-fertile plant).

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HOT SHOPPING LIST

Wolf Tools
We are delighted to be your local stockist of this strong and practical European manufactured tool range! Wolf Tools have an ingenious system of handles of varying lengths which lock into all kinds of tools. You can purchase a new tool at any time and it will fit your existing Wolf handle perfectly!

We are particularly enjoying the really comfortable grip on their secateurs and we have put the weeding knife to a great deal of use in her garden.

Come in and see the range and pick up one of their really informative brochures.

Eco-Wool Mats
We are sure these will be one of this year’s most popular garden ‘musts’. When you plant a tree or shrub, a good compost and some slow release fertiliser give the plant a good start. As well, eco-wool mats make a great addition post planting for the following reasons:

- Water Retention: just watering the plant deeply and laying a mat over the soil around the plant means there will be plenty of moisture under it for the new plant even when surrounding ones dry out!
- Nutritional Value: As a by-product of the wool processing, these mats still contain some natural oils and lanolin that will release to the plant slowly.
- Weed Stop: The mat is too dense for weeds to grow and choke your new plant, giving plenty of room to establish itself.

Eco-wool mats blend into the soil colour and look great right from the start!

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QUESTION CORNER
Thank you for all the interesting questions you sent us (or brought in!) about garden challenges and problems! In the end we selected a couple of frequently asked questions that pop up at this time of the year about lemon trees which could easily apply to other citrus.

Q What is munching on the leaves of my tree and what is the best method of control?
A Over summer and autumn leaves are often chewed around the edges by adult weevils. Control may not be necessary if the plant is well established. However to protect young citrus trees a suitable insecticide should be sprayed. Not all available products will deal with this problem, but you can use Diazanon as a liquid or Baythroid aerosol spray.

It is a good idea to keep the ground beneath your tree clear of weed matter (and grass clippings for that matter) as many weevils feed and shelter in weeds.

Q My lemon tree leaves and fruit have developed corky lesions – what can I use to stop this happening?
A Citrus verrucosis is prevalent in wet, cool weather such as we had in 2004. As the fruit begins to develop a preventative spray such as copper will control it. Yates’ Nature’s Way Fungus Spray would be ideal. Remember: Citrus trees that are regularly fed and watered offer the best resistance against insect damage and fungal diseases.

Till next time...

Anne