Right plant,
right place...
The wonderful summer we are having
reminds us of the gardener's
mantra - “right plant, right
place" and the need to select
plants for your garden not only suitable to
the conditions but also how much time you
may or may not have to tend them.
With current water shortages leading
to sprinkler and irrigation system bans, you'll
need to hand water (for now) treasures that
don't adapt to drier conditions. If you don't
have the time for this and need
to replant any areas, we've got some tips
to help your selection.
For help in managing your garden in these
dry conditions, as well as help with planting
pots, check out our section
on Gardening Tips and do come in and see
the latest range of bulbs
>>.
STARS FOR THE
CURRENT CONDITONS
Silver
Foliage
The real stars in
these conditions are plants with silver foliage
which sparkle in the sun. The white velvety
hairs on their leaves trap moisture, which
helps to reduce evaporation.
For architectural drama in your garden, statuesque
plants like cardoon
(Cynara cardunculus)
with its spiny deeply cut leaves up to 50cm
long, or Astelia banksii
are fantastic. This astelia
is more delicate than the widely grown Astelia
chathamica.
You can create an ethereal look with clumps
of the tall grass Miscanthus
‘Morning Light’ or the
native reed Apodasmia
similis.
Some silver native shrubs such as Brachyglottis
‘Otari Cloud’ and Marlborough
Rock Daisy (Pachystegia insignis’)
will also create a really attractive and interesting
effect.
And, don't forget, many shrubs from the Mediterranean
will also perform well in these conditions.
These include Echium
fastuosum and Cistus
‘Snowmound, both of which we
do of course have available!.
Then there are the tried and true top performers
- Convulvulus cneorum,
Agave attenuta, Teucrium fruticans, lavenders,
sage and santolinas.
Ground
Covers
Ground covers can not only help keep
the weeds at bay but help keep the ground
moist. Use lambs ears (Stachys
lanata), Convulvulus mauritanicus -
the variety ‘Blue Lake’ is especially
worth looking for as its flowers are a more
intense blue - and Cerastium
tomentosum (Snow in Summer).
Aceana caesiglauca,
Leptinella pusilla and Helichrysum
‘Graeme Paterson’ are great
for native lovers.
Pots
All these rather forgiving plants
are also marvellous in pots and lovely effects
are achieved with a variety of these growing
together.
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BEST GARDENING
TIPS AND DEALS
Sadly this
beautiful, but very dry, weather means we
are seeing quite established plants suddenly
dying.
Customers say they have watered
regularly but the question is whether
the water has actually reached the zone it
needs to and therefore whether it has been
effectively applied?
In conditions like those we are currently
experiencing, water needs to soak
well into the root zone. The main
problem is that as the soil gets drier water
tends to run off before it
actually penetrates the soil.
So you really need to make sure the water
does soak in. A really good way to hold the
water and prevent evaporation and run off,
is a good layer of mulch.
We've got another good deal for you with
mulch – three 40 litre bags of Mulchpost
for $24.00.
Mulchpost
is a combination of compost and bark, as we
mentioned in our last newsletter, which helps
protect your garden.
Regular applications of Seasol
Seaweed Concentrate are
hugely beneficial to increase your plants’
tolerance to excessive heat and dry conditions
and to promote deeper, more prolific root
development.
If plants are really stressed, start with
two applications a week apart at 10mls per
litre of water – then fortnightly, gradually
scaling back to the normal rate (25mls per
9 litres of water).
How to plant a container-grown tree of shrub
in dry conditions
- Dig a generous hole about twice the size
of the container the plant is in
- Fill the hole with water and wait for
it to drain away
- Soak the plant in a bucket of water until
the bubbles cease to rise
- Remove the plant from the container
- Put in 1-2 Gro-tabs before placing the
root-ball on top
- Avoid disturbing the roots as much as
possible to reduce stress on the plant
- Place the plant in the hole, stand back
and check its best side is facing the main
viewing point
- Stake and tie any tree or shrub that is
likely to catch the wind – if the
roots rock the plant will not establish
- Mix good quality compost through the soil
you have dug out – half and half
- Fill the hole with the soil mix and firm
well around the plant
- Water the plant with Seasol concentrate
to reduce transplant shock and develop a
strong plant with increased tolerance to
heat and dry
- Mulch well keeping it a hand width away
from the trunk
- Deeply water the root zone every 2 - 3
days
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BULBS HERE SOON!!
Bulbs will be arriving from
early March. It is best to
plant them as soils get cooler in April and
May but many people like to buy them early
to ensure they have a wide choice!
Tulips can be refrigerated
for several months before planting to improve
results. Consider a mass of bluebells
beneath established trees – they are
very tolerant flowers that naturalise well
and require minimum care.
Freesias come from South
Africa so they adapt well to our conditions
flowering year after year with a delightful
perfume.
We'll have both the modern large flowered
variety and the more traditional smaller flowered
ones.
Add ¾ of a cup of bulb food
per square metre when planting making sure
it is well blended into the soil and side
dress with this when the flower stems begin
to show. To keep bulbs for the next year (except
tulips), the most important time to liquid
feed is after flowering until the
leaves die down.
Come and visit our summer sale this weekend.
We are having 20% off all plants and 20% -
50% off trees/shrubs, while our punnets are
only $2.00!!
Well worth it...........it's been a long
hot summer so it's time to give plants a new
home, with you not us!
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Keep a look out for the Garden Centre newsletter
as we have some exciting events coming up
over the next few months ..........more to
come later!!
