Low maintenance evergreen gardens make sense in a busy world. Ever decreasing section sizes and diminishing time for gardening have fed the drive for ‘low maintenance’ plants that look the same all year round. But it’s a shame to turn our backs on the things that make us feel great – colour, fragrance, variety, and […]
New season tomato plants are now becoming available from your garden centre and now is a good time to start off an early tomato plant or two. The best advise is to plant out, or pot up, a couple of tomato plants every month for the next six or seven months. By doing this you […]
Russell Fransham Subtropicals Say that in public and wait for the pursed lips, the little gasp of disapproval and the muted rumble of pearls being clutched all across the land. DOC and MAF have done their job well. But wait. Not all gingers are weeds. Many of them are quite benign in our gardens and […]
Weather-wise, there’s no doubt it is winter. But take a stroll in some gardens, you could be forgiven for thinking it was spring. In a garden that’s planted with winter colour in mind, these cold wet months are far from dull. If your winter outlook needs brightening, then a strategically placed flowering shrub or tree […]
It’s time to plant new and maintain existing roses in your garden. Featured Rose Gallery [slideshow=3] Selected Roses available exclusively from Roache’s Nursery – Roach’s Rose List & Order Form Sunset Glow – Floribunda One of the brightest orange roses ever. Brilliant vermillion orange blooms with strong healthy disease resistant growth. Sunset Glow is quick […]
With autumn’s vibrant hues still in mind, winter is planting time for deciduous trees. Apart from the temporary nuisance factor that the autumn leaf drop can be (just think of all the good that composted leaf litter will do for your soil), deciduous trees are enormously useful things to have in your garden. They provide […]
It’s hard to feel inspired about roses in the dead of winter, but June is the best month to go shopping (and get planting) if you want to grow the world’s most romantic blooms in your own garden. The dilemma most of us have with roses is that the most desirable of blooms are borne […]
It might seem ridiculous to be thinking about Christmas already, but if you want the freshest, juiciest homegrown strawberries this coming festive season, it’s time to start planning. Awapuni gardening guru, Tod Palenski, says in most parts of the country you can start planting strawberries from June, but if you’re in the cooler southern regions, […]
