Get growing - PITT ISLAND Gardening in isolation - Neighbourly

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CONTINUE READING
get growing                                   8 May 2020

                                             top tasks
                           • Remember mum this Sunday
                               • Three cheers for rhubarb
                          • Support peas and broad beans
                             • Give biological control a go
                           • Propagate & plant succulents

PITT ISLAND
Gardening in isolation
                                            tamarillos
                         How to grow, plus harvest recipes
                                                     win
                            Palmers gift cards and the May
                             issue of NZ House & Garden
In pre-lockdown life (how long ago
that seems) most weekends would
include a trip to a garden centre. I've
missed perusing the perennials,
rummaging through the bargains
and selecting seedlings. Tempting
plants seemed to leap into my
trolley by themselves.
  Last weekend I was excited to pick
up my first click and collect order
from Kings Plant Barn at St Lukes.
And what a slick operation it was!
feedback
           Share your best crops, photos
           and feedback by emailing us
           here.

           Hibiscus triumph
           I read with interest about the
           hibiscus that sported a pink flower
           among the yellow ones (Q&A April
           24). Back in Europe I always had
           hibiscus as houseplants and I also
           had a yellow one that once had           seems to be established by now.
           a pink flower. But only half of the      Unfortunately it is a pink one, my
           flower was pink, the other half was      least favourite colour, although I
           yellow. That cut of colours even         have to admit that it is still beautiful.
           went through one of the petals,          I prefer the blood red ‘Molly
           half of the petal pink, the other half   Cummings’ which I bought another
           yellow. Beautifully strange.             plant of this year. So far it sits in a
           It is great that here in New Zealand     pot and to my delight has vigorously
           I can grow hibiscus outdoors but         flowered. I hope it will last!
           so far I haven’t had much success. I     Anita Muetzel, Palmerston North
           sunk quite a bit of money on plants
           in the last years but so far only one    Show stopper
           has lasted over a few years and          We live in a retirement village with
                                                    this dwarf chrysanthemum in our
           Anita’s hibiscus, left, and              front garden. It seems that everyone
           Spedding's showstopper,                  in the village has commented on
           chrysanthemum, right.                    how bright it is. Spedding Mills
Look what I found!                       knickers and all. Even the blouses,
This was in the garden hiding among      I button up, turn inside out and put
the clover. My radish finally grew! It   on hangers. This doesn’t help the
was planted in September last year       towels, however, and I just have to
for a competition.                       put up with that. I hope this helps
Shona Cribb, Auckland                    until the trees grow bigger!
                                         Gilly Mathieson, Cambridge              with tiles I had to remove the large
Busy bees                                                                        succulent display on shelving by the
In response to Ann Mudie (Q&A May        Brainchild                              front door. I had saved a few metal
1), I must be in a ‘bee-line’ too and    My neighbour Dawn Grant is very         hangers for 20 years knowing one
have often been the victim of bee        proud of her "brain plant".             day I would make use of them. I
poo on my washing! While I haven’t       Fiona Baker, Tauranga                   also had two heavy wire hangers
been able to stop it, I now put all my                                           received as a present 13 years ago
washing inside out – tops, trousers,     Succulent display                       which were no longer for sale but a
pyjamas, socks, pillow cases,            I have a huge collection of             local engineering works made more
                                         succulents. They are so easy to raise   for me. I am most happy with my
Left to right: Shona’s late              and care for and don't need a lot       finished creation.
bloomer, Dawn’s brainchild               of watering. When we decided to         Kath Widdowson, Richmond
and Anita’s display.                     enlarge the area close to the house     See more ideas from Kath here.
Potting spot (1)
My potting table is a desk we found
on the side of the road. I covered it
with an old shower curtain. I love
the cheerful and very appropriate
pattern! The drawers are very handy
for scissors, pens, labels, stretchy
ties, net curtains, slug bait and more.
Diane Hudson, Raumati Beach

Potting spot (2)
My potting bench is where I go for
“me” time. It’s also where I keep
some of my treasures. I used to
collect old jelly moulds and they are
now the containers I use. There is a
radio out there, and a heated pad for
raising seeds. I feel incredibly lucky
to have this space. Rose Jordan

Potting spot (3)
My husband made this about four
years ago and it's still going strong!
We put a BBQ cover over it when not
in use so it looks like a BBQ sitting
against the house.
Annette Moore, Nelson

From top: Diane, Rose and
Annette's potting areas.
top tasks                                   GARDENING
                                            by the moon
                                             Continue to sow
                                             sweet peas,
                                             broad beans,
By Barbara Smith                             brassicas and
                                             spinach on
                                             Friday and
                                             Saturday.
                                             From Sunday to
    Don’t forget                             Wednesday harvest,

1   mum this
    Sunday!
                                             weed and cultivate only.
                                             On Thursday sow root
                                             crops and flowering
A lot of us won’t be able to see our
mums this Sunday if we’re in                 bulbs.
separate bubbles or separate
regions. I’ve sent my mum, who’s in
the Waikato, some daffodil bulbs … I
thought if she planted them now, by
the time they were in bloom I will be   online and makes a fantastic gift!
able to travel up and down from         Your mum will get her magazine
Auckland again, so that gives us        delivered straight to her door and
something to look forward to.           you’ll be her favourite child for the
  If your mum is keen on gardening,     whole year ahead. NZ Gardener has
you could send her sweet pea or         been informing and inspiring New
poppy seed, or the bulbs for            Zealand gardeners for more than 75
daffodils, freesias or tulips. Or a     years and we're incredibly grateful
subscription to NZ Gardener             to our subscribers, we really couldn't
magazine takes two minutes to buy       do it without you. Jo McCarroll
top tasks

        three                              Resist picking any stems from new

2       cheers for
        rhubarb
                                         plants for the first year to give the
                                         crown a chance to establish a strong
                                         root system.
                                           Poached rhubarb keeps its shape
I ran out of fresh fruit during the
early weeks of lockdown when click       and colour. Experiment with adding
and collect windows for grocery          flavours that counteract rhubarb's
pickups were as scarce as hen's          tartness so less sugar is needed.
teeth but my trusty rhubarb plant
came to the rescue.                      SLOW COOKER POACHED RHUBARB
   Although it does go dormant in        Use a casserole dish with a lid that fits
colder places, rhubarb is ready to       inside the slow cooker. Put 2cm of
harvest all year round in my frost-      water in the base of the slow cooker.
free garden. I grow 'Crimson             Support the dish on some coins or
Crumble' which has sturdy, reliably      metal jar lids so it doesn't touch the
red stems. To harvest, slide your        bottom or sides of the cooker.
hand down an outer stem then             Cut 8–9 rhubarb stalks into chunks.
gently twist and pull – never cut – it   Place in the casserole with ½ cup
away from the crown.                     sugar (or less to taste) and 2
   Clumps eventually lose vigour and     tablespoons water. Optional: slices
get overcrowded. Spilt and divide        of fresh or crystalised ginger; juice
any time from late autumn through        and peel of one orange (leave out
winter. Replant in full sun with         water if juice used); cardamon pods.
lashings of fertiliser – manure, sheep   Put on the lid and cook on high for
pellets, compost or blood and bone.      about 2 hours or until tender.

PHOTO: BARBARA SMITH
top tasks

        tie up                                                                        give biological
3                                                                               4
                                      them some twiggy prunings to                                                          Bugman Ruud Kleinpaste has a
        peas and                      scramble up. Or tie stems to the                control a                           more cunning strategy. Passionvine
        broad beans                   frame with soft plant ties like the cut         helping hand                        hoppers often have minute wasp
                                      up pantyhose strips above.                                                          parasites inside their eggs. Collect
Even though they are natural-born       Even dwarf broad beans grow to          Sap-sucking passionvine hoppers are       the passionvine hopper oviposition
climbers, peas and sweet peas         at least 1m so need staking so they       a nuisance. They debilitate plants        sites (inset photo) and store them in
often sprawl across the ground and    don't blow over.                          plus the honey dew they excrete           a perfectly sealed icecream container
need a helping hand to get hitched      Either tie to a trellis or place        attracts ants and wasps, and              with some slightly damp paper
to the supports you’ve thoughtfully   stakes at intervals along the row.        supports the spread of sooty mould.       towels to stop them from dehydrating
provided for them.                    Interweave garden string around           Worst of all they fly up in my face and   during winter. In October, let the
  When there’s a gap between          the stakes and the stems so they          get trapped behind my glasses. Yuck!      fluffy bum nymphs hatch and die
the ground and the first rung of      support each other.                         To keep numbers down I snip off         inside the container. Then wait till the
the climbing frame you can help         Add more layers of string as the        and dispose of any eggs I find on the     tiny wasplets emerge in early
seedlings bridge the gap by giving    bean stalks grow taller.                  stems of plants they infest.              summer and set those free.

PHOTOS: BARBARA SMITH
MAY 2020

                                         LET’S GET growing

      propagate
5     and plant
      succulents
                                       HERBS
                                       TO CALM
                                       ANXIETY
                                                  BUMPER
                                                 GARDENING
                                                 QUIZ INSIDE
                                                                 UPCYCLE
                                                               A CRATE INTO A
                                                               COOL PLANTER
                                                                                    FREE
                                                                                PLANTS FROM
                                                                                  CUTTINGS
                                                                                                GROW
                                                                                              UNDERWATER
                                                                                              LANDSCAPES

Collecting succulents is addictive.
There are so many colours and
shapes plus they don't need much
care and are a breeze to propagate.
Richmond Get Growing reader Kath
Widdowson (see her wall display
here) makes succulent bowls to give
away as presents.
  Kath uses shallow bowls or even
large sections of broken pots filled
By Lynda Hallinan

                                                                Many of us dream of a simpler life
                                                                living off the land – hunting, fishing,
                                                                foraging and growing our own food
                                                                – but most of us would still want to
                                                                whip to the shops for pantry staples.
                                                                However, for the 45 permanent
                                                                residents of Pitt Island, 770km east
                                                                of New Zealand and 20km southeast
                                                                of Chatham Island, a “big shop”
                                                                means waiting months for the next
                                                                ship to dock at the island’s wharf.
                                                                   Pitt Island, known to Moriori
                                                                as Rangiaotea and to Māori
                                                                as Rangiauria, is a hilly 65km² island
                                                                about 770km east of New Zealand
                                                                and 20km southeast of Chatham
                                                                Island. I took a tiki tour there in mid-
                                                                February with Air Chathams, which
                                                                flies tourists across Pitt Strait –
                                                                weather permitting – in its Cessna.
                                                                   It was touch-and-go whether our
                                                                flight would take off (or return!) but
                                  plant people                  from the minute I stepped foot
                                                                on Pitt, I didn’t want to leave.
At Flowerpot Bay Lodge on Pitt Island, a 20-minute flight
                                                                   Waiting in the arrivals lounge
from the Chathams, Brent and Bernadette Mallinson say           (OK, a mini-van on the edge of the
  life is still “chugging along” despite the Covid-19 crisis.   mown airstrip), was Brent Mallinson,
plant people
                                                    who runs tours of the island. We             Brent and Bernie built the lodge
                                                    started our day at the historic red        over five years, from 2008 until
                                                    DOC hut at Glory Bay (named after          it was “sort of finished“ in 2013.
                                                    the Australian sealing brig Glory,         “We did most of the work ourselves,
                                                    which was wrecked here in 1827)            which is why it took so long. The
                                                    and ended it at Waihere Bay with its       biggest challenge was getting all the
                                                    magnificent red rock formations.           building materials here.” They spread
                                                      Lunch was at Flowerpot Bay Lodge,        their supplies over several shipments
                                                    the boutique lodge that Brent runs         and, of course, there were inevitable
                                                    with his wife Bernadette. Commonly         delays due to the “weather, lack
                                                    known as Bernie, she was born and          of finance and a lack of motivation!“
                                                    raised on Pitt Island and their lodge        Importing concrete is very costly
                                                    was built where her family’s original      (and heavy), hence the decision to
                                                    homestead, built in 1843, once stood.      build a timber lodge. “Everything was
                                                      In 2002, when Brent arrived on Pitt      done by hand and we tried to keep
                                                    Island to build a DOC ranger’s house,      the building colonial style in keeping
                                                    Bernie happened to be at her family        with the historic nature of the site.”
                                                    home for the Christmas holidays.             Although Pitt Island has its share of
                                                    The rest, as they say, is history. “We     fertile soils, after building their lodge,
                                                    met over a lambtail fire – they eat        Brent and Bernie had to start from
                                                    those here,” says Brent, though I’m        scratch when it came to establishing
                                                    still not sure if he was pulling my leg.   a decent vege patch. “Unfortunately,
                                                                                               we stripped away a lot of the topsoil
                                                                                               doing the earthworks so it was bare
                                                    Clockwise from top left: Bernie            clay. Initially, we collected local
                                                    Mallinson in her Pitt Island vege          topsoil and topped that up year upon
                                                    patch; a perfect ‘Conehead’                year with rich soil from the bush. In
                                                    cabbage; Brent Mallinson                   recent years we’ve been using kelp,
                                                    leads nature tours; silverbeet             sand and lots of sheep poo, which
                                                    and spuds are staple crops.                are all readily available close by.”
PHOTO: CAMERON BURNELL, TARANAKI DAILY NEWS/STUFF
Brent and Bernie’s garden provides        A dozen brown shaver hens supply        rhubarb leaves seems to work as an            From left: The historic DOC hut
a year-round harvest of broccoli,         them with free-range eggs, with the       natural insecticide.”                         at Glory Bay; a barge is used
cabbage, carrots, caulis, a variety of    chooks’ foraging diet supplemented          On the day I visited, the first freighter   to ferry in freight from a cargo
lettuces, onions, parsnips, pumpkins,     with lodge scraps and mash.               in five months had moored in the bay          ship at Flowerpot Bay.
radishes, silverbeet, spaghetti squash,     “We are lucky not to have any           and the island’s barge was busily
spring onions, spuds, tomatoes and        possums, rats, rabbits or ferrets here,   ferrying supplies to the wharf at the         picking up a box (or several) of beer.
zucchini. They preserve any surplus,      and mice also aren’t too much of a        bottom of Brent and Bernie’s garden.          When that runs out, it’ll be back
making blackberry jam and pie filling,    problem. The kelp is good at keeping      One local took possession of a new            to home brew, including rhubarb
tomato relish and cabbage pickle.         slaters away and water from boiled        tractor, while many others were               champagne, until the next shipment.
Most Pitt Islanders ”try to eat local   This Spanish Saxony merino breed          What’s the best part of living on      From left: A Pitt Island sheep;
as much as possible,” they say. So        was introduced to Pitt around 1843      this isolated and unspoiled island?      native nettles attract admiral
what’s on the menu? ”Wild mutton          and has run feral here ever since.      “The old school lifestyle of hunting     butterflies; spaghetti squash;
(the best), beef and wild pork, lots of     Considered an heirloom breed          and gathering and being your own         tomatoes grow under cover.
blue cod, paua and crayfish of course.”   by the New Zealand Rare Breeds          boss without too much bureaucracy.”
  When I visited, Bernie served up a      Conservation Society, Pitt Island         As for the Covid-19 crisis? “In all    we catch up on maintenance and all
delicious lunch of cold mutton with       rams boast curly horns measuring        honesty, life isn’t too different. We    the jobs put off over summer.”
new potatoes, beans and homemade          up to 1m around the curve, and a        have plenty of meat, fish and veges      • See www.flowerpotbaylodge.co.nz
pickles – a farm-fresh meal that took     few ewes also sport stiletto-shaped     to eat. The tourism season came to       to enquire about Brent and Bernie’s
me straight back to my childhood.         horns. The self-moulting wool is also   an abrupt end which was unfortunate,     accommodation and holiday packages
  The local mutton comes from Pitt        spun for knitting; I bought myself      but our season normally finishes at      for hunting, fishing, birding, day trips,
Island’s famous shaggy brown sheep.       a pair of woolly winter mittens.        the end of April. At this time of year   and 4x4 tours for next summer.
Tamarillos
             Stewed or preserved,
             tamarillos are a classic
             Kiwi treat – and they grow
             easily in frost-free areas,
             says Kate Marshall from
             Waimea Nurseries

             Tamarillos, like feijoas, are a fruit of
             South and Central American origin
             that New Zealand has adopted and
             developed since Solanum betaceum
             seedlings first arrived here in the
             late 19th century. It has also been
             called tree tomato, being a distant
             relative of regular tomatoes, along
             with eggplants and chillies from the
             Solanacae or nightshade family.
               The flesh can be eaten fresh or
             made into a range of sweet and
             savoury dishes and condiments.
             Tamarillos are tangy and usually
             sweet, with a bold and complex
             flavour that differs by variety. The
             fruit can be stewed to use on cereal
             or as a pie or crumble filling, added
             to stews and casseroles or made
             into a delicious chutney.
Tamarillos absolutely hate wet feet, so the soil
                       should be very free draining

Planting & care                                          to control aphids and whitefly in
Tamarillos need to be planted in                         this environment.
a warm, sunny and sheltered site.                          The best time to plant tamarillos
The roots absolutely hate wet feet,                      is in spring when all risk of frost
so the soil should be very free-                         has passed. Incorporate compost
draining. If there are any concerns                      and blood and bone into the soil
about drainage, plant on a mound or                      when planting. Apply three doses
ridge to raise the roots up. The site                    of specialist fruit tree fertiliser each
must be protected from wind as the                       summer: the first a month after
branches are brittle and the shallow                     planting, the second one a month
roots cannot support a tree that is                      after that, and the last dose in
rocking around, especially when                          February. Water the plant regularly
loaded with a heavy crop. Tamarillos                     over summer, especially during
are frost-tender plants, so only very                    dry spells. Tamarillos need plenty
light frosts will be tolerated. The                      of water as the large, soft leaves
trees will grow to around 3m tall by                     transpire moisture quickly and the
2m wide, so will fit most gardens.                       fruit needs adequate and regular
  Tamarillos generally grow well in                      watering to develop well.
Northland, Auckland, Coromandel                            The new growth will produce
and Bay of Plenty. They will also                        flowers in summer and early
do well in frost-free parts of                           autumn. Tamarillo flowers are
Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu,                         self-fertile, but will crop better if
Marlborough, Nelson and the                              cross-pollinated by bees and wind
West Coast. In marginal regions,                         moving the pollen between flowers.
tamarillos can be grown indoors in a                       During summer, keep the area
greenhouse, but care must be taken                       around the base of the tree

PHOTOS: PREVIOUS PAGE: JACOB LEAF, THIS PAGE: MARION VAN DIJK/STUFF
weed-free to avoid competition for                                                                                        of the main leader when it is about
moisture and nutrients with the                                                                                           1m tall to encourage branching.
shallow roots of the tamarillo. Don’t                                                                                     Light frosts will naturally prune
cultivate the soil or underplant with                                                                                     your tree, so remove old and dead
any companion plants; instead, apply                                                                                      wood after frosts in spring. In frost-
a mulch to keep the area weed-free,                                                                                       free locations, prune to prevent
moisture-retaining and nutrient-rich.                                                                                     overcrowding.
                                                                                                                            On more mature trees, keep
Varieties                                                                                                                 branches to an open framework
When tamarillos were first                                                                                                and cut back any lanky branches
introduced to New Zealand,                                                                                                by half after the fruit has been
only yellow and purple varieties                                                                                          harvested. Remove any basal growth
were available, but in the 1920s                                                                                          – branches growing at or around
a red strain was developed by a                                                                                           ground level.
nurseryman with seed sourced from                                                                                           Because fruit is produced on new
South America. These days, there are                                                                                      spring growth, complete all pruning
a number of red and golden varieties      of ‘Bold Gold’ being sweet and tasty.      Tamarillos may be ready to harvest   after harvest in frost-free areas or
available, with the differentiating       Fiona Boylan from Incredible Edibles     from March or April through to early   in spring after the risk of frost has
characteristics being harvest time,       rates the reddish-orange ‘Tango’         December depending on variety,         passed in sites prone to it.
flavour and sweetness.                    variety as being “great for those that   climate and pruning.
  Many retailers will sell tamarillo      like a sweeter tamarillo with not as       Pick the fruit when the skin         Pests and diseases
plants simply labelled as red, which      much acidic bite”.                       develops a rich colour – red, orange   Until the recent spread of the
are usually seedlings taken from                                                   or gold, depending on the variety,     dreaded psyllids, tamarillos had
good-quality fruit. ‘Ted’s Red’ is a      Harvesting                               of course – using secateurs to snip    very few serious pests or diseases
selected variety, producing large,        Tamarillos will produce fruit 18 to      the stem. Tamarillos will keep in      that affected the trees or fruit. Sap-
rounded, bright-red fruit with good       20 months after a spring planting        the fridge for around two weeks, or    sucking pests of minor concern are
flavour. The large fruit of ‘Bold Gold’   – so are unlikely to crop in the first   about one week in a fruit bowl.        whitefly, green aphids and green
is, unsurprisingly, a rich golden tone.   winter. But they should produce a                                               vegetable bugs, but these can be
Yellow varieties are generally less       good crop in the second winter after Pruning                                    controlled with oils and insecticides
acidic than red types, with the flesh     planting.                              For young plants, take out the tip       when the bugs are present, or

PHOTO: STUFF
prevented with an application of          tissue culture (plantlets raised in a
neem oil in early spring.                 laboratory from mother plants).
  In 2010, the psyllid insect rapidly        Success with seedlings can vary,
spread the plant-killing bacteria         because if the flower has been
Liberibacter throughout New               cross-pollinated with another variety
Zealand, which led to the destruction     of tamarillo, the genetics of the
of many tamarillo orchards.               seeds inside the resulting fruit will
Fortunately, researchers have since       not be identical to the original. It can
produced a new product to control         be fun, however, to grow your own
psyllid insects in tomatoes, potatoes     plants to see what results.
and tamarillos.                             Extract some seeds from good-
  Yates Success Ultra Insect              quality fruit, wash and dry them,
Control should be applied in cool         then store in a dry spot. In spring,
temperatures (eg. early morning           place the seeds in a freezer for 24
or late evening) in late spring           hours to speed up germination, then        RECIPES FROM THE ARCHIVES
and summer when insects are               sow the seeds about 10mm deep in
active, taking care to spray on the       a tray of fine soil, in a warm             TAMARILLO CHUTNEY                        TAMARILLO CRUMBLE
underside of leaves. This is only         propagator between 24–29°C.                Jane Hammond, Auckland                   Gay Tait, Gisborne
necessary in the regions where              When the seedlings are about 5cm
psyllid insects are prevalent.            tall, carefully transplant into 7–10cm     Ingredients • 24 tamarillos • 900g       Ingredients • Tamarillos or a mix
  Powdery mildew is the only major        pots. Once the seedlings have grown        brown sugar • 450g apples • 900g         of tamarillos and apples, peeled and
disease to affect tamarillo plants,       to around 20cm tall, transplant again      onions • 15g mixed spice • 2 tsp         stewed • 90g butter, melted • ¾ cup
coating the leaves and fruit in a fine,   into a larger pot. It should remain in     plain salt • 2 tsp curry powder          flour • ¾ cup rolled oats • ½ cup
lacy veil. Control this fungal disease    this pot until the plant is strong         • 600ml vinegar • Pinch of cayenne       coconut • ¾ cup sugar
with Tui Disease Control for Fruit &      enough to be planted in the garden         pepper (optional)
Veges or other similar spray.             and when there is no risk of frost.                                                 Put stewed fruit into an oven-proof
                                                                                     Peel fruit and cut into small pieces.    dish. Make the crumble by combining
Propagation                               Do you grow tamarillos? Share your         Combine all ingredients and boil for     butter, flour, rolled oats, coconut and
Nursery plants are usually grown          growing tips, photo or favourite           2 hours. Bottle in sterilised jars and   sugar and mixing well. Spread on fruit
from seed, by cuttings or through         recipe here.                               seal while hot.                          and bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.

PHOTO: STUFF
Get Growing gardeners´ shopping guide
Here’s where you can buy                bulbs                                   www.bmn.co.nz                               www.greenleafnurseries.co.nz
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country is under level three                                                                                                Hellebores, double and single,
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you need for your garden…               or collect.                             delphiniums.                                www.lavendergarden.nz
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and support New Zealand’s
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sprouting and wildflower seed.          www.ashtonglen.co.nz                                                                www.meadowlandirises.co.nz
                                        Plants and tools.                       www.grassrootsroses.co.nz                   We specialise in Tall and Median
www.kiwiclivia.com                                                              Heritage and classic Austin roses,          Bearded irises.
Exquisite clivia seed.                  www.awapuni.co.nz                       perennials of all shapes and sizes,
                                        Vege, herb and flower seedling          including a big selection of salvias and    www.MrClematis.co.nz
www.owairakaseeds.co.nz                 combos – three separate combos,         some tall alstroemerias.                    Clematis like no other.
Seeds and limited quantities of small   limited stock available. Released on
plants.                                 Wednesdays.
www.mushroomgourmet.co.nz www.summergarden.co.nz                                  tools & accessories
Mushroom kits, spawn and growing        Daylilies – 450 varieties and colour      www.countrytrading.co.nz
information for home and small          photographs to choose from. Perfect       Supplier to growers and makers. A
business. Growing food in small         time to plant for next year’s blooms.     homegrown range of practical tools
spaces.                                                                           and supplies. Everything from hessian
                                        www.ribblesdalegardens.co.nz              hangi sacks to liquid frost cloth.
www.parvaplants.co.nz                   Old fashion perennials, alpines, potted
Perennials, shrubs, rare plants, bare   bulbs, hostas, succulents. Cottage        www.craftygatherer.co.nz
rooted irises, gardening gifts,         accommodation in garden.                  Broadforks, garden forks, seed raising
gardening accessories, gift vouchers,                                             trays, seed saving screens, biochar
pet products.                           www.theridges.co.nz                       burners, aerated compost tea
                                        A variety of interesting plants –         brewers and more for the home
www.petercavenursery.co.nz              architectural, unusual, for cutting,      gardener.
Many uncommon exotic trees and          for woodland areas or sun ... and
fruits.                                 our favourites.                           www.diygardenlights.co.nz
                                                                                  Garden lights and components.
www.proteapatch.co.nz                   www.tuckersorchidnursery.co.nz
Protea, grevillea, banksia,             Orchid plants and accessories             www.extractigator.co.nz
leucospermum, leucadendron,             including bark and fertiliser.            Extractigator weeding tools.
serruria, berzelia, callistemon, and
other hardy coastal plants.             www.villaleighplants.co.nz                www.gardentools.nz
                                        Wide variety of perennial plants.         Good quality hand tools for garden
www.puririlane.co.nz                                                              and farm, chosen from the best
“Yesterday’s flowers for today’s        www.wakerobin.co.nz                       in the world.
gardens”. Growers of garden             Perennials and bulbs.
collectables – vintage style plants                                               www.growingthings.co.nz
from times gone by. Botanical gifts     woodleigh.co.nz                           Cloches to cover your seasonal
and gardenwares.                        Hydrangea cultivars / species; and an     vegetables, classic metal plant
                                        eclectic selection of unusual and         supports, netting, and more.
www.putiputirau.co.nz                   common plants
Paeony tubers.                                                                    www.hunkin.co.nz
                                                                                  Greenhouses, tunnel houses, Mantis
www.southpacificroses.co.nz                                                       tiller, LPG weed burner, Leeaky Hose,
Roses of all kinds.                                                               fruit & vegetable cages, solar pumps.
www.gubba.co.nz
From gumboots to pruners, hand
                                        www.NaturallyNeem.co.nz
                                        Natural commercial insecticide and        Marvellous
trowels to composters – a wide range
of garden tools and accessories all
home delivered.
                                        soil stimulant with activated neem.

                                                                                                    May
                                                                                      Specials
                                        garden centres & more
www.stanley-handcarts.co.nz             www.kings.co.nz
Easy-to-use handcart in two sizes,      Plants, compost, mixes, seedlings,

                                                                                        across
proudly NZ made for 40 years.           seeds, fertilisers, tools – almost
                                        everything, though some large/
www.swiftdry.co.nz                      bulky items are only available in
Clotheslines and drying racks.          Auckland.

www.thecompanyshed.co.nz
Growing supplies, cloches, heated
                                        www.palmers.co.nz
                                        Trees, shrubs, houseplants, vege
                                                                                             Mags4Gifts
propagators, watering cans, seedlings   seedlings, potted colour, mixes.
within Canterbury.
                                        www.placeforplants.co.nz
                                        General shrubs, vegetable
fertiliser & insecticides               seedlings, compost, potting mix,
www.fodda.co.nz                         fertlisers and sprays.
Organic fertiliser and soil enhancer,
natural pine seedling trays, natural    www.zonda.net.nz
hemp twine, wonder weeders.             Bumblebees for pollination and
                                        beneficial insects for pest control.
www.naturalherbicide.co.nz                                                      UP TO                                       UP TO                                            UP TO
WeedX natural vinegar herbicide to                                             30%OFF                                  33%OFF                                           30%OFF
control your weeds.                                                             RRP                                           RRP                                              RRP

Have we missed your favourite online gardening store                                                                                        SPECIALS ON UNTIL THE END OF MAY

or would you like to list your business here?
Enter details here or email inbox@getgrowing.co.nz                                  Shop now at Mags4gifts.co.nz or call 0800 624 744
                                                                                    *Full terms and conditions available on Mags4gifts/pages/mothersday. Specials end 23:59 on the 31st of May 2020.
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  2020
       No. 30
                     COSY MN

              9
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                     STYLIN                                                                                                                               PLANHOUSE
                      IDEAS                                                                                                                                    TS

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                                   I NG
Q&A

Email your questions here
with “Q&A” as the subject
                                          happier in a larger pot but you will
                                          need to consider the weight and
                                          your ability to move it.
                                            Plants in pots always need more

Q
          indoor                          care than those in the ground
          outdoor                         because they are completely
          tamarillos                      dependent on you, the gardener, to
                                          supply everything they need. If you
I am growing a tamarillo plant in a pot   are only watering but not feeding,
because our winter's are so cold.         the plant won't be getting enough
Around 4pm each day I lift the pot        nutrients. Fruit trees in pots need
into an unheated glass house for the      feeding little and often. Use regular
night. All I do is water it when          small doses of fruit tree fertiliser,
necessary. Is there a better way to       sheep pellets and liquid feed when
encourage more fruit and care for it?     you water. Water often, even when it
Ann Judson Farr, Christchurch             has been in the rain.
                                            Nip out the tips of the branches
                                          to encourage bushy growth and to
A     Now that's devotion! I hope it's
      not too heavy or you've got a
trolley of some sort to move it.
                                          stop the tree getting too tall for the
                                          conservatory.
  The pot is quite small for the size
of the tree so it will be difficult for   Sheryn Dean has more good advice
the tree to develop enough roots to       about growing fruit trees in pots in
support the top growth and it will        the May issue of NZ Gardener, in
dry out quickly. It would be much         supermarkets now.
Q&A

Q         what went
          wrong with
          my apples?
Can you please tell me what caused       fruit was swelling is responsible but
these deformities on my apples?          there could also be an underlying
Inedible and it was a good crop this     problem with the soil. The pH may
season, the best for a while.            not be in the 6.2-6.5 range which is
Selwyn Hargreaves, Northland             optimum for calcium uptake by the
                                         apple trees. Other chemicals out of
                                         balance in your soil could also be
A     This disorder, known as bitter
      pit, begins inside the apple
and eventually causes blemishes
                                         locking up the calcium, so a soil test
                                         would be needed.
on the outside. It’s more common           Bill Brett, author of Garden Pest &
with larger varieties of eating apples   Disease Control, advises a two- step
and usually occurs when the season       approach. First apply lime and a
is too dry and when there is a lack      balanced fertiliser containing boron
of available calcium. Despite their      such as Nitrophoska. Water well
motley appearance, the apples are        during fruit sizing. If the problem
edible if used in recipes where the      persists, spray calcium nitrate every
appearance doesn't matter like           two weeks from late October to end
crumbles, cakes or purees.               of December. Add a wetting agent
  Given the drought in Northland it's    to ensure coverage but do not mix
likely that lack of water while the      with pesticides.
noticeboard

                                                                                                                       Calling all garden club
                                                                                                                       secretaries
                                                                                                                       Our Garden Club Directory has
Online gardening classes                                                                                               contact details and meeting
                                                                                                                       times for clubs all around the
Anyone in New Zealand can attend
                                                                                                                       country. If you’d like a PDF copy
sessions and contribute questions
                                                                                                                       of the directory or your club
to free online gardening question-
                                                                                                                       details need updating, email:
and-answer sessions run by Plenty
                                                                                                                       inbox@getgrowing.co.nz
Permaculture from their base near
Tauranga.
  Horticultural tutor Kazel Cass is a
permaculturalist, avocado orchard
                                                                                                                       Sign up to Get Growing
                                                                                                                       If a friend or family member would
monitor and consultant. Kazel
                                                                                                                       like to receive Get Growing every
and permaculture tutor Catherine                                                        Horticultural tutor Kazel      week, sign them up here.
Dunton-McLeod cover as many                                                             Cass is ready to tackle
questions as they can in a zoom                                                         your tricky questions
classroom session.                                                                      in an online Zoom              Using the print feature
  There will be interactive sessions                                                    classroom session.             Trying to print a page? Click on
on Saturday mornings, 9.30–11am on
                                                                                                                       the print button (second icon on
May 9, 16 and 30.
                                                                                                                       the top, right side of the screen)
  Read more about Gardening
                                                                                                                       and select the pages you wish to
Essential online courses here.          Noticeboard requests                                                           print. Click “print”, then manually
  The topic for the May 9 Q&A           Email your requests for hard-to-find seeds, plants or projects or recipes to
                                                                                                                       change your printer preferences
session is winter gardening. Register   inbox@getgrowing.co.nz with “Noticeboard” in the subject line.
                                                                                                                       to A4 landscape.
and send in your questions here.
  To watch last month’s Q&A             Note: Please refrain from posting envelopes of seeds or corms while we’re in
sessions, click here. As Catherine      self isolation. Instead, email the person requesting items and make an
explains, “they’re a bit rough but we   arrangement to post them at a later date.
are learning!”

PHOTO: PLENTY PERMACULTURE
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Barbara Smith
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bev.drake@stuff.co.nz
advertising coordinator Shona Cribb

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