The Star: July 27, 2017

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22 Thursday July 27 2017 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi The Star 24th - 30th July 2017 $ 14 99 kg Fresh NZ Beef Rump Steak New Season Large Hass Avocados $ 2 49 each $ 19 99 pack Steinlager Classic 12 x 330ml Bottles $ 11 99 each Wither Hills 750ml (Excludes Pinot Noir) Plus $ 2 80 ea Ploughmans Bakery Bread 750g $ 9 00 ea Alpine Mild/Colby/Edam Cheese 1kg $ 2 00 ea Griffin’s Chocolate Thins/Wheaten/ Krispie/Chocoade/Bites 150/200g $ 3 80 ea Sanitarium Weet-Bix 750g/Up & Go 3 Pack (Excludes Sugar Free) 3 for $ 2 50 Moogurt 70g $ 1 99 kg Dole Ecuadorian Loose Bananas FreshChoice Barrington | Merivale | Parklands Open 7 Days a week. FreshChoice.co.nz FreshChoiceNZ 0800 40 40 40 Customer Support Freephone While stocks last at FreshChoice Barrington, Merivale & Parklands only. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Trade not supplied. Owned and operated by locals fccs2707
The Star 23 Gardening Rachel Vogan sings the praises of sweet peas – tough little bloomers that can light up the garden year-round Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Thursday July 27 2017 Flowers that are as sweet as can be WHENEVER I’M asked what my favorite flower is, I struggle to answer as I have so many. It’s like asking which is your favourite child – how do you choose? My top picks always include dahlias, gladioli, daphne, and daisies; I am never without roses or hellebores no matter where I live, and every year without fail I grow sweet peas anywhere I can find room to squeeze them in. I’m not sure where my devotion to them came from – my uncle Teddy used to grow them in French Farm in the 1970s, so it may have been from there, although I have always loved any flower I can pick for a posy, and have a special affection for any bloom that will give someone joy when they’re presented with it. New Zealand has a strong history with sweet peas, both in terms of seed production for English and European seed catalogues and sweet pea breeding. Dr Keith Hammett is the godfather of sweet pea breeding; he has a passion for these blooms that just captivates you. Keith’s interest in the sweet pea started off as a teenager, when his uncle decided he wanted to separate his flower and vegetable garden, doing so by planting a dividing row of sweet peas. To hear Keith recall it, it was love at first sight. This love has only continued throughout the years, as sweet pea varieties bearing the Hammett name are now sold all over New Zealand and around the world. I first met him about 20 years ago, and was struck by his contagious keenness for both breeding plants and creating cultivars that fitted the local New Zealand climate. I couldn’t PACKED WITH PERFUME: High Scent (left) is tremendous variety to plant. Sweet pea Bix (middle) and Pink Nines for the show bench. quite keep up with all the different characteristics he was producing and aiming for, but was mesmerised and wanted to soak up what I could, knowing that I could stand to learn a lot from him. So I sat and listened, barely saying a word! Fast forward a few decades and every year I plant out dozens of his varieties. My go-to is his High Scent as it has got the most magnificent fragrance, and beautiful flowers with an antique cream base and delicate violet edging on each petal. One of its best features is probably its prolific blooming capacity, as once it starts flowering in November I can be picking it continuously until the end of March, as long as I pick off any spent flower seed pods along the way, and make sure to fertilise and water them regularly. Like me, they love their tucker! For the show bench I always plant Piggy Sue (not to be confused with Peggy Sue), named after a pig rescued from farrowing stalls. Its colouring is a pink flush against a cream ground, with young flowers that often resemble a pink picotee when they first open. Last year I planted Pink Nines for the first time, which has masses of flowers on each stem – up to nine on each. Paradox has an intense, rich, violet-blue flower but has lost its ability to climb, so is one you would plant as a ground cover or for use in hanging baskets. Keith says all the sweet peas he offers are great for picking, reminding me that “Sweet peas are the ultimate ‘cut and come again’ flower”, meaning that the more you pick from the flower stems, the more they will produce. He goes on to mention: “The ones with the larger, frilly flowers have longer stems than, say, some of the smaller flowered forms with the strongest scent.” His most highly-scented varieties are Original, High Scent, More Scent, and High Society. WHEN, WHERE & HOW • Plenty of sun needs to be on the menu – while sweet peas will bloom in half-day sun, the results are always best when they are planted somewhere that gets rays all day. • Sow seeds now or look for seedlings, as they are in the shops throughout August, September and into October. • Seeds can be sown directly where they are to flower provided the soil is well drained, in a sunny position, and you are able to protect against slugs, snails and maybe birds. • If sown into pots for planting out later, seeds do not need to be grown inside or in the glasshouse, simply sow and place outside in full light. • Provide support – sweet peas are a tumbling vine and need something to cling to when climbing. This support can be as simple as bamboo canes, wigwams, or old bike wheels, while netting against a fence or wall is a popular choice. now bigger than ever growing with you SprIng Is here – It’S Sow Time how to get the best results from seeds and seedlings 100% NatIve In The capItal Unravelling the secrets of Otari-wilton Bush The New Zealand landscape awards The people behind the projects September 2016 | 100% It’s time to grow! New look and more content than ever! MeeT LeSTer Brice A Garden coach The magazine for gardeners who like to get their hands dirty SubScribe from $43. 50* *6 issues/6 months $7.90 incl. GST Save our roSeS How a rose register is protecting our heritage auckland Botanic GardenS Why we love our public grounds ISSN 2423-0219 SUBSCRIPTIONS FREEPHONE 0800 77 77 10 www.gaRdeNER.kiwI
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