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28<br />
Tuesday <strong>September</strong> <strong>20</strong> <strong>20</strong>16<br />
Gardening<br />
SELWYN TIMES<br />
Art gives your garden a personal touch<br />
WOULD YOU dare to buy a<br />
friend or relative a piece of garden<br />
art this Christmas?<br />
The idea that you can make art<br />
yourself for next to nothing is<br />
not wishful thinking.<br />
So if you find yourself at a<br />
sculpture exhibition, or one of<br />
the many garden festivals and<br />
fetes that have sprung up, and<br />
you see a toilet roll holder bolted<br />
to what appears to be a concrete<br />
drainage pipe lovingly smeared<br />
in purple paint, for goodness<br />
sake don’t imagine you could do<br />
the same yourself. Just buy it and<br />
get it home to rescue that desperately<br />
dull stretch of griselinia.<br />
But before parting with your<br />
cash bear in mind: where you<br />
are going to put it; what it will<br />
look like when it is in place;<br />
and if you know when to say<br />
‘‘stop’’. As for that last point — a<br />
garden crammed with art is as<br />
disconcerting as a toilet plastered<br />
with family photos: aunties and<br />
nephews happily beaming down<br />
at you and giving you claustrophobia<br />
when all you wanted was<br />
peace and quiet. Art, they tell<br />
you, is very personal.<br />
Not so in the garden, where<br />
everyone invited around must<br />
suffer or marvel at your personal<br />
taste on show.<br />
It pays to buy not what your<br />
gut instinct says you love but<br />
what will gel best with the geraniums.<br />
Inside the house, most artworks<br />
would look acceptable<br />
displayed against a white wall but<br />
in the garden you could say you<br />
already have the art installed:<br />
plants are like a painted canvas.<br />
IMAGINATION: Give life to your garden. Intimate corners suit<br />
trinkets.<br />
So the art you bring home is really<br />
more of a final brushstroke.<br />
Big lawns thus require fat<br />
installations at the end; intimate<br />
corners suit tiny trinkets and<br />
treasures.<br />
Therefore you have to first<br />
identify which particular spaces<br />
need what — the garden’s overall<br />
style and feel is as important as<br />
the size and aspect of the spaces<br />
inside.<br />
Resist buying the art while<br />
trusting you will find somewhere<br />
to put it.<br />
Plywood cutouts in various<br />
settings will work well in particular<br />
areas. A dark corner may<br />
best be furnished with something<br />
bright and shiny, while<br />
another vista might be enhanced<br />
with a see-through work that<br />
comes to life in silhouette.<br />
If your haven is bold, funky<br />
and chunky you can’t insult it by<br />
asking a flowery teapot to stay.<br />
Busy pieces of sculpture look<br />
best in simple settings but minimalist<br />
pieces are strong enough<br />
to cope with a little more froth<br />
and flowers surfing around their<br />
shores.<br />
Your garden is a cake and<br />
pieces of art like the birthday<br />
candles — space them out, make<br />
sure they match the icing, and<br />
for goodness sake don’t put on<br />
too many.<br />
gardening without guesswork<br />
Question:<br />
Answer:<br />
If you notice your garden is lacking<br />
that oomph, try adding compost to<br />
the soil. Mix it thoroughly with the soil<br />
that is there and it will help to create<br />
a better growing environment for your<br />
existing plants, as well as preparing<br />
for any new planting on the cards<br />
soon. Our Organic Compost is fantastic<br />
to use on all areas of your garden.<br />
It is designed to breakdown and<br />
unwanted nasties in your soil, while<br />
adding vital beneficial nutrients. For<br />
best results, try adding in Blood and<br />
Bone to the top 10cm and lightly fork it<br />
in. We have Blood and Bone available<br />
in a variety of sized bags, and also<br />
Blood and Bone Pellets. This is a great<br />
source of natural plant food and soil<br />
conditioner.<br />
Thanks to Violet for her question.<br />
My garden appears to be looking a bit lack lustre,<br />
what do you suggest I do to give it a boost?<br />
for more information, check out our website:<br />
www.intelligro.co.nz or visit our facebook<br />
page: www.facebook.com/igro.co.nz<br />
QualITy prOducTs frOm ThE WEB TO ThE shEd!<br />
WIN!<br />
a $50<br />
INTEllIgrO gIfT<br />
VOuchEr!<br />
Send us your<br />
question and<br />
BE IN<br />
Breaking your back<br />
fighting with clay soil?<br />
Clay Breaker is excellent for helping to loosen up<br />
the clay soil, add in our Organic Compost and it<br />
will work its magic to break down the clay, creating<br />
a better growing environment for your plants!<br />
Although application rates vary depending on the<br />
extent of the clay, there are clear instructions on<br />
the packaging that will help you with how much to<br />
mix in to the soil.<br />
TO WIN!<br />
Email to: info@igro.co.nz or post<br />
your question on our Facebook page:<br />
www.facebook.com/igro.co.nz<br />
Questions must be received by<br />
Tuesday 27th <strong>September</strong>
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