The Star: April 06, 2017

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Thursday April 6 2017 29
of great colour
Colour
Even though we are only in the second
month of autumn, it is wise to make the
most of the warmer soil temperatures
and plant out seedlings ready for a riot of
colour over the coldest months. Rip out
any tired-looking bedding plant displays;
JIRI VACLAVEK/SHUTTERSTOCK
• By Henri Ham
IT’S JUST under two months until winter
is officially here.
Which means if you haven’t got your
winter vegetables in the ground yet, you
need to get moving. Plant them while
the soil is still warm and they’ll get the
start they need. Plant them when the soil
is already cool and you might be eating
them in spring.
Now you need to choose what to grow.
I’m a big fan of broccoli during winter,
and not just the regular variety. I like to
plant your run-of-the-mill romanesco
broccoli but also broccoflower and italian
broccoli.
Broccoflower is a hybrid between
cauliflower and broccoli and has a milder
and slightly sweeter taste than cauliflower.
It has small cauli-shaped heads and is
lime green. Italian precoce broccoli forms
highly decorative light green clusters
of heads that resemble sea coral. The
unusual tip of each spear is conical rather
than round but the taste is true broccoli
at its very best.
Mixed vege bundles are great if you’re
feeding a small household or like to
stagger your planting. Each bundle has
a couple of each variety of plant, rather
than lots of the same variety.
Once you’ve got your seedlings you
need to find somewhere to plant them.
Because broccoli is from the brassica
species, it’s important you grow them
somewhere you haven’t planted any other
brassicas (like cauliflower, kale, brussels
sprouts etc) recently. This will prevent
your plants getting club root – a disease
which stops the heads on your brassicas
developing fully.
Next I recommend adding some lime
to the soil prior to planting. This will also
help prevent club root.
Then plant each seedling around 35cm
apart. This will ensure the seedlings have
room to expand and grow.
Because broccoli can take a long time
reinvigorate the soil with fertiliser and a
good amount of compost and plant out
large healthy seedlings of pansies, violas,
snapdragons, Bellis sp., flowering kale and
polyanthus. You won’t regret getting your
plants in early.
ZAITSAVA OLGA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Get your broccoli planted
SUPER FOOD: Broccoli should be
ready to eat in 10 weeks.
to mature, during the earlier weeks you
can plant other quick growing seedlings,
like spinach and silverbeet, in the spaces
between each seedling. This is a great
way of maximising the use of space in
your garden. Your fast growing seedlings
should be ready in about six weeks –
depending on the weather where you are.
And your various varieties of broccoli in
around eight to 10 weeks.
Once they’re ready, harvest your heads
before the plant flowers as, once it does, it
will die. Simply use a knife to diagonally
cut off the heads you have selected. This
will encourage new heads to grow and
will also ensure a long cropping season.
If you harvest too much just chuck the
excess in the freezer. They will keep for
two to three months.
Lastly, after growing brassicas it’s
a good idea to inject some nutrients
(particularly nitrogen) back into the soil.
Try growing a cover crop like blue lupin.
Lupin is a good choice of cover crop as
it’s not a member of the brassica family
(like mustard). When the cover crop has
matured, dig it into the soil.
This will get the soil all ready for next
season’s planting.
Camellias & Rhodos
Camellias and Rhodos are wonderfully
versatile. They can be grown as
specimen trees, a hedge, a standard,
some even grow as a groundcover;
Camellias can be espaliered against
a wall or fence, grown as a container
plant as well as making a successful
bonsai specimen. Camellias and
Rhodos also work well as fillers
under large deciduous trees or as
a background plant to provide a glossy
green foil for summer flowering plants.
Planting
Semi-shaded conditions are ideal, but
some varieties will also survive in full
sun. The important thing with is not to let
their roots get too hot, therefore a layer of
mulch is desirable. Camellias & Rhodos
like slightly acidic, moist, free draining
soil; if you have heavy clay incorporate
plenty of compost, peat and gypsum at
planting time to aid drainage. If your soil
is still waterlogged you may need to make
a raised bed, as they can develop root rot
in waterlogged sites.
Fertiliser
Camellias and Rhodos are acid loving
plants and don’t liked to be over feed.
Use any good acid fertiliser when
planting, adding sheep pellets also to give
33
OFF
Lavenders
For cottage or structured gardens, lavenders are
aromatic and a standout in any garden. Includes
Dentata, Hidcote, Blue Mountian, Pacific Blue, Major.
28
OFF
%
%
$4
$ 6.99
. 99
EACH
GOL Camellias & Rhodos
These named varieties are a brilliant starter
grade (growing on line). A great way to have
a garden full of rambunctious colours.
Open 7 Days, 8am – 5pm
Head in-store or visit oderings.co.nz
5
Varieties
FALL IN LOVE WITH
$
$9 14.99
. 99
22
OFF
Tui Acid Food
Suitable for all acid-loving plants including
azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, ericas,
daphne, gardenias and blue hydrangeas.
Barrington
92 Stourbridge St
Linwood
485 Linwood Ave
them a boost. Yellowing leaves is often
due to a magnesium deficiency; in this
case, you should apply Epsom Salts or
Sequestron Plant Tonic. If you’re not sure,
bring us a few leaves and we can diagnose
any issue you may have.
Pruning
General pruning to keep the plant tidy is
all that is required. Pruning should be done
no later than the end of October otherwise
you are removing next year’s flowers.
Pests
Generally, not a big issue, but the main
insect Rhodos will get is thrips. If you are
experiencing any major infestations, then
you must consider its position. Is your plant
getting too much wind? Not enough water?
Or are its roots too hot and dry?
Containers
As with all container plants, regular
watering is essential; fertilising, little and
often with Oderings Total Replenish is
best. A mulch of compost is ideal, to keep
the roots cool and stop the potting mix
drying out. Some shade is also beneficial.
For more info on thrips, Rhodos or
Camellias visit us in store or online.
Westringia Grey Box
The perfect, modern day hedge. Grows 45cm by
45cm with lovely grey foliage and white flowers.
A natural ball shape or trim as a formal hedge.
Cashmere
205 Cashmere Rd
Philpotts Rd
116 Philpotts Rd
Specials valid until 12.4.17 or while stocks last. We cannot sell or redeem Go Gardening gift vouchers. Other vouchers – Yes.
EACH
Backed by Oderings Quality Guarantee
%
Autumn
Plant Now & Save!
50%
GREAT
PRICE
$6
$ 8.99
. 99
1.5KG
OFF
Oderings Peat
Healthy soil equals healthy plants. Peat adds
rich organic matter to condition soils, helps
with water retention, and to break up clay soil.
Yaldhurst
20 Main West Coast Rd
We know them ‘cause we grow them.
$
$8 17.99
. 99
EACH
$5
$ 6.99
. 99
25L
ODR/STA/7435