Selwyn Times: June 06, 2017

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32 Tuesday June 6 2017 Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi SELWYN TIMES Gardening The three pretty Ps • By Henri Ham WINTER HAS officially arrived. But just because the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder it doesn’t mean the colour in your garden has to be the same. There are several flowers that thrive in cool conditions – and all of them pack a punch when it comes to colour. And, coincidentally, all begin with P – polyanthus, primula and pansy. Here’s another P word for you – popular. Polyanthus, primula and pansies are the three most popular flowers we sell at this time of year. Probably one of the main reasons they’re so popular, is that they’re all easy to grow. And it’s fair to say there is a pansy colour or pattern for everyone. Now I’ve convinced you of the benefits of growing one or more of these pretty plants, you need to work out where to grow them. All three grow really well in hanging baskets and pots. This is good if you like to move the colour around your home or garden. If you do decide to pot your plants, be sure to use a good potting mix. This will ensure they POPULAR: Pansy white (above) and primularose have strong contrast. get a good start a good kick-start. And wherever you plant them, just make sure they get a bit of sun. Planting is easy, just dig a small hole, put the seedling in and space each one around 20cm from the next. You can expect these pretty flowers to add colour to your winter in around six to eight weeks. If you want to encourage more flowering, I encourage you to pick off the dead flowers. VIVID: Polyanthus packs a punch when it comes to colour. June is the time to plant garlic June is the time to plant garlic! The temperatures have dropped, and the shortest day is near. The shortest day is a bit of an indication as to when to plant your garlic. Growing garlic is pretty simple, it just needs some well-dug, fertile soil, and a sunny spot to grow in. Once planted, it is pretty low maintenance, but very rewarding. tips and tricks for growing garlic in garden beds: Success for growing anything starts with the soil. Always replenish vegetable beds with good compost and Intelligro sheep or chicken pellets, these provide the prefect environment for all your veggies to get growing, and maintain the growth for the season. Big is best, so pick wisely Split the garlic heads into individual cloves, no need to peel off the white paper that surrounds each clove. It naturally protects the bulbs in the soil, and then disintegrates once the plant starts developing. Splitting up the heads of garlic can be done in advance; it doesn’t have to be right at planting time. Planting Make a hole below the soil (5cm) and about 10cm apart. The bright green shoots will appear in 4-6 weeks. Label the rows so you don’t forget where you have planted it. A layer of mulch around the rows once the shoots appear will help keep the area weed free and retain moisture. If you are planting in pots, our potting mix is excellent for this, and doesn’t require any extra fertilisers are they are already in the mix. Pop in and have a chat to our team for more advice about garlic, as well as your other gardening queries. What’s going on? access to intelligro has changed Access to Intelligro has changed. Due to the next stage of the Southern Motorway, entry to Intelligro will now be from Manion Road. Due to the finishing touches of Manion Road, entry is only available from the Curraghs Road end until sealing has completed all the way along to Weedons Ross Road. Please check our website www.igro.co.nz for regular updates as the contractors continue to work on this road. While these changes are out of our hands, we do wish to extend our thanks for your patience as this development continues. Kind Regards, The Intelligro Team Access from Weedons Ross Road will not be available during this time! Intelligro opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8am – 5pm, Saturday, 8am – 4pm, Sunday, 9am – 3pm. Please refer to our website for any public holidays opening hours. www.igro.co.nz | Phone 03 347 9415 Visit our facebook page for regular updates: @igro.co.nz
SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi Tuesday June 6 2017 33 Celery – good things take time • By Henri Ham LIKE MOST winter vegetables, celery takes time to grow and mature. Maybe it’s cheaper and it’s certainly easier to buy from the supermarket. But as many of our customers know, growing your own vegetables is about more than that. Namely, knowing what’s gone on to your food before you eat it, and the sense of satisfaction and enjoyment from growing it yourself. To grow great celery, the first thing you need to do is prepare your soil. Celery likes soil that’s well- drained and sweet (and in a full sun position), so make sure you add lime before planting. If you’re equipped to measure PH levels, the reading should be between five and six. Celery also grows best in a garden that’s raised and filled with potting mix – so if you can make this combination happen, you’re off to a great start. Once your soil’s ready purchase your seedlings. When you’re ready to plant, dig a hole approximately 3cm deep. Pop in your seedling and use compost to create a mound around the plant. This blanches the base of the stems and keeps them tender. The good news is you don’t have to keep mounding like you do with some plants – just keep your celery watered and that should do the trick. Plant each seedling 20 to 25cm apart and continue this process in rows across your garden. Celery grows best this way, making it a good companion plant for dwarf beans, carrots, spring onions, parsley and bok choy. In fact, if you have any of these in your garden and they’re ready to harvest, celery is the perfect replacement plant. Your plants will develop slowly at first, but in about 12 to 14 weeks, your celery should be ready to harvest. Here’s a tip – slide your thumb down the inside of the fattest stalks and gently twist to pull them off the plant. Don’t cut the stalks off as the stumps left behind will rot and hinder the health of the whole plant. You may notice the homegrown version doesn’t look quite as perfect as the supermarket variety, but it will definitely taste as good – probably even better thanks to the knowledge that you grew it yourself. SUNNY: Plant celery 20 to 25cm apart in rows across your garden. Home-grown celery tastes as good as what you can buy from the supermarket. 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 $7.90 incl. GST ISSN 2423-0219 Save our roSeS How a rose register is protecting our heritage September 2016 | 100% It’s time to grow! New look and more content than ever! MeeT LeSTer Brice A Garden coach auckland Botanic GardenS Why we love our public grounds now bigger than ever The magazine for gardeners who like to get their hands dirty SubScribe from $43. 50* *6 issues/6 months SUBSCRIPTIONS FREEPHONE 0800 77 77 10 www.gaRdeNER.kiwI MAINSCAPE Garden Supplies Making your great outdoors greater OPEN 6 DAYS Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm, Sat 8am - 3pm Quality Screened Top Soil 1543 Springs Rd Phone 021 241 7908 EFTPOS Available www.mainscapegardensupplies.co.nz Mainscape Garden Supplies $40 per m3 +GST Delivered to Rolleston *Min delivery 5x m 3 Check our website for May Special Mushroom Compost $15 Scoop
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Selwyn Times: June 06, 2017

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