The Star: January 04, 2018

The Star 13
Gardening
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday January 4 2018
GARDENING
ADVICE with
Regular watering and garden management is critical for plant health
during the hot summer months. Adding a thick layer of mulch around
plants will help prevent soil moisture evaporating. Avoid watering
during the hottest part of the day when plants are heat stressed;
instead water in the early morning or evening.
We have a Daltons Garden Mulch Pack to giveaway.
Each pack is valued at over $85 and contains:
What is the best way to save young trees from night beetle infestation?
The insect you refer to sounds like the brown or bronze beetle
which is an adult grass grub. They wreak havoc with lawns as
larvae and once they have pupated into beetles, they feed on
the foliage of ornamental shrubs and trees for around 2-3
weeks in early Spring/early Summer on warm, still evenings.
There are a number of insecticides that specifi cally deal with
these types of beetles which can either be sprayed on the
foliage of trees from October onwards, or granules distributed
on the ground around plants.
Another suggestion would be to also treat your lawn for grass
grubs from late January/early February until the end of Autumn
to attack the problem early on.
• 3 x Daltons Mulch & Grow
• 3 x Daltons Nugget Bark
• 4 x Besgrow Coir Briquette
• PLUS a pair of comfortable,
versatile Red Back gardening
gloves from Omni Products
(www.omniproducts.co.nz)
BE IN
TO WIN!
$85
PRIZE
PACK!
Talk to your local garden centre for product advice as they are
typically aware of problems in your local area and can give you
advice on which product has worked best for others.
Another tip - check your various plants to see which of them
are less prone to major beetle damage, this will provide a guide
for future plantings.
z
For more gardening advice, read our How to Grow guides at:
www.daltons.co.nz/how-to-guides
Today’s winning question came
from Alana Witteman. Congratulations!
Send us your
gardening
question to be
in to win!
Email your question
and glove size to:
chchstar@daltons.co.nz
Entries must be received
by 11 th Jan 2018
What’s in fashion
FASHIONS come and go,
and changes in climate
and lifestyle influence our
gardens just as they affect
other parts of life.
So it’s fun to try and predict
the outdoor trends for
this year.
Here are some suggestions:
•Organics will rule. The
trend to organics will
accelerate and most gardeners
will be looking for
natural-based fertilisers
and low toxic pest controls.
•Food plants are in. It’s
everyone’s ambition to
have a vegetable garden.
Even the smallest garden
can find room for a herb
pot. Beginners should start
their herb garden with
a pot of chives. They’re
probably the easiest herbs
to grow, and they tolerate
a fair amount of neglect.
•Edible gardens are in
but in smaller spaces.
Dwarf fruit trees in fashionable
containers, and
small-growing vegetable
varieties are popular even
for larger gardens.
•Flowers in the garden
will hit the comeback trail.
Strappy-leafed plants and
foliage plants will still be
in favour but their dominance
will start to fade.
A nostalgic hankering for
flowering plants is beginning
to surface. Plants that
straddle both categories
(day lilies, dwarf agapanthus
and tulbaghia, also
called society garlic, are
good examples) will lead
this resurgence.
•Water (or lack of it) will
be one of the biggest challenges.
Cistus (rock rose),
Indian hawthorn and
the native mirror plants
(Coprosma spp) are some
of these tough survivors.
The magazine for
gardeners who
like To geT Their
hands dirTy
www.gardener.kiwi
100%
Portstone Garden Centre’s
MASSIVE
NEW YEAR SALE
UP TO 60% OFF GIFTWARE
On now till the 14th of January!
50% OFF
GLAZED POTS
25% OFF
ATLANTIS JARS
AND URNS
THE MASSIVE NEW YEAR SALE IS ON NOW
Portstone
GARDEN CENTRE & CAFÉ
465 Ferry Rd • Phone 389-4352
www.portstone.co.nz
OPEN 9am - 5.30pm 7 Days
50% OFF
BUSH, CLIMBING &
STANDARD ROSES
25% OFF
SHRUBS, PERENNIALS,
HERBS, BEDDING,
DECIDUOUS & FRUIT TREES
Helping
Christchurch Grow
facebook.com/
Offer excludes current specials and citrus