The Star: August 09, 2018

26 Thursday August 9 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
The Star
Gardening
Hanging baskets –
spring into them now
• By Henri Ham
ARE YOU keen to get
going on your spring
planting but know its
slightly too early to do so?
How about sorting out
some hanging baskets that
will erupt in flowers before
you’ve even planted your
first tomatoes.
Hanging baskets are a
great way to liven up any
area, whether it’s a large or
small space. Suspend them
in entrance ways, under
verandas, decks and patios.
And what’s really great
about baskets is they are super
easy to assemble. Grab
a basket, many come with
a fitted coconut liner but
if not get some sphagnum
moss to line it with.
Baskets come in wide
wire frames, more compact
versions of wicker style or
solid conical shapes. Whatever
you choose I recommend
getting a basket/s
at least approx 30cm in
diameter.
Solid baskets have the
benefit of not drying out
as quickly. But they don’t
allow for you to cascade
plants around the sides and
base of the basket. Wire
ones have a real cottage
garden feel.
Coconut liners are solid
and ideal for wire baskets
with bigger gaps. Using
sphagnum moss wouldn’t
work on a wire basket as the
moss would fall through the
gaps.
Some baskets come with
a self-watering reservoir
which might save you
watering for a few days in
summer. I like to place an
old saucer at the bottom of
the basket which acts as a
water catcher and helps the
basket to retain its moisture.
When assembling your
EASY: Once established hanging baskets require
little maintenance other than watering.
basket, first soak the liner
in a bucket of water for five
minutes to really help its
hydration. Line your basket
with the coconut or moss
liner. Then fill it almost to
the top with lightweight
potting soil mix and compost.
An easy trick here is to
balance your round basket
on an old bucket so it stays
flat while you are assembling
it.
If you want to get fancy
try mixing in some water
gel crystals. They retain water
in the summer months
and help if you miss a day
or two of watering.
And now for your plants.
Choose a vibrant hanging
basket mix which features
a range of suitable, seasonal
flowers. Try adding
plants in the middle that
pack a bit of height. Dwarf
antirrhinum (also known
as dwarf snapdragons) are
perfect for this. Or looking
for something a bit
more practical and close to
kitchen? Add some parsley
or basil in the middle and
keep your cascading flowers
on the edges.
Once established hanging
baskets require little
maintenance other than
regular watering – especially
during the hot summer
months. But right now they
won’t need a lot of water.
So, stop waiting for
spring to arrive to get back
out into your gardens.
Spring to it now and plant
some baskets.
oN sAle Now!
Now only
$35.80
Plus $5 P&H per copy
AvAilAble from stAr mediA:
Level One, 359 Lincoln Road
Addington, Christchurch
Phone 379 7100
Trailblazer the way
to get to ski fields
I FIND it interesting that
Holden on both sides of
the Tasman has changed
the name of its popular
seven-seat Colorado7 to
Trailblazer.
It’s almost as if the
company has tried to
distance the big sport utility
vehicle from the car it is
based on – the Colorado
ute – and I find that a bit of
a surprise. The Colorado
is one of the top-selling
utes in New Zealand, and
the Colorado7 was an
extension of that series, it
is a vehicle which will do
all the things the ute would
bar having deck space.
Nevertheless, it is now
named Trailblazer and
it arrives here in two
variations, LT (special
order only) and LTZ as in
the test car’s case. However,
mention must be made of a
limited edition Z71 model
which is dressed up with
big black wheels and special
decals.
In LTZ form the
Trailblazer comes well
specced for comfort
and convenience, and
at $62,990 it is priced
favourably against its
nearest opposition – say
Mitsubishi’s Pajero Sport,
Toyota’s Fortuner and
Ford’s Everest.
For its money, the
Trailblazer gets full leather
trim with heated front
seats (also electrically
adjustable), MyLink voice
recognition infotainment
system, digitally controlled
air conditioning and cruise
control. For safety there’s
the mandatory gear to earn
it a five-star Australasian
New Car Assessment
Program safety rating.
The Trailblazer is
powered by General
Motors’ 2.8-litre, fourcylinder
turbocharged
diesel engine, the same
as that which sits in the
Colorado ute range. It is
rated at 147kW with a
grunty 500Nm of torque,
the latter realised at just
2000rpm,meaning there
is a lot of specific power
which, in turn, relates to
respectable performance.
Part of the latter is
due to the engine’s
pairing with a six-speed
automatic gearbox which
has close ratios so that
the gaps between gears
aren’t excessive. The
combination works fluidly
together, and the ratios
are also structured so that
acceleration is useful along
Motoring
Ross Kiddie
HOLDEN TRAILBLAZER: Genuine cross-country
vehicle.
with relaxed highway
operation and associated
fuel usage benefits.
The twin-camshaft,
16-valve engine has
a 9.2-litre per 100km
(31mpg) combined cycle
claim. That’s achievable,
even considering the
Trailblazer weighs in well
over two-tonne, the trip
computer was still listing at
around 10l/100km (28mpg)
during my testing time. At
100km/h the engine turns
over at a leisurely 1600rpm,
using fuel at the rate of just
7.3l/100km (39mpg).
• Price – Holden
Trailblazer LTZ,
$62,990
• Dimensions – Length,
5347mm; width,
1882mm; height,
1780mm
• Configuration
– Four-cylinder, fourwheel-drive,
2776cc,
147kW, 500Nm, sixspeed
automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 10sec
• Fuel usage –
9.2l/100km
These are respectable
figures, and if you take into
account it will accelerate
to 100km/h from a standstill
in around 10sec, it has
the benefit of power and
economy.
I took the test car on my
usual inland route. Given
the Trailblazer has a serious
four-wheel-drive system
and suspension engineered
for life in the rough stuff, I
included a short undulating
track near the Coalgate.
The evaluation car was a
local dealer demonstrator
so I didn’t want to get it
overly dirty, and the dry,
well-packed clay surface
didn’t provide a grip
challenge; however, I can
report the Trailblazer can be
considered a genuine crosscountry
vehicle because of
its low ratio transfer case,
organised by a dial switch
near the auto shifter.
The suspension is up to
task. It has a combination
of long travel up front with
the firming and control
through the springs and
dampers to absorb the big
hits from off-road surfaces.
This taking into account
the rear suspension of the
Trailblazer utilises much the
same load-bearing, live axle
set-up that is used in the ute,
although the SUV gets coils
as opposed to leaf springs.
On the seal the Trailblazer
cruises smoothly,
providing the driver with
solid information as to how
it is travelling in relation to
the road surface.
At almost 1.8m, the
Trailblazer is tall, which
means there is some body
movement over the suspension,
but it deals with the
gravitational change with
lurching, or disturbing incabin
comfort.
The Trailblazer’s sevenseat
platform is fairly traditional,
the rear row of seats
fold up out of the floor
and provide satisfactory
comfort. The cabin proper
is well up to catering for
five adults, and if the rear
seats are folded flat the load
space is cavernous.
Even though its name
has changed, not a lot
has changed within the
Trailblazer, it is an SUV
with a difference to the
majority of seven-seaters
which ply our market.
Given the popularity of
the ute market sales of the
Trailblazer – and others –
benefit from that success.
It’s a serious vehicle for
the high country fishing
trip or summer camping
holiday. At this time of year
it is the perfect vehicle for
the ski field access road,
and with the pricing structure
it is a vehicle which deserves
consideration if you
need a four-wheel-drive
with high off-the-beatentrack
capability.
•Find your next car, p32