CHS Website Editor, Author at Canterbury Horticultural Society

Monthly Tips & Tasks – October

Fruit & Vegetables, Lawns, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Plant Forum, Spring Gardening

Spring has now arrived and in my garden plants are really moving into growth. The weather has been on the dry side with only 4mm of rain at the time of writing, for August we would expect 40mm so it is dry. The Spring bulbs will need to have some water if this dry spell continues so that they can grow well and be in good condition to produce flowers next year.

The apricot, peach and nectarine are in full flower now which is about 2 weeks earlier than usual so hopefully there will not be any hard frosts that can damage the flowers. The soil is now dry enough to dig over and work up to make a good friable soil ready for seed sowing or the transplanting of seedlings. read more…

Ramblers July / August

Blog, Ramblers, Uncategorized

In late July fourteen Ramblers met at the city Bus Exchange on a bitterly cold morning to walk some of the central city laneways. For many, getting there was a novel journey travelling by bus into the city – a new
experience. Leaving the Bus Exchange we walked along Tuam St to Manchester St making our way to the walkway behind Environment Canterbury to Mata Lane and back out to Tuam St. Heading towards Colombo
St to re-join the walkway at what was known as Mollet St past Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery School and onto Durham St. From here to Tuam St again, onto Lava Lane and Greenway Lane to Montreal St from there
to the Memorial Wall walk to the Riverside Market to weave through walk ways to emerge into Cashel Mall.

Monthly Tips & Tasks – September

Blog, Fruit & Vegetables, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Spring Gardening, The Flower Garden

Spring has now arrived and in my garden plants are really moving into growth. The weather has been on the dry side with only 4mm of rain at the time of writing, for August we would expect 40mm so it is dry. The Spring bulbs will need to have some water if this dry spell continues so that they can grow well and be in good condition to produce flowers next year.

The apricot, peach and nectarine are in full flower now which is about 2 weeks earlier than usual so hopefully there will not be any hard frosts that can damage the flowers. The soil is now dry enough to dig over and work up to make a good friable soil ready for seed sowing or the transplanting of seedlings. read more…

Ramblers June/July

Blog, News, News & Events, Ramblers

Winter Rambles A misty day greeted ten Ramblers on the 23rd of June. Starting from The Kiosk in the Botanic Gardens where nature had created interesting sculptures in the shrubbery the group continued along Armagh St rambling along to Victoria Square. A bleak looking area on a not so nice day in Winter. A Weeping … Read More

Monthly Tips & Tasks – August

Fruit & Vegetables, Lawns, Monthly Tips & Tasks, This Month in the Garden, Winter Gardening

August is a month of transition from the cold of Winter to the more changeable weather of the late Winter and early Spring at the end of the month. I can already see the daffodils budding up and other plants around the garden showing the signs of the coming season.

The pruning of fruit trees, roses, grapes and any other trees should be completed by the end of the month. Winter spray of copper and conquer oil should be done before the buds completely burst into leaf to get the most benefit from the sprays. As the soil becomes more workable gardens should be cultivated, green crops and compost dug in to prepare the ground for planting or seed sowing in a few weeks time. Some early seeds may be sown indoors so that the seedlings will be ready for planting out in about six weeks time. This month is still a good time for the planting of deciduous fruit trees, citrus and other shrubs.

Winter HERB Society Update 2020

Herb of the Month

Thursday 25th June saw an exciting line up of Midwinter Christmas events for the Canterbury HERB Society’s comeback after the lockdown. The group has begun regular evening meetings on a monthly basis (previously only on alternate months) to accommodate the surge in younger new members. There will also be day meetings through the Winter as … Read More

Ramblers Restart

Blog, News & Events, Uncategorized

Ramblers restart Restarting Ramblers post covid-19 lockdown was a delight as 22 turned out to ramble through parts of Fendalton, this included three new faces. Everyone wanted to see a new area from the area they had been walking in while lockdown exercising. After a good frost and a bright sky the group started out … Read More

Monthly Tips & Tasks – July

Fruit & Vegetables, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Winter Gardening

July is the month where the real Winter weather kicks in. The trees have lost all their leaves, the ground is cold and wet and the garden looks gloomy. But there is activity in the ground, my daffodils are just starting to come through, my snow drops are almost in flower and some of the primulas are beginning to flower.

We are past the shortest day although we will not notice the days getting longer for a few weeks yet. On the fine sunny days take the opportunity to prune fruit trees, roses and other deciduous plants.

We are now thinking about the tasks that we will need to do in the Winter. Pruning, planting new trees and the final clean up of the leaves and weeds in the flower and vegetable gardens. Dahlias and chrysanthemums will benefit from lifting out of the ground and stored in a cool dry place protected from the frosts and wet (chrysanthemums are put into trays of potting mix or compost and put into a greenhouse or a sheltered spot).

Monthly Tips & Tasks – June

Fruit & Vegetables, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Winter Gardening

Winter has arrived and the weather is much cooler but we are still below average for rain fall and the soil is noticeably drier below the top by a few millimetres.

We are now thinking about the tasks that we will need to do in the Winter. Pruning, planting new trees and the final clean up of the leaves and weeds in the flower and vegetable gardens. Dahlias and chrysanthemums will benefit from lifting out of the ground and stored in a cool dry place protected from the frosts and wet (chrysanthemums are put into trays of potting mix or compost and put into a greenhouse or a sheltered spot).

Help with your bulbous plants

Autumn Gardening, Blog, The Flower Garden, Winter Gardening

We have had a very dry autumn. The soil is still relatively warm and the small amount of rain has not penetrated deep into the soil. Some bulbs are confused. Narcissus that usually flower in late winter are blooming now. Narcissus ‘Grande Primo Citronaire’ and Narcissus ‘Nylon’, which usually flower in late July, are coming … Read More