From Michael Coulter December, the beginning of Summer and all those flowers, fruit and vegetables to grow and harvest. We are well behind on our rain fall and the ground is very dry so we need to manage our watering well to ensure that our garden will produce good results. Mulching will become more important … Read More
From Michael Coulter November is one of the really busy times in the garden as it is the end of Spring and the start of Summer. With the warmer and longer days plants and weeds grow at a very rapid rate as do many of the pests and diseases that will attack them. The weather … Read More
Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks February is one of the busy months of the gardeners’ year, during this time we are harvesting fruit and vegetables, weeding, watering, Summer pruning fruit trees, dead heading flowers and roses and getting the garden ready for the coming Winter. Tree ripened fruit is for me the real highlight at this … Read More
Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks January is the month of many tasks in the garden. To keep plants healthy and in full production it is important to have a regular schedule of work that involves weeding, watering, harvesting and replanting for a continual supply or fruit, vegetables and flowers. It is better to try and have … Read More
Oderings Plant of the month New for 2014, the colourful foliage tints of Hebe ‘Rhubarb & Custard’ make a big impression in pots and borders, while the pretty pink flowers add extra impact in summer. The leaf colour of many hebes intensifies in winter, but these pink, cream and green leaves are vivid all year. … Read More
Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks Now is a very busy time in the garden. Plant growth is rapid and we need to keep on top of the many tasks that need to be done. The weather has been very changeable with a lot of wind. This means that we will have to keep up the watering … Read More
As I write this it is Labour weekend, the time that we gardeners start to plant the warmer loving plants in our vegetable and flower gardens. The weather will still be changeable so we need to watch out for any late frosts on our more tender plants. We have had little rain and the ground … Read More
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Time to plant winter veggies like cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli. Any ground that is going to be vacant you can think about putting a green crop in – lupins, barley and mustard all help to improve the soil structure. Keep picking tomatoes and removing lower leaves to encourage fruit to ripen. … Read More
From Michael Coulter This summer has been something of a challenge with below average rainfall and wind making for a difficult growing season. Watering is needed more often as plants have dried out quicker, plants need to be supported more, and plants that have been wind damaged need to be pruned to repair any broken branches. So … Read More
Great weather. Been looking on the computer.Rainfall been below normal and well below normal across most of the South Island. Temperatures were above average throughout most of New Zealand. Had a few winds. Of the main centres, Auckland was the warmest, Dunedin the coolest, Wellington the wettest and Tauranga was the sunniest. Christchurch was the … Read More