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
Spring has finally arrived albeit about 10 days late. We are still behind on rainfall and the risk of frosts is still with us so we need to approach the season with some caution and patience. October is one of the very busy times in the garden as much of what we do now determines … Read More
The end of Winter and the start of Spring is the beginning of the growing season and when work in the garden really determines results for the coming growing season. The old saying, “well begun is half done” can be applied to the garden, so start the season off properly by doing the right tasks … Read More
Lilium Regale Or should I say Xmas Lily as we commonly know them. The bulbs are sold now until July so that they create the lovely flower and scent we all associate with Christmas. Although you can plant them in the garden if you grow them in pots you can bring them indoors enhancing the … Read More
Snowdrops – on a wet and cold day when Winter has us firmly in her grip, how a patch of snowdrops can gladden the heart. They begin their flowering when little else does and therefore make themselves an invaluable addition to our gardens. Plant these lovely corms this month to ensure you are see the … Read More
This beauty is called C. ‘Fairy Blush’. It was bred by Mark Jury and is a seedling of the camellia species C. lutchuensis. Camellia ‘Fairy Blush’ is classed as a miniature camellia. The flowers are light apple blossom pink fading to a paler pink in the centre and wonderfully perfumed. These masses of flowers are … Read More
Janet & Brian Lovelock’s stunning garden was awarded the following in the recent Summer Garden Awards: Premier Garden. Tosswill Memorial Award: 1st. 5 Star Garden. Doyle Award : 1st. 5 Star Garden Special feature award: 1st Perennials and Annuals Special feature award: 2nd Vegetables. See more from the garden in the slideshow above. Full results … Read More
Smart planting for healthy bees Why Are Bees Important? Imagine a world without strawberries, kiwifruit, apples, nuts, coffee, chocolate or even denim jeans! And that’s only the beginning. One mouthful in three and nearly ¾ of the diversity of our daily food is directly attributed to Bee pollination. Billions of dollars in NZ export earnings depend … 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