September is the real start of Spring, often accompanied by highly unpredictable weather! The 2022 Winter has been one of plenty of rain along with some hard frosts, leaving the ground wet and cold and making it difficult to ready the soil for planting. I think it will be advisable to wait until ground conditions … Read More
Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity and the Crisis of Sensory David George Haskell 9781760642587 | $40.00 Review by Scorpio Books Many of us around the world noticed the almost immediate effect of lockdowns on our ability to hear the natural world around us – as we turned the volume down on human … Read More
The Land Gardeners – Cut Flowers Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld 9781760761738 | $55.00 Review by Scorpio Books New edition by popular demand! HEALING OUR SOILS, HEALING OUR PLANTS, HEALING OUR PLANET The Land Gardeners show you how to establish organic garden beds and sow, grow and harvest over 100 varieties of cut flowers. In … Read More
This month we notice longer days and the promise of Spring! However, the soil will be at its coldest and wettest so working it should wait until conditions improve. Winter pruning should be completed by the end of the month and if spraying, treatments done as the buds begin to swell to give the best … Read More
Grow – Wāhine Finding Connection Through Food Sophie Merkens 9780995142367 | $59.99 Review by Scorpio Books ‘Grow’ follows Sophie Merkens – a photographer and food writer – as she travels the length of Aotearoa seeking stories from women who have special connections with place and community through food. From divers and hunters to chefs, foragers, … Read More
Welcome to July in the garden. Most of the work needed to be done at this time of the year involves pruning and maintenance around the property. Pruning Before you start pruning make sure you have good tools which are sharp and clean. Spray the plants to be pruned first to help stop the carry … Read More
The Well Gardened Mind: Rediscovering Nature in the Modern World By Sue Stuart-Smith 9780008100735 $29.99 Review by Scorpio Books Our June Book of the Month is not a new book, but a Scorpio staff favourite. An essential addition to any gardener’s bookshelf, it’s the perfect read to retreat into when the weather prevents us from … Read More
Bay Leaves Bay leaves have become almost ubiquitous in the kitchen due to their ability to enhance a wide variety of dishes, but they are also surprisingly good for our health. The bay (Laurus nobilis) is an aromatic evergreen tree that belongs to the Lauraceae family. It has smooth green leaves that can be used … Read More
June; the month of the shortest day, the start of the colder weather and clean up time in the garden! The last of the leaves will have fallen from trees and shrubs and most of the perennials will have finished, so a good tidy up of leaves and plants can be completed. Before the ground … Read More
The Abundant Garden: A Practical guide to growing a regenerative home garden By Niva Kay & Yotam Kay 9781988547718 $45.00 Review by Ray Shipley from Scorpio Books Niva and Yotam Kay, of Pakaraka Permaculture in the Coromandel, say in the introduction to The Abundant Garden that they “love making gardening accessible, fun and attainable for … Read More