April Gardening Update Autumn in the Garden With the Equinox behind us, Autumn is in full swing. Leaves are changing colour across the city and countryside, and the garden is transitioning to cooler days. Harvest & Preserve Keep harvesting tomatoes, courgettes, and other Summer crops to preserve for Winter. Freeze them whole, or turn them … Read More
March Gardening Update Canterbury Gardens in Autumn March is ideal for harvesting fruit and vegetables. Surplus produce is common, and freezing remains the most popular preservation method—it’s quick, easy, and cost-effective. Clean, blanch, cool, dry, and pack vegetables into freezer bags before freezing. Bottling fruit and beetroot, while more time-consuming, adds colour to your pantry … Read More
May is the cleanup month in the garden, as the leaves are nearing the end of falling and most of the summer-flowering perennials have finished. Spring bulbs need to be finished being planted, and dahlias and tuberous begonias can now be lifted for the Winter. Lawns are still growing, and good weed and moss control … Read More
Many thanks to Portstone Garden Centre for this update. CHS Members enjoy a 15% discount at Portstone Garden Centre www.portstone.co.nz Although it’s the end of the season for Blueberries, some varieties such as Pink Icing and Tifblue put on a lovely display of autumnal colours, providing interesting landscapes in the form of hedges or … Read More
Autumn is a bustling season in the garden, marked this year by noticeable daytime temperature drops in March. Despite morning dews, rainfall remains scarce, leaving soil moisture notably low. This month is prime for lawn renovation in preparation for winter. Feeding, weed spraying, top dressing, and resowing yield optimal results while the soil remains warm … Read More
March signals the start of the change of seasons from Summer to Autumn. As the days become shorter, plant growth slows down, and the tasks around the garden turn towards preparing for the Winter ahead. Watering is needed as we are still in need of rain to keep up good soil moisture for growth and … Read More
We are moving well into Autumn as the trees change colour and there is morning dew on the ground. This reminds us that we need to get on with preparing the garden for Winter! The grass is growing faster and will respond to fertilisers applied now that will keep the grass healthy. Look out for … Read More
March, is it late Summer or early Autumn? For me it is both, the Dahlias are in full bloom and the early flowering chrysanthemums are also at their best, along with many Autumn flowering perennials all remind me that Summer is coming to an end.
This month is all about harvesting fruit and many of our vegetables.
May is the time that the garden slows down ready for the colder winter months. Many of the month’s tasks involve preparing the plants for frosts and wet weather. Spring bulbs should now be planted and once the harder frosts have started, summer flowering bulbs and tubers should be lifted and dried off to be … Read More
February has been a month of record rain fall and below average sunshine hours but the plants have grown and so have the weeds. March is the end of summer and what I call the harvest month as much of the fruit is ready for picking along with the summer vegetables such as the tomatoes … Read More