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
May heralds the end of autumn and the beginning of winter so many of the tasks this month involve cleaning up around the garden and doing repairs and maintenance on green houses, shade houses and any structures used for climbing plants. Autumn has been mild and dry so far, so many of the plants have not yet dried off (dahlias and begonias) or frosted back. This may delay lifting them for the winter but if you want to plant some of the winter /spring plants you can lift them and place them in trays to dry off. Spring bulbs will need to be planted before the end of the month as the colder wetter weather will make it more difficult once it arrives.
This month is the transition from summer to autumn and a very busy time in the garden. Nights are cooler and morning dew is on the grass.
Pip fruit harvest time is here with apples and pears at their very best. Choose only the very best, sound fruit for storage over the winter and the second quality fruit for now, or to make into sauces or jelly.
April is the real month of autumn when the trees put on their spectacle of coloured leaves. Although we are approaching the end of the growing season for summer fruit, vegetables and flowers, we still have time to prepare the ground for the autumn planting of trees and shrubs.
This is a busy month for bulb planting and for winter annuals such as pansies, violas, polyanthus, primulas, wall flowers, forget-me-nots and poppies.