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Autumn Scoop 2021
Indoor PLANTS Autumn care tips
Growing LAWNS
All you need to know
Little GROWERS DIY leaf etching
Sensational
AUTUMN RECIPES
Including sauces from Lynda Hallinan
Passionate
PLANT PEOPLE
Take a peek into one of our team's plant collections
Plant Doctor YOUR QUESTIONS
Our expert advice
GREEN THUMBS & GOLD MEDALS
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We’re proud to be plant-people, but we’re chuffed to find out our customers think we’re as good with people as we are plants. So good that we’ve won a gold medal in the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Awards. Thanks to everyone who gave us a big green thumbs up!
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Contents Autumn 2021
Features
Every Issue
14 All About Lawns
4
Gardeners’ Mail
Celebrating your garden success stories
16 Lawn Alternatives
6
Autumn Checklists
What to plant and tend to this autumn
All you need to know about sowing and caring for lawns
A great way to fill in your yard
18 Growing Hedges
Learn about what hedge suits your property
12 Our Autumn Plants
Our top plants picks each month
20 Spring Bulbs
22 Garden to Plate
Plant now for gorgeous spring blooms
27 Kids Corner
24 Autumn Sauces
Easy recipes from the wonderful Lynda Hallinan
DIY leaf etching
28 Indoor Plants
30 Passionate Plant People
Use your harvested produce in these tasty autumn recipes
Take a peek at the beautiful garden of one of our team
Tips for autumn care
34 Plant Doctor
Your questions, our expert advice
Connect with us /kingsplantbarn
@kingsplantbarnnz
kings.co.nz
Gardeners’ Mail Celebrating Your Success Growing with Family This is my garden of blooms. I’ve been here 30-plus years and I love to see lots of coloured flowers (especially different colours in the petunias, snapdragons, lilies and marigolds) in the summer months. Luckily the flowers looked great at the beginning of the week so I was able to take photos. Both my parents loved being in their garden, Dad the veggie garden and Mum her rose garden, and I suppose that’s where my daughter and I get our love of flowers from. - Lexie, Highland Park
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Beautiful Butterflies I took my five year old to one of the events at the Takapuna store in January. There was a lovely lady that taught the kids all about butterflies in New Zealand. He loved it, especially when she took out a butterfly for all the kids to see! He enjoyed it so much that we took home two swan plants. Not even two days went by before we started seeing eggs appearing on the leaves! We are so excited and can’t wait for them to hatch! - Rosemary, Birkenhead
Lockdown Veggie Garden I have always wanted to start my own garden and like a lot of people found myself with a whole lot of spare time on my hands during the COVID lockdown. It was during this time that I felt inspired to restore the four old garden boxes we had in our backyard and turn them into a flourishing veggie garden. Fast track to ten months later, and a whole lot of research, bugging friends for advice and definitely a few mistakes to learn from on the way, I can honestly say I have become a little garden obsessed! There’s nothing like working in the garden and picking your own fresh nutritious food for the table to make you feel more connected. I have honestly been completely amazed with how much I have been able to grow from such a small space as well! This is our first big tomato and cucumber harvest and I’m looking forward to many more to come. - Joshua, Whenuapai
WIN Send us your stories and be in to
a Kings $50 Voucher
Every published story wins, so send us your gardening success stories! Post: PO BOX 31002, Milford, 0741 Email: info@kings.co.nz or message us on Facebook or Instagram
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Your
March Checklist
March is the most wonderful autumn month, as summer plants are still enjoying their last weeks of warmth, and fruit is ripe for picking.
Plant Now
Vegetables
Trees & Shrubs
Flowers & Perennials
Start planting your winter veggies now. Stagger seedlings by planting some now, and the rest over the course of autumn. Sow root veggies including beetroot, parsnip and carrots directly into the garden, and sow lettuce, kale, broccoli and cabbage in seedling trays.
Camellias New-season varieties are instore this month with a large range of colourful blooms. Grow as an evergreen hedge either in full sun or in shade, or as a feature plant. Early-flowering varieties bloom from early autumn to mid-winter.
Instant Colour Fill your garden with annual colour, including salvias, marigolds, petunias, seedling dahlias and gazanias.
Herbs
Hedging Start thinking about planting hedging plants to get them established for the next year. More information can be found in our hedging article.
Sow coriander and parsley seeds in seedling trays, or plant out seedlings into the garden. Weed veggie beds while weeds are still small.
Fruit Citrus Autumn is the best time to get citrus planted with a wide range available. Plant to get roots established now before the cold sets in. Avocados Never buy over-priced avocado fruit again! All Kings avocados are grafted and need to be planted in free-draining soil to produce fruit. Plant with a pollinator partner and protect from frost when young.
Perennials There are a wide range of perennials now in bloom. Choose from beautiful Chrysanthemums, Asters and hardy mini Cyclamen. Deadhead spent flowers and continue to feed with Kings Fast Food. Spring Bulbs Our full range of bulbs will be coming in this month, including Freesia, hyacinths and daffodils. Check online for the full range and secure your favourites.
With an abundance of harvestable produce, and russet colours, autumn is a great season to plant, tidy up in the garden and work on new projects.
Feijoas Plant two different varieties that fruit at slightly different times to stagger your harvest and boost your crop’s yield. Check with staff instore for the best options.
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Avocados
Tend
Vegetables Continue to harvest your delicious fresh veggies! Don’t forget to water leafy edibles often to avoid them going to seed too fast. Keep aside seed potatoes in a cool, dark place after harvesting and plant in early autumn. Fruit Feed and water around the root zone of established plants. Refrain from underplanting citrus as they have sensitive feeding roots that dislike competing for space. Dispose of any rotting or diseased fruit off-site. Lawn Autumn is the best time to start germinating new lawn seed. Preparation is key, so rake and create a level firm surface free from weeds before using lawn mix and your chosen seed.
Harvest
March is full of tasty crops, ripe for the picking. Continue to use the older leaves of bok choy, lettuces, silverbeet, kale, and spinach. Pick beans, peas, capsicum, chilli, tomatoes and the last of the courgettes. Fruit including lemons and limes, watermelons, feijoas, apples and pears are best fresh – use in smoothies, cereal or in salads.
Royal Gala Apple
Chrysanthemums
Essentials for all your autumn needs
Kings Fast Food
Living Earth Lawn Mix
Kings Bulb Collection
Feed your plants with our fast-acting liquid fertiliser for optimal plant health.
Grow a beautiful, thick lawn with the help from Living Earth's premium lawn mix.
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Be in quick and choose your favourite bulbs before they sell out! Choose from our spring bulb selection in stores now. From $7.99
7
Your
April Checklist
When the temperature slowly starts getting cooler, there are plenty of jobs to do around the garden as summer plants fade.
Plant Now Vegetables
Continue to plant and stagger your seedling crops for winter. Plant out leeks, spring onion, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and beans. It’s not too late to sow carrot, turnip and beetroot seeds directly into well-tilled soil.
Fruit Figs are now the fruit of the month in stores, and can be grown both in the ground or in large pots. Water well to avoid dry, fluffy fruit. Plant dwarf citrus in large pots or normal varieties in a sunny position in the garden.
Trees & Shrubs Flowering Shrubs Get autumn and winter flowering shrubs into the garden now. Camellias are well suited to full sun or full shade depending on the variety, and azaleas will continue to flower throughout the cooler months.
Hedging Put your hedges in now while the soil is still warm. Eugenia, Griselinias and Pittosporum are great for medium to large hedging, while Corokia and Buxus are best for smaller, well-maintained spots.
Flowers & Perennials Instant Colour Plant out potted colour such as calendula, alyssum, poppies, viola and pansies in pots and hanging baskets.
Feijoas
Perennials Chrysanthemum ‘Garden mums’ are stunning and bloom each autumn when planted in the garden. They are also spectacular planted in pots. Spring Bulbs Put tulips and hyacinth bulbs into the fridge for a month before planting to encourage better blooms. Deformed blooms can usually be due to little chill and early sprouting. Plant daffodils directly into the garden now.
Autumn is the best time to collect leaves for leaf mould, or start your own compost bin.
Calendula
Buxus
Tend
Daffodils
Vegetables Take out spent veggie plants once crops have finished. Save seed from heirloom varieties by drying on a paper towel for a few days on a sunny windowsill. Dig in compost and sheep pellets around beds that are still producing, and sow compost crops such as lupin and mustard seed in empty garden beds to reintroduce natural nitrogen and help keep weeds at bay. Fruit Harvest feijoas as they ripen and remove fruits infected with guava moth off-site instead of composting. If you haven’t already, feed fruit trees with Kings Fruit and Citrus Fertiliser now.
Flowers Weed flower gardens and feed plants with Kings Fast Food. Remove spent flowers regularly to keep plants looking good and encourage prolonged flowering. Lawns Spray any weedy, established lawn with Weed ‘n’ Feed. Repair damaged lawns with a lawn seed patch pack.
Harvest
Pick and dry chillies for later use. Harvest the last pumpkins, squash and sweetcorn. Freeze any excess, or make into soup and then freeze in old ice-cream containers. Harvest late-season potatoes, along with your normal leafy salad greens every few days.
Essentials for all your autumn needs
Kings Citrus and Fruit Tree Fertiliser
Compost Crops
Weed ’n’ Feed
Feed all your well-established fruit with this granular fertiliser once every six months, in spring and autumn.
Sow green manure cover crops seed such as lupin and mustard to reintroduce nitrogen back into the soil, and keep weeds at bay over winter.
Feed your established lawn and kill off any broad-leaf weeds. Spray, attached to the hose, on a sunny day.
From $10.99
From $8.99
From $35.99
9
Your
May Checklist
Now that there is a chill in the air, it’s time to wrap up the last of the autumn chores before winter is upon us. Daphne
Plant Now
Vegetables
Trees & Shrubs
Sow onion seed now for an early summer harvest. Slugs and snails will start to attack seedlings – protect with bug netting or Quash pellets. Consider getting a Vegepod or small greenhouse as you can plant and grow more tender crops and get faster plant growth. for small gardens see the new Vegebag option instore.
Hardy Shrubs Don't forget to get those native and dry-tolerant plants in the garden. These are perfect for neglected parts of your property or rental houses. When planting your new trees and shrubs, sprinkle a couple of scoops of Kings 24-Plus in each hole.
Fruit You can still plant out your feijoa now, as well as mandarins and other delicious citrus. Deciduous fruit trees will be available from stores from mid-June, so start planning out your urban orchard now. Remember, you need at least four meters between trees.
Small Shrubs Daphne arrive instores in April. Plant in part shade in a large pot or in a shadier part of the garden. Hebes and Coprosmas will offer autumn colour and are great to fill permanent gaps.
Flowers & Perennials Instant Colour Potted colour this month includes white alyssum, calendula, pansies, stock, primula, polyanthus and viola. Plant out seedlings of sweet peas and cineraria. Perennials Cyclamen are a winter favourite. They are hardy, best grown in shaded areas both in pots and the garden, and will produce flowers through to mid-spring. Plant hellebores under trees now and enjoy their sweet blooms each year thereafter. Spring Bulbs Plant your favourites into the garden and pots now.
Meyer Lemon
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Viola
Tend
Vegetables Weed between plants, otherwise they will compete with your seedlings for water, light, food and space. Set down bug netting, or put Quash around your seedlings to protect them from slugs and snails.
Harvest
Harvest late-season feijoas and onions, rhubarb stalks, mandarins, cabbage, radish and chicory.
Tulips
Trees and Shrubs Mulch with Living Earth More Than Mulch and fertilise around established trees with Aquaticus Organic Garden Booster. Flowers Clean out any scraggly summer or early autumn annuals that have finished, they die after blooing. Replant hanging baskets with winter colour, and feed with Kings Fast Food or sheep pellets once a month.
Essentials for all your autumn needs
Living Earth More Than Mulch
Aquaticus Organic Garden Booster
Mulch around your roses, trees and shrubs to help suppress weeds and keep the soil moist.
Feed all your outside pots and garden plants to help keep them happy and healthy, as well as conditioning the soil and protecting roots from rot.
From $13.99
Kings 24-Plus Sprinkle into the bottom of the hole before planting your tree or shrub. Kings 24-Plus will slowly release nutrients around the roots and feed your plant for up to 24 months! From $17.99
From $14.99
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Our Top
Autumn Plants This autumn we are celebrating three of our most popular plants, perfect for filling your garden with vibrant colours or tasty fruit.
March: Gardenia
Well known for their lightly perfumed blooms and gorgeous appearance, it’s no surprise that we have grown gardenias for around a thousand years. Gardenia are an evergreen subtropical plant that are best positioned in a shadier part of the garden. Plant in soil rich in organic matter and feed with a slightly acidic feed.
Top Varieties Radicans A low-growing variety that produces delightful, richly fragrant white flowers from late spring. Best grown in pots, or as a semi-groundcover. Grows to 30cm x 75cm. Professor Pucci This easy-to-grow gardenia produces richly fragrant, double-white blooms from late spring. Best grown as a medium-sized border or in medium-sized pots. Grows to 1m x 1m. Veitchii Veitchii has upright growth habit and pure white, fully double blooms during spring and summer. Best as a garden border or in medium-sized pots. Grows to 90cm x 90cm. Golden Magic A lush-leaved gardenia that produces masses of white, sweetly scented double flowers in spring that age to a buttery-yellow in summer. Grows to 1m x 1m.
Feed gardenia with Kings Slow-Release Acidic Food once every 3 months.
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Gardenia Veitchii Gardenia Radicans
April: Camellia
Prized for their lush glossy evergreen foliage and long-lasting blooms that appear in autumn and finish in spring, the camellia is perfect as a feature plant in your garden, or as a thick hedge all year round. There are two main species of Camellia commonly grown in New Zealand. Camellia Japonica have larger flowers, which bloom from early winter to late spring, and are best in shade. Camellia Sasanqua is best in full sun to part shade and flowers between autumn and late winter. Hybrids are also available, such as the beautiful Camellia Quintessence (which makes a great groundcover).
Top Varieties Early Pearly (Sasanqua type) An attractive variety that produces gorgeous, double-white blooms. Plant in full sun to part shade. An early bloomer best grown as a hedge. Grows to 2m x 1m. Setsugekka (Sasanqua type) Best grown as hedging, this highly popular variety produces masses of stunning white blooms. Plant in full sun to part shade. Smaller foliage with denser growth. Grows to 2.5m x 1m. Roger Hall (Japonica type) A dense, upright growth habit producing a mass of glorious, medium to large red blooms. Plant in part to full shade. Best as a feature plant in the garden. Grows to 2.5m x 2m.
Plant lemons in full sun in well-draining soil.
The camellia is perfect as a feature plant or as a thick hedge all year round.
Camellia Hybrid
May: Lemon
Lemons are easy to grow in Auckland, both in the ground or in pots, and are fantastic evergreen feature plants. Choosing a few different varieties also means you will have an abundance of lemons all year round. Plant in full sun in well-draining soil.
Top Varieties Meyer A lemon that fruits all year round, Meyer is hardy to light frosts and produces sweet, juicy, thin-skinned fruit. Grows to 4m, or 2m as a dwarf variety. Lemonade Cross between a lemon and an orange, lemonade produces a heavy crop of sweet, juicy fruit from autumn to spring, with a taste that closely resembles a high-end lemonade. Grows to 4m, or 2m as a dwarf variety.
Meyer Lemon
Yen Ben Fruit that has a very juicy, sharp and tangy taste and smooth skin that is great for zesting, Yen Ben is best for any foodie’s garden! Tends to fruit heavily in winter, with a lighter crop in summer. Grows to 4m, or 2m as a dwarf variety. 13
Love your Lawn If you need to repair, sow or resuscitate an existing lawn, autumn is the time to finally get stuck in. By sowing now, you give your lawn more time to get established before winter.
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Preparation Is Key Clear the area of weeds You may find that the best way to ensure that you have a weed-free patch to plant into, is to kill any existing weeds by spraying a broad-spectrum herbicide. Choose a product that will not leave residue in the soil that could affect your new lawn, such as Yates Zero. After the weeds have died and browned off (this can take 2–3 weeks), rake away the dead foliage and remove any larger stones or other debris from the area. If possible, avoid disturbing the soil too much as this can encourage buried weed seeds to germinate. Preparing To Sow Start by smoothing out your soil to remove any uneven spots, removing any medium to large rocks, breaking up dirt clods, and if necessary, reshaping certain areas to sort out any drainage problems. If you have clay soil, adding granular gypsum at this stage can help improve the soil structure, which will make maintaining your lawn much
easier in the long run. Spread a thin layer of Living Earth Lawn Mix to help make a fine seed bed. Sowing Follow the instructions and suggested rates on the packaging and start sowing your seed. A good trick is to divide your seed into two portions and spread half out while moving north to south and then spread the other half out east to west: this ensures that the seed is spread evenly. After sowing, lightly scatter another layer of Living Earth Lawn Mix to cover the seed or gently rake to cover them. If you are sowing a large area, sometimes using a hosepipe or a rope to divide the land into smaller sections, and dividing your seed up accordingly, will ensure that you divide the seed out evenly.
establishing grasses. For the first three months of your new lawn’s life, only feed with a fertiliser that is specific for young grass. Water well until grass has become established; do not let your new germinating grass seed dry out as you will get a patchy effect. Too much water can also disturb seed, moving it around to create an uneven finished product. When mowing for the first few times, allow the grass to grow 4–5cm tall and then set the height of your mower so that it only takes the very tips of the leaves off. Patching To patch gaps in your lawn, loosen soil with a fork and clear away any weeds. Add a thin layer of lawn mix to the area, sow seed, and then treat as a new lawn.
Care When fertilising your new lawn, be careful as most lawn food is quite strong and will often burn roots of
Choosing the right lawn seed
Boston Green A beautiful, high-quality leisure lawn seed, the Boston Green seed produces a ‘perfect’ lawn when cared for. Best for full sun to dappled shaded areas, Boston Green grass can withstand being used by kids and dogs on a regular basis. This grass mix is made up of rye, fine fescue and fine American turf.
Wearwell A hard-wearing lawn seed that is fast to establish and can be used as a patching grass if you aren’t sure of your lawn’s variety. It can withstand daily activity from pets and kids and will even tolerate some vehicle activity as well. This grass is made up of rye, fescue and brown top.
Tall Fescue This durable lawn seed has superior drought, heat and disease resistance and is a great choice for those who have coastal conditions. It will withstand a high degree of activity. For best results mow at a longer length. This grass is made of tall fescue grass seed.
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Our Top Lawn Alternatives Low maintenance and suited to various different growing conditions, lawn alternatives are a great way of filling in your yard, especially if you have struggled with growing a traditional lawn in the past. Here are our top eight lawn alternatives, which cover plants that can live in a variety of different situations and environments.
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Acaena Purpurea A groundcover that is best planted under trees, the Acaena purpurea will add a touch of beautiful colour (purple) to your garden, as well as being easy care – no mowing required!
Mesembryanthemum Known to have long-lasting flowers, this succulent is a ground cover that spreads over exposed soil and is hardy to dry and coastal areas. Plant on banks or dry parts of the garden.
Baby’s Tears Best suited for shaded areas with bright, indirect light, plant baby’s tears in moist soil and let it spread over areas that are out of the way and get little foot traffic.
Gazania Hardwearing, dry tolerant and happy in coastal conditions, Gazanias will fill in parts of the garden that are harder to plant out or stay watered. The groundcover silver foliage will spread over hot banks and exposed soil, blooming in summer with a gorgeous array of colourful flowers.
Clover Soft under foot, resistant to dry conditions and hardwearing, clover is found in some grass seed packs already due to the plant’s hardiness. Some traditional gardeners see it as a weed, others as a hassle-free lawn alternative.
Dichondra A soft groundcover that is one of the most popular lawn alternatives. Use the green version in the shade and under trees, and the silver in parts of the yard that get full sun. Plant as seeds, seedlings or full-grown plants, and water as you would a lawn for best results.
Thyme A groundcover herb that loves the heat, you can plant thyme in those areas that need some greenery that doesn’t necessarily need to be grass. This includes on the side or the middle strip of driveways, and on slopes.
Mondo Grass Fast-establishing mondo grass is perfect for the shaded side of the house that gets little direct sun. The plants look fantastic in between stepping stones or garden tiles and will fill in any gaps once they have settled into their new environment.
Other Alternatives Other alternatives to a green, flat lawn include Japanese-style stone gardens accompanied by moss and grasses, an extra veggie garden or three, herbs in pots or a dry-tolerant/cacti garden with a dressing of rocks.
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Growing Hedges Hedging plants are great at creating privacy from a road or the neighbours, or to section off parts of the garden. You can even shape them into topiary! Here are some of our top picks.
Buxus
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Corokia A New Zealand native, Corokia comes in a range of varieties, from bright greens, to silver and even chocolate foliage, that will brighten up any garden. Spacing requirements vary depending on how large each variety gets. Spacing: approx. 30cm to 50cm apart. Height: 30cm to 2m tall.
Pittosporums With lots of different varieties to choose from, these native plants have a steady growth rate and look great in any native-themed garden, where they can be grown as screening plants. Pittosporum are best grown in full sun. Spacing: approx. 75cm apart. Height: 1m to 3m tall.
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Buxus A small-leaved, tightly compact evergreen plant that has traditionally been used to define garden bed edging, for lining paths and creating topiaries.
Michelia Figo (Port Wine Magnolia) This beautiful, thick, evergreen plant has dense foliage, making it perfect for hedging. Michelias are related to magnolias, and also produces highly fragrant flowers in spring and summer.
Spacing: approx. 20cm to 30cm apart. Height: 20cm to 1.5m tall.
Spacing: approx. 75cm to 1m apart. Height: up to 2m tall.
Eugenia Known by many as ‘lilly pillies’, eugenia is the most common hedging plant in Auckland. The dense evergreen foliage makes it perfect for blocking out nosy neighbours, being fast growing and dry tolerant, they are perfect for screening from tall surrounding buildings.
Griselinia Our most popular hedging plant, Griselinias have large, glossy, evergreen foliage that’s perfect for providing privacy. Pruning will decide how tall the hedge will reach. Maintain well to keep the growth bushy and lush.
Spacing: approx. 75cm apart. Height: 1.5m to 3m tall.
Care Tips
Spacing: approx. 75cm apart. Height: 1m to 2.5m tall.
Trim your hedges, after the plants have finished flowering; this will help encourage bushy growth as well as making the plants look tidy. If you are looking for something a little different, try feijoa, Chilean guava or even olives for hedging. When planting your new hedge, sprinkle Kings 24-Plus in the bottom of the hole to help feed the plants for up to two years.
All About
Spring Bulbs Putting in the effort now will allow you to sit back and watch spring announce its arrival with a wide range of colourful and fragrant blooms.
Freesia Known for their sweet scent and colourful flowers, freesias grow from corms instead of bulbs. As the freesia sprout from the original corm and gets established, they also grow smaller extra corms. Once flowering is finished the original corm dies, leaving the new corms to grow and flower the following year. Plant with the pointy part of the corm facing upwards. Available from: early February Plant: Jan–April Position: full sun Depth: 5–6cm Spacing: 8–10cm
Anemone Anemones are very easy to grow with full, colourful flowers. Pick a couple of days after flowers open to prolong their vase life. Anemone offer their best blooms in their first year but will continue to flower annually. New variety to Kings: Bi-colour Available from: late January Plant: Feb–March Position: part shade Depth: 3–4cm Spacing: 6–8cm Ranunculus These ornate, colourful flowers look amazing in the garden, in shallow terracotta bulb bowls or as a cut flower. Before planting your corms, soak them deeply in water for two hours. Plant in part shade if you want longer stems. Water well until the sprouts emerge, and then keep soil slightly moist. Available from: late January Plant: Jan–April Position: full sun Depth: 3–4cm Spacing: 6–8cm 20
Hyacinth With beautiful compact cones of blooms, hyacinths are highly fragrant and come in a range of stunning colours. Chill bulbs in the fridge for four to six weeks before planting them in winter to prevent malformed flowers. Lift the bulbs once the foliage dies back and place in a paper bag in a cool, dry area. In late summer chill them again for another year of beautiful flowers. New varieties to Kings: Doubles including Royal Navy, Spring Beauty, Snow Crystal and Red Diamond Available From: late January Plant: March–April Position: full sun Depth: 5–10cm Spacing: 8–10cm
Kings Bulb Collection Other bulbs available through-out autumn include Scillas, Muscari, Dutch iris, Iris reticulata, Ixia, Sparaxis and Crocus varieties. From $7.99
Daffodils Arguably the easiest spring bulb to grow and with a large range to choose from, daffodils are fast to establish and look great as they fill out over the years. Protect sprouts from slugs and snails with Quash in winter. New varieties to Kings: Arial, Pipet, Apricot Whirl, Glorious, Curly and Precocious Available from: early January Plant: Feb–April Position: full sun Depth: 8–10cm Spacing: 10–12cm
Tulip Tulip bulbs arrive in stores around late March. Tulips also need a cold winter to bloom well so put them into a paper bag and chill, then plant in late May. When chilling make sure they are kept dry. Plant in part shade if you live in the North Island, as this will help keep the flowers in bloom for longer rather than have them wilt in the sun. New variety to Kings: Tres Chic Available from: late March Plant: March–April Position: full sun Depth: 5–8cm Spacing: 8–10cm
General Care Bulbs in the Ground Plant in free-draining soil, rich in organic matter or into bulb mix. To improve your soil, include compost, pumice sand and gypsum. Plant in a slight mound if the area is known to get wet.
Pots and Containers Select a pot large enough to plant the bulbs at the correct depth and spacing. Plant using bulb mix or potting mix for a free-draining soil option.
Extra Tips Water your bulbs well after you have planted them and until they start to sprout. Bulbs in shadier areas will have longer stems, which can be ideal when grown as cut flowers. 21
Garden to Plate Try one of our tasty new autumn recipes with seasonally harvested ingredients
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Walnut, Beetroot and Feta Salad This salad pairs beautifully with barbecued meats, so is perfect to bring along to those last barbecues of the season! Serves 4 Ingredients 3 beetroot, peeled and diced Rocket 1 small radicchio ½ packet feta, crumbled ½ cup walnuts 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp red wine vinegar Flaky salt and pepper
Method 1. Blanch the radicchio for 1 minute, just until slightly tender, and then run under cold water to stop cooking process. Place in a serving platter along with the rocket. 2. Top radicchio and rocket with diced beetroot, feta and walnuts, drizzle with oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat salad with dressing.
Feijoa and Rhubarb Crumble Crumble is a popular dessert that pleases adults and kids alike. This version prepares the fruit and crumble separately to ensure the topping is crispy rather than soggy. Serves 4 Ingredients 2 cups peeled and cubed apple 2 cups sliced rhubarb 1 cup soft brown sugar or coconut sugar 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup chopped mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts all work well) 120g butter, melted
Method 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 2. Put fruit and rhubarb into an oven-proof dish and stir in half the sugar. Place in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes, or until completely softened. 3. Meanwhile, put oats and nuts in a bowl and drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Stir to coat. Tip onto a lipped oven tray and spread out. Add to oven during last 20 minutes of cooking time and toast, taking care to make sure it doesn’t burn. 4. Serve baked fruit with crunchy crumble topping and ice cream or cream on the side.
Follow @LyndaHallinanGardening on Facebook or order her preserving book, Foggydale Farm Jam Sessions, at www.foggydalefarm.co.nz
Autumn Sauces with Lynda Hallinan
Autumn is time to reap everything you've sown and in preserving there is a multitudes of ways to make the most of autumn's abundance so that nothing goes to waste. You can bottle fruit in large jars or stock your pantry with homemade chutneys and jams. If you're pressed for time you can simply freeze fruit and vegetable crops in freezer-safe bags to thaw for winter soups, stews and baking. If you are new to preserving, start with sauces, which can be used in gravy, casseroles, salad dressings and marinades, quicker to cook than chutneys and it doesn't matter if they turn out a little too runny!
Just-Like-Watties Tomato Sauce
This is the recipe I use to trick my children into thinking they're sloshing an iconic Kiwi brand of tomato sauce on their sausages. The secret ingredient is glacial acetic acid; you can source this from pharmacies. Acetic acid is pure concentrated vinegar and it preserves the flavour and colour of sauces (and chutneys) while also speeding up the cooking time, as you don't have to boil off the excess liquid in vinegar. Tip: Don't worry about skinning the tomatoes. However, if you squeeze all the seeds out first, you can blend the sauce smooth with a stick blender without needing to strain it through a mouli. You'll also get a redder sauce without the seeds.
Ingredients 3kg ripe red tomatoes 750g sugar 2 tablespoons ground allspice 50g salt 1 tablespoon citric acid 3 tablespoons glacial acetic acid*
Method Slice tomatoes in half. Squeeze the juice and seed pulp into a large bowl, and roughly chop the flesh into a large pot. Pour juice through a sieve to strain out the seeds, and add the juice to the pot. Discard seeds, or save to resow next season. Add sugar, allspice and salt to the pot and simmer gently over a medium heat for 2-3 hours. Take the pot off the heat, add both acids and blend the sauce smooth with a stick blender. Pour into clean, warm glass bottles and seal. It will thicken slightly upon cooling. * If you don't have access to acetic acid, use 750ml cider vinegar and boil for an extra hour.
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Pickled Peppers & Sweet Chilli Sauce
A single well-grown chilli plant produces dozens of fruit, so if you grow several varieties, you'll easily have enough to preserve. Use a needle and thread to create a chilli garland to hang to dry, freeze peppers in small resealable plastic bags, or make this two-for-the-price-of-one recipe for pickled peppers and sweet chilli sauce. I use jalapenos or serrano peppers because they are larger, but any type of pepper can be used. Jalapenos can be pickled when green or red. Always wear plastic or rubber gloves when cutting chillies.
Ingredients Chillies, as many as you have, of any variety 1/2 cup each of water, cider vinegar and sugar 2 tablespoons crushed garlic 1/2 tsp salt Jam-setting sugar (for making sauce)
Method Slice peppers into rings, discarding the seedy core and stem end. To make the pickling liquid, combine water, vinegar, sugar, garlic and salt in a small pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add the peppers and take off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to scoop out the peppers and pack into a clean glass jar. Top up with pickling liquid and seal. When you want to make sweet chilli sauce, combine equal quantities of pickled peppers and pickling liquid with jam-setting sugar. Boil for 5 minutes and pour into a bottle.
Apple Sauce
The best apple varieties for saucing are heirloom cookers such as 'Bramley', 'Sturmer Pippin' and 'Peasgood Nonsuch', as their flesh fluffs up like a pillow when simmered in a little water. However, I always have an abundance of 'Granny Smith' apples in autumn and although they remain firm when cooked, they have excellent flavour when pulped with a stick blender. Use apple sauce as a pie filling or serve with roast pork.
Ingredients 2kg cooking apples 1 cup water 1/2 cup sugar (optional) Juice of 1/2 lemon
Method Peel, core and chop apples. Place into a lidded pot with water and bring to a simmer over a low heat until soft. Mash with a potato masher. Add sugar, if using, and lemon juice. Return to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the sauce sticking, then take off the heat and blend until smooth with a stick blender. If making sugar-free apple sauce, set aside until cool and freeze in small pottles. Thaw as required. For shelf stable apple sauce that keeps for up to 12 months, add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each jar just before sealing, then process in a water bath for 10 minutes. 26
Little Growers
Kids Corner Leaf Etchings
This is a very simple activity that kids can try at home. It’s great for making cards and pictures – and half the fun is going outside and finding some funky-looking leaves!
step 1
What you will need: Leaves of all shapes and sizes Paper Crayons Scissors
step 2
Find lots of different shaped leaves. Dried or thick leaves are easier to use.
Place a leaf on a hard surface and put a piece of paper over the leaf. Take the paper coverings off a few crayons, and rub the length of the crayon over the paper. This will create an etching of your leaf underneath.
step 3
Use different colours for interest! Cut the leaves out and make cards by gluing them onto cardboard or use in montage pictures.
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Indoor Plants
Autumn Care Tips Look after your lush indoor plants this autumn with our easy-to-follow care tips.
Watering
Position
Feed
Autumn means cooler temperatures, so adjust watering accordingly. Certain plants like peace lilies, monstera and ficus need to be left to dry out longer between watering. Don’t water if the soil is still moist, as this can lead to root rot. Others, such as ferns, fittonias and carnivorous plants, still need to be slightly moist.
Light levels will be lower due to shorter days and the sun moving positions. This may mean your indoor plants will need to find a new spot to live in. Close windows at night as cool drafts can affect your tropical indoor plants.
Slow fertilising as the temperatures drop. As it gets colder, your tropical plants’ growth will slow and many will go into a dormancy period, meaning that they don’t need much food at this time.
Essentials for all your indoor plant needs
Kings House Plant Mix
Kings House Plant Liquid Food
Specially formulated to help Liquid Food hold in moisture 500ml $12.99as well as offer good drainage, Kings House Plant Mix is perfect for all your general houseplants.
Designed to be quickly absorbed by your house plants, this liquid fertiliser will ensure good growth and optimum plant health.
Kings House Plant
$12.99 each
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500ml $12.99 each
Cover Pots After something flashy for your newly bought house plant? Choose from our wonderful range of pots instore. From $9.99
Moth Orchid
Scindapsus Marble Queen
Philodendron Brasil
Extra Tips Early autumn is the time to do any last-minute repotting. Choose a well-draining soil such as Kings House Plant Mix, and snip back any leggy growth now. It is not recommended to take or buy cuttings after early autumn, as they Calathea Orbifolia will be slow to root and are more susceptible to rot. Maidenhair Fern
Peperomia Polybotra
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PASSIONATE PL ANT PEOPLE
Welcome to the Jungle The staff at Kings are plant people – passionate and enthusiastic about caring for plants. Each Scoop issue we have a sneak peek into their gardens and plant collections, and share their unique stories. This season we visited Daniel Kubler, one of our Buyers, to see his incredible collection of wierd and wonderful indoor plants
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Daniel is Kings’ green-good buyer, meaning he oversees much of the bulk plant buying from our partnered nurseries and works to bring new plants and varieties to Kings. Though he now works in the Support Office (still surrounded by plants), he worked on the ground at the St Lukes and Botany stores for 10 years prior. Originally from Mississippi, he was introduced to plants at a young age on his father’s nursery. It wasn’t until much later (after killing many a plant at uni), when he started working at Kings, that his love of plants blossomed. Now his passions lie in the weird and wonderful, whether it be tropical fruits or interesting tropical indoor plants.
His university studies were not in horticulture – he’s learnt everything he knows from working on the shop floor with customers, as well as his own research. After successfully growing the most rare and unusual subtropical fruiting plants on a few properties, his passion extended to indoor plants. Noticing an increase of interest and excitement for indoor plants amongst his customers while managing the Botany store in 2018, he eventually succumbed to being an indoor plant parent and avid collector.
The bulk of his collection is fairly recent, many of the plants having been with him for 2–5 years. His current favourites are aroids of all different shapes and sizes, and he enjoys hunting down new and unusual plants for Kings stores, to get them into the hands of other indoor plant enthusiasts.
...Continued on next page
An ice-cream bean tree that he bought from Kings was the start of his early interest and passion for collecting and growing unusual fruit trees. From there, Daniel’s hunger for knowledge grew.
Vanilla Orchid
Philodendron Florida
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While being photographed, Daniel pointed out each of his most prized plants, including a small Philodendron Imbe variegata pup he started growing this year, which has successfully grown into the new tree fern stakes we have started stocking in stores. His growing tips are to mimic your plant’s natural environment as much as possible. For tropical indoor plants, keep them in warm temperatures in bright, indirect sunlight and high humidity – like the rainforests many of them originally come from. For cacti and succulents, he’s had success placing his plants in a north-facing window with direct light and letting them dry out between waterings, and so on. However, different plants have different care needs so always research a plant you are looking at buying to make sure they will thrive!
Philodendron Pink Princess
Daniel’s collection is young, and there are still many plants he is looking forward to filling his house with. Passion breeds passion, which is true for this particular collection, and he owes it all to the customers of the Kings Botany store!
Philodendron sodiroi Philodendron ilsemanii (Imbe) variegata
Schlumbergera various varieties
Left: Aristolochia littoralis Right: Syngonium chiapense
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BRING NATURE IN WITH OUR
STUNNING RANGE
of indoor plants
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Ask the
Plant Doctor Giving you expert advice for your seasonal gardening woes
Hi Doctor, I have macadamias, feijoas and mandarins, all with holes and tiny bugs in them! I don’t know if they are the same thing but how do I stop them from attacking the harvest next season? - Robyn, Papakura
Hi Robyn, It sounds like you have Guava moth.
Naturally Neem 200mL From $28.99 Easy Trap Guava Moth From $31.99
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Guava moth were found in Northland in 1997 and have since made their way south. The tiny adult moths lay their eggs on guava, plum, peach, nectarine, macadamia and feijoa fruit, then the larvae eat the fruits flesh before dropping to the ground to pupate. For prevention, once flowering has finished use bug netting on the whole tree or around the fruit. For treatment, you need to know the moth population in your area. Use a guava moth trap which captures male moths. If you trap more than five moths in a two-week period, treatment measures will need to be taken. Spray the fruit with neem oil twice a week until you stop getting moths in your trap. Spray on in the evening to avoid harming beneficial insects. Remove infected fruit and dispose of them, not in the compost (unless you boil the fruit first).
Hi Doctor, I have a fiddle leaf fig that has this weird brown colour on the new leaves and I’m worried it’s a disease. How can I treat this? - Gemma, Titirangi
Hi Gemma, This is called Edema. It isn’t any sort of disease or virus, but just a result of the plant taking up water too quickly, where some of the young cells are affected. Prevention is key, so give your plants enough light, don’t let them sit in water, and when watering, give them room temperature water instead of warm water. Most plants will recover from this damage and the leaves will outgrow mostly of this reddish discolouration.
Hi Plant Doc, My pittosporums are dying and I don’t know why. I water them when I remember, and feed them once a year. I have replaced them a couple of times now and it’s getting expensive! What do I do? - Zara, Flat Bush
Hi Zara, This is caused by a type of Phytophthora, a soil-borne, fungus-like pathogen which causes roots to rot. As the roots die off, whole branches or even the entire plant will start to die back. This is evident in late summer to autumn. Prevention is focused on regular watering, even established plants need to be watered regularly in the heat of summer. Mulch well, and water deeply once a week, instead of a little each day. Clay soils can become hard and dry or wet and soggy easily depending on the weather. Use Eco-flo Liquid Gypsum to help loosen the soil, and introduce beneficial microbes by using Organic Garden Booster and compost. To treat, cut back any dead or dying wood. If your plants have less than a third of damage, you can still use the organic solution and drench the soil with Plantmate. This product contains Trichoderma, which helps stimulate new root growth, protect the roots and help condition the soil, encouraging other beneficial animals such as worms. For more severe cases, spray the infected hedge and around the base of the plant with Buxus Blight Fighter. Repeat 28 days later if necessary. After two months, drench with Plantmate, and continue to water in hot periods.
Egmont Plantmate 50g $14.99 Grosafe Buxus Blight Fighter 200ml $24.99
Ask the Kings Plant Doctor Yates Nature’s Way Citrus, Vegie and Ornamental Spray 750ml $18.99
Got a plant problem you need help with? Visit www.plantdoctor.co.nz for free expert advice or look out for the red shirts instore.
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Grow with
Confidence EXPERT ADVICE
Our knowledgeable team is passionate about gardening. They can help you find landscape inspiration, choose the right plants for your home, garden or patio and give you tips on care and maintenance so you can grow with confidence!
PLANT DOCTOR
If your plants aren’t feeling 100%, bring in a photo or sample and the Plant Doctor will prescribe a solution. Look for the red shirt instore or go online to plantdoctor.co.nz
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