Winter Scoop Magazine by Kings Plant Barn

FREE ISSUE

Winter Scoop 2021

Caring for ROSES

Indoor PLANTS Winter care tips

Our expert tips for this season’s roses

Little GROWERS DIY leaf collage

Sensational

Pruning

Passionate

Make the most of citrus with Lynda Hallinan

Everything you need to succeed

Take a peek into one of our team’s garden

WINTER RECIPES

FRUIT TREES

PLANT PEOPLE

With a stunning combination of modern architecture, beautiful plant decor and a seasonally inspired menu, the Kings Garden Cafe at Botany is the perfect spot for your next function. From corporate breakfasts to birthday parties, our team can cater to your requirements for a memorable event for up to 80 guests.

2 8 0 B OTAN Y RO A D, BO TA NY DO WNS F U L LY L I CE NS E D

TA I LO R E D PA CKA GE S

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Contents

Winter 2021

Features

Every Issue

14 Passionate Plant People

Gardeners’ Mail

Celebrating your garden success stories

Take a peek at one of our team’s garden

18 Deciduous Fruit Trees

Winter Checklists

What to plant and tend to this winter

Our top varieties and winter care

22 Planting in Clay Soil

Learn all about clay soil and how to manage it when planting

24 Captivating Camellias

Leaf collage activity for your little growers

Winter favourites with Lynda Hallinan

40 Indoor Plants

All you need to know about hellebores

Tips for winter care

42 Plant Doctor

32 Caring for Roses

Our top plant picks for the cooler weather

36 Citrus Recipes

Our sustainability journey

30 Heavenly Hellebores

31 Kids Corner

Choose the right camellia for your garden

26 A Greener Future

12 Planting a Winter Garden

How to care for roses in winter

Your questions, our expert advice

Connect with us /kingsplantbarn

@kingsplantbarnnz

kings.co.nz

Gardeners’ Mail Celebrating Your Success When Life Gives You Lemons When life gives you lemons, plant raspberries! After moving to live on the Whangaparāoa Coast, I was most upset to find a couple of my eight Pseudopanax plants dying. These well-established plants created a hedge along a fence between us and our neighbours. After consulting our local Kings Plant Barn, I purchased the recommended products to try to save the remaining plants from root rot, but unfortunately I was not successful. I stressed about what I could replace the hedge with, as I didn’t want to look at a bare fence but I also knew the soil was bad. I’d always wanted to grow raspberries so that when the grandchildren visited, they could pick them straight from the canes, but our climate here is subtropical and often very humid, and I had read that raspberries preferred a cooler climate. After doing some more research, however, including talking to the staff at Kings again, I thought I’d give it a go. First job was to improve the soil and then I purchased two Incredible Edible Aspiring raspberry plants. Three years on, the whole fence is covered in healthy, lush raspberry canes and I have been rewarded for all my hard work with huge crops of delicious big juicy raspberries that I share with our family, friends and neighbours. So when life gives you lemons in the garden, take it as an opportunity to try something different. From where there was once a boring hedge, I now have a productive and very rewarding garden area producing raspberries, tomatoes, snow peas, mini capsicums, rhubarb and herbs. – Fran Benton, Whangaparāoa

Neighbours Day As part of Neighbours Day Aotearoa, 1000 basil plants have been distributed throughout Auckland. Our social workers in schools have delivered them to families they are working with, and Presbyterian churches have picked up trays for their congregation to share with their neighbours. Our staff have taken plants and shared them with friends, family and neighbours. We have also given plants to our work neighbours and encouraged them to give a plant to one of their neighbours. Thank you so much for helping us to highlight the importance of connecting with your neighbours and promoting Neighbours Day Aotearoa. – Anne Overton, Presbyterian Support Northern

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Perfect Pesto I shared the basil plant I was given as part of Neighbours Day with my partner’s family who recently moved to their new house. What could have been a better than this deliciously scented herb? Cooking and trying different cuisines is something I enjoy and so I tried my hand in making pesto using the fresh basil leaves. I wanted to share a picture of my colourful spread! This has encouraged me to extend the kitchen garden with more plants. Once again thank you for the opportunity shared. – Manali Soni, Epsom

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

Your

Winter Garden Winter can seem a little dull, between the cold that sets in, the dreary sky and (hopefully, for the gardens’ sake!) some rain. This is the best time to clean up your garden and start planning for spring.

Curly Kale is very easy to grow over winter, provided it is protected from slugs and snails

June To-Do List

It is now officially winter: the cold has set in, deciduous trees are losing their leaves, and people are mostly staying indoors. But when it comes to the garden, there is still much to do.

Veggies

Fruit

Depending on how cold your 

Peach, plum and nectarine 

You can still plant lettuce, 

Prune back any new growth on 

garden gets, shield tender plants and seedlings from frost with frost cloth. onion, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, silverbeet and leek seedlings now.

Don’t keep seedlings too wet,  or they risk collapsing from damping-off disease.

If water restrictions are still in 

place, use grey-water to water your garden (make sure you use eco-friendly soap).

Protect tender veggies against  slugs and snails with Quash.

Plant garlic and start chitting 

potatoes now, letting them sprout for a few weeks before planting.

Harvest silverbeet, spring 

Pansies can withstand more shade than viola, and are perfect for flower beds and pots

onions, leeks, lettuce and parsnip.

trees are coming into stores in late June. Order specific varieties now instore. established deciduous fruit trees, keeping them short, so that they are easy to harvest from.

Spray lime sulphur on your  deciduous fruit trees only.

If you have had leaf curl in the 

past, gather up all fallen leaves and dispose of them in green-waste bins (not the compost).

Strawberries are in stores now so  start planting them in hanging baskets and in the garden.

Kings Garlic from $9.99

Polyanthus

Strawberry Straw

Flowers

Lawn

General Tasks

Deadhead the last lingering 

Remove any lingering leaves to 

Gather up leaves from trees 

Plant hellebores under trees 

Fertilise your lawn and help get 

autumn flowers and clean up dead foliage. and shrubs for a beautiful winter display for colourful blooms.

prevent parts of the lawn dying off. rid of moss with Kings Lawn Moss Control.

Plant winter annuals for glorious 

Spot spray larger weeds in your 

Remember to water cyclamen 

Indoor Plants

colour, including cineraria, pansies, viola, primrose and polyanthus.

from the saucer if they are in small pots.

Trees & Shrubs Plant trees, shrubs, hedging  and hardy climbers now.

Plant daphne now to add a 

lawn now with Slasher Organic Weedkiller.

Start watering less, keeping an 

(that have not had a history of disease) for next year’s leaf mould.

If you are making a strawberry  patch, make sure it has the right amount of drainage and use Tui Strawberry Mix and a layer of strawberry straw.

Help break down existing clay  pockets with ClayBreaker Gypsum.

eye on moisture levels by testing the soil with your finger.

Keep plants away from heaters  and drafts.

Wipe dust off leaves and wash  windows for better light.

beautifully scented bush for winter.

Essentials for all your winter needs

Kings Sheep Pellets

Yates Lime Sulfur

Quash

A great way to add nutrients, encourage worm activity in your soil, and help improve soil structure. Great to use when planting roses or fruit trees.

An effective organic insecticide and fungicide. Controls fungal diseases, scale insects, mites, moss, and lichen.

The active ingredient in Quash has been made with a revolutionary low hazard formula which effectively controls slugs and snails and is safer to use around children and pets than most other slug and snail baits.

from $15.99

from $12.99

$7.99 each

July To-Do List

In Auckland, the ‘dead of winter’ usually means chilly overcast days with lots of rain (fingers crossed!). This is the best time to finish off your winter clean up and start planning for the coming growing season.

Silverbeet

Strawberry plants

Hellebores

Veggies

Fruit

Flowers

 Continue to protect

 Continue planting

 Plant hellebores to offer bees

vegetables from frost and damping-off.

 Mulch garden bed with pea straw.

 Continue to use Quash, or

create your own beer-trap for slugs and snails.

 Chit potatoes for four weeks before planting.

 Harvest carrots, leeks,

silverbeet, kale and lettuce.

strawberries.

 Spray your deciduous fruit

trees with Yates Liquid Copper and EnSpray 99 to kill off overwintering insects and diseases.

 Mulch any deciduous trees

that have been prone to leaf curl (peach, plum, nectarine) with Magic Moss.

food in winter.

 Deadhead any spent winter annuals.

 Continue to plant winter

annuals in the garden and in pots and hanging baskets.

 Feed your winter annuals with Kings Dried Blood.

 Prune back branches to help shape your fruit trees for the coming growing season. Do this on a fine day and use pruning paste afterwards.

Cyclamen

Daphne perfume princess is our best daphne variety - and will be in stores from late June

Continue removing moss from your lawn with Kings Lawn Moss Control Daphne

Trees & Shrubs

Lawn

General Tasks

 Plant daphnes in a semi-shaded

 Continue removing moss from

 If you have compost,

 Feed daphnes and camellias

 Spot spray and take out any

area, the Perfume Princess variety is now available instore. with acidic food.

your lawn with Kings Lawn Moss Control.

larger or harder-to-get weeds by hand now.

remember to turn it over and add leaf matter, cardboard and newspaper. Layering is key!

 Remove any fallen flowers

 Clean any pruning tools now.  Clean out gutters once all

 Do the last late pruning of

Indoor Plants

 Clean out birdbaths and bird

 Transplant any small trees or

 Cut back any dead leaves.  Yellow and curling leaves at

 Respray for waxy scale – dead scale can still be attached to your plants. roses in the first couple of weeks of July.

shrubs you want to move now.

from the lawn.

deciduous leaves have fallen. feeders frequently.

this time of year can indicate cold damage, so increase the rooms temperature or put plants closer to an indirect light source.

Essentials for all your winter needs

Fiskars Pruner

Rose Gloves

Pruning Paste

These pruners are beautifully simple and elegantly designed for all basic pruning tasks around the garden. A balanced design for a steady cutting action.

Tough, flexible gloves that provide excellent protection against thorns, also idea for general garden spray and gathering wet vegetation in the garden.

A unique, BioGro certified, easy to apply, pine based product that provides an effective natural barrier against fungal and bacterial diseases.

$27.99 each

from $14.99

from $29.99

Kings Blood and Bone is a natural, organic fertiliser that lasts for months in your garden, great for both veggie and flower beds

August To-Do List

The days are slowly starting to get longer as spring creeps into the garden once more, meaning that seedlings are beginning to take off again in mid- and late August. There is much to do to prepare for your spring garden!

Seedlings

Peach

Veggies

Fruit

Flowers

 Plan out your spring garden

 Don’t forget to buy your

 Continue to use Quash for

 Spray one last time with Yates

 Deadhead pansies and viola.  Early spring bulbs will now be

now.

slugs and snails.

 Sow spring seed now,

including peas, beans, lettuce, celery, broccoli and cauliflower.

 Plant potatoes now.  Start feeding your veggies

deciduous fruit trees now. Liquid Copper before bud-burst to help lessen the effects of shot hole and leaf curl.

 If you are going to graft or

espalier fruit trees, do this in late August to mid-September.

regularly from mid-August.

 Grow tomatoes and chilli

from seed inside before transplanting them outside in September.

 It may still be too early to plant basil; instead plant parsley, coriander, thyme and mint.

Chit potatoes 4 weeks before planting

Daffodils

Camellia Japonicas will still be blooming from August to October

flowering – cut and gift to a friend or family member!

 Plant summer bulbs now.  Continue to feed with Kings

Dried Blood and Kings Blood & Bone.

Plant your early spring seeds inside now for better germination results, including tomatoes and chillies

Trees & Shrubs

Indoor Plants

General Tasks

 Mulch roses well and give a

 You can start to repot plants at

 Start thinking about making

final spray using Yates Liquid Copper before bud-burst.

 Remove any fallen camellia flowers, as these can be slippery when left on the ground.

the end of August.

 Turn plants if they have been stretching towards the light.

 Start fertilising plants with

Kings Liquid Houseplant Food.

 Magnolias and flowering

your own compost bin if you have the room.

 Weeds will soon be popping up everywhere – get rid of them while they are small, before they get out of hand.

 Put up wasp traps as queens

cherries will be in stores this month - plant them early to enjoy their beautiful blooms this spring.

begin to come out of hibernation.

 Cut down your compost crops in early August and dig into your garden beds.

Essentials for all your winter needs

Seed Raising Mix

Yates Liquid Copper

Kings Dried Blood

Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix is specially formulated for troublefree seed raising and propagation of cuttings.

Help protect your roses and fruit trees from fungal diseases and overwintering insects by spraying them before budburst.

Releases iron which promotes flowering and 14% nitrogen for leafy vegetable crops. Fast acting organic plant food.

from $6.99

Yates Liquid Copper $19.99

$8.99 each

Planting a Winter Garden For many, winter is a time to step away from the garden once the general chores are done. But if you long for a bit of life and colour over the cooler period, there are many different plants that thrive in winter. Here are some of our top suggestions.

Hellebores

Nandina

Daphne

Also known as ‘winter roses’, hellebores provide a stunning display of bright colour in a winter shaded garden and are also a good food source for bees in the colder months. Plant under trees, shrubs, hedges, or the south side of the house in soil rich in organic matter.

Also known as ‘heavenly bamboo’, nandina are evergreen shrubs that come in a range of colours. Many, like the firepower variety, change colour to a deep red as temperatures cool. Plant in pots or the garden in free-draining soil rich in organic matter.

Bearing white flowers with a pink blush that are highly fragrant, daphne is one of the best shrubs in the garden this season. The perfume princess is our top seller and produces large clusters of flowers. Grows to 1m x 1m in partly shaded areas all year round.

Scented Boronia

Heuchera

Viburnum Eve Prince

Blooming from winter to spring, brown boronias are small evergreen shrubs that bear highly scented, brown, bell-shaped flowers. It is said that some people can smell them far more than others. They are excellent as cut flowers, and are ideal for native gardens. Plant in full sun in free-draining soil.

Also known as ‘coral bells’, these evergreen perennials come in an exciting range of colourful leaves. The nickname coral bell refers to their small, sweet flowers hung like bells on each flower stalk. Best planted in part sun, they are easy-care, with little maintenance needed.

A popular spring-flowering shrub that arrives in stores by mid-July. Viburnum are evergreen, with lovely thick foliage and gorgeous white and off-pink flowers that are often accompanied by a sweet perfume. Best grown in well-draining soil in full sun to part shade.

Flowering Cherries These cherries only provide small, inedible fruit but produce flowers in late winter to spring that completely cover the tree for 2–4 weeks, and the trees provide soft shade for the garden. Grows to approximately 5m x 4m depending on varieties.

Cyclamen

Magnolias

An easy-care perennial plant that is perfect for a beginner gardener! Plant in shaded to partly shaded areas in pots or the garden. A drop in temperature triggers them to bloom, filling spaces with red, white, pink and purple flowers. When flowers finish, pluck the seed heads gently off the croms to encourage more growth.

Arriving in stores by mid- to late July, deciduous magnolias will be in bloom throughout winter. Magnolias make great feature trees, offering shade in late spring to autumn and flowers on bare branches.

PASSIONATE PL ANT PEOPLE At Kings, we are plant people – passionate and enthusiastic about growing and caring for plants. But like many of our customers, our love of plants started long before we walked into a garden centre. Each issue of Scoop we take a tour around one of our teams’ gardens and plant collections and share their unique story. This month, we visited Gill’s home in coastal Beach Haven to see her beautiful garden, a result of many years of trial and error.

A Place to Love & Learn Gill was bought up on an idyllic 12-acre chicken farm in Browns Bay, which was also home to cows, goats and geese, and a stream filled with eels and watercress. Her parents were both keen gardeners, with an extensive veggie garden that produced everything they needed for a family of five. Gill remembers fondly the taste of freshly picked corn, sweet ripe tomatoes, and new potatoes. This is where her passion for growing started. Once she had bought her own home on the North Shore, where she now lives, it was a natural decision to start creating her own piece of green paradise. However, with any new gardening project comes unexpected mistakes, like planting trees that outgrew their welcome, causing

blocked gutters and tricky removals later. Gill has learnt so much working on her own garden that she can now reflect and offer advice she wishes she had herself when starting out! Every day in her garden is an opportunity to try something new so she can share her experiences with her customers.

Gill says that working in a garden centre resulted in a rather eclectic mix of plantings. “I would get so excited about the new plant arrivals – just having to get

...Continued on next page

Working in a garden centre only intensified Gill’s passion for gardening. She designed and laid out new areas in her garden, inspired by gardening magazines that followed the same vein as her childhood farm.

the brand-new varieties as they come in. In turn, by giving so many types of plants a go in my own home garden, I learned quickly what did and didn’t work so I could pass on my personal experience to customers”. For Gill, gardening has always been a moving target. Always learning from mistakes, always trying something new. Does this plant do better in a pot? What sort of mix suits it better? Will it thrive more in a different position? There’s never a dull moment in the garden, and always a new lesson to be learned. Once she started her own family, she built five impressive, raised garden beds (a metre tall) where, like her dad, she grew as many fresh veggies and fruit as she could,

reliving her childhood memories of eating fresh veggies straight from the garden. While proudly showing us around her garden, Gill comments on how much she enjoys climbers, which are a great way to cover fences and frames in the garden. Her favourite plant is kākābeak; she rejoices when she sees the heavy clusters of bright red flowers appear. Reflecting on a life of gardening, Gill agrees that the garden is now her happy place, a place where she can potter at leisure and get a thrill out of her hard work when noticing buds bursting out with the promise of fragrance and showy blooms to come. What was once an outdoor classroom, allowing Gill to experiment with new plants in new spaces, to help her pass

on good advice to her customers, has over time become a unique sanctuary full of beauty, colour and life that continues to bring Gill joy, day after day. Gill has been with Kings for ten years and can be found at our Takapuna branch on the north shore, from Thursdays to Saturday. She is usually working in our bedding section and will be able to help with any plant questions you have.

kakabeak

Pittosporums and a potted cycad

Bromeliad and cyclamen

TREAT YOUR GARDEN WITH OUR

KINGS BRANDED FERTILISERS Made by gardeners for gardeners

ALL OUR PRODUCTS CONTAIN FORMULAS THAT HAVE BEEN PERFECTED OVER 20 YEARS FOR GUARANTEED SUCCESS.

Deciduous Fruit Trees If you want to add an orchard to your property, or enjoy fruit grown on the balcony of your apartment, there is a deciduous fruit tree for everyone. They arrive in stores from early June to July and are best planted in winter before they start growing in spring. Here are some of our top varieties, plus some pruning tips.

Plum - Available from late-June

Plums are best eaten straight off the tree, but are also wonderful in cakes, ice creams, jams, syrups or for bottling. Harvest times are usually mid to late summer. There are no true dwarf plums, but they can be kept small by hard pruning. Black Doris One of our most popular varieties, the Black Doris is well known for its deep purple flesh and strong taste, which is best for cooking. It will need a pollinator nearby to help the fruit set. Fruit: Deep purple skin with purple, sweet and juicy flesh.  Harvest: February.  Tree size: 5–6m; prune for controlled height. Pollinators: Billington, Duff’s Early Jewel, Elephant Heart, Santa Rosa.

Luisa Plum from $49.99

Santa Rosa Known as the queen of all plums, the Santa Rosa is one of the best-tasting plums in the world! It is a self-fertile variety making it great for small properties that have room for only one fruit tree. This Japanese variety is also good for making plum wine! Fruit: Purple blushed skin with juicy yellow flesh. Harvest: March. Tree size: 5–6m; prune for controlled height. Pollinators: None. Santa Rosa is self-fertile. Luisa Well known for its large heart-shaped fruit and high yielding crops, the Luisa is definitely your plum if you are looking for a lot of fruit! Being half self-fertile, it doesn’t need another variety of plum to set fruit, but will produce lots more if paired with a friend. Fruit: Yellow skin blushed with red, and tasty yellow flesh.  Harvest: February.  Tree size: 5–6 m; prune for controlled height. Pollinators: Billington. 18

Deciduous fruit trees lose their leaves in winter, and are traditionally bare stone or pip fruit.

Dwarf trees are perfect for anyone who only has a sunny balcony or tiny backyard.

Peach - Available from late-June

Known for their slightly fuzzy texture, multiple cooking uses and unique flavour, peaches are best harvested from the tree when they give a little when squeezed and are a nice, rich skin colour. All peaches are self-fertile and do not need another variety to set fruit. Golden Queen  A classic peach that originated in New Zealand in 1908. The best peach for bottling, it has a slightly ‘flat’ look to it. It has a firm flesh making it great for lunches as well. Best pruned into an ‘open vase’ shape for easy harvesting and good airflow. Fruit: Orange to deep yellow skin and firm yellow flesh.  Harvest: February.  Tree size: 5–6 m; prune for controlled height.  Pixzee (dwarf)  A dwarf peach that can easily be grown in a large pot for a sunny deck, small garden or balcony. There is no need to prune due to its compact growing habit. Fruit: Orange to red skin, with sweet yellow flesh.  Harvest: January.  Tree size: 1.8m.

Peach Pixzee dwarf from $59.99

Pear - Available from mid-July

With fruit perfect for bottling, cooking and eating straight off the tree, pear trees come into stores along with apples in mid-July. Make an order either instore or over the phone now on 0800 PLANTS to secure your favourite varieties! Most pears need pollinationors to produce fruit, so two different varieties in the same area is recommended. Taylor’s Gold  A European variety that is best paired with a pollinator such as Packham’s Triumph, Beurre Bosc or a Nashi varieties. The fruit is described as smooth and creamy when ripe with a delicate aroma. Fruit: Deep golden skin with a slight rose blush and fantastic flavor. Harvest: April–May.  Tree size: 5–8m; prune for controlled height. Pollinators: Beurre Bosc, Packham’s Triumph, Williams bon Cretien, Garden Belle, Nashi Hosui and Nashi Nijiseiki. Garden Belle® (dwarf)  The first true dwarf pear variety in New Zealand. An early harvesting pear in mid-summer that is also self-fertile, perfect for smaller gardens that can only fit a couple of fruit trees. Perfect for eating straight off the tree. Fruit: Soft-green skin with a smooth textured flesh.  Harvest: February  Tree size: 3m. Pollinators: Self-fertilel but can also be paired with Nashi Nijiseiki, Packham’s Triumph, Seckel, Taylor’s Gold, Willian bon Cretien and Beurre Bosc.

Apple -

Available from mid-July

Our apple trees come in a few weeks later than our plums and peaches. The fruit ripens later in mid-autumn in Auckland. Dwarf varieties will take two years to fruit once planted, however normal apples may take up to three years depending on the soil and placement. Royal Gala Perfect for growing in Auckland and known as one of the world’s most beautiful apples, these are best picked and eaten fresh from the tree and are great for fruit salads. Fruit: Red skin with very crisp, sweet and juicy white flesh.  Harvest: April.  Tree size: 5–6m; prune for controlled height. Pollinators: Adore, Peasgood Nonsuch, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Monty’s Surprise and Initial to name a few. Blush Babe™ (dwarf) A miniature apple tree with a compact, mop-top growth habit that means it is perfect for smaller Auckland gardens or even in a large container on your balcony. Kids love these as they can harvest the apples easily due to their height. Fruit: Green skin with a red blush and sweet white flesh.  Harvest: March.  Tree size: 2m. Pollinators: Blush Babe is self-fertile. Pacific Rose™ A special New Zealand apple with an incredibly attractive rosy-red colour to the fruit. This apple has a very rich taste that is different to other traditional types, making it as a great fresh addition to lunches and fruit salads. Fruit: Rose skin with a richly sweet taste and juicy white flesh.  Harvest: April.  Tree size: 5–6 m; prune for controlled height. Pollinators: Adore, Peasgood Nonsuch, Royal Gala, Granny Smith, Monty’s Surprise and Initial to name a few.

Nectarine Flavourzee from $59.99

Like the dwarf peach, the Nectarine Flavourzee dwarf is best for containers, but is still fine when planted in the ground.

Pacific Rose™ from $49.99

Nectarine -

Available from late-June

When growing your own nectarines, you can appreciate the taste and smell that some supermarket fruit seems to lack. They are best eaten soon after harvesting as they tend to ripen quickly off the tree. All nectarines are self-fertile, making them a good choice if you don’t have a lot of space in your garden for more than one tree. Snow Queen  Best eaten straight off the tree, this early-harvest nectarine provides very sweet fruit that is a favourite to all who grow it. Fruit: Red-blushed, yellow skin with deliciously sweet, creamy-white flesh.  Harvest: December–January.  Tree size: 4–5m; prune or espalier for controlled height.  Flavourzee (dwarf)  The Flavourzee is best for smaller gardens or large containers. Make sure to thin out fruit to offer good airflow, however, these are very easy to maintain and with a compact growth habit, the need for pruning is almost non-existent. Fruit: Medium-sized fruit with red-blushed yellow skin and yellow flesh.  Harvest: February.  Tree size: 1.8m tall.

Pruning Fruit Trees

There are typically two times during the year that you can prune your deciduous fruit trees, in late winter when trees are dormant, but before new growth, and in late summer to autumn when trees have finished fruiting.

Why Prune?

How to Prune

One of the most important reasons is to maintain the size and shape of the tree, making it easier to harvest fruit. Like with other plants, pruning also encourages flowering and fruiting, meaning a larger yield. Cutting back any dead or diseased wood is also common practice for all plant pruning. Sunlight and air movement lower the risk of pests and diseases.

Before pruning, make sure you have sharp secateurs to make clean angular cuts, and always clean them with a little meths on a rag between trees to mitigate the risk of spreading disease. Only prune on a fine day with no rain forecast, and seal cuts with pruning paste once air-dried.

A good way of gauging if your tree needs to be pruned is ask, can a small bird easily fly through the centre of the tree?

Thinning heavy-bearing trees in late spring will lessen the risk of over-bearing branches snapping off with too much fruit later in the year.

Apricots Prune during summer after fruiting has finished. This will minimise the chance of infection and bacterial canker. Plums Refrain from pruning plums between March to July. Instead, give them a summer prune to help control their vigour and shape. Dwarf Trees Many of the dwarf fruit trees that have come on the market don’t need pruning due to their purposefully selected stunted growth. However, semi-dwarf varieties like apples will still need a trim. Non-deciduous Fruit Trees Fruit such as feijoas, citrus and olives don’t need to be pruned every year. If they are getting too large, cut back to a convenient size after fruiting has finished.

Pruning Shapes

Central Leader Central leader pruning is where there is one main trunk with whorls of branches that start 70–90cm above the ground and then around every 50cm up the trunk, with the shape of a Christmas tree. This allows maximum light penetration of the fruit tree. It can be used on apples and pears. Modified central leaders are recommended for trees that have no branches when planted. It is again recommended for both apples and pears, and for fruit that grows on spurs, which produces a stubby growth on horizontal branches.

Espalier Espalier trees are trained to grow against a wall that is north-facing, and can also be trained between posts with wire supports. This is a great way to grow fruit trees if you have minimal space, though it does require more work. Tie the branches from both sides to the support wires with soft fabric to help train the branches. Cut back any branches in between the wires that will not be trained. Cut off the top part of the tree to encourage the energy to be diverted to your trained branches instead. As the branch grows, continue to train it along the wire. There are different types of espalier techniques, including a cordon shape, U shape, oblique, and fan shape. Espalier peaches, nectarines, apples and apricots.

Open Vase The open vase shape is where the leader is removed with three to five main branches below that develop as the tree grows. This allows for light penetration into the tree and enables easier harvesting. This pruning form is best for stone fruit (nectarines, peaches, plums and nectarines).

Planting in Clay Soil Often maligned but full of potential, growing plants in clay may have its challenges but with a little care and know-how, it’s possible to grow beautiful, healthy plants even in thick, heavy soils.

Challenges of Clay

Clay soils are often full of useful minerals, but due to the poor soil structure most of it is inaccessible to the plant. This poor structure is caused by the qualities of the clay particles in the soil – they are incredibly small and tend to stick together, making the soil hard to dig. This also accounts for why clay soils seem to go from a dry concrete in summer to a wet sloppy mess in winter.

Improving Clay Soils Planting

Care

By adding organic matter – compost and sheep pellets – and aerating the soil you can open it up and improve the soil structure.

1. Dig a hole at least twice as deep and wide as the pot the plant came in. Add a handful of gypsum to the bottom of the hole and mix it in.

Gypsum isn’t a quick fix, but in the long term it can really help improve your soil. The miniscule clay particles are slightly negatively charged, and the calcium causes the particles to clump together. This effectively increases the particle size of the soil and stops clay sticking together and improves the soils consistency.

2. Backfill the hole, mixing in compost and sheep pellets with your original soil. Break up the edge of your hole as you backfill and try to save the best soil for the top.

Mulch plants regularly and feed monthly from spring through to early autumn with Aquaticus Organic Garden Booster. Water your plants deeply, leaving the hose on each shrub, hedging plant and tree for around 5 minutes every few weeks through the drier part of the year. If there are water restrictions in place, save used water in buckets instead.

By adding organic matter to the soil and feeding with a natural fertiliser such as Aquaticus Organic Garden Booster, worm castings or Kings Natures Organic Fertiliser, you can increase the number of beneficial microbes in the soil (a teaspoon of healthy garden soil can have around a billion bacteria and metres of fungal strands). This in turn will increase the number of worms, and collectively they will work together, helping to improve the soil structure as well as helping to feed plants and providing them protection from many pests and diseases.

3. Mix a handful of gypsum into the loosened soil, place your plant on top of the new soil that’s sitting in the half-filled hole, making sure it fits, and then carefully backfill. 4. In spots where you are worried about drainage, plant into a slight mound.

Top Plants for Clay Soil

Apples on MM106 (semi dwarfing rootstock) will cope better with heavier clay soils than others, and pears are fairly hardy once established. Star jasmine is hardy and can be used as a ground cover to help protect exposed soil from being baked by the sun. Day lilies, rudbeckia, echinacea, sedum, sage and dietes grandiflora (fairy iris) can withstand compacted soils. Manuka is a great plant to grow on compacted soil banks, and clivia are best in dry, shaded areas.

Star Jasmine

Day Lilies

Sedum

Dietes Grandiflora

Sage

Manuka

Essentials for planting in clay soil

ClayBreaker Gypsum A premium soil conditioner and mineral fertiliser that helps to break up tight clay particles and improve compacted soil for better drainage. from $18.99

Kings Natures Organic Fertiliser An organic fertiliser that helps stimulate beneficial microbial activity in your soil, addressing nutrient deficiencies and helping you grow healthier plants and sweeter fruits. from $22.99

Worm Castings Organic certified worm castings that are an all-natural soil enhancer, providing a fantastic food source for all types of plants. $22.99 each

Captivating Camellia Camellias are fantastic when used as hedging or screening, and they make beautiful feature plants. Their thick, glossy evergreen foliage creates a lush backdrop to the stunning blooms that appear from autumn to spring.

Sasanqua

Types of Camellias

Also known as the ‘autumn camellia’, the sasanqua variety, which originates in Japan, blooms from early autumn until mid-winter. While the flowers and leaves are relatively small, this makes them ideal for warmer parts of the garden or as hedging. Sasanqua camellias are well suited to sunny positions. When in bloom, the flowers completely cover the plant and are a food source for bees. 24

Hybrid

Japonica

Bred to be the best-performing camellias, hybrids offer a range of benefits from both sasanqua and japonica. Best grown in full sun, they have small to large blooms (many with fragrances) and can bloom from early autumn to as late as early summer. Best grown for hedging and as a feature plant.

Bred for the past 300 years, there are now thousands of varieties of camellia japonica today. They have large glossy leaves and as they are better suited for the shade, they are slower growing. Still, they will reward you with many different, exciting flowers, including single, semi-double, formal, peony- and rose-form blooms. They flower from early winter to late spring.

Setsugekka

Paradise Hilda

Nuccio’s Jewel

A classic and popular sasanqua cultivar that grows to 2.5m x 2m. Perfect for hedging or as a stand-alone plant. This camellia produces masses of delightful white flowers in autumn and winter.

With a vigorous upright growth habit, this hardy camellia produces mid-pink peony-shaped flowers. They grow to 3m x 2m, with flowers from early autumn until early winter.

This japonica camellia has beautiful white petals with an unusual flush of orchid pink and produces large, showy blooms from winter to spring. Grows to 1.5m x 1m.

Yuletide

High Fragrance

Early Pearly

This sasanqua camellia produces masses of eye-catching, orange-red blooms with bright yellow stamens from early winter to early spring. It has a compact growth habit, getting to 2m x 1m.

This camellia has a vigorous growth habit and beautifully large, fragrant and blush-pink blooms with a peony form. Raised in New Zealand, this hybrid grows to 2m x 1.5m with mid-winter to early spring blooms.

This sasanqua camellia produces small, double, white blooms tinged with a hint of soft pink. Growing to 2m x 1.5m, it blooms from early autumn to early winter.

Care Tips Planting Camellias are best planted in slightly acidic soil with lots of organic matter and good drainage. If you have a clay base, make sure to use Clay Breaker Gypsum to help condition your soil. When planting, mix 1:3 Kings Organic Compost to soil, making sure to use a sprinkling of Kings 24-plus, which will offer slow-release fertiliser around the roots for the next two years. For plants that grow 1m wide, plant approximately 75cm apart.

Kings Organic Compost $6.99 or 4 for $24

Maintenance Kings 24-Plus Make sure you mulch and water your camellias, primarily through from $17.99 ClayBreaker Gypsum the summer. Prune only once flowering has finished in late spring to from $18.99 mid-summer, taking care not to prune off the next growing season’s flower buds. Feed with an acidic fertiliser such as Kings Slow Release Azalea, Camellia, Gardenias & Rhododendron Food in spring and autumn. Keep an eye out for mottling leaves, as thrips can be present in the warmer months.

Our journey towards

A Greener Future

At Kings, our sustainability journey started many years ago. We pride ourselves on being eco-minded and have already taken many steps to lessen our impact on the planet.

One Step at a Time We’re proud of all we’ve accomplished and we believe in celebrating success (no matter how small), but we still have a way to go. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our operations and provide our customers with recycling initiatives, environmentally conscious products, and information on how to garden sustainably. Here are just a few of the steps we’ve taken to bring our vision of a greener future to life.

Swap-A-Pot Recycling Stations At each Kings store you’ll find a collection bin with a Swap-A-Pot’ sign. These bins are for people who are wanting to discard or pick up used plastic pots and punnets. If you have a lot of plastic pots at home, bring them back clean (a rough rinse is fine) and put them in the bin. Anyone who is looking to grow seedlings, cuttings or seeds, or repot a plant into a bigger pot, can take what they need from these bins! For pots that are unused, or when the bin gets too full, these then get sorted and taken away. The pots are then recycled into fence posts and raised garden beds.

Garden Waste

Label Recycling Attached to our pot recycle bin is a smaller wooden box with a #5 and a recycling sign around it. Any number five plastic plant tags (including the long tree labels) can be put in these boxes for recycling. They are then compressed and sent to a factory in the lower North Island who chip, process and use them in their plastic moulding for the conical items which hold and space reinforcing steel in concrete.

Each of our garden centres have green waste bins, where all our gathered leaves, clippings and trimmings go. These get taken away and commercially composted along with Auckland’s green waste and are reused in many of our compost and potting mixes.

Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations In the last three years Kings has started swapping out company gas cars for hybrid and electric vehicles wherever possible as we try to reduce our carbon emissions. We have even installed a charging station at our Silverdale branch!

Working Together with Our Suppliers

Enviromark Gold Certified As of this year Kings has been awarded the Enviromark Gold Certification by Toitu EnviroCare for our environmental management efforts. We are committed to not only maintaining this standard, but also looking for new ways to lessen our impact on the environment.

While there is still a lot of plastic packaging within our industry, we are working with our suppliers to find suitable longer-term alternatives. For example, many of our suppliers are replacing their packaging with recycled material and even looking at changing the colour of our pots so they can be accepted with curb side recycling collections. We have replaced our carry bags and bootliners with cardboard carry trays and re-usable options made from recycled plastic bottles. We have also sourced alternative gift-wrapping options such as recycled paper and are continuing to trial compostable pots and bags to find an eco-friendly solution which doesn’t decompose before you have the chance to get it out the door!

TAKING OUR CUSTOMERS ON THE JOURNEY WITH US Like us, we know that many of our customers are keen to live and garden more sustainably.

Some of Our Top Tips: •

Use materials you already have to suppress weeds. Use old newspaper or cardboard to mulch under shrubs, trees and around your garden.

•

Use food scraps and lawn clippings to create your own organic compost or use a Bokashi bin which uses micro-organisms to ferment your food waste. The bonus of using Bokashi bins is that it takes meat and dairy waste too. Both turn your waste into garden gold!

•

Reuse any plastic container as a plant pot. Just make sure you have added drainage holes. Herbs, seedlings, and potted colour will happily grow in containers that may have ended up as landfill.

•

Return unused plastic pots to your local Kings store for recycling.

•

If you recycle your greenwaste make sure there is no plastic or glass in your collection bags. This will reduce the chance of debris ending up in Auckland’s organic compost.

Community Partnerships As proud sponsors of Tread Lightly and Oke charity, we are also committed to helping these incredible community groups support and educate kids in Auckland primary schools about the importance of gardening and growing their own veggies. Both charities teach children sustainability by not only helping them understand where food comes from, but also the importance of a connection to nature and showing respect for the environment. We’ve also been fortunate to build a relationship with the Presbyterian Support Northern, who have helped us distribute excess edible plants to churches, community groups and schools.

Nespresso Pods Every Kings store has a Nespresso pod collection point. All you need to do is bring in your used coffee capsules and put them in the recycle bins. The coffee residue from the capsules is collected at the recycle plant in Auckland, and sent off for composting, while the aluminium is recycled and reused for other aluminium products.

We are incredibly proud of our efforts towards a greener future and commend our staff & customers for joining us on this journey. But it is just the beginning, so watch this space for news and updates on what we do next.

Heavenly Hellebores

Nicknamed the ‘winter rose’ due to its stunning vibrant colours in the winter, hellebores will add a touch of colour to those dreary winter days in the garden. Hellebores provide food for bees and other insects in winter, when food is scarce. Plus, they are perennials, so will continue to bloom for a number of years.

White Magic

Conny

Lily

Ice ’n’ Roses Red

A New Zealand-bred hellebore that showcases large, pure white flowers with a lime green eye. As the flowers start to age, they turn a soft pink.

Developed and bred in Germany, the Conny variety offers large silver-grey petals with purple-red freckling near the centre of the flower.

Lily is a hybrid, double-petalled flower with white petals and beautiful raspberry veining.

One of the most beautiful hellebores, this variety offers large ruby-red blossoms with a golden crown of stamens.

Planting Hellebores are best planted in partial shade and are relatively easy to grow. They are commonly found in the garden in dappled light under trees, shrubs, hedging and on the south side of a fence or house. When planting, make sure the crown of the plant is just buried slightly beneath the soil. Too deep and this can hinder flower production.

Care Water well in their active growth periods in autumn and spring. Watering in summer is less important as they die back and become dormant. Add a fresh layer of compost in autumn for added nutrients. Hellebores will self-sow, so thin out any unwanted seedlings the following year, or pick off the seed heads as they appear.

Expert Tips Plant with crocus, snowdrops, muscari and daffodils for a gorgeous spring-flower display. Hybrid varieties have recently been bred to have showier blooms with a more upright growth habit.

Hellebores tend to have downwardfacing flowers. To enjoy the full extent of them, plant them on a hill or raised garden, at eye level.

Little Growers

Kids Corner Leaf Collage Animals

As the leaves fall for winter, why not take advantage and create an easy and fun activity for the kids!

What you will need: • • • •

Leaves of different colours PVA glue Paper Marker pen

1. Get the kids to choose an animal they want to create. They might choose a butterfly, bird or elephant!

Top Tip

Use leaves that haven’t completely dried, as they won’t be as fragile and hard to work with

2. Go to the park or if you have trees, your own backyard, and collect fallen leaves of all different colours. Make sure they are not too brittle. 3. Lay old newspaper or a small tarp over the work surface. Let them loose with the glue and leaves! TIP: You can also use double sided cellotape. 4. Let it dry for half a day, and add features with a marker pen. 5. Share your creation by tagging us on Instagram #kingsplantbarnnz

Keep the kids happy while you shop.

Fluffies, sweet treats from the cafe, play areas and activities like our monthly colouring competition will keep your little growers entertained in every Kings Plant Barn 31

Caring for Roses Growing roses isn’t difficult, but it’s a lot easier if you set yourself up for success from the beginning – a rose that is planted in the right spot and is well cared for from day one is far more likely to thrive and reward you with stunning blooms season after season.

Planting Position

Roses require full sun (at least 6 hours a day) and like free-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. In Auckland, choosing a spot that has a good amount of airflow will also help reduce the risk of fungal diseases; humidity and warmth can make things more difficult than in drier parts of New Zealand.

Floribunda Rose

Steps 1. Dig a hole at least twice the height and width of the pot the rose came in. In heavy clay soils, it is worth digging a slightly bigger hole.

3. Place your rose and fill around it with your mix and some of the remaining topsoil, and make sure you press the soil down until it is firm. In heavier clay soils where drainage is likely to be an issue, plant into a slight mound. You can also add some pumice sand to your mix for even greater drainage.

2. Backfill the hole with a mix of your original soil, compost and sheep pellets, or use Garden Mix, leaving enough room for your plant. In heavier soils, break up the edges of the hole as you backfill to improve drainage and add a handful of ClayBreaker Gypsum.

4. Fertilise using Kings Slow Release Rose Food or for an organic option, try Natures Organic Fertiliser. 5. Mulch to finish, keeping it a few centimetres away from the trunk.

Maintenance Tips •

As your rose stirs with life again in spring, feed it with a generous handful of sheep pellets and Kings Slow Release Rose Food.

•

Regular deep watering in the drier months will keep your roses looking great through summer. Leaving the hose on for 5 minutes once or twice a week to slowly and deeply water your roses is far more effective than giving a slight water every day. Where possible, avoid wetting the foliage and stem.

•

Roses can look great in pots, but it is a lot more work than when they are

in the ground. Careful watering and feeding of your potted roses is crucial to their success. •

Sheep pellets provide nutrients and help the soil to hold more moisture when it’s dry. Mulching suppresses the weeds and helps stop the moisture in the soil from evaporating.

•

When deadheading, make sure that you cut back to a major leaf. If you only cut the spent flowers the rose will look untidy and not flower as well in the future.

Pruning

July is traditionally the best time to prune roses as the plant is in its dormant stage. Before you start, make sure you have the right equipment. Ideally the roses should be dormant before you start to prune, and have been sprayed with Yates Lime Sulphur (in winter only). This will cause the plant to defoliate and will help protect your rose from fungal problems in the future. Just be careful if you are spraying near other plants.

You’ll Require: • • • • •

Sharp secateurs Pair of sturdy gloves Pruning saw Yates Lime Sulfur (for the postpruning, clean-up spray) Pruning paste

Making a Cut

Suckers

Cut back to a viable bud. The cut should be made at approximately a 45-degree angle, and the bottom of the cut should be level with the top of the bud. Making the cut too close can kill off that bud as a small amount of wood will die off after making the cut.

Check the base of the plant for unwanted suckers coming from below the ground or the graft point. The graft point is usually evident as a slightly crooked or doglegged bump a few centimetres above ground level.

Seal cuts larger than 15mm (or as thick as your little finger) with a pruning paste.

Too high above bud

Too close to the bud

Sloping wrong way

Sloping too steep

Correctly cut

Bush & Standard

Climbers

1. Aim to create an open vase shape.

1. Snip out any twigs that are too thin to carry flowers.

2. Start by cutting out any dead, damaged or diseased shoots. 3. Snip out any twigs that are too thin to carry flowers. 4. Remove any crossing branches or branches growing inwards. 5. Shorten the remaining branches by at least one third. You can be more heavy-handed with tall-growing roses. When making these cuts, always trim back to an outward-facing bud. 34

Cut too jagged

2. Remove any crossing branches and open your rose up to increase airflow (this will reduce the chance of fungal problems later in the season). 3. Trim back by up to a third.

Our Top Varieties

Pink Ribbon

Iceberg

Absolutely Fabulous

This truly beautiful rose creates an outstanding, continuous display of soft pink-cupped blooms on a compact, bushy plant. $2 from the sale of each rose will be donated to Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.

Clusters of pure white blooms which just keep on flowering. Strong grower and disease resistant. An absolute classic and a New Zealand best seller as a standard rose.

An exceptional rose of butter gold, with an appealing old fashioned form, coupled with a strong liquorice fragrance, Absolutely Fabulous is a wonderfully healthy rose.

Blue Moon

Dublin Bay

Super Trouper

One of the best ‘blue’ roses available, this hybrid tea rose has beautiful lavender blooms.

One of the most popular red roses, this award winner features masses of deep red, double blooms.

A gorgeous floribunda rose with vibrant orange blooms that do not fade. A neatly compact shrub ideal for cottage gardens.

Tricks From the Experts Graham Waters from the Auckland Rose Society offers some expert rose tips for this winter.

What to do in JUNE Roses will be at their most dormant stage in June/July and new-season roses will now become available for purchase. A spraying programme can now start. Liquid copper is an important fungicide spray to use at this time of year, and you can mix some with Conqueror Oil, which will kill any white scale. However, if roses have a bad infestation of rose scale, use lime sulphur spray instead. Lime sulphur will defoliate any remaining leaves, which will need discarding especially if they have suffered black spot. Be careful using near the house, as it will stain weatherboards and timber. If you use lime sulphur DO NOT use any other spray within two/three weeks.

Love Roses? Join the club. Become a member of the Auckland Rose Society by visiting www.aucklandrosesociety.org.nz 35

Orange Crush with Lynda Hallinan How wonderful it is that, right in the middle of winter, citrus fruit ripens in the most summery shades of sunshine yellow and tangerine to cheer us all up, as well as delivering a dose of vitamin C.

Follow @LyndaHallinanGardening on Facebook or order her preserving book, Foggydale Farm Jam Sessions, at www.foggydalefarm.co.nz

Piling a fruit bowl full of homegrown lemons, limes, mandarins and grapefruit beside a basket of orange-skinned pumpkins or glowing persimmons instantly makes me feel happy - and hungry! From marmalade to cordial and spiced pumpkin jam, there’s no shortage of seasonal preserves to make either.

15-minute Marmalade

When making marmalade the traditional way, the fruit is usually finely sliced, steeped in boiling water and set aside to stand overnight before being boiled up - or you can make my cheat version using jam-setting sugar (from supermarkets). I always use this method when making sweet mandarin or zesty lime marmalade as it keeps their distinct flavour.

Ingredients 500g citrus of your choice 2 cups boiling water 1kg jam-setting sugar

Method Halve citrus, pick out any pips and blitz in your food processor until roughly chopped. Place in a pot, add hot water and simmer, with the pot lid on, for ten minutes. Add jam-setting sugar, stir until dissolved, then boil on a high heat for five minutes. Pour into jars and seal.

Citrus Cordial

This cordial can also be used as a drizzle for citrus cakes, a soda syrup or the base for a heart-warming hot toddy.

Ingredients 750g sugar 500ml water 2 cups freshly squeezed citrus juice (lemon, orange, lime or grapefruit) 1 tablespoon citric acid 1 tablespoon tartaric acid

Method Gently simmer water and sugar for five minutes, then add citrus juice and return to the boil. Take off heat, stir in citric and tartaric acid, then pour into hot, clean glass bottles and seal.

Persimmon & Orange Jam

This winter preserve is equally delicious as a soft-set spread or ice cream sundae topping. Blanching the orange peels is a bit of a bother but it removes all their bitterness.

Ingredients 2 juicy oranges 1kg persimmons, peeled & chopped 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder 1kg jam-setting sugar

Method Halve and squeeze oranges, reserving the strained juice. Place the scooped-out skins in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for three minutes. Drain, and repeat (repeat twice if using homegrown oranges with a thick peel). Set orange peels side until cool enough to handle, then scrape out with a teaspoon to remove the white pith. Slice into thin strips. Peel persimmons and finely chop or puree their flesh. Place in a pot with the orange juice, chopped peel and five spice powder. Over a low heat, bring slowly to a gentle simmer, then add jam-setting sugar and boil briskly for five minutes. Pour into jars and seal.

Pan-fried Pumpkin with Marmalade Vinaigrette

My favourite pumpkin is the baby variety ‘Golden Nugget’ (Yates Seeds), which produces up to half a dozen glowing orange fruit on a non-trailing bush that’s ideal for small gardens. These gorgeous gourds keep right through winter and are perfect in this pan-fried side dish sloshed with a marmalade dressing.

Ingredients Pumpkin 100g streaky bacon 1/2 onion 1 tablespoon olive oil 1kg pumpkin finely grated zest of 1/2 orange 1 clove garlic 50g butter 1/2 cup coarse breadcrumbs Dressing 2 tablespoons marmalade 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder flat-leaf parsley or basil to garnish

Method In a heavy-based frying pan, sauté onion and bacon in olive oil then add peeled, cubed pumpkin and cook until golden brown and tender. Add orange zest, stir, season to taste and set aside. Mix vinaigrette ingredients together in a small jar and shake well. Finely chop the garlic clove and, in a small frying pan, sauté in butter. Toss in the breadcrumbs and cook until golden brown, then sprinkle over the pumpkin. Garnish with finely chopped herbs and serve warm, drizzled with vinaigrette. 38

Indoor Plants

Winter Care Tips With the cooler, darker days of winter in Auckland, there are a few different ways to care for your indoor plants to make sure they survive through to spring.

Watering

Light

Temperature

Incorrect watering during winter is the number one way to lose your indoor plants. Cut watering back to a third of what they get in the summer to help ensure they don’t get waterlogged and start developing signs of root rot. The only exception to this rule are carnivorous plants and ferns.

Diminishing light levels may mean your plants need to be moved to get more light. Clean your windows to allow extra light in, and clean your plants’ leaves so they can absorb enough light. If you have small cuttings or young plants, look into investing in an indoor grow light. Keep out of direct sunlight.

Most indoor plants are tropical or subtropical, meaning that they need to be kept warm in winter. Keep your plants in a room that is 15°C or warmer, otherwise the more delicate plants will start to show cold damage on the leaves and may start dying back. Make sure your plants are kept away from cool drafts, heatpumps and heaters.

If you aren’t sure if the soil is dry enough, lift the pot to see if it is still heavy with water, or push your finger into the soil up to the knuckle to check the moisture level. Alternatively, you can purchase a moisture meter instore.

Extra Tips

•

Don’t take cuttings in winter. Take them in the growing season from late October to February.

•

With tropical indoor plants, keep the humidity around 65%.

•

Wait until spring to repot your indoor plants.

•

Keep cacti and succulents dry and in full sun in a north-facing window.

•

Water ferns, carnivorous plants (including pitcher plants and venus fly traps), indoor begonias, fittonia (nerve plants), African violets and indoor cyclamen from the saucer instead of the top to avoid rot while keeping the soil moist.

BRING NATURE IN WITH OUR

STUNNING RANGE

of indoor plants

Ask the

Plant Doctor Giving you expert advice for your seasonal gardening woes

Hi Plant Doctor, I have these white fuzzy things on my apple tree, which look like fungus from far away. What is it and how do I get rid of it?! –George, Blockhouse Bay Hi George, These are woolly aphids, which are commonly found on both pear and apple trees. Like other aphids, they suck the sap from plants, affecting the vigour and growth of the plant, they just look different – like cotton wool or white fungus. Prevent large infestations by watering and fertilising your fruit trees, keeping them healthy and strong. To treat, spray with Yates Lime Sulfur on deciduous trees (in the middle of winter only). Yates Lime Sulfur 200ml $12.99

Hello Plant Doc, I have holes appearing on my lettuce and I can’t find any caterpillars or insects on the plants. Help! –Brian, East Tamaki Hi Brian, This is most likely slug and snail damage. In winter they can be rampant depending on your garden. Eliminate places for them to hide in or under, including keeping your lawn short and weeds at bay. Sprinkle Quash pellets around the affected plants (on a fine day) to protect them, or you can set up a beer trap to lure slugs and snails in. They will slither into old beer in a saucer and drown. Alternatively, you can go outside at night with a torch and pluck them off your plants instead. Tui Quash $7.99

Hi Doc, The leaves on my nectarine did this weird curling thing last spring, and I was told later it was something called ‘leaf curl’. How can I stop this from happening? –Laura, Devonport Hi Laura, Leaf curl is caused by a fungal disease and can affect all stone fruit. This fungus has spores that can overwinter in fallen leaves, under bark and in crevices on the tree. In early spring they will disrupt new leaf growth, causing them to curl and bubble. In severe cases this will affect photosynthesis, causing leaves to brown, shrivel and drop. Prevent this by raking up any fallen leaves around the base of the plant in winter. Dispose of them in your green waste bin – not your compost. Use Yates Liquid Copper and EnSpray 99 as a general clean-up spray mix in June, and then spray again with Liquid Copper as the buds swell before opening in late winter. Mulch, water and feed your affected trees well throughout the year. Improve airflow by pruning in winter and summer and make sure there is a sufficient amount of space between trees. Yates Liquid Copper 200ml $19.99 Enspray 99 200ml $14.99

Ask the Kings Plant Doctor 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.

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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