Wow, summer just doesn’t want to let go! Weather conditions can’t be any more favourable for planting vegetable and flower seedlings.
There’s such a fantastic range of vegetable seedlings that can be planted now - beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, spinach and lettuce to name a few.
There’s nothing more rewarding than harvesting your own fresh vegetables and, what’s more, they’re a breeze to grow!
Last winter I built a raised vegetable garden, 9m long, 800 wide and 800 high. Well, it proved its value throughout summer yielding hundreds of ‘Sweet 100’ tomatoes, capsicums, lettuce, cucumbers, aubergine and raspberries.
Raised vegetable gardens are awesome, such a valuable addition to any garden. If you don’t have space for a large raised garden try growing veggies and flowers in large, attractive glazed pots or wooden containers. Potted containers work so well for those of us who live in apartments or have a limited garden space.
Key prerequisites to producing great vegetables are the potting medium used and the position of the raised vegetable planter or containers - they should receive all day sunlight, fertiliser and sufficient water.
During the growing season I like adding magnesium sulphate or ‘Epsom Salts’ to the soil around the base of the plants. Magnesium, an essential element, gives plants
a noticeable boost including healthier foliage, prolific flowering and quality vegetables and flowers.
Take care not to allow plants to dry out in your raised planter box or containers or become water logged. Although growing vegetables and flowers from seed is good fun for the family, seedlings give you a head start and they’re easy to plant out.
Colour your garden throughout winter and into spring by planting the following seedlings during autumn: antirrhinum ‘Madame Butterfly’, dianthus, foxglove, larkspur, lobelia, pansy ‘Antique Shades’, pansy ‘Delta mixed’, primula, poppy, polyanthus, viscaria, viola and wallflower. I’m a pansy fan, the flower colours available are magical!
Gorgeous grasses
Zealandia Nurseries have produced an outstanding selection of New Zealand native grasses, available from your local garden centre.
Lookout for these little beauties...
Carex comans ‘Green’, carex flagellifera ‘Red’, Carex virgata, Carex comans ‘Bronze’, Carex secta, Festuca ‘Banks Peninsula Blue’.
These attractive, low-growing grasses require little maintenance adding colour, texture and interest to your garden. For added impact plant the same variety in groups.
Crazy camellias
Cool flower colour, glossy foliage, a compact growth habit and little maintenance make these fabulous plants a winner throughout autumn and winter.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Setsugekka’ is one of my favourites. This stunner produces masses of pure white blooms with yellow/gold stamens.
What appeals to me about this hardy evergreen is that it can be easily espaliered - you can encourage it to disguise unsightly walls and fences by training it horizontally along wire. Setsugekka stays relatively flat as it grows so there’s no concern with it growing too wide and encroaching on your outdoor space.
Camellias are so versatile - they excel in a shady garden position, still producing loads of spectacular blooms. Many varieties last well as cut flowers, too. Fertilise with an acid plant food, slow release fertiliser or Flowers of Sulphur. If your soil lacks quality or contains clay add peat moss which is a soil conditioner and will improve the structure of the soil over time. Claybreaker can also be added to the soil.
A little on lawns
Autumn is the perfect season to bring your lawn back to a respectable state. Annoying weeds like oxalis, clover, moss, daisies and dandelion can be eliminated by spraying selective lawn weedkillers like Turfix and Hydrocotyle weedkiller on your lawn. Choose a still, cloudy day to spray taking care to dress up well with protective clothing including gloves and a face mask. Puncturing the lawn with a pitchfork or using an aerating machine on a large lawn will improve your lawn’s health and give it an improved appearance.
That’s all for this month. Happy gardening! (Graham Shieff)
M: 021 997 743, www.gardenhelp.co.nz