By planting now you'll be rewarded with stronger and bigger spring growth, root systems will develop over the winter months, there's less watering and fewer pests and diseases. With oodles of fantastic foliage and flower colour ready for your garden now, autumn is far from dull.
For gorgeous autumn/winter flowers plant rhododendrons, azaleas, Pieris (Lily of the Valley), camellias, daphne ... all are looking stunning now!
Plant spring bulbs (there's still time) - we have top quality bulbs - daffodils, freesia, tulips, iris, anemone, ranunculus ... And lilies will be in soon for summer flowers.
Remove summer annuals that have now finished flowering and plant new annual seedlings for spectacular colour in your winter garden. The colours and varieties are many - pansy, viola, primula, polyanthus, sweet peas, stock, poppy, snapdragon, dianthus, cineraria ...
Plant perennials - Cyclamen, Dianthus, Alstromeria, penstemon, anemone, kangaroo paws and winter roses Helleborous ...
Hanging baskets or pots filled with colourful flowers will brighten your patios and verandahs over the winter months. We have a large selection of pots in many shapes and colours.
Trim perennials by at least a third, as they finish flowering.
Roses should now have been given their final deadhead before leaving them to "winter".
Remove old seeded veges and herbs and replace/replant.
Continue planting for winter kitchen garden harvests:
Winter lettuce, onions, beetroot, spinach, silverbeet, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic bulbs, shallot bulbs, kale, spring onions, pak choi, wong bok, tatsoi, cavolo nero (black palm cabbage), celery, broad beans, snow peas ...
Herb favourites - parsley, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, lemongrass, chives ...
Add more goodness to the soil when replanting - dig in ican Real Blood & Bone or Ican 100% Organic Vegetable Food, sheep pellets, compost or vege mix.
ican Ocean Grow is a fantastic liquid fish fertiliser which can be applied regularly and will really get your veges growing.
Remove old seeded veges and herbs and replace/replant.
To replenish soil nutrients and improve soil structure plant green crops of mustard or lupin in areas of the vege garden that will not be used over winter.
A greenhouse is great for growing your favourite veges all year round - come and see the top quality range of Winter Gardenz Greenhouses we have available.
To view our Vegetable Plants Health Care Programme click here or call in for a copy.
Plant feijoa's - to get the best crops plant several named varieties together - this way they will pollinate one another and you will increase your fruiting period and yield.
If you haven't already done so, fertilise all citrus with specific Citrus Fertiliser to ensure they receive all the nutrients they require.
Maintain your regular fruit tree spray programme. It is important to spray with the correct product at the correct time so please ask one of our knowledgeable staff, come in for your copy of our "Fruiting Plants Health Care Programme" or click here to view.
Plant new trees and shrubs - Autumn is natures natural time to plant! Stake and tie for support if required and fertilise with Ican (24 month) Slow Food.
If you love spectacular autumn colours plant Maples, Dogwood, Liquid Amber, Golden Elm, Ginkgo, Oaks ...
Plant new hedges and trim existing hedges before frosts damage new growth.
Fantastic hedging plants are Japanese Box, Camellia Setsugekka, Corokia, Teucrium and NZ's favourite Griselinia Broadway Mint!
Box Hedging - spray with Grosafe Free Flo Copper and Grosafe Enspray 99 Oil to prevent the spread of Box Blight (Japanese Box is far more resistant than English Box to Box Blight). Alternate spray with GroSafe Buxus Blight Fighter.
Fertilise azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons with Tui Acid Food (if not done last month).
Fertilise new plantings with a good general fertiliser and pot plants with Ican Fast Food.
Standards make spectacular landscape features - camellia, michellia, laurel...
Weeping maples are ideal when space is limited.
Cercis Forest Pansy and Cercis Heart of Gold are excellent small specimen trees.
Flowering Crab Apple look stunning and have luscious bright red fruit which are great for jellies and preserves.
Dwarf fruit trees and citrus are ideal for small gardens and also grow well in pots and yield an abundance of fruit.
Check out the NEW Ican Harvest Fruit Tree range.
Good soil, feeding and watering is the key to great plants, flowers, fruit and vege production.
Fertilise with liquid ican Ocean Grow fish fertiliser or Ican Fast Food.
Slow release Ican (24 month) Slow Food is excellent for new and existing trees and shrub plantings. Novatec is ideal for trees, shrubs, palms, fruit and veges.
Hygiene is important in the garden so clear away diseased leaves and prunings and sterilise secateurs, hedge trimmers etc before and after use (bleach is a good sterilant).
Pests and Diseases - check all plants regularly for pests and disease - it's easier to deal with them early before they take hold and do too much damage.
If fungus and bugs are present they need to be kept under control with regular spraying. We recommend:
Grosafe Free Flo Copper to control fungus diseases on all fruit, veges and ornamentals
Grosafe Enspray 99 Oil for the control of sucking insects on all fruit, veges and ornamentals.
Success Ultra for caterpillars, thrips and leafroller.
Mavrik for mites.
Roses - continue your regular spray programme - to view our Rose & Ornamental Health Care Programme click here or call in for a copy.
Apply Blitzem, Quash (if you have animals) or Baysol (long acting) to control slugs and snails - particularly around new seedlings.
Mulch to suppress weeds, preserve water and add nutrients with bales of Pea Straw or Daltons Mulch & Grow.
Autumn is the best time to sow new lawns or renovate existing lawns.
New lawns - spray to eradicate weeds, apply Daltons Premium Lawn Soil, fertilise with Tui Lawn Fertiliser (1-2 weeks prior to sowing), sow with a seed variety suitable to your needs.
Existing lawns - spray with Turfix to eradicate weeds and topdress areas as required.
Feed existing lawns and new lawns (once germinated) with Burnetts Slow Release Lawn Fertiliser.
We have Lawn Boy Sprayers for hire for fast and easy spraying - ideal for big or small lawns.
Camellias
New season camellias are in store and we're just loving them all but especially the early flowering Sasanqua type standards. We have in a few varieties such as:
Setsugekka - everyone loves Setsugekka with lots of large white single blooms- ideal as a hedge.
Fairy Blush - abundant display of bright pink buds opening to single miniature blooms of apple blossom, which flower from May to October- a Favourite!
Yuletide - stunning small bright red single flowers with prominent golden yellow stamens (pictured).
