Kings is here to help Kiwis “grow well”
When it comes to getting expert advice and healthy quality plants, Kings Plant Barn is your one stop shop.
Whether your feijoa tree has been plagued by the guava moth in recent years, or you need advice on what to plant and when, or how to keep your houseplants healthy, the expert staff at Kings Plant Barn can help you “grow well”. They’re there to make it easy for everyone – from the seasoned veteran to the novice gardener – with advice for how to best grow and care for their plants.
Kings Plant Barn is so confident that its carefully raised nursery-grown plants will thrive that it offers a “Sure To Grow” guarantee, replacing any plants that may fail to grow well. Kings also cares for the wellbeing of the environment by reducing waste and recycling pots.
Conditions are now perfect to plant all your summer veggies, not to mention an abundance of stunning annual and perennial flowers. Get them in quick and stay on top of the weeds to ensure you get to enjoy your plants to the fullest.
Home garden tips to help get you started: What to plant now
Tomatoes, peppers, herbs and lavender. Prepare new beds by forking the soil and adding Kings Organic Compost, Sheep Pellets and Nature’s Organic Fertiliser.
Seedlings
A full range of seedlings are now available, including basil, beans, eggplants and capsicum.
Plant herbs like coriander and parsley in part shade to protect them from the afternoon sun. Doing this means they don’t “bolt” to flower and seed as quickly, meaning you can enjoy them for longer.
Seed sowing
There’s still plenty of time to sow summer veggie seeds. Allow plenty of space between seeds and make sure they’re located in the sun! Germinate tomato, eggplant and melon seeds in punnets before moving into the veggie patch.
Passionfruit
Plant in a warm, sunny spot in welldraining soil, with a structure in place to support the vines as they grow. Mix in Compost and Sheep Pellets before planting for added nutrients.
Citrus
Plant into free-draining soil and mix in Compost and Kings Slow Release Citrus
Fertiliser. Dwarf varieties, which grow to just 2 meters, are best for containers.
Instant colour
Add an instant dash of colour to your garden. Choose from petunias, lobelias, marigolds, snapdragons and heaps more in our Seedling Punnets, Potted Colour and King Size Colour ranges in store now.
Perennials
There are loads of beautiful long-flowering perennials now in, including petunias, calibrachoa, lavender, nemesia, geraniums, and many more. Plant in garden soil mixed with Compost and Sheep Pellets.
Hydrangeas
An old-fashioned flower that is back in style! With huge, gorgeous summer blooms, hydrangeas are happy in full sun to part shade. They make great cut flowers and are best planted in late spring.
Hedges and screening
Getting hedges and large screening trees into the soil now gives them time to get settled in before summer. Keep newly planted trees and shrubs well-watered (with a watering can) and feed with Kings 24 Plus.
Companion planting
Growing companion plants in and around your veggie garden helps keep your edible plants happy and healthy.
Many flowering companion plants help attract beneficial insects. Some insects help pollinate plants, often improving yields, while others are prey on a host of pest species. Plants to attract beneficial insects include alyssum, anise hyssop, hyssop, sage, lavender, rosemary, thyme, echinacea, fox glove, phacelia, cleome and borage.
Managing pests
Plants that help repel pests include chives, marigolds, leeks, lemongrass, onions, garlic and pyrethrum.
More than just edible flowers
Borage
Borage is a particularly good companion plant and is believed to help many plants grow better (particularly strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers). In addition, it attracts predatory insects that prey on pests, as well as pollinators such as bees and hoverflies. The flowers are edible too.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums attract white butterflies to such an extent that cabbages and other brassicas are often ignored. Both the leaves and the flowers are edible and can provide an attractive, peppery addition to any salads you wish to make.
Tomato and basil
Basil acts as an attractant for butterflies when it flowers, repels/distracts flies and mosquitoes and also tastes great. It’s a good herb to plant next to tomatoes, because not only do they complement each other taste-wise, basil is also believed to help repel various pests and diseases and improve the flavour of tomatoes grown nearby.
Summer bulbs
The best time to plant summer bulbs is now! One of our favourites is the Christmas lilium, which produces glorious white trumpetshaped flowers with a beautiful scent in December. They will grow well in most areas of the garden but prefer a sunny well drained position.
Bulbs in pots will need to be watered and fed more regularly than when they are planted in the ground.
Healthy home houseplant
A great houseplant for beginners, peace lilies are incredibly easy to care for and they look fantastic. Aside from looking stylish, they also help clean the air, removing an array of noxious chemicals.
Peace lilies grow best in bright indirect light. Keep your peace lily out of direct sunlight to avoid damaging the leaves. Keep the potting mix evenly moist, not wet, in spring and summer. Water less in the cooler months.