’Tis the season
Autumn is the time for colour, planning and planting , says Ginny Clark
ILOVE AUTUMN. Clear days and cooler nights. We have been blessed with another fabulous summer here in the Bay of Plenty, followed by a welcome spot of warm rain. This means that the soil is in perfect condition for planting whether it be veges for winter, fruit trees for harvest, trees for screening, shrubs for the garden or colour for cheering you up.
Autumn is nature’s natural time to plant. Planting now will ensure that you get stronger spring growth as the roots on the plants will have established once spring arrives. Bigger and better new season plants are available at this time of the year, especially in the shrub range. Our nursery is brimming with gorgeous new stock of many sorts!
You will need to water less at this time of year too and planting now also means you will have fewer pest and disease problems as many of the bugs that are around over the hotter period of the year die off in the cooler temperatures of autumn and winter.
Another bonus of autumn is the colours. As the weather cools, trees such as Maples, Liquid Amber, Crabapples and Cornus will turn to lovely autumn shades and will delight with their colours.
The first of the Camellias have arrived and you will see the Sasanqua types beginning to flower. They make a fantastic hedge and are much cheaper than a boring wooden fence!
Remember to keep planting spring flowering bulbs now and right through to the end of autumn. By staggering your bulb plantings like Anemones, Ranunculus, Daffodils, Tulips and the like, you can enjoy spring flowers for many months. Tulips and Daffodils can be planted along with flowering annuals such as Pansies, Violas and Lobelia. That way you have the garden beds covered in colour and the bulbs just pop up between them. It makes for a nice surprise.
So, if you have a garden project in mind, start planning and planting now. There is never a better time to plant that tree, shrub, screening plant, hedging plant or spring flowering bulbs.
Come out and see us at Decor Gardenworld where we have a fantastic plant and gift range, and our team are happy to help with inspiration and advice.
Happy gardening.
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A small look at the changed lives of Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, after the traumatic events of His Dark Materials. The cult trilogy has been honoured by several awards, as well as made into a movie. This short book puts the focus back on Lyra and sets the scene for new adventures in the trilogy
The Book of Dust. It’s a very short read, with not much of a story, more for diehard fans of Philip Pullman. –
Ann Kilduff .. ..