Plant smart
With winter here, Avenues gets some seasonal advice from Southern Woods’ Ashley Shadbolt.
Wetter weather can bring mould and other ailments. How can we protect and treat our plants? FreeFlo Copper is a great natural product for preventing fungal and bacterial diseases. We stock a fruit and veg-specific and a general-use version, both organic certified.
Do you have a favourite tree? Every season brings a different favourite tree. At the moment, autumn colours are at their best, so if you have the space, you can’t go past a Claret Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia ‘Raywoodii’). For smaller backyards, Cornus ‘Eddies White Wonder’ is a great option.
What’s a common mistake people make when choosing plants for their homes? Commonly, the problem isn’t the plant but rather their care, and more often than not, these plants are being killed by kindness… overwatering and planting too deep. At this time of year, unless fruiting or undercover, plants should only need watering weekly at most. When planting, use the top of the mix in the pot as your guide, matching this to your soil level.
Is there anything new at Southern Woods that excites you? As a nursery, we change with the seasons. This winter, we are stocking our largest-ever range of potted fruit trees. Unlike the commonly purchased bare-root fruit trees, these are a year older, wiser, and closer to peak production.
With winter, what jobs should we be doing?
Winter is a great time to prep. Top up mulch and remove any seeding weeds from your gardens to save you an even bigger job come spring. Once soil moisture levels recover after an unusually dry autumn, plant deciduous trees, especially fruit trees, so they are settled and ready to roll come spring.
For those wanting to enhance the biodiversity of the garden, what should they do? There are a range of options to enhance your garden’s biodiversity. Start with a good 100mm deep layer of mulch, encouraging a wide range of insects while improving soil fertility and water-holding capacity. Layer your plantings, increasing the habitat available to insects and birds. Lastly, have plants that flower/fruit at different times of the year, thus giving more reason for birds to make your garden a permanent home.
What grows well in marginal soil? Most natives handle marginal soil, having evolved over millennia to suit New Zealand conditions. Another popular plant that can handle tough conditions is the range of Lomandras, native to Australia. These are available in a range of colours and sizes. Lastly, and very much out of the ordinary, Echium wildpretii are amazing bi-annuals and a favourite of our garden centre team.
Ashley’s last word? As the days grow colder and darker, boil the jug, park on the couch, and jump on our website for all your plant needs. With freight to your door nationwide, you can purchase your plants from the comfort of your own home!