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How to give your flower planters the ‘X’ factor When it comes to creating a flowering planter, the default method is to plant one type of flowering plant, either in a single colour or a combination. They will look pretty but there is a way that you can ‘level up’ and create flowering planters that have a lot of visual interest by utilising different heights, textures and growth habits. The idea is called ‘Thriller, filler, spiller’ and it helps you select the appropriate plants to work together. The Thriller is as the name suggests, the star of the show! It’s going to be the tallest and showiest of the plant choices. You want something that is going to look good for a long period of time. You can use a perennial as the thriller which can then be planted out in the garden after the season changes or it outgrows the pot. Alternatively a large growing annual flower will work fine too, especially if you like to change your pots in each season. The Filler plays an important role as the supporting cast. They are generally a ‘mounding’ plant and fill in the spaces and can add contrast with colour to make the thriller look good. The filler is what makes the planter nice and full in appearance. The Spiller adds an extra element to the planter, spilling over the pot edge and softening the lines between the plants and pot. They can add texture and colour to contrast against the other plants. They don’t even have to flower, a foliage plant can work really well in this situation. To start you will need to decide whether the pot will be viewed from all sides or just from the front as this determines where you place the components and how many you need. If the pot is viewed from the front only, the thriller goes at the back, the fillers in the middle and the spillers at the front. If the pot is viewed from all sides, the thriller goes in the middle, the fillers surround it and the spillers are placed around the edge of the pot. When selecting the plants, consider what you want to achieve with colour. Do you want something that stands out, that is bright and colourful? If so, choosing colours that are bright and that contrast beautifully are going to give you plenty of impact. Think colours that are opposites on the colour wheel or using white to contrast against dark colours. If you like colour but still want something more harmonious, use different shades of the same colour to create a tonal effect. Alternatively you can go for something more neutral in colour and let the textures be the champion. Using tones of greens with white or silver or using the paler, icy shades of colours will work well in this situation. These are suggestions to get you started on selecting your plant combinations. Thriller plants - these don’t necessarily have to be flowering, they could be sculptural. Digitalis Perennial Salvias Tropical impatiens Gaura Juncus grass Dwarf Canna lily Dwarf Papyrus (Queen Tut) Filler plants Achillea millefolium Tulbaghia Geranium Petunias Calibrachoa (mini bells) Verbena Coleus - part to full shade positions Heliotrope Impatiens - full to part shade positions Cineraria silver dust ( Dusty miller) Spiller plants Agonis flexuosa Dichondra silver falls Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny) -For part shade positions Cascading Lobelia Cascading Scaevola (Fan flower) Choose a combination that works for the situation where the pot will be (sun - shade) and for the size of the pot. A larger pot gives you the advantage of not drying out as quickly, especially when you have quite a few plants in the same space. You can try a new combination each season or if you have a perennial as the thriller, you can ring in seasonal changes with different fillers and spillers. Don’t forget to use a good quality potting mix, a slow release fertiliser formulated for flowering plants and water your pots regularly to get the best results. Have fun with choosing your combinations and enjoy the show they give this season! Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

When a bouquet of flowers can easily cost $50-60+ to buy, you can understand the desire to have plants in your garden that you can pick flowers or foliage from throughout the year. Whether it is picking to display in your home or to giveaway, there are plenty of options to give you lots of variety to choose from. It is a good idea to consider what shrubs or perennials are good for picking as these are long term plants and will give you more material to pick each year with little input. Bulbs are great in that they come back each year but they are generally only available for a limited time span so you need to plant different varieties that will flower at different times. Annuals are the candy store where you get to choose what colours and varieties to plant each year. There are many varieties that are available in seeds that you can’t buy as seedlings, and you can try out new colours or shapes in an economical way. You may be able to collect the seeds off some varieties for free seeds to grow the following year. Foliage is a flower picker’s best friend as it provides the backdrop for the flowers, and it fills out the bouquet, so you don’t need as many flowers. Think colours and textures when it comes to selecting foliage and the overall feel that you are after for that particular bouquet. Foliage is often available year-round, making it invaluable in winter when other pickings can be scarce. Trees for foliage Olive tree Eucalyptus tree Feijoa tree Bay tree Evergreen Magnolia Shrubs for foliage (F) and flowers (*) and berries (B) Leucadendron -F Proteas * Leucospermum (pincushion flowers) * Phyllica (Flannel flower) - F Brachyglottis (Senecio) - F Pittosporum – F (Pitto Tobira has scented flowers as well) Osmanthus pearly gates -F, * Rosemary – F, * Nandina – F, B Ozothamnus (Rice flower) -* Flowering japonica (ornamental quince) - * Roses - * Perennials for flowers Alstroemeria Scabiosa Chrysanthemum Dianthus/ carnations Delphiniums Achillea (ornamental yarrow) Eryngium (sea holly) Lavender Queen Anne's lace Geums Gypsophila (Baby’s breath) Monarda (Bee Balm) Bulbs / tubers for flowers Dahlias Lilies Freesias Peonies Tulips Anemones Ranunculus Lily of the valley Daffodils Annuals for flowers Sunflowers Zinnias Sweet Peas Didiscus (Ornamental carrot) Amaranthus Antirrhinum (Tall snapdragons) Aquilegia (Granny’s bonnet) Corn flowers Cosmos Gomphrena Nigella These lists are only a starting point as there are many varieties out there that are good for picking. To extend your picking options as long as possible; Use plants that readily rebloom after picking – sweet peas, alstroemeria, iceberg roses etc Choose plants whose flowers last a long time in the vase. This is an asset in a picked flower! Alstroemeria, chrysanthemum, lilies, zinnia, peony and protea are all long lasting blooms. Don’t forget to consider the months when you run out of picking options. These are good times to visit public gardens to see what they have in their seasonal flower displays, to get some inspiration. Alternatively visit your local garden centre as they will usually have the plants that are flowering at that time in stock. Bulbs are the exception to this rule, spring flowering bulbs are available in stores from February and summer flowering tubers like lilies and dahlias usually appear from July onwards. You will need to get these bulbs/tubers during those times. If you are intentional with adding flowering plants in the months where you have little or no picking options, you will over time, develop a year-round picking garden. One of the best things you can do is start keeping notes on what you grow, noting how long they flower for, when they flower during the year and how long they last in the vase. Details like if they open from a bud once picked are useful to know. It is difficult to keep track of all the individual details in your memory, so a picking flower diary is a useful tool to have. Remember that even if you don’t pick the flowers to use, keep deadheading them as they finish blooming to encourage more blooms to follow. Some plants will flower right through summer and autumn if you do this regularly. Picking your own flowers for you or someone else to enjoy is such a satisfying activity. Try it yourself, you might be surprised how addictive it can be!  Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

Subtropical fruit are those that naturally grow between 23 and 30 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. They can survive in drier conditions than tropical plants which typically need more rainfall and higher humidity. Some have limited or no tolerance to frosts. Most need a well drained soil as they tend to be susceptible to root rot in heavy clay soils. Here are some of the common subtropical fruits in New Zealand. Avocado They will tolerate some frost once established. They must have well draining soil as they are susceptible to root rot. The large varieties grow 6mx 10m in 10 years and there are now some semi and dwarf varieties that can be as short as 3m tall. The varieties fruit at different times of year so if you have space, planting different varieties will extend your harvest. Avocado flowers are an ‘A’ type or ‘B’ type, referring to when they open during the day. To improve cross pollination, planting another variety that is opposite to yours (If you have a ‘A’ type, plant a ‘B’ type and vice versa). Passionfruit They love warmth and sun and are frost tender. They require a moist free draining soil. If your soil is heavy or clay, we recommend that you raise the soil level or plant in a deep pot. They are a vigorous vine so they need a sturdy support to grow on. They are only considered a short term crop with the vine remaining fully productive for 2-3 years. This is generally because they fall victim to root rot. They carry their fruit on the current seasons growth so in early spring, cut approximately half of last years growth off, but leave a framework of laterals to produce new growth (and fruit!) Loquat These trees are relatively hardy but they do fruit much better in a warmer, subtropical position with free draining soil. They need protection from frost when young. Tasting like a tropical apricot they are a delicious addition to the garden. Fruit ripens in November – December. Feijoas The fruit that people love or hate! It is the hardiest of the subtropical fruits, tolerating light to moderate frosts once established. They prefer a full sun position but will grow in a part shade situation, albeit with a reduced crop. They don’t usually require irrigation but periods of drought at critical times will affect yield and quality. Feijoas are a reliably self fertile but cross pollination with another variety will improve the overall crop size as well as fruit size. Birds are the main pollinator for feijoas. The fruit is ripe when they drop off the tree. They can be cut back very hard if needed but do it after fruiting so you don’t remove the flower buds later in the season. Figs They do particularly well in areas with long hot summers and will cope in colder climates in a sheltered sunny spot. Birds stealing the fruit is the main issue with figs and netting is a necessity to ensure you get any fruit. Some varieties fruit two or even three times in a season. They can be espaliered against a wall or grown as a tree. All figs are self fertile and do not require a pollinator. Tamarillos The most adverse to cold and frost, they prefer a minimum day temperature of 15 degrees celsius. They love heat. They need a rich, free draining soil. They are fast growing, cropping in only their second winter after planting. They grow to approx 3m x 2m. They benefit from regular feeding and watering during dry spells. Persimmon Preferring heat, in the cold they go dormant, tolerating the cold to –2 degrees Celsius. They need a long warm season for the fruit to mature so plant in a sunny spot, sheltered from cold, harsh winds. Avoid areas with late spring and early autumn frosts. They will tolerate most soils but do best in rich free drained soils. Until they establish, the wood is thin and weak so support is crucial and don’t let it fruit before the branch framework is established. They start fruiting from about 4 years old. They can grow successfully as an espalier. Birds will eat the fruit off the tree so keeping the tree more compact so bird netting is possible is a sensible idea. They are an attractive small tree with large glossy leaves, beautiful autumn leaf colour and the fruit looks stunning holding on the tree into winter. There are two different types of persimmon. Astringent and non-astringent. Astringent are heart shaped, they are harvested when the fruit has turned fully orange but is still firm. It is left at room temperature to soften before eating. Non- astringent varieties that are a round, flat shape can be picked firm (store with bananas or apples to enable it to ripen further) or left to ripen on the tree and eaten at either stage. Fuyu is the common variety available in supermarkets or to buy as fruit trees. It is non-astringent. There are more sub tropical fruit options including cherimoya and casimiroa available in New Zealand but they are less available to buy as fruit or as plants. If you want to grow some of these subtropical varieties in your garden, ensure you have the right conditions or protect and shelter as required to keep it happy and thriving.  Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

What exactly is Propagation? It is the creation of plant specimens by natural processes from the parent stock. There are two types of propagation - sexual and asexual. Sexual propagation is drawing from the genes of the parents to create another plant. The floral parts of the plant are pollinated and seeds are created. Plants grown from seeds are a unique mix of the parents genetics. The resulting plants are all variable. Sexual propagation is growing from seeds or spores. Asexual propagation is taking part of one parent plant and causing it to grow into a new plant. Plants grown from asexual propagation are a genetic ‘carbon copy’ of the parent plant. The resulting plants are all identical. Asexual propagation techniques that you could do at home - division, cuttings, layering, grafting and budding. To grow from seeds you either purchase seeds from a seed company or save the seeds from a plant in the garden. There are two different types of seeds available from a seed company - open pollinated and hybrid seed. Open pollinated seeds has been pollinated by any pollinators - bees, wasps, insects etc - and as a result has pollen from whatever plants the pollinator has visited included in the seed creation. There can be a wide range of genetic variability in the seeds that then grow into plants. Heirloom seed varieties are always open pollinated. Hybrid seeds are developed in a controlled pollination situation where only the pollen from the two desired parents with the desired attributes ( pest and disease resistance, yield, vigour, flavour etc) is used for pollination. The seeds are then grown to see what attributes they have. And this process is repeated and repeated until consistent results are produced and those seeds are then sold. The resulting plants should be very consistent and true to form. The downside with hybrid seeds is once planted in the garden and open to pollinators, the seed collected from them will not reproduce true to form. So to get the consistent results you have to continue buying the hybrid seeds. The time and effort that goes into creating the hybrid seeds is why they are more expensive than open pollinated seed. To collect seeds, you simply need to let the plant bloom, be pollinated and to create a seed pod or fruit. You need to let the seeds mature on the plant - they generally turn brown or black and they dry out -you can often hear them rattling in the pod. At this point the plant will prepare to spread the seed so you will see the pods begin to crack open. This is the point where you cut off the stem with the seed pods on them, put them in a paper bag and leave it in a dry place for the seeds to fall out and collect in the bottom of the paper bag. Remember to label them so you know what you have saved and discard the stem and seed pod. If you want to try hybridising your own seed, you have to choose two varieties of the same plant with the attributes you want ( flower colour, shape, size etc), and you have to exclude the pollinators, by netting or bagging the flowers before the buds open at all. You then have to act as pollinator, transferring the pollen between the two flowers with a paintbrush and then continue to keep the natural pollinators out of the flower until the seed pods have developed. Then you need to collect the seed as described above and grow the seeds to see what attributes and how they present have been shared amongst the baby plants. Asexual propagation is used in the horticulture industry to obtain consistent plants that can be marketed and sold. The growth habit, the flower shape, colour and size etc are all the same as the parent plant because it is a direct genetic copy of that plant. This is also how a plant that is grown from seed and has all the desired attributes the grower wants is then reproduced. They can’t use seed to produce more plants as they will be variable to the parent plant so they use asexual propagation techniques to create identical plants. The type of asexual propagation depends on the growth habit of the plant. Division is the easiest of the techniques. It is commonly used for clumping plants such as herbaceous perennials -such as agapanthus, flax, daylilies and renga renga- and bulbs. It is typically carried out in winter or early spring (if the plant is frost tender). You can remove small divisions off the edge of the root ball or split it in half. Dig the plant carefully up, avoiding root damage, and place 2 sharp spades back to back in the rootball and force them apart. Growing from a basic cutting involves taking a piece of a plants stem or branch and putting it in potting mix or water to grow roots. There are a few things you need to know; When you take the cutting you need to cut under a ‘node’ ( where a leaf attaches) at the bottom and just above a ‘node’ at the top. This is because growing hormones are located at these points and is where the roots or new growth will develop from. You need to remove all the leaves from the bottom half of the stem before you put it in potting mix or water. If the remaining leaves are large, cut them in half so the plant can still photosynthesis and feed itself while it is growing roots but not have too much greenery to keep alive. There are a number of different methods of taking cutting from different parts of the plant, depending upon the type of plant you are trying to grow. Layering is where part of the parent plant - a stem or branch- is pegged down in contact with the soil while still being attached to the parent plant. The point that is pegged down will grow roots and at that point it can be severed from the parent plant to form its own plant. The most common version of this are the runners sent out by a strawberry plant. Grafting is done to combine the attribute of the top - the flowers, growth habit or fruit - with the growth habit of the bottom ( the rootstock). A simple example is a grafted tomato. The tomato with its specific variety attributes eg Beefsteak, is grafted onto a gourd rootstock. The rootstock is much stronger than a tomatoes root system so the tomato plant grows faster and bigger than normal and produces the tomatoes faster than usual. It has a lot of benefits. Another example is to create a dwarf variety of fruit tree such as apple or citrus variety. The desired fruit is selected and the wood is grafted onto a weaker grower rootstock which means the tree will not grow as big or as strong while still producing fruit. It is important to note that if you ever see green leaves appearing from underneath the graft site ( the leaves of the rootstock) to remove them as soon as possible. If it starts to grow it will take the energy from the grafted material and cause it to weaken and die. Fruit trees and deciduous trees are commonly grafted. Budding is very similar to grafting except instead of a piece of stem being grafted into the rootstock, a bud is removed from the mother plant that has the desirable attributes for the ‘top’ and is slipped under the bark of the rootstock where it attaches and begins to grow. Roses are a common example of budding being used. Propagation is a really interesting skill to learn and develop and it is a useful way to gain new plants or add varieties to your garden at little or no cost.  Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

The flavour of store-bought potatoes simply does not compare to homegrown potatoes - especially the new waxy potatoes at Christmas time! Grow your own and enjoy the bragging rights at the Christmas dinner table. When it comes to choosing what variety to grow, it can be confusing to know what to choose… There are early, main and late varieties which have different maturity times and different keeping abilities. If you just want to grow some waxy potatoes for Christmas, choose an early variety such as Jersey Benne, Rocket or Liseta. These varieties tolerate the cool early season and are the quickest to mature. You can get planting in August in warm mild districts, and in early September in cold districts, but will need to protect the tops from late frosts. If you want them for Christmas, you will need to count back to ensure they are planted in plenty of time to produce. They can take 70-90 days. They tend to have lower yields than other varieties and don’t store well for long periods. If you love fluffy roast potatoes and mashed spuds, a main crop variety might be a better choice for you such as the crowd favourite Agria which takes approximately 100 days. Main crop potatoes are best planted in September - October. The later varieties are those that tend to be slower to mature but have high yields and they store well. Heather and Rua are both good varieties if you want to grow and store them in winter. Why do I need to buy ‘seed’ potatoes? Why can’t I use the ones sprouting in my pantry? Seed potatoes are grown in areas that are confirmed to be free of potato viruses that can severely reduce your harvest and you are guaranteed that the variety you grow is the variety that you bought! Where do I grow the potatoes? They will grow best in a warm, sunny spot, sheltered from strong wind. They will fail to thrive or yield if they are in too much shade or are competing for light and moisture. The size of the area depends on the size of your family and if you want to grow enough for storage. They need a free draining soil that has plenty of compost in it. If you have clay or poor draining soils, you will need to raise up the beds at least 15 cm to get good results. Once I’ve bought the seed potatoes - now what? Ideally you will lay your seed spuds out in a tray (an egg carton is perfect) in a cool, light space for a few weeks to encourage them to sprout. This is also called ‘chitting’. They should have strong growing sprouts before you plant them. A week before planting, dig a trench about 10 cm deep and work in some lime. Before planting, work some potato food into the soil and plant them 40-50cm apart. Space the rows about 80cm apart. Potatoes form on the stem of the plant so in order to get a good harvest, a significant amount of the stem needs to be buried. This happens by ‘mounding up’. When the potato tops have emerged to about 20cm high, ‘mound up’ the soil until the tops are almost covered. When the tops grow another 20cm, mound up again. This creates a large mound that the potatoes can grow within. Potatoes can handle some dry weather but if you are not getting some regular rainfall, you should water them regularly. Keep an eye out for - At any time of the growing season, if there are cool wet conditions late blight can be a problem. It spreads rapidly, with brown/black splotches on the leaves turning into complete leaf drop. Apply Grosafe Free Flo copper thoroughly, including the underside of the leaves at the first sign of black spots. Potato psyllid is a relatively new pest in NZ - it looks like a small mosquito/fly. It ruins potato crops by infecting the plants with a bacteria that prevents tuber development leaving you with little or no crops or in the case of late season attacks, leave fully developed tubers with a dark ring in the flesh and a bitter taste. Psyllid aren’t usually present until temperatures are consistently warm so early crops can escape damage but it is safer to spray regularly with a mix of Grosafe Enspray 99 + BioNeem or securely cover with bug netting or a Net Tunnel allowing room for the tops to grow. In areas where psyllid is well established or when growing late season crops the only successful treatment is to cover the crop with bug netting or a Net Tunnel.  Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

A firm family favourite, strawberries are easy to grow and don’t take up much room. Why pay high prices at the supermarket when you can enjoy your own home-grown sun ripened berries at home all summer long? Pick a spot that is full sun and has good drainage. A large pot is a good option but remember to water it regularly! When it comes to choosing varieties, older varieties such as Camarosa and Pajaro are ‘short day’, meaning they need a certain number of daylight hours to initiate fruiting. This meant fruiting occurs for a limited period, usually around November - December. Many modern varieties (Albion, Seascape etc) are day-length neutral and fruit over a longer period. Essentially, if temperatures are high enough for fruit to ripen, they will fruit. It is a good idea to plant a combination of both types to get as long a harvest as possible. Strawberries hit peak production at about 3 years old and after that fruiting starts to lessen. Ideally you will have a replacement strategy where you plant younger plants in the 3rd year to replace the older plants and keep fruiting at maximum output. You can do this by buying new plants or potting up runners off the existing plants. Runners are little leaflets that are attached to the main plant by a longer than normal stem. If you pin the leaflet to the ground while it is still attached to the plant, it will form roots at which point you can cut the stem to the mother plant leaving you with a new plant. Runners are a great budget friendly way to increase your number of plants but try and swap some with a friend to ensure some genetic diversity in your plants. If you want to ensure plenty of fruit to enjoy each summer, plant 5 (or more!) plants per person in your household. Producing fruit takes up a lot of energy so make sure that you feed your strawberries with a berry fertiliser at planting time and side dress several times during the growing season. Give them an energy boost regularly while they’re producing berries with a liquid fertiliser that has a high ‘K’ number in the NPK rating on the bottle. ‘K’ is potassium which supports flower and fruit development. Do this every 7-14 days for lots of big, juicy, sweet fruit. Protect your crop! Cover them with bird netting, pin the edges down securely and make sure there are no gaps or they’ll find a way in, or a Net Tunnel or cloche! Make sure you have some cloche hoops or stakes to ensure the birds can’t bounce on the netting and reach the berries through the netting. Trust me – they are clever and determined! When watering, try and water the soil as gently as possible and avoid getting it on the leaves if possible. Water on the leaves increases humidity which creates perfect conditions for fungal diseases to thrive. A weeper hose is a good option to use. If possible, in the garden, plant them up on a mound to ensure good drainage and surround the plants with some pea straw or other mulch to keep the soil moisture in and to keep the berries out of contact with the soil. Give them a preventative spray with a copper spray a few times through spring when humidity is higher to help prevent any fungal diseases getting established. Plant your own strawberries and enjoy the flavour of sun ripened, delicious, sweet berries. It's a great way to get kids and grandkids involved the garden, picking and eating them!  Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

  Dahlias have certainly come full circle after falling from grace from the 60’s - 90’s during the rise of formal and then minimalistic garden design. There was no room in the garden for these bright, exuberant blooms. Over the last decade they have crept back into fashion with social media, in particular Instagram and the rise of home flower farmers bringing the gorgeous blooms to our attention causing their popularity to skyrocket over the last view years. Dahlias have grown so popular they have been compared to Holland’s ‘Tulipmania’ in the 1700’s. They certainly deserve their time in the sun. Dahlias have wonderful range of shapes, sizes and colours. From dinner plate sized in vibrant hues through to tiny pom poms in delicate pastel, there is something for everyone’s taste. They repeat bloom from mid-summer through to mid-autumn. They are straight-forward to care for and they look stunning, in the garden, as cut flowers, dried on a wreath or in a display. You should consider the space in your garden when choosing your varieties. The dinner plate varieties take up quite a bit of space and the weight of the sizeable blooms, have a tendency to flop if not securely staked. The cactus and decorative varieties while smaller in flower can also take up a lot of real estate in your border and they can be quite tall. If the position is not sheltered from wind, staking is highly recommended. If space is limited or you’re planting in pots consider the pompom, gallery, anemone or collarette varieties that tend to be smaller in plant size and bloom size. A dahlia grows from a tuber in the ground. It dies down completely in winter and resprouts in spring. To avoid the tuber rotting if your soil is heavy and wet over winter, it is highly recommended that you lift the tuber after it dies down and you store it in a cool, frost free spot over winter. Replant in the spring. If the tuber is in well drained soil or a raised bed, you can leave it in place but ensure it is well protected from frosts with a thick layer of compost or mulch. Lifting the dahlia tuber does give you the opportunity to inspect for damage, or to divide the tuber into multiple new plants. You simply need to ensure that there is an ‘eye’ or sprout on the section of tuber you are going to divide off. There are usually multiple eyes on a tuber. This is a great way to increase the number of plants you have or to share different varieties between friends. Alternatively, you can purchase specific named dahlia varieties from a garden centre in mid winter. How to get the best performance out of your dahlias? Feed them well with a bulb food when they are beginning to sprout and after they finish flowering and start to die down. This will give the plant a boost to start its season and to help the plant store food in its tuber at the end of the season. Once it is in full growth, feed with a fertiliser for flowers such as rose fertiliser or one with a high balanced nitrogen and potassium levels on the NPK rating. This is to support plenty of blooms. Remember to deadhead the finished blooms to encourage the plant to flower again during the season. In terms of pests and diseases, there are a few to keep your eye out for. Regularly checking in on your dahlias is key to putting a stop to any problems before they become a real issue. As soon as you see the first sign- do something about it! Physically remove the insect or affected part of the plant to slow the spread or stop it completely. Follow up with an appropriate spray. Slugs and snails will make fast work of the new shoots so ensure you spread some bait around to protect them in early spring. If you head out at night with a torch you will catch them in the act! If the petals are ragged, earwigs are probably to blame or if there are holes in the centre of the dahlia and petals but no slime trails, take a closer look and you’ll spot a very hungry caterpillar munching away. Removal is the easiest control for caterpillars, otherwise apply a spray that controls caterpillars. Earwigs are harder to control, they are nocturnal and they like to hide so remove any potential hiding places and provide one with a damp rolled up newpaper tied with string that you can get rid of them from daily . Mites and thrips can be an issue at times, thrips cause a light flecking on the petals, mites are hard to see but cause a mottling on the leaves. Grosafe BioNeem or Groventive will provide control for these. The disease that can be a common occurence on dahlia leaves, especially in warm humid weather is powdery mildew. Silver powdery blotches on the leaf surface that can spread quickly if left untreated. Removal of the affected leaves at first sight is the best control/prevention. If it has started to spread, Grosafe Enspray 99 is effective at smothering spores on contact so thoroughly spray the foliage. You will need to repeat if it appears again. Good airflow through the plant is helpful in prevention so you may need to thin out some foliage if the plant is particularly crowded. Watering the soil and not the foliage will also help prevent it. Dahlias are a wonderful addition to your garden, with plenty of colours, shapes and sizes to choose from. Whether they are colour for the garden or for picking to enjoy inside, they will bring you much pleasure. Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

Hydrangeas are the shrub that can always be relied upon to put on a good show in part – full shade positions. In the past we were limited to the standard ‘mop top’ or ‘lace cap’ varieties but we now have more varieties available to us such as Oakleaf, Panicle, Smooth and climbing options. It is important to correctly identify what variety of Hydrangea you are pruning. This will guide you how and when to prune your variety correctly as different varieties are pruned at different times and if you get it wrong, you may miss out on blooms that year. First things first; when pruning always start by removing any branches that are dead, damaged or diseased branches. Bigleaf Hydrangeas ‘Mop top’ flowers (Bridal Bouquet’, ‘Raspberry Crush’ etc. ) and serrata with ‘lace cap’ flowers ‘Blue Deckle’ and “Libelle’ are some of the cultivars available. Flower buds form the previous growing season, at or near the ends of the branches – easily recognisable as ‘two fat buds’ on the stems in late winter. If you cut back beyond them, you will forfeit your blooms for the upcoming summer. In areas with harsh winters, leave the old flower heads on the bush to protect the fat buds from the winter cold. Prune in spring, cutting the stems back to just above the ‘two fat buds’. If you need to bring the height of the bush down, you will need to prune in late summer well before next years flower buds have formed on the stems. You may have to sacrifice some blooms to make the cuts. If the bush is getting crowded, thin out some of the excess twiggy branches to let air and light into the bush. Oakleaf Hydrangeas ‘Pee wee’ and ‘Snowflake’ are some of the cultivars available. Grown for their stunning large red, oakleaf shaped leaves as much as the white panicle flowers. Prune the same way as the bigleaf hydrangeas back to ‘two fat buds’ unless you are more interested in the foliage, in which case cut the stems back one quarter in late spring to stimulate leafy growth and forfeit the flowers. Panicle Hydrangeas ‘Limelight’, ‘Candlelight’ and ‘Bombshell’ are some cultivars available.These varieties bloom on new seasons growth so prune in late winter-early spring, between the last heavy frosts and before it starts to shoot new growth. The buds should be swelling so you can tell if any have died during the winter and need removing. Cut back each stem by about one third, to just above a ‘node’ - where the buds swell and form. Trim out any weak, wispy growth to focus the plants energy into the bigger branches for a stronger plant and better show of blooms. Smooth Hydrangeas Such as ‘Annabelle’. These also flower on new seasons growth, so follow the steps for pruning panicle hydrangeas above. Climbing Hydrangeas ‘Petiolaris’ climbs by attaching itself onto a support structure or wall. Prune in early spring before growth begins. Cut back overly vigorous branches and shorten flowering stems that are growing outwards from the support structure. The vine flowers on new shoots so light pruning to stimulate growth is beneficial for more blooms. Pruning your hydrangeas will encourage blooms and improve the health of the plant by removing dead or diseased branches. It will enable you to control the overall shape and size of the plant, keeping it happy and healthy.  Shop Pruners & Secateurs Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)

One job that we should never brush off as unimportant - particularly for fruiting plants and trees - is pruning. Why do we prune? We prune for health, for size, for beauty, for harvest and for pleasure. So yes, it’s quite important! In this blog we look at berry fruit specifically. At the very basic level, pruning lets in air and light and removes dead, dying or diseased branches. This helps improve the overall health of the plant and reduces the chance of diseases. Anyone who has seen an ignored raspberry bush will understand how crowded they can become, and we have all seen blackberries and brambles smothering other plants on the side of the road, left to their own devices. More specifically for fruiting plants, pruning helps to remove branches that will no longer fruit and are simply diverting energy from fruit production. It enables us to control the number of fruit (thinning) which improves the size and sweetness of the remaining fruit. Removing excess stems and branches also enables the maximum amount of sunlight into the plant or tree which is converted into food for the plant. The vital piece of information you need before pruning your berry plant is what year wood does the plant produce its fruit on. What does that mean? - First year wood means the fruit will only develop on new growth from this spring, e.g. blueberries, double fruiting / everbearing raspberries - summer harvest - Second year wood means the fruit will develop on wood that grew last spring, e.g. blackberries / brambles, currants, black currants, raspberries - single harvest, double fruiting (everbearing) raspberries – fall harvest - Third year wood means the fruit will develop on wood that grew in spring two years ago, e.g. currants Pruning It’s pruning time (after you make sure your secateurs are sharp and clean!). It's good practice to start by removing the 3 D’s: dead, dying or diseased. This will simplify your job going forward... Blackberries/brambles - Fruiting on second year wood, the long canes will die after fruiting, leaving a strong bud at the base of the dead cane or a completely new shoot from the base. Cut the cane back to the bud or remove completely if there is a new shoot from the base. Do this when they are dormant. Also remove excess new canes, leaving only six or so of the sturdiest and healthiest canes. Grow them against a support frame to enable control of the shape, enable easy pruning and easily access the fruit. Shorten the new canes to encourage side shoots which will fruit next spring. To help make pruning simple, you can train the first-year canes (next year's fruiting canes) in one direction along a trellis and have the fruiting canes trained in the other direction. At the end of the fruiting season, you can remove all those fruited canes, leaving room for the new canes. Blueberries - Fruiting on first year wood, in the first three years, the only pruning they need is removing dead and diseased wood. Highbush varieties will keep growing new stems / branches for 6 years, so the first step is to remove any stems more than six years old. After that trim back young or spindly stems to strong branches or buds and remove older twiggy growth. Rabbiteye varieties are more vigorous growers than high bush so prune them similarly but don’t cut them back too hard to avoid stimulating excessive growth. Black currants - They bear their best fruit on second year wood so when they are dormant remove the stems that have fruited, right to the ground or to a low, strong side shoot that will grow a new stem. Thin out one-year stems to the ground, leaving just 6 of the strongest, upright stems, to avoid crowding. Raspberries (single harvest varieties) - Simply remove the canes that fruited this season and leave the new canes to fruit next season. You can usually see where the berries have been attached or by the colour. The canes to remove are matte brown/grey. The canes to leave are green/brown. Double harvest varieties - These fruit at the tips of first year canes in late summer and autumn. These same canes will fruit the following season in early summer lower down the cane. You can remove the tips after they fruit the first time, leaving the lower cane to fruit again. After the second harvest lower down on the canes, remove the entire cane from the base. Leave the first-year canes. There are few foods that compare to the taste of homegrown, sun-ripened berries. Grow your own and as you learn how to care for them you will enjoy many years of delicious berries!  Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland from Garden Advice NZ (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)