Female Mallard Duck with Ducklings.

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Perennial Planting New Zealand.

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Most gardens in New Zealand have perennials hiding somewhere within the shadows or recesses of the landscape. Protecting and caring for perennials over the cold winter periods can be very successful with some simple easy to follow gardening advice below: - Bring indoors any tender culinary herbs you have within your garden that you may want to keep from frost burn, place the containers somewhere with good light, provide free drainage and water in-frequently over the winter season. - Cover any plants within your garden that are tender to frost with frost cloth, Citrus when young in particular. Some lower growing perennials such as begonia will survive a hard frost using straw as a frost cover. Cover with a layer 100 mm thick, if possible remove the straw during the sunlight hours. - A gentle hose or sprinkler cover of all plants in a heavy frost can break any ice, WATER BEFORE SUNRISE!!! This may help avoid plants from 'melting'. - Shade cloth or weed mat can substitute as a s...
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Gardening - Rose pruning hints

Roses are dormant at this time of the year in the Southern hemisphere. Winter is the best time to prune roses, usually when leaves have fallen from the plant and there is no sign of any new growth. When preparing for winter pruning, ensure tools are sharp and sterile between cutting each plant. Prepare your spray solutions before pruning so you are ready to spray plants immediately after pruning. Copper sulphate spray and oil based sprays work well in combination to control fungal diseases and insects over winter. There are many copper compounds that are used as fungicides. The most common is Bordeaux mix. This is a combination of copper sulphate and hydrated lime.
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Seasonal Lawn/Turf care.

Autumn / Winter Lawn preparation. Following simple lawn care steps will ensure that your lawn survives even the toughest of winters. The winter season can be hard on lawns and grassed areas. Even though most turf grasses are tough and deep rooted, even the healthiest lawn is vulnerable to fungal disease, compaction from vehicle and foot traffic, un-seasonal dry periods, frost damage and sunburn. Patches of browning and yellowing areas in your lawn are signs of these problems and will become more obvious as spring growth starts and these effected patches refuse to grow. Most of these problems can be avoided by following some easy steps to protect your lawn and prevent ongoing problems associated with poor lawn care. The most important measure to take in winter is the removal of all leaf matter from the lawn area. Leaves left on the ground / lawn will get damp and turn into a mat on the lawn, these wet leaves will kill the grass beneath them, as well as provide an envi...
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