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Plant of the week Orchids.

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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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Gardening NZ. Composting and Tiger worms. New Zealand landscaping ideas.

Composting is an excellent way to re- incorporate garden waste (leaves fallen from deciduous trees, kitchen waste, and garden trimmings etc.) back into the garden from which it came. Tiger worms are the best kind of composting worm to introduce into your compost pile or bins. With the addition of a hand full of lime from time to time, sprinkle and spread out over the surface of your compost pile. This will encourage the worms to feed more as they like the lime and will be encouraged to eat more to get to the lime. The addition of top soil occasionally will also help introduce healthy bacteria and organisms into your compost, also promoting faster composting. An easy, economical way to start your own worm farm is to gather several polystyrene boxes, stack them on top of each other with a Hessian sack between each layer. Fill the boxes with organic mixture as described above and add some worms and let them turn your waste into worm castings, a prime nutritional addition to your garden.
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NZ landscaping Plants. Astelia nervosa 'Westland'

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With the heat of summer one of the best New Zealand drought resistant NZ native plants is the Astelia nervosa 'Westland', favoured by landscapers and gardeners alike. Found to grow in most well drained soils and dry sites, we have found that they will grow in very poor soils or tight containers and show no real signs of stress. They do require a good water every couple of weeks and the occasional fertiliser, but seem to do well in harsh situation. Clump forming they will spread to approx 400mm high and 400mm wide or more, if left to go for it in the open ground they can cover a good amount of ground area quite quickly.
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