December 2011 Newsletter
by Clare Scott
Nichols Invercargill
IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN it’s time to plant Leeks and Celery into trenches prepared with compost worked into the bottom of the trench. Keep planting a row of Potatoes every three weeks for a continual supply of nice new potatoes. Silver beet planted now will provide plenty of picking all winter and, if space allows, sow a few more Carrots and there will be sweet new carrots to enjoy before winter.
There is still time to plant an edible garden in containers, using a mix of Tui Vegetable Mix and Tui Organic Compost. The compost will help to hold moisture during high summer.
A wonderful range of gourmet baby vegetables can be grown in containers. ‘Little Cutie’ Pumpkin and ‘Tennis Ball’ Courgette can be grown on small tripods in pots. Capsicums and Chillies grow on small compact bushes and could be a highly decorative feature at the kitchen door. Beans grown on a tepee will crop well and, for even more edible colour, plant ‘bright lights’ Silverbeet surrounded with Parsley and Radishes.
Keep the Derris Dust handy to protect Cabbages, Cauliflower and Broccoli from being attacked by white butterflies as they cruise down your rows of greens, nibbling here and there.
You can try the organic way of pest control with companion planting to totally confuse the white butterfly. The smell of the showy little French Marigolds and its cousin Calendula do a good job of attracting pests away from your Cabbages.
In the green house, when Tomato meets Basil its love at first sight – she is blushing red - he is green and handsome. However his job is to send all flies, aphids and mites out of the greenhouse.
Nasturtiums (pictured left) planted with beans can repel aphids. Parsley and Sage may repel carrot fly and garlic fits in anywhere that aphids, weevils and spider mite may attack.
ON THE PATIO, plants growing in containers will decorate your terrace, porch or courtyard and will give any home a feeling of luxury. This summer, place a few pots in key positions to provide a focal point or a pair to frame a doorway. Use Tui Flower Power when planting your pots as a good potting mix is essential.
Plant tightly, starting in the centre, working outwards, leaving as little bare soil as possible. Make sure you then give the pot a thorough soaking of water, to ensure there are no trapped pockets of air around any of the plant’s roots.
Try a combination of dark pink Pelargoniums and paler Federation Daisies (pictured left) edged with blue Verbena and white Alyssum. Or a pretty Geranium surrounded with blue Lobelia and Alyssum.
A mad mixture of bright orange, yellow, red, blue and purple annuals will shout a cheery welcome to all your summer visitors. When planting a mixed colour scheme plant the larger plant first, such as a dark Cordyline 
(pictured right), then position smaller plants like Alchemilla Mollis (Ladies Mantle), pink or white dwarf Cosmos, and perhaps edged with Cerastium (Snow in Summer).
Agapanthus (pictured left) is a good tub plant and can be dressed up with silver Helichrysum and blue or pink annuals. Or white Federation daisies, silver Helichrysum with blue or pink Verbena is another nice combination.
Don’t forget your pots once they have been planted! Regular feeding with Yates Thrive and generous watering is essential.
IN THE FLOWER GARDEN, pull out Forget-Me-Nots and cut back Aquilegias before they seed because they can become very bossy neighbours.
Mid summer’s day is approaching and with our Roses in full bloom they and very prone to black spot and powdery mildew, as the soil becomes drier. Black spot (pictured left) shows up as round splotches that spread all over the leaf, which turns it yellow and then it dies and drops off. Powdery mildew (pictured right) 
is a very common complaint of roses growing in hot dry situations and looks like a dusting of white powder on stems and leaves. Treat these diseases with Yates Shield, Yates Super Shield or Yates Guardall. It's important to water roses deeply once or twice a week in summer. Avoid wetting the leaves at night as this may encourage black spot.
Climbers are amongst the most useful plants and our range of Clematis, Jasmine and Honeysuckle will add elegance to your garden. A tripod or obelisk incorporated into a flower bed or border acts like a piece of garden art and provides a focal point, or it can be hiding something beyond that you would rather not see. Climbing roses enjoy the tripod life!
Fuchsias are a happy memory of my child-hood visiting our grandma’s garden. I still have not grown out of the temptation to pop Fuchsia buds. Fuchsias team up well with rich autumn foliages. There are many new varieties in our garden centres, all grown here in the south, and they are so easy to grow in sun or shade.
Late spring, especially here in the south, has been so fickle with the weather swinging widely from wet days and cold nights 
(even snow!) to warm hints of summer that wilted newly planted seedlings. However, the summer heat is starting to show itself on occasion now, so here’s hoping it settles in and we all enjoy a wonderful, warm Christmas. P.S. Don’t forget we have a fantastic selection of living Christmas Trees, in-store now (note: stock may vary to picture). They come in a range of sizes in their own pot and are the perfect bushy shape for decorating ... and best of all - they last for years!
Merry Christmas everyone!
You can’t beat home grown vegetables for real freshness with all their vitamins intact.
And you don’t have to have green fingers to grow tasty vegetables ... simply give the soil a start by lightly forking in some Nichols Compost, a light dusting of fertiliser, remove a few weeds and you are ready to go! Frequent hoeing of the soil allows the sunshine to warm the soil.
Make the most of these sunny days to sow a few spring onions, early carrots, spinach, radish, snowball turnip as well as some early potatoes such as Jersey Benne, Liseta, Swift, or Rocket. Digging the humble spud is part of the magic and mystery of gardening ... it’s like buried treasure!
Broccoli is absolutely choc-o-block full of vitamins. And the common cabbage has become a designer plant now with round heads, conical heads, some with puckered leafy heads and purple heads but all are packed with vitamins. Then there are our simply superb club-root resistant ‘Success’ cabbage plants. Our customers are singing the praises of this new discovery.
Don’t forget to lay some slug bait around all your new seedlings because snails love nice tender vegetable plants too, and, believe it or not, they can gobble eight times their body weight in just one night!
TOMATO PLANTING time is here again.
There are an astounding number of varieties in all shapes and sizes – just remember, whatever the variety, always buy sturdy plants that have a short space between leaf joints. Plants that are tall and puny have been grown in overcrowded conditions and will never thrive or fruit well.
Nichols tomato plants are grown here in the south. There are brand new hybrids as well as the old favourites, not to mention my favourite - TastyTom - which is just the perfect ‘snax biscuit’ size and ever so sweet to eat.
The aristocrats of the tomato family are our ’X Generation’ grafted tomato plants which are strong and healthy - and the healthier the plant, the more resistant it is to diseases.
Plant each tomato plant at least 5cm deeper than they were in the punnet into fresh clean soil. And don’t over water in the early stages - small plants don’t need much water and wet cold soil is far too cold for tiny new roots to grow away strongly. Space the plants for good air circulation because planted too closely will result in weak spindly plants.
Tomatoes need tying to a stake, or twined up strong strings hanging from the glasshouse roof, and laterals (these are the side shoots at the junction of leaf and stem) should be pinched out as they appear.
It’s a glorious time of year with warm sunshine turning the garden into green and gold as daffodils shout ‘we are back again’ as they nod their heads in the breeze.
The Primula brigade are starting their spring performance as well. Our garden centres have a wonderful range of Ballerina and Barnhaven double primroses in shades of lilac, plum and pink which are truly irresistible as well as lovely soft colours of lemon, apricot and white.
Look out for the Candelabra Primulas with tiered swirls of flowers carried on long stems, flowering until early summer, in sumptuous tones of crimson with dark eyes of purple or red to softer pink tints.
Boronia Megastigma or Brown Boronia is one of the most loved fragrances of spring and always a winner in our garden centre. Though they have a reputation of being a short lived shrub they are so worthwhile.
And here’s a couple of tips to improve your success ... It’s important to know that the brown boronia are an Australian bog plant and so if planted in a cooler semi-shade position with compost they will grow much better than the hot sunny place most of us choose, where their poor roots frizzle in the heat. The other secret is to cut back the plant by one third, after flowering, then mulch with compost.
Magnolias are among the most glamorous trees or shrubs. They range from deciduous shrubs to magnificent tall evergreen trees. Early magnolias furry buds are now rapidly opening on naked branches so that we can enjoy their lovely goblet blooms. We have a fantastic range now in stock at Nichols, and it’s a fantastic time to plant trees and shrubs, before the heat of late Spring and Summer sets in. (Pictured: Magnolia ‘Ian’s Red’)
Spring suggests blossom and the Crab-apples are charming garden trees that have the prettiest pink and white blossom then later delight us when their autumn fruits appear. Crab apples are the perfect trees for small gardens with their pleasing shapes.
The Clematis tribe arrive this month. If space is at a premium put in a pole or two and this will allow you to grow more than would otherwise be possible as well as adding much more interest to your border. When planting clematis give them a good start in life and dig a decent sized hole, work in some compost and plant so that the stem is at least 10cm deeper than what the base is now.
For a large sunny wall there is nothing more beautiful than Wisteria with long racemes of lilac blo
You can’t beat home grown vegetables for real freshness with all their vitamins intact.
And you don’t have to have green fingers to grow tasty vegetables ... simply give the soil a start by lightly forking in some Nichols Compost, a light dusting of fertiliser, remove a few weeds and you are ready to go! Frequent hoeing of the soil allows the sunshine to warm the soil.
Make the most of these sunny days to sow a few spring onions, early carrots, spinach, radish, snowball turnip as well as some early potatoes such as Jersey Benne, Liseta, Swift, or Rocket. Digging the humble spud is part of the magic and mystery of gardening ... it’s like buried treasure!
Broccoli is absolutely choc-o-block full of vitamins. And the common cabbage has become a designer plant now with round heads, conical heads, some with puckered leafy heads and purple heads but all are packed with vitamins. Then there are our simply superb club-root resistant ‘Success’ cabbage plants. Our customers are singing the praises of this new discovery.
Don’t forget to lay some slug bait around all your new seedlings because snails love nice tender vegetable plants too, and, believe it or not, they can gobble eight times their body weight in just one night!
TOMATO PLANTING time is here again.
There are an astounding number of varieties in all shapes and sizes – just remember, whatever the variety, always buy sturdy plants that have a short space between leaf joints. Plants that are tall and puny have been grown in overcrowded conditions and will never thrive or fruit well.
Nichols tomato plants are grown here in the south. There are brand new hybrids as well as the old favourites, not to mention my favourite - TastyTom - which is just the perfect ‘snax biscuit’ size and ever so sweet to eat.
The aristocrats of the tomato family are our ’X Generation’ grafted tomato plants which are strong and healthy - and the healthier the plant, the more resistant it is to diseases.
Plant each tomato plant at least 5cm deeper than they were in the punnet into fresh clean soil. And don’t over water in the early stages - small plants don’t need much water and wet cold soil is far too cold for tiny new roots to grow away strongly. Space the plants for good air circulation because planted too closely will result in weak spindly plants.
Tomatoes need tying to a stake, or twined up strong strings hanging from the glasshouse roof, and laterals (these are the side shoots at the junction of leaf and stem) should be pinched out as they appear.
It’s a glorious time of year with warm sunshine turning the garden into green and gold as daffodils shout ‘we are back again’ as they nod their heads in the breeze.
The Primula brigade are starting their spring performance as well. Our garden centres have a wonderful range of Ballerina and Barnhaven double primroses in shades of lilac, plum and pink which are truly irresistible as well as lovely soft colours of lemon, apricot and white.
Look out for the Candelabra Primulas with tiered swirls of flowers carried on long stems, flowering until early summer, in sumptuous tones of crimson with dark eyes of purple or red to softer pink tints.
Boronia Megastigma or Brown Boronia is one of the most loved fragrances of spring and always a winner in our garden centre. Though they have a reputation of being a short lived shrub they are so worthwhile.
And here’s a couple of tips to improve your success ... It’s important to know that the brown boronia are an Australian bog plant and so if planted in a cooler semi-shade position with compost they will grow much better than the hot sunny place most of us choose, where their poor roots frizzle in the heat. The other secret is to cut back the plant by one third, after flowering, then mulch with compost.
Magnolias are among the most glamorous trees or shrubs. They range from deciduous shrubs to magnificent tall evergreen trees. Early magnolias furry buds are now rapidly opening on naked branches so that we can enjoy their lovely goblet blooms. We have a fantastic range now in stock at Nichols, and it’s a fantastic time to plant trees and shrubs, before the heat of late Spring and Summer sets in. (Pictured: Magnolia ‘Ian’s Red’)
Spring suggests blossom and the Crab-apples are charming garden trees that have the prettiest pink and white blossom then later delight us when their autumn fruits appear. Crab apples are the perfect trees for small gardens with their pleasing shapes.
The Clematis tribe arrive this month. If space is at a premium put in a pole or two and this will allow you to grow more than would otherwise be possible as well as adding much more interest to your border. When planting clematis give them a good start in life and dig a decent sized hole, work in some compost and plant so that the stem is at least 10cm deeper than what the base is now.
For a large sunny wall there is nothing more beautiful than Wisteria with long racemes of lilac blossom and there are lots of these arriving this month too.
If the scent of Sweet Peas matters to you we have ten different enchanting varieties of Dr. Hammet's sweet pea plants in a whole range of colours from ‘Almost Black’ and navy to pinks through to bright lipstick reds.
A new consignment of Hostas has arrived with their big expanse of leaves that make scintillating focal points in the garden and soothe the eye. They look superb mass planted in a semi-shaded area in your garden.
And lastly, it’s time to plant Dahlias which are a must for pure brilliance of flower colours combined with beautiful shapes, some with interesting purple-black foliage.
by Clare Scott,
Nichol’s Invercargill
ssom and there are lots of these arriving this month too.
If the scent of Sweet Peas matters to you we have ten different enchanting varieties of Dr. Hammet's sweet pea plants in a whole range of colours from ‘Almost Black’ and navy to pinks through to bright lipstick reds.
A new consignment of Hostas has arrived with their big expanse of leaves that make scintillating focal points in the garden and soothe the eye. They look superb mass planted in a semi-shaded area in your garden.
And lastly, it’s time to plant Dahlias which are a must for pure brilliance of flower colours combined with beautiful shapes, some with interesting purple-black foliage.
by Clare Scott,
Nichol’s Invercargill
