Newsletter

By Rose (Cromwell store) and Clare (Invercargill store)

Hello and welcome to our winter newsletter.

I'm sitting here trying to think of something inspired to say about winter!! And i've found it in this poem by Sudie Stuart Hager.

He knows no winter, He knows no winter, he who loves the soil, for, stormy days, when he is free from toil, he plans his summer crops, selects his seeds from bright-paged catalogues for garden needs. When looking out upon frost-silvered fields, he visualizes autumns golden yields; He sees in snow and sleet and icy rain precious moisture for his early grain; He hears spring -heralds in the storms turmoil he knows no winter, he who loves the soil. - Sudie Stuart Hager.

Winter Project Edible Landscaping

Winter is a great time to plan ahead for the following season. With current trends towards a more eco friendly environment the idea of creating an edible landscape has become very appealing.

Edible landscapes replace plants that are strictly ornamental with food producing plants. Creating an edible landscape provides a return on your investment of time, products and water. A well designed edible garden can be just as attractive as an ornamental garden.

Several years ago my garden in Te Anau was included in a garden tour, and what proved to be the most popular aspect was my veggie patch. Fenced off from the rest of the garden it was almost secret and secluded with its own seats, paths, bean fences, a scarecrow and a small nursery area as well as compost brews on the go. Plus of course neat rows of veggies and berry plants. I think the thing that made this area more interesting than the main garden was that it didn't disguise the fact it was an industrious place, a work in progress.

There are many benefits of incorporating edible plants into your garden and this can be as simple as tucking a few fancy lettuces into existing beds or completely redesigning your whole section.

Here are some ideas for inspiration:

Edible edging; using strawberries. Edible hedging; using Feijoa's

Shade trees; using the many different varieties of fruit trees.

Food costs reduced.

Taste and nutrition of food improved: and at least you know what is being put on your crops.

Convenience, it's very satisfying popping out to the garden gathering the food required for a meal. Exercise, a good workout in the garden helps with fitness!

Food security, Reduces dependence on imported produce.

Sustainability protects our environment and reduces energy inputs.

All our stores carry an exciting range of fruiting and edible plants suitable for many different settings incorporated into the home garden.

Fruit trees

Fruit tree workshop Kate Marshall (guest speaker at Ellerslie Flower Show) from Waimea Nurseries will be in store on the following dates.

Friday 6th August - Cromwell 11-1pm
Saturday 7th August - Dunedin 11-1pm
Sunday 8th AUgust - Invercargill 11-1pm

Check at your store for further information

Lily Bulbs

We have a great range of Lily bulbs available including some great new releases as well as top performing old favourites.

Lily quote "If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily" - chinese proverb.

"How can these who do not garden, who have no lot in the great fraternity of those who watch the changing year as it affects the earth and its growth, how can they keep warm their hearts in winter"
- Francis King

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the tough of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; it is time for home."
- Edith Sitwell

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape- the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."
- Andrew Wyeth

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the live senses."
- Hanna Rion

"Beware the barrenness of a busy life."
- Socrates

"Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul"
- The Koran

"Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow."
- Author unknown.

Roses

Great excitement! Our new seasons roses have arrived in our garden centre and include some wonderful brand new releases for you.

This season our exciting exclusive rose 'Memorial Day' will provide you with sumptuous blooms of orchid pink saturated with a strong classic old rose fragrance. One flower will perfume an entire room.

Planting Roses

Before lifting a spade choose a place where the roses get sun for at least half a day. They hate wet feet so it is a bit unkind to plant your rose in soggy soil. Ideally the soil will be well drained and have been prepared by digging in well rotted compost some weeks ago. However if most gardeners are like me they probably haven't and chances are the spade is in one had the rose in the other!

Dig a hole with plenty of room to place the rose in to with the roots spread out. Depth is most important. Make sure the bud union [the knobby bit where the branches meet] is at surface level. Half fill with soil, tramp lightly and water to remove air pockets, then add remaining soil and tramp lightly.

I have been casting a critical eye on a couple of 'ho hum' roses in my garden and would like to replace with new ones. It is really important to remember that no rose likes to be put in another roses bed.
When I replace an out of favour rose with a new one, I remove the old soil as this is likely to be 'rose sick' and replace with new soil - usually robbed from the vegetable garden. Rose sickness has never been fully understood. Even if the previous rose was reasonably healthy its roots will have contaminated the soil with secretions and your new rose will never thrive.

Winter Clean Up Spraying

I am a great believer in winter spraying of roses and fruit in our gardens. Treat your fruit trees and roses to at least two winter clean up sprays to destroy other wintering spores of fungal diseases, scale and the eggs of aphids and mites.

First of all use Lime Sulphur to wipe out those fungus diseases and three or four weeks later, follow up with a spray of Conqueror Oil and Copperoxychloride mixed together which will control scale and bacterial diseases.

You will be handsomely repaid with more fruit, better blooms and less disease. Use your sprays exactly as directed and take sensible precautions. Wear a hat as hair can absorb spray and wear clothing that covers arms and legs.

Pruning Roses

Late July and August is a good time for pruning roses in the south and perhaps a good month later in Central Otago. The idea is to prune after the worst of the frosts and before new growth begins. It is unfortunate that pruning a rose sounds so complicated and even causes grown men to be afraid of secateurs and roses!

Nevertheless, it is a winter job that is really worth the effort. To understand why we prune, we will remove all the suspense, and then we will wonder what all the fuss was about. Simply aim to keep the centre of the bush fairly open and airy by removing overcrowded canes. First of all remove all dead wood, including old stumps left from previous pruning, then any weak and twiggy growth as well as small match stick-like twigs that sprout from the main stems as they only produce scraggy leaves if left.

Next remove damaged canes to a healthy bud. If I notice the centre of the cane is brown when cut through I am afraid it could be a sign of 'die back' so I simply cut down bud by bud until I reach healthy white wood. If tow canes are crossing each other and rub together one of the pair is removed or shortened to stop this happening. Now the remaining canes are cut back by half to one third of their length. The cut should be about 6mm above the bud, preferably to an outside one at an angle sloping down toward the back of the cane. I prune my standard roses in the same way except that I try to create a more even shape and cut the canes a little shorter.

Climbers with their unwieldy canes that sprawl in all directions present a fearful task. It is important to train four or five canes horizontally each side of the plant to encourage flowering all along the stem otherwise the canes reach for the sky and their flowers and fragrance are at the very top, well out of nose level! Trim the laterals [side shoots] on these canes to two or three buds which will give a wonderful display all along the stems and not just at the very top.

Many rambler roses are once flowerers and usually flower on new canes produced after flowering. Remove last seasons flowered canes and tie the long new whips in there place. Cut out the old canes right down at the base of the plant to encourage new growth for next year. In spring snip back the tips of climbing and rambler roses as the cane at the ends usually fails to ripen and flowers are never produced from these soft tips.

Really Early Potatoes

Want to be the first to enjoy new potatoes? Well give this a go. As soon as seed potatoes become available set them out in a tray of potting mix, blunt end up, with the top just showing through the potting mix.

The potatoes will develop roots as well as green sprouts and the whole plant may then be planted in the garden or into planter bags in the glass house for even earlier potatoes. It works.

When I gave this a go and we had new home grown potatoes at Labour weekend.

Peonies Roses

Plant peonies roses now for a magnificent floral display at Christmas. We have a great selection with something to suit everyone's taste.

Trivia

Eighty percent of the worlds rose species come from Asia.

Bananas are considered the world's largest herb. They are related to the lily and orchid family.

Intelligent people have more Zinc and copper in their hair.

Recipes

A great recipe for winter, using lemons and walnuts.

Lemon and Walnut Flan Pastry

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts chopped
1 cup flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
100g butter water

Method:

Put nuts, flour and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the nuts are finely chopped. Cut butter into cubes and add to the nuts and process until like rolled oats. Add a little water, but not too much.

Try a teaspoon at first just enough so that the mixture is brought together. Line a pie dish and back 200 deg C for 15 minutes.

Filling Ingredients:

2 lemons
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts water
3 tablespoon flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon liqueur

Method:

Peel skin from the lemons and process with the sugar until finely chopped, then add walnuts and process again until they are fine. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and make up to 1/2 a cup with water.

Add the flour, eggs and the liqueur (citrus liqueur works well) mix to combine and pour into cooked shell. Bake at 180 deg C for 20 minutes.

I have included this recipe because it's a favourite!

Smoked Salmon Roulade with Lemon Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

50g butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
100g smoked salmon

Sauce:
2 spring onions
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon chopped dill

Method:

Line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper. Melt the butter and flour and cook over medium heat 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk.

Cook until mixture is thick and simmer 1-2 minutes. Separate eggs, add yolks and grated cheese to mixture. Add salt and pepper. Beat egg whites till stiff, pour into mixture and fold gently, then pour into tin.

Bake at 200 deg C for12-15 minutes until golden brown. Turn onto wire rack, spread with ricotta cheese, cover with smoked salmon, sprinkle with dill. Roll up. Cut into slices and serve with sauce.

Sauce Method:

Slice onions and cook in butter until soft. Add lemon juice, wine and cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes then add dill.

Pear Chutney

Ingredients:

2kg pears
4 onions
100g crystallized ginger
250g preserved mixed peel
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 1/2 cups malt or cider vinegar

Method:
Peel and coarsely chop the pears and onions. Chop ginger, place in a large saucepan with remaining ingredients. Bring to boil and cook gently for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until thick. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.