Saturday 9th December, 2023
Hi
Observation is the key to great container plants!!
As we move towards the holiday season I thought it timely to air some thoughts on plants in pots. It's not difficult to grow plants in containers but you do have to keep an eye on them... that's gardening for you. I often say that using your eyes and powers of observation is one of the best skills that I can pass on. Consequently, whenever I walk through the nursery or garden, I am constantly scanning for what is happening or what needs to be done. It's important with pots as there is no buffer like in the garden, so when the container runs out of water and or food, well that's it! The quality goes downhill.
Let's start at the beginning. Any pot or container must have adequate drainage holes for the water to escape. Only ever use a quality proprietary
potting mix as these days they are quite scientifically made with good water holding capacity, air space, drainage etc and don't be tempted to add compost or other matter as this will only upset the balance. You don't need to add stones or anything to the bottom of the pots but occasionally I will use a broken piece of terra cotta to stop the potting mix falling through if the drainage hole is excessively large.
When potting your plant, make sure that it is central and that the soil level is down from the top of the pot. The depth down from the top is relative to the size of the pot and is important as a reservoir to collect rainwater or is the space that you can fill when hand watering. Make sure that the mix is firm around your plant because, if not firm enough, it will sink lower in the pot and that always looks odd.
New potting mix usually comes with a 10 month slow release fertiliser and so when newly potted it's good to go, though I personally usually refeed every quarter with a proper slow release fert designed for pots. The reason for this is if the container runs out of food and growth has slowed it can sometimes take 6 months or a whole season for the plant to respond. The most obvious sign of diminishing food is the colour of the leaves and if they have an overall yellow cast then the available nitrogen is probably used. Don't ever be tempted to use instant ferts designed for the garden as these will go straight into solution and may burn the roots.
Watering is a skill and over and under watering can be a very real problem, again it's all about observation and or knowledge. Let's also say here that container plants actually need to dry out somewhat or be in a space between wet and dry without being excessively either way. That new potted plant with lots of potting mix won't need as much water as, say, a plant that's been in its container for several seasons. The new plant won't have the root system to use all the water and the spare potting mix will hold more moisture and need watering less compared to something more pot bound.
There will be symptoms of under or over water and usually yellow leaves in the centre that fall off is a sign of being too dry. A different yellow or brown edges may be a sign of too much water or even excess soluble salts from fertiliser. The season and how much rain will also dictate the amount of watering and so winter will be the season of the least watering as many plants will be in dormancy or not actively growing. Conversely spring and summer may need lots of water due to active growth, time frame in container, heat and evaporation and so on.
Every now and then, ensure that you water your container plants so that that the H20 runs out the bottom and this ensures that any excess soluble salts are flushed out.
Christmas shopping, Some ideas for gardening friends !
Vouchers are always a goodie as then your bestie can choose their own plants pots or tools etc. These come in any amount that you would choose to give and are valid for a year from the date of issue. We are also happy to reissue them before they expire. Vouchers can be ordered online or we have them in the shop should you come out to the nursery.
ARS tools are the best.. We use them in the nursery and they do well for the hard life they get with our team being constantly used. All that in mind they have a long life span with the crew here .
Quality
secateurs will make for a fab gift and there are a couple of sizes being 22mm and 25mm. For those with a smaller hand the 22mm are usually a go but I personally love the slightly bigger pair at 25mm.
Secateur pouches are also pretty handy to go on your belt when in the garden so you don't lose your secateurs. Also, the safest place to have them.
ARS Pruning saws are really sharp and make short work of pruning, handy for roses and small trees that need limbing up and where the branches are too big for secateurs or loppers
ARS loppers and
shears all have their place in the arsenal of keen gardeners and again make for the best present.
Jakoti Hand Shears are one of my favourite tools. They are really like a large pair of scissors and just so handy for all manner of gardening from trimming in general, absolutely awesome for topairy or even just trimming lawn edges. Once you have a these there will be no going back.
Japanese hoes. If you haven't got one of these then you are missing out. I was always a garden fork kind of lad until I used these and now its my go to for weeding. Another tool that the gardening team love to have for all manner of tasks.
Wire leaf rakes. I find that these are the best. Really ideal for raking through stone but off course one of the best for raking up leaves. Made out of metal with adjustable tines and are quite tough and hardy.
Of course there are always plants and we are still pretty well stocked with roses, camellias, shrubs, ornamental and fruit trees, also plenty of colour to dress up the garden.
Christmas trees for pots
There is a good range of pots to choose from and as we discussed last week conifers are great subjects with their structured form that looks great all year around.
We have a couple of the more traditional species this year for our Christmas tree selection and the first to note is
Picea Abies or the
Norway spruce. These have quite short needles on branchlets and are very cool in a bluey green shade. Then there are the
Cedrus deodara again with short blue needles and quite a pendulous habit. I believe that these have had a few clips in their time to make them more bushy as a Christmas tree subject.
Check out the other Conifers as they are all suited to pots just may not be that classic shape..
Thuja Smaragd for example is quite columnar and looks fab in a traditional Doppio Italian pot around pools and in courtyards etc and could quite easily double as a tree for the day with a few baubles. A
Norfolk pine that could become a paddock tree later. I did also see out there some others like
Abies Koreana and
Picea skylands which are both smaller specimens now but could be entertained as a table top pot plant for some years and then planted out in the future.
Last week for delivery this week coming
Our last days of delivery for December will be Monday the 11th, Tuesday the 12th and Wed 13th of December. We won't be sending anything the week before Christmas day as we can't afford our plants to not be delivered this side of the big day. Any orders that may be made during the festive season will be put aside until our courier service resumes again on Monday the 8th January 2024.
Closed only Christmas day
The nursery is only closed for Christmas day, and we are open normal hours of 8.30 to 5pm all the way through the holiday period. There is always watering to be done and so someone needs to be here though we do operate on a minimal team over the holiday weeks.
If you are planning to visit from around NZ, then know that we will be open as usual and the display garden is there to visit too.
We are racing to get all the tasks done before Christmas so that the team get some well-earned time off. All roses need to be cut back and fed and they will be back in flower in the new year at approx the end of January. Camellias are all getting a haircut too and so they will fill out and be nice and bushy in a few more weeks. Dispatch team are tidying up any remaining orders and all plants have to be on weed mat and under the irrigation so hand watering becomes a minimized task over the festive period.
Alex and Anita are well onto all the hedges around the place too and they do look pretty fine trimmed.
The weekend has rolled around as they do and it's really the countdown to Christmas day for many. I know that it's my weekend on and so I have to get myself organized as the garden still needs to be ready etc. Whatever your plans, have a great weekend!
Cheers from Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team
