Lavender title

Gardening Solutionz Club Newsletter
October 2008


Greetings!

September certainly marked the beginning of spring for the nursery and October is proving a winner month.  With six new staff members and some very busy garden centres needing plants, we are struggling to find the time to tackle our own gardens and the weeds are having a wonderful time!  Looking hot at the nursery is the wonderful Lithospermum 'Grace Ward', with its mass of stunning vibrant blue flowers, and the brilliant Coleonema 'Sunset Gold'.  Also flying out the nursery gates is Euphorbia 'Kea' with its vibrant lime green flowers and of course, the ever fragrant, lavenders.
Plant Of The Month
 
Lavender 'Bee Brilliant'Lavender Bee Brilliant

From mummification and purification to food enhancement, cosmetics and aromatherapy to name just a few uses, lavender is one of the most widely cultivated plant and as a herb has been in use for over 2500 years!

Our new release Lavender 'Bee Brilliant' has been bred for its compact habit and prolific flowering.  This evergreen lavender produces an abundance of dense rich dark purple flowers from early spring through to late summer.  This lavender is ideal in a decorative pot, mass planted or as a general garden plant.  It's perfect in dried flower arrangements and is renowned for its wonderful fragrance.  Lavender performs best in full sun and responds well to regular pruning.

Available in two grades, this Hot 'n' Dry Solutionz is available now in garden centres.  For more Gardening Solutionz lavender choices, visit here.
What's Happening At The Nursery!
  
Orders, orders and yet more orders - spring has sprung!  The last few weeks we have been despatching non-stop to our garden centres nationwide - all in all quite a time consuming effort, but here at Gardening Solutionz timing is critical and we can despatch up to 20,000 plants in just one week.  Operating like clockwork as orders from Garden Centres are received, Rana, our Gardening Solutionz supervisor, selects the plants for the orders (utilizing one person ensures the plant grading is consistent and up to our strict Gardening Solutionz standards).  The plants are then placed on specially designed plant trolleys for cleaning and labelling.  Once labelled (note that even the silver stake the plant label sits on matches the silver colour of the pot - we believe in the whole package!) the plants are placed on pallets and then freighted all around New Zealand to our Garden Centres.  The staff have definately earned a cold beer on Friday nights these last few weeks! 

Despatch
  Despatch   Despatch
Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' - an oldie but a goodie!
 
Golden Breath of Heaven, aka Coleonema 'Sunset Gold', stood the test of time, and is a proven winner in New Zealand gardens.  At one time it was the nation's Shrub of the Year.  If you are after a carefree and low maintenance plant, then this one will surpass most.  Thriving on neglect and inattention, Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' will offer a ray of sunshine in the garden with its yellow, almost feather-like foliage.  In spring, tiny star-shaped, pale-pink flowers smother its vibrant foliage like confetti.
                                                                                    
            Coleonema       Astelia and Ligularia
 
Over time it forms a dense, ground-covering and surprisingly versatile bush that lends itself to a number of applications in the garden - from hedging, hillside plantings and rockeries to a focal point in a modern planting.  Casually plant among the dark foliage of Phormium 'Dark Delight', Coprosma 'Karo Red' or Euphorbia 'Tui', to enhance its foliage colour.  Or try it alongside Lithospermum 'Grace Ward' to smother the weeds and make your garden come alive with colour.  Plant in full sun and trim lightly after flowering, thinning some interior stems to promote compactness and flowers.  Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' is available now in Garden Centres as a Gap Filler Solutionz.
Winner From Our Previous Newsletter

Libertia Taupo Blaze
The winner from last months newsletter was Maree Yardley from Auckland, who won a Gardening Solutionz Libertia 'Taupo Blaze'.

Our NZ Gardener readers who also won a Libertia 'Taupo Blaze' last month were Alix Kilpatrick, Elaine Nash, Frances Michels, L Smith and R Austin.
 
This month we have some wonderful product from Tui Products to give away so remember to click on the competition section of this newsletter to be in with a chance.  It could be you winning a bag of Super Sheep Pellets and we have five to giveaway.
Next time - its all about Gap Fillers in your garden, some new releases, plus more chances to win and we will fill you in on what happened when Diacks Nurseries in Invercargill celebrated 100 years of growing.

From the team at Gardening Solutionz
www.gardeningsolutionz.co.nz

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In This Issue
Plant Of The Month
What's Happening At The Nursery!
An Oldie But A Goodie
Our Winners
 Competition!

Tui Sheep Pellets 


If you would like to win a bag of Tui Super Sheep Pellets (rrp $21.95) - WE HAVE FIVE BAGS TO GIVE AWAY,  Simply enter here to go in the draw
 TO WIN  
(Terms and Conditions apply)
Gardening
'Solutionz'

Loropetalum CP

If you have any gardening questions you would like answered - please contact us.  This weeks question is:

Question: Some weeks ago in the gardening page of The Press you featured a green and brown flax.  I bought one of these, but have lost the name tag.  Could you please advise me as to the name of the plant.  I have infact bought each of your 'Plant of the Month' as featured in the CHCH Press! (sometimes more).  The two Loropetalum China Pink I planted are not looking very healthy and seem to be sulking.  Are they likely to put on a growth spurt when the weather warms up.
Many thanks Rob


Answer: Hi Rob, thanks for your email.  I have just had a look at my recoreds and the only flax we we have put in as plant of the month in The Press was in March this year and the plant was Astelia 'Westland'.  It is a compact Astelia with rusty, gold, silver and bronze arching leaves.  Its tolerance is high, ranging from the harshest Canterbury frosts to pounding coastal winds - an ideal Hot 'n' Dry Solutionz.  If you would like, I can send out a label so you can have it for your records.  As for your Loropetalums, I think yours are behaving very much like my at the moment - I have noticed that the one I have in a pot in our courtyard has lost a bit of colouring.  I do believe this warmer weather and a bit of sunshine will help.  If not perhaps a bit of garden fertiliser may give them a bit of a boost. I hope you managed to see the plant of the month last Saturday - Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' - an oldie but a goodie.
   
 
From the team at gardeningsolutionz.co.nz
Tui Products
 
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For care of your Gardening Solutionz plants we recommend Tui garden care products.  For more information click here