Greetings!
Another Ellerslie International Flower Show done and dusted! From torrential rain to sweltering heat during the lead up to the show, we planned and planted and then of course partied. And now as the leaves start falling, we are settling into autumn mode - the perfect planting time.
Our new releases have proved overwhelming popular so look out for these at your local garden centre - Petunia Rapsberry Blast and the SuperCal Petchoa series in five fantastic colours.
Our plant of the month this month will offer wonderful depth to a garden and is often overlooked - Chionochloa flavicans. And looking particularly stunning at the garden centres is the strong colour of Coleonema Sunset Gold, the flowering Convolvulus cneorum along with our new release Cordyline Caramel. | |
Plant Of The Month
Chionochloa flavicans
Graceful in growth and tought in nature, Chionochloa flavicans is one of New Zealand's most stunning grasses. Also known as the minitature toi toi, this distinctive native grass has shapely foliage year round and elegant, silky cream-green flower plumes in mid-summer.
Grouped among other easy care subjects such as Astelia Silver Spear, Phormium Black Rage, Phormium Evening Glow or Phormium Jester or the ever surprising Coprosma Lobster - it is perfect for a low maintenance garden.
As a back or middle of the border plant, Chionochloa flavicans is perfect, with its height reaching 75cm by 1m wide. Both wind and drought tolerant, an exposed bank and other tough places will not put this plant off. For those with a talent for cut flowers, this is one plant worth working with. |
Guess Where I Am?
In the last newsletter, we kicked off the "Guess Where I Am?" competition to test your local knowledge skills.
Take a look at the photograph below of our Nursery Of The Year trophy on tour - simply click here and write in the subject line where you think it is, along with your name, address and phone number.
All correct entries will go in the draw to win one of our new release SuperCal Petchoas. The winner will be drawn on the 30th April 2010 and will be notified by e-mail. Good luck!
Congratulations to Bronie MCMurtie, the winner of our last competition. The answer was Springfield. |
Lost - One Diamond At The Ellerslie Flower Show!
Somewhere in the Corporate Village Garden at the Ellerslie Flower Show is one of my great grandmothers diamonds from her engagement ring which I lost while planting! Lets just say I have now learnt the perils of gardening attired with jewels.
This year we sponsored two gardens - the Corporate Village and the Christchurch Airport Cafe. Both were a bit of a design challenge particularly when the Corporate Village garden was 35 metres long by only 2 metres wide and the Airport Cafe posed a logisical nightmare with its metal planter boxes provided without a plan. But with volunteers of staff, family and friends we planted over 3000 plants in the two gardens over the course of two days.
The giant cupcakes of Petunia Raspberry Blast and the planter boxes of Cordyline Caramel and SuperCal Petchoa series were the stars of our gardens.
Petunia Raspberry Blast could also be spotted, planted on top of the ice-cream cones outside the Oderings Nurseries tent and also in planters outside the Terra Viva Garden Centre tent.
We would also like to congratulate Mat and Matt from Watch This Space Landscapes who were awarded a bronze for their garden - My Little Corner Of The World. Their garden was designed to create a place that's inviting and inspires reflection and relaxation. Gardening Solutionz proudly supplied all the plants for their garden.
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New Release
Hitting the garden centres nationwide our new cordyline - Cordyline Caramel. For those of you looking for something quite stunning look no further than this one!
Cordyline Caramel is a wonderful new selection of the Cabbage tree that starts life as a rich red colour and develops into a delectable caramel/chocolate colour when mature. With a tight clumping habit and weeping foliage, Cordyline Caramel is happy amongst most other garden plants as a garden feature and looks fantastic in containers. Look out for this Structured Solutionz, now available at your local garden centre. |
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Our Winners
Congratulations to The Press winners -Hilary Marks, Pam McMillan, Paul Leonard, Linda Alexandra and Jan Moore who each won a Chionochloa flavicans. Our website winner was Jennifer Diash. We hope you enjoy your plants.
This month we have a Chionochloa flavicans - the perfect Structured Solutionz to give away, so remember to click on the competition section of this newsletter to be in with a chance to win. And don't foget to try your luck at the "Guess Where I Am?" competition. | |
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Next time - our pick of plants for the autumn/winter season, how to colour your garden in the dullest of months, some of our favourite gardens from Ellerslie, plus more chances to win .... |
From the team at Gardening Solutionz
www.gardeningsolutionz.co.nz
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Competition!
If you would like to win a Chionochloa flavicans - simply enter here to go in the draw
TO WIN
(*Terms and Conditions apply) |
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Gardening
'Solutionz'
If you have any gardening questions you would like answered - please contact us. This week's question is:
Question: Hi, I am having difficulty finding any Phormium Elfin in any nurseries in Christchurch. In my mind they are a lot like Surfer but a bit bigger and more erect. Some people have said they have bronze foliage but I thought they had some green, maybe on the underside or do I have the wrong flax? I saw this flax as a mature plant in a roadside planting and rang the City Council to check out its name. If this flax is the one I'm thinking of, it is the one I want - right size, like the looks, forms etc What a mission.Thanks Vicky
Answer: Hi Vicky, We have released Phormium Elfin in our Gardening Solutionz range and should be available at all garden centres. If they haven't got it in, they should definitely be able to order some in for you. Phormium Elfin is a compact brown phormium with slightly twisted ends and slight green undertones. It offers a wonderful backdrop planting. All the best in your quest and please let us know if we can be of help again.
Regards
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For care of your Gardening Solutionz plants we recommend Tui garden care products. For more information click here
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