december garden checklistPLANT NOW hydrangeas; in-flower & looking great, summer veggiesTEND roses, citrus, flowers & veggies; weed, feed, & deeply waterESSENTIALS irrigation, fertiliser, mulch, pest control

essentialstend

Christmas is close and our cold wet spring is hopefully behind us. December is a great month for growing, spending time outdoors, and enjoying the garden more. But make sure you don’t let your plants dry out!

Summer Veggies Haven’t planted anything yet? Try planting the larger grade summer veggies that are now in-store. Grafted eggplants are great, you don’t have to wait as long for your fruit and they are incredibly productive.

Keep Sowing Already planted loads of veggies? Keep sowing and adding summer veggies, greens and herbs to ensure a near constant supply of tasty treats from the garden. Plant parsley, lettuce, coriander and rocket in part shade to make them last longer in the summer sun.

Citrus and Subtropical Citrus and Subtropical fruit can be planted right through summer. Just make sure that you keep plants well watered through summer.

Annuals Try annuals such as Alyssum, Asters, Celosia, Cornflowers, Dianthus, Petunias, Salvias, Gazanias, Marigolds. Need something bigger right now; check out our King Size colour range. Geraniums, Balloon flowers (Platycodons) and Angelonias will fill up gaps and look stunning.

Perennials Or if you’d rather have some perennials, you could try planting Alstroemerias, Dahlias, perennial Petunias, Lavender and Fuchsias.

Want Butterflies in your garden over summer? Grow Swan Plants for the Monarch Butterflies. Just keep an eye out for wasps, as they will eat the caterpillars. Plant nectar rich flowers like alyssum, cleome, bergamot, hyssop and bee balm to bring butterflies and other beneficial insects into your garden.

plant nowvegetables & fruit

Kings Irrigation range

Hydrangeas They come in many different sizes and shapes. If you’re short of space try Snowball: it only grows 1m high and has white mophead flowers. Need something bigger? The variety Ayesha grows to 2.5m. When planting, dig a hole twice as wide and twice as deep as the pot it came in. Fill in the hole with a mixture of topsoil, compost, sheep pellets, and Kings 24 Plus slow release fertiliser. Gently plant, then water in.

Others There are plenty of stunning trees, shrubs and climbers that you can plant now. If you want something fragrant, try Star Jasmine and Gardenias. For tropical colour, you can’t really beat Tropical Hibiscus or Tropical Frangipanis.

Tropical Frangipanis look great but their roots are delicate and they don’t like frosts. Choose a sheltered frost-free spot in the garden. Place the plant in this spot but leave it in its pot for the first year. When planting out ensure good drainage and be careful of their roots.

To keep your garden well watered over the holidays

trees & shrubs flowers & perennials

25OFF %

Irrigation Water Timer Usually $89.99 each

Blackgold Mulch Usually $9.99 each

NOW $7.99NOW $59.99

Veggie Garden Hopefully you’re starting to see the fruits of your labour! To ensure a good harvest make sure that you keep your plants well watered and keep your beds weed free. Mulching with Peastraw and Lucerne can help as it helps keep the moisture in your soil and suppress weeds.

Liquid Feed tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis, cucumbers and eggplants every 2-4 weeks with Kings Tomato food or an organic option like Aquaticus Supernatural.

Tomatoes Water the soil around your plants and avoid wetting the foliage; this helps reduce the chance of getting fungal diseases. Pinching out the laterals also helps as it allows more air movement around the plant and allows the sun in. (Laterals are the branches that form between leaves and the main stem.)

Basil When harvesting, remove the growing tips back to where new leaves are developing between the leaves and the main stem. This causes your plant to bush out and provides way more basil.

Lawns To keep your lawn looking green over Christmas, make sure you keep it well watered. Need to green it up quickly for the family? Try the Yates Lawn master range. Just connect it to your hosepipe and spray it on!

Tree & Shrubs Worried about your trees or shrubs drying out? Mulching can reduce your watering needs and helps suppress weeds. Sprinkle Saturaid under the drip zone or in the pots of vulnerable plants as it helps the soil retain more moisture.

Roses Remove spent flowers to keep them flowering and looking great. Cut back to a decent sized leaf to keep it looking tidy.

Everything you need!kings.co.nz 0800 PLANTS

facebook.com/kingsplantbarnPrices valid to 24th December 2014 or while stocks last.