Time to get growing for spring

DELICIOUS: Winter is a fantastic time to plant a nashi at your place, while the trees are still dormant and leafless. File picture

There is plenty to do out in the garden before spring arrives. Late winter is an ideal time to plant nashi and make other preparations. Happy gardening everyone.

NashiNashi (Pyrus pyrifolia), also known as Asian pears, have sweet and juicy crispy white flesh. They’re delicious raw and can also be poached, sliced into salads and used in cakes, muffins and desserts.

Nashi were introduced into New Zealand around 30 years ago. Many varieties have a round shape, similar to an apple, rather than being tear drop shaped like the common European pear. You’ll often see nashi in supermarkets in individual mesh coverings to protect their delicate skin.

Winter is a fantastic time to plant a nashi at your place, while the trees are still dormant and leafless. Look for bare-rooted or potted plants in your local nursery. Growing to around 4-6m tall and wide, they’ll do best in a position with well-drained soil that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day. Nashi can also be espaliered, where the tree is trained to grow flat against a wall or trellis, taking up very little horizontal space. They have very pretty white bee-attracting flowers in spring, so they’re both an attractive and productive tree.

Nashi prefer growing in cool and temperate climates. Look out for sweet and juicy Hosui and delicious and productive Nijiseiki from Waimea Nurseries. Some nashi are self pollinating, however others will need a pollinator to achieve a good harvest, so check the plant tag for your chosen variety to see what pollinating partner is recommended. European pears can often be an effective pollinator for nashi.

Nashi are harvested during autumn, when they’re ripe and a light yellow-green colour. This differs from European pears, which should be picked while they’re still hard and green. It takes a lot of energy to produce all that delicious fruit. From spring until fruit are harvested regularly apply some Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser around the root zone. It will provide the tree with nitrogen for healthy green leaf growth, phosphorous to promote a strong root system and potassium to encourage flowering and fruiting.

During September enjoy a wonderful combination of the final flush of winter flowers and the first signs of early spring blooms. It’s also a great time to plant a tree in your backyard and sow some flower seeds for future colour.

Nemesias Nemesias are super pretty perennials that add late winter and early spring colour into garden beds and pots. Their sweet delicate appearance perfectly suits cottage style gardens, where they can be grown as border or filler plants. They also look gorgeous when planted in containers and hanging baskets and combine beautifully with spring flowering bulbs. Living Fashion are introducing some gorgeous new nemesias into New Zealand. They’re hardy plants, have a tidy and compact habit, grow to around 25cm high and 35cm wide and produce masses of flowers over an extended period. Look in your local garden centre for these beautiful nemesia varieties:

• Lavender Mist lightly scented lavender and white bicolour flowers.

• Bordeaux striking deep port wine coloured blooms.

• Vanilla highly fragrant white flowers.

These nemesias do well in either full sun or part shade and prefer moist but well-drained soil. For potted nemesias choose a container with good drainage holes and fill with a good quality potting mix like Yates? Premium Potting Mix. Nemesias appreciate regular watering during the hottest months and maintenance is as simple as trimming them back by half after the main flowering flush has finished. To keep nemesias healthy and flourishing, feed each week with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food, which promotes both healthy green leaf growth and lots of lovely flowers.

Perfect PelargoniumsPelargoniums have long been perennial garden favourites and bring big, bold floral colour into gardens and outdoor spaces.

Rainbow Park Nurseries have created a stunning range of pelargoniums with a variety of gorgeous flower colours, including pretty pinks, bright orange, crisp white and fire engine red. They look fantastic growing in flower and shrub beds and also make a superb potted plant, bringing long lasting colour to decks, balconies and patios.

Pelargonium Big Eeze is a super hero pelargonium for landscapes and pots, that’s weather tolerant, with clusters of large showy flowers and strong foliage. Colours include the very pretty Pink, Fuchsia Blue, vibrant Neon and rich Red. Growing to around 50cm tall and wide, they’ll flower beautifully from spring, throughout summer and into autumn.

Pelargonium Summer Idols include long flowering varieties in a range of vibrant colours. They’re extremely disease resistant and have an excellent branching and spreading growth habit.

Pelargoniums do best in a full-sun position with well-drained soil or potting mix. They’re frost tender so in cool areas growing them in pots close to a warm sunny wall is ideal. Pelargoniums are tolerant of drier conditions once established.

To keep plants looking their best and prolong the flowering season, remove spent flowers regularly and feed each week with potassium rich Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food, which promotes both healthy green leaf growth and lots of flowers. - Courtesy of Yates