Gardening in North Otago 28th February 2014

More lovely summer days this week along with dark dramatic sky's, there are parts in our garden that are really tired now particularly the long boarders which I plan to attack this weekend. Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering then top dress with compost and some blood & bone to give all a boost. To get superior blooms on gerberas, dahlias, delphiniums and chrysanthemums dead head and give fortnightly feeds of liquid fertiliser, remove excess buds from large flowering chrysanthemums they will be putting on a show soon. I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer by being shifted at this time of the year even if the water was kept up to them. Best to wait until the end of Autumn when the sap has gone down. However if you have no option and have to shift trees and shrubs it would not be as traumatic if they were first wrenched to cushion them from the shock. Wrenching is when one half of the roots are dug around and lifted, then compost is added under them for new feeder roots to grow into. It is important to keep the water up once roots have been cut or disturbed. A tree or shrub will survive with being fed from the remaining untouched roots while at the same time the other half is making new roots into the compost in readiness for a shift later. Wrenched trees and shrubs have a much higher transplant success rate than trees and shrubs that are lifted in one go and transplanted. Wrench now and transplant in winter when plants are dormant. I am still gathering seeds with the help of two little Grand Daughters, the hot days we have been experiencing are ripening seeds on foxgloves, Poppy's, dianthus, lupin, marigold, sweet pea, lavender, snapdragon & hollyhock. We planted poppy, hollyhock, lupin & marigold into trays and stored the rest in brown paper bags in a dry place( where mice cannot get at them) to sow into seed raising mix at the end of winter. Watering plants is a priority now but it is best not to water in the heat of the day, wait until it cools down and your plants will absorb and retain the moisture. Mulching is also beneficial right now, but always apply mulch to ground that has been well soaked then forget about watering for a while because the mulch will do the job of keeping that moisture in the ground. I am sure many people will be on the look out for bales of new seasons pea straw soon, I look forward to passing on contacts should I be given any. Because I pile a lot of my garden waste in a sheep paddock along side the garden I am mindful of what I am leaving for the sheep to eat. There are a number of common plants that can poison animals and Children : Arum lillies, Calico bush, Daphne, English yew, foxglove, Hemlock, Holly berries, Iris, Ivy, Kowhai (especially seeds) Laburnum, Lily of the valley, Ngaio, Night shade,Privit, Rhododendron, Rhubarb (leaves) Spindle berry, Potato ( green berries & green tubers) Lawns: The lawn weeds I sprayed last week are wilting away, even the Hydrocotyle which I thought was not going to succumb to the spray. I am ready with grass grub granules next significant rain fall we get, I can see where the grubs are eating away at the roots of grass, mostly in the ground at the foot of trees the night beetles (Grass grub turn into these beetles) strip leaves from. Veg & Fruit Keep the water up to corn and pumpkins to ensure a juicy crop, they both need a long ripening season. Dig out old spent strawberry plants that have finished cropping and discard. Plants that are being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps. Transplant strong runners and keep the water up to them until they make roots. Grapes are filling out now, I will be putting the net over mine soon and keeping the moisture up to them. Cheers, Linda Blog: http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.co.nz/

Gardening in North Otago February 18th 2014

What a wonderful rain we got last week, just what North Otago was wanting for and how quickly my gardens and lawns recovered. I must comment on how pretty our town is right now with beautiful blue agapantha's cooling warm sunny gardens and complementing the second flush roses and vibrant dahlia's, and a special mention to the colorful Council gardens and pretty hanging baskets. I am still cutting back and dead heading so much, it all has to go if it has died back to encourage new fresh growth. February: is a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants. Why? because by late summer the soft new spring growth has hardened and the cutting is less likely to lose water from the leaves. Semi-succulent plants like geraniums (Pelargoniums) or impatiens are easiest for beginners, but many common shrubs such as abelia, buxus, lavenders,camellias, azaleas, fuchsias and hebe's have a relatively high success rate, it is all about keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots. Professional nursery people grow cuttings in glasshouses where they’re regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Take cuttings early in the morning, while it’s still cool. Choose tip pieces that are about 100- 150 mm long. Wrap immediately in damp newspaper and then in plastic. Work in the shade, fill pots with Seed Raising Mix / crusher dust and water well, allow to drain, trim the base of the cutting so that it ends just below a leaf node (which is where the leaf is, or has been, attached to the stem). Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top, large leaves can be cut in half. Dip the base of the cutting into hormone Gel or powder then poke into the mix, a 150mm pot can hold about six cuttings.( Keep moist) Place pot in a lightly shaded spot and cover with plastic wrap held above the cuttings, (wire hoops made out of an old coat hangers) Check regularly to make sure the mix stays moist and after a couple of months gently move the stems to feel if they’re firm. This will mean roots have started, plant in individual pots when roots are established. Hedges here got a light tidy up last week, (not the buxus, too much heat in the sun to trim them just now.) but ok for all other hedges that have put on unwanted new growth. I keep on about planting bulbs, they are in the shops and they want to be in the ground now. A bulb comes ready-equipped with the promise of a flower and they look best planted in groups. The one thing we can hold off from at this time of the year is planting trees & shrubs, unless you are able to water new plantings daily, no reason to not choose and buy trees and shrubs when you see them on offer now, store in light shade while still in growing bag and keep the water up to them until planting time in mid to late autumn. Lawns: During that last rain I fertilised lawns and the lawn weeds responded well along with the grass,hydrocotyle is thriving here this year so I sprayed this week with hydrocotyle spray which also deals to a number of other lawn weeds including clover, sorry worms! Fruit: Feed citrus trees with citrus food and spray any scale you notice with winter oil. Vegetables: Keep sowing veg seeds like carrot, beetroot, parsnip, spring onion, and keeping onions and lettuce because there is plenty of growing time left. to germinate seeds before the frost start again. Dig and store potatoes if you feel they have been in the ground too long, I was doing this the other day with the unwanted help of scruff the pup...I am sure he thought I was digging up ball's that be carted off ready for throwing! Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago February 12th 2014

What glorious weather this week as we move through summer towards autumn the dry ripening season. It is so important now to cut plants back that have finished flowering if you want the plants to grow back with a new lot of fresh leaves to fill the gaps. If you let things run to seed as they want to now some perennials and annuals will give up because they have made seed for plants to take their place. However if it is seed collecting you want then leave some flower heads to make seed, I have started collecting always storeing seed in brown paper bags and leave in a dark dry place until required. Seeds collected now can be planted now as nature intended or sowing can be done in the spring. Spring sowing works better some times, hot summer sowing will usually result in fewer seedlings surviving. Seeds to collect now would be delphinium, aqualegia, dianthus, poppy, marigold, rhododendron,sweet pea, lilies, violas & Pansy's, all of these will do well planted into seed raising mix and planted out when strong enough. I am also finding an abundance of native seedlings growing all over the garden, this is the work of birds doing their bit to regenerate the forna. I dig out the small ones and pot them up at this time of the year but leave the larger ones until winter, they will have a better survival rate then when lifted. Lift summer flowering gladioli as leaves begin to dry off, and hang upside down inside to ripen before cleaning and storing. It's the right time from now on to plant large flowering (hybrid) clematis to get roots established before winter. A fungus spray at planting will help eliminate the wilt problem some clematis suffer from at planting time, when planting try not to disturb the root too much and sprinkle a little lime to sweeten their ground. There are some stunning hybrid clematis on offer with huge or delicate flowers in vibrant shades that to me have a tropical look climbing and spilling through gardens. Keep planting spring bulbs where you picture a show of them in spring, Clumps are much more effective than one planted here and there. Continue dead heading dahlias to keep them bushy and flowering longer, take stalky old growth right back to where the stem is plumper. Lawns: Begin preparations for new lawns to be sown in autumn, start by spraying out all perennial weeds,then the area should be dug or rotary hoed then raked to ensure there is a fine tilt and no underlying hard pan. Test the ph and if soil is too acid bring it up to about 6 with lime, leave as long as possible for the lime to be absorbed before applying fertiliser once grass is up. To ensure a level, firm planting surface, the soil should be gently compacted again after digging by raking and treading or rolling. Veg & fruit: This is a major harvest month for vegetable and fruits, the jam and preserving pans will be busy and the gardens abundant with food. Keeping the water up to everything especially the late ripening fruit trees is a must to get the best crops. I am sure it must be the favourite time of the year for birds with so much on offer to them, pick and store before they take all. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago February 1st 2014

February already, where did January go? some nice sunny days this week along with a good rain last Sunday, it certainly freshened up our gardens. However I have still been dragging the hose's around the hydrangeas and rhododendrons. Continue to dead head roses and feed for the next lot of blooms, it is also time to dead head dahlias to keep them blooming longer, cut off the spent bloom and stalk before they make a seed. Keep cutting back all early summer perennials and shrubs before they run to seed, cutting will promote a new lot of blooms, but remember to feed and water what you cut back to help them make the new growth required of them. The first of the seeds I left to fall from spring flowering plants are up, I will wait until perennials seedlings are stronger,( another week or two) then transplant them into trays, then I sit them in the shade to keep growing before planting them out at the end of next winter. Have a look around plants that have dropped seed in your garden and you will find nice little seedlings of pansies, viola, marigolds, hellebore's, sweet William and aquilegias, to name only a few. Seeded annuals can be planted out as soon as they are big enough,they should flower over Autumn. Feed Daphne and azaleas with acid plant fertiliser to ensure you get good root growth and bud development for the Spring.Take the seed heads off anything that you do not want to spread, that goes for weeds as well, make sure you whack the seed heads off and destroy until you have time to deal with them. Keep trimming hedges as they put on soft new growth and either compost the trimmings or scatter them around the garden, they are soft enough to break down at this time of the year. Lawns: are starting to brown off in area's of my garden that bake all day in the sun, hosing will keep the grass alive but it's rain they need to keep them green. Keep eradicating flat weeds before they seed down into the grass. Grass grub time, February to May is when they munch on grass roots, there are products that can be shaken on and watered in, if you think you will have a problem with grass grub have some on hand for the next rain we get. The grubs feed on the grass roots and leave dead patches of grass on lawns (birds scratching will let you know grubs are there). Once the dead grass patch is visible they will have moved on to another area of the lawn, concentrate on protecting the unaffected areas. Herbs: All herbs should have flowered and run to seed at least once this season, keep cutting and using or drying them to keep them from doing this. I cut bunches then hang them in a dry place until all the moisture is gone and they are crisp to touch. Then a good rubbing will remove dried leaves from stalks and further rubbing will break up particles small enough to be put in dry jars ( (never store in plastic containers or plastic bags.) The slightest hint of moisture will encourage mold. My mixed herb combination is parsley, thyme, sage, basil, pineapple sage, marjoram, nasturtium leaves & flowers, and smaller amounts of rosemary and lemon balm because they can over power the others. vegetables: The weeds have gone mad again after a rain and a few warm days , get them with a hoe while small. It is beneficial to plant a green crop to be dug in where ground is not being utilised, mustard seed, barley, oats or blue lupin seed will add hummus to the soil when dug in at the soft green new growth stage. February is the time to prepare for winter crops. Sow carrots, parsnips, beetroot, spinach, peas, cauliflower and cabbage. Build up the soil first with compost and lime (if soil needs sweetened) Continue taking laterals off your Tomatoes, remove any fallen or diseased tomatoes to prevent disease spreading. Fruit: I have had drip water on my grapes this week, as they are putting growth into the fruit, I don't feed them because they will only respond by pushing out heaps of leaders and leaf which are not required. I have shortened fruiting leaders back closer to the fruit being formed. Apples are doing well, I thinned mine out last month where I noticed over crowding, too many on one branch will stunt growth and become too heavy for the branch. Nature is pretty good at taking care of this so do not be surprised to find the ground beneath apple trees strewn with what has been rejected for the good of what is left growing. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago January 14th 2014

Happy New Gardening Year to all who toil in the soil. With the departure of our UK Daughter, Husband, and three young ones( plus cousins), after two full-on weeks here with Nana & Poppa gardening took a back seat and our energy levels had sunk very low as we waved them goodbye on Sunday.....But, with the first wedding of this year in the garden on Saturday the show must go on and renewed energy was found! The good thing for me so far this summer is that I have not had to drag hoses around, what a wonderful time saver that has been and I am sure a godsend to those of you who took time away knowing that your gardens would still be fresh and in bloom on your return. Some of my roses suffer badly from rust from rust on leaves this year. There are roses are always going to be more susceptible to rust attack and I feel these roses succumb when the ground dries out during strong warm winds, they become distressed between waterings. I continue to remove rust-effectivected leaves then spray with a fungasicide when time allows. I don't use sprinklers late in the day if overcast, wet leaves going into warm nights encourages mildew. Deep watering around the roots is what I recommend to keep fungus at bay. Remove all diseased leaves from the ground around roots and add compost plus blood & bone or slow release fertiliser because with continuous blooming roses zap nitrogen from the ground. Continue dead heading roses and give then a summer prune. cut a spent flower stem down to and out facing bud on a thick, strong part of stem. There are so many plants requiring a cut back now, my wheel barrow is on the go most days filling up in no time with cut back lupins, monkshood, mignonette, nasturtiums, iris, buddleia and delphiniums to name a few. I have just cut back a plant I grow a lot of which flops all over the place now in the heat, acanthus mollis known sometimes as (Bears britches) or (The oyster plant) cut well back because it will not take long to regrow new fresh growth for autumn and winter. My hydrangea is are wonderful right now, big healthy leaves and large full blooms, and I guess because of the frequent rains the colours are very intense. Petunias are taking center stage now, they are great gap fillers for sunny gardens, but do not perform well in shade. A shady spot can be filled with impatiens which are also colourful when planted in bold groups. Dead heading rhododendrons is really boring and time-consuming but worth doing on newly planted bushes to encourage growth into the bush not into making seeds. There is a point where the spent flower seed heads break off cleanly without disturbing the new growth shoots at the sides, once you start you will find that break-off point. I have started seed collecting, sweet peas, sweet William, poppies, and iris, there is a lot of ripening going on and I have a lot of small paper bags stored away already. Get stakes in around Chrysanthemums now before they get too tall. Tip cuttings can be taken from chrysanthemums now, I find they root well in river sand. Chrysanthemums flower in Autumn. Lawns: I was out with the lawn fertiliser in that last heavy rain and saw the weeds have been fed as well so will need to spot spray again, it's never-ending when lawns need to look good. Fruit & Veg. I made many pots of black current jam last week, and some are still ready to pick and freeze for winter pies. I cut off the fruiting branches and then remove the currents, this way you prune at the same time. It's one of those jobs I need to find time for but always pleased I did once it is done. The vegetable garden is doing fine, seeds are popping up in no time after sowing, my lettuces seem to be sitting waiting to be picked without bolting, and the corn is putting on some growth now but I find myself telling the pumpkins to hurry up as they and corn need a long hot ripening season. Tomatoes are doing well now that we are getting more sunny days, keep glass houses moist through the day because white fly like it dry. Keep planting all veg, seeds & plants (apart from corn and pumpkin) they should have been started long before now. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 4th December 2013

The big clean up after more hedge trimming has been on go here, things are looking a little too neat and tidy now but nature will do it's best to put that right! I know all gardeners will be finding there is so much to be cut back in the garden, plants like tree peony which doubles in size each growing season. Don't let tree peony swamp your garden and smother other plants. When finished flowering the older woody canes can be cut out. By doing this now seed pods will be cut off as well, if allowed to ripen they will pop all over your garden and grow. Other larger plants I have had to cut back are bush lavatera's, English abutilon, ornamental broom, and false Valerian. These will all grow back soon and look a lot nicer, some will flower again. Keep dead heading roses, don't just cut the flower off, cut at an outward facing bud on a lower section of the branch strong enough to support a new flower. Begonias are really pushing through now and I see that I have lost a few that I left in the ground from last year, I am guessing all the rain we had earlier on rotted them. I did dig and store most of them over the winter which I am now glad about. The food begonias most appreciate is any fish based fertiliser, as a folia spray or watered in around their roots. Hydrangeas are producing flower heads now so it is important to keep the water and food up to them, old stable manure, blood and bone, dry, liquid or slow release fertiliser will keep them happy and flowering well. Remember it's lime for pink and Epsom salts or aluminum sulphate to keep them blue. Fuchsias are making a lot of growth now as well, if you missed cutting any back do it now, they will flower later but will soon catch up .Fuchsias are on sale right now and are wonderful in pots for a shady spot and they soon become bushy and to fill a pot. Tip cuttings can be taken from fuchsias now, if you spot some you like in a friends garden ask for some cuttings. I break a cutting off at a heel or a bud section, remove some of the top growth and push into firm wet river sand.Tip cuttings cuttings from Hebe's will also root with no trouble in river sand . Abutilon (Chinese lantern: If you are looking for something non invasive to make a show of colour against a wall why not try Abutilon (Chinese lantern, they come in three strong colours, yellow, orange, burgundy and white. I planted yellow and burgundy and white together in a large container with nice lime green grass's below them, being a rather spindly plant I intertwined them and they now look like one bush. If trained against a wall leave some longer branches and shorten back others to get a good cover of flowers. Peony roses: What a wonderful addition to the flower garden peony roses are, they have been fantastic this year or am I just seeing more in peoples gardens? The brilliant shades and very large blooms fill many vases I am sure. Remove seed pods once blooms have finished to stop plants putting effort into making seed. Low hanging tree branches: With the weight of rain not so long ago I could see which branches need lifting on large deciduous trees, if left they will cast too much shade over surrounding plants. It's the lower branches that can be removed without making the tree look as though it has been cut. The upper branches will hide the cuts, so any branch growing downwards with a canopy branch directly above it can be cut back or removed altogether. Lawns: keep lawn food on hand for the next good rain, lawns get really stressed from now on as the heat of the day intensifies. If your lawns are inclined to crack when dry they have probably been planted on clay soil, apply gypsum ( soluble lime) and water in. After a couple of years of doing this your lawns will have a spring back in them. Gypsum works it's way through the clay and makes it become more like soil. If lawn weeds are a problem spray before cutting or remove flat weeds with a knife when noticed. I spot spray with lawn weed spray because I don't want to upset the balance of the work going on in the soil beneath the lawn by contaminating it with chemicals. Vegetables: Perfect weather for vegetables and fruit this year, keep the hoe going because the weeds are doing well also. The days are warm and the nights a little cooler, just right for growing. I am amazed that the white butterfly is STILL not a problem in our garden, long may it last. I had bad luck with the runner beans planted directly into the ground before labor weekend, they popped up then were eaten off I am guessing by snails / slugs!. So more beans have been planted but this time into trays to be transplanted when big enough to make a start on climbing up the frame. But, yes I know the slugs & snails will be waiting so I will make beer traps out of empty plastic fiz bottles by cutting the bottles with the lid in place through the middle, bury the lidded half in the ground and fill with beer, cut door opening in the other half for snails & slugs to slide in, then force the other half with door opening on top. The bottom of the bottle will be the roof to keep the rain out. Gritty egg shells will go on the ground around the bottom of the frame as well. Tomatoes will be getting taller and starting to fruit now, the removal of over half the leaves on a plant will benefit your plants by allowing more nutrients to the fruit along with more sun to encourage flowering and allowing flowers to become more visible for pollination, try it and see if you get a better crop. The cooler nights tend to upset tomato plants, leaves become bluish and tend to curl causing plants to become susceptible to blight. One method of keeping them in good health I have been reading up on is the use of copper wire. Basic premise: The presence of copper (wire) would help the tomato plants be more resistant to "blight" related diseases during the course of the growing season. Material: 12" length of 18 gage (wall picture hanging wire). the main vine should be at least 1/4" in diameter and transplant shock over. Insert or force one end of the wire through the center of the main vine about 1" above ground level. Kink the protruding wire end so that it doesn't slip out of the vine. Force the remainder of the wire (9-10") into the root zone in the ground. That's all there is to it. The person who wrote the above also wrote that he used this method on half his crop and controlled the other half with sprays. Result, the copper prevention was as successful as his spraying programme. Any new idea is worth trying to avoid spraying what we eat! Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 29th November 2013

Nature stops for nothing at this time of the year so I have my head down gardening again after a sad time for our family last week saying a final goodbye to my Mum. From the words of John Lennon "Life happens when you are busy making other plans" Some changeable days this week and the night beetle are here again in full force, I was getting the washing in just on dark one evening and they were making so much noise devouring the leaves on trees I thought there was an engine running somewhere! Also the fat moths and the spittle bug are in force again, Spittle bugs don't seem to be deterred by the odd cold snaps we have been experiencing. Spittle bug nymphs can turn a liquid secretion into bubbles by moving or pumping their bodies. Once the bubbles have formed, spittle bugs use their hind legs to cover themselves with the froth. The ‘spittle’ serves multiple purposes. It shields the spittle bugs from predators It insulates them from temperature extremes and It prevents the spittle bugs from dehydrating. Spittle bug eggs are laid in late summer and are left to over winter on plant debris. The eggs will hatch in early spring and go through five stages, before becoming adults. When the nymphs originally hatch in early spring, they will attach themselves to a plant and begin feeding. Although spittle bug nymphs do feed on plant sap, the damage is minimal and populations are usually small, so no pesticide is necessary. A strong blast with a hose should be enough to dislodge a spittle bug nymph,they’ll be gone in a few weeks anyway. In extreme cases, they can cause stunting and weaken plants or reduce yields. If you should have a severe infestation, remove plant debris in the autumn and work the soil to reduce egg population. Adult spittle bugs (frog hoppers) are 6 to 8mm long, elongated, oval and usually dull coloured with prominent eyes Nymphs are smaller and bright greenish/yellow. Dead heading roses is on the go here again already after waiting for those fat buds to open and I am keeping up the fish emulsion to foliar feed and deter green fly, but have had to use a nasty on the underside of my hellebore leaves because am sure this is where the green fly winter over in my garden. If you have orchids it is the time to re-pot them now, use the orchid mix for the best results, it takes the guess work out of wondering what to feed them. The dew's are still wetting so the ground is still holding some moisture, scatter grass clippings around as mulch if your lawns have not been sprayed, they become good humus. But don't pile them on too thickly because they are inclined to form a shield that stops the rain reaching the soil beneath. I throw them about to empty the catcher then go back and rake them out. So much spent spring growth in our garden needs cut back now, I am making a lot of gaps by cutting back aquilegia's, forget-me-not, pansies, viola's and catmint, I have cosmos, poppies and statice, lobelia, and petunias to fill gaps. The hose is out every second day now to keep moisture up to rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias now their brilliance is all but over. What a fantastic spring it has been for theses bushes, the right amount of sun and rain resulted in the best blooming. Now rhododendrons need to be dead headed to prevent seed being made, there is a specific point at the base of the spent flower head that if bent will snap off perfectly, if you have not done this before it will not be long before you will learn where that point is. Snap off as many of the flower heads at that point as you can without disturbing the new growth just below. Feed with a light dressing of acid fertiliser, water in well around the drip line then mulch to stop bushes drying out over the warmer months. Vegetable: It seems I only need to turn my back on the vegetable plots for a couple of days and the veg are smothered by very healthy weeds! Food needs to be keep to tomatoes, currants an berries, lemons and fruit trees... fruiting takes a lot out of a plant.There are specially prepared fertilisers for most plants with instructions for when, and how much to apply. Blood and bone is a good all rounder but can attract fly's at this time of the year so water it in well. All fruiting trees and plants need lots of water now to create juicy plump fruit, the rain we have been lucky enough to get has been perfect for them but it's the winds to come that will do the damage so keep the water up when you know it will be needed. Remember to cover your strawberries to keep the birds from eating them as soon as they show any sign of red. Strawberry netting stretches out to cover a large area and does the job well, the birds are helping themselves to my gooseberries so I have thrown some frost cloth over them until I get a chance to pick them. As tomatoes grow be sure to remove laterals of the taller growing variety and stake them to keep them upright as the fruit gets heaver. They should be flowering now waiting for the bee's to pollinate them. If your bees are few and far between like mine this year you may have to take a hair drier into the glass house to gently blow the pollen around while leaves are dry. Early morning soaking on the vegetable garden keeps moisture up to them through the day and helps with the germination of seeds. Successive planting can be kept up right through the Summer. If you must use spray's on your vegetables make sure you read the directions to know how long the with holding period is before you can eat the vegetables. Why not try an organic option there are more on offer every year, or try companion planting. Some plants have been proven to help and enhance others so I will list what has worked. Carrots and onions together, the onions help keep the carrot fly at bay and carrots the onion fly. Celery and the brassica family, i.e.: cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. the celery will confuse the white butterfly when wanting to land and lay it's larvae eggs. Marigolds and beans/brassicas, the marigold emits a natural gas which protects surrounding plants from insects like aphids and white fly. Make your own natural sprays: The following plant leaves can be boiled in water and the resulting liquid used on plants. Basil will eliminate aphids Chives prevent mildew occurring on cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. Coriander also for aphids and spider mite. Eucalyptus is a good general purpose insecticide. Rhubarb has been found to help prevent blackspot. These may be only plants but in liquid form they can be harmful to children so keep marked bottles high up. I found out that it is not a good idea to breath in fumes when bringing to the boil, and to keep doors and window open. the fumes from some of them can certainly make you feel really odd. Get corn and pumpkins in as soon as possible because they need a long growing and ripening season. Try planting corn in squares like I suggested in my last notes. Our Parkside Garden calendar with monthly gardening notes and seasonal images of Parkside Gardens is now available in Paper plus. Cheers, Linda