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Travelling abroad?
British newspaper the Guardian, asked its readers to recommend the best gardens to visit anywhere in the world. Planning a trip to Germany, Mexico or Australia?
Check out the gardens listed in this story.
Burning question...
What's eating my cauliflower and broccoli and what should I do?
It's bound to be caterpillars or white butterfly. Try using a natural insecticide from your local garden centre or companion planting.
Click here to email Tod your burning question today.
June is a good
time to...
Prune roses and trees. Check your caulis for frost. And stake your broad beans if they need it. Also, watch out for snails at this time of year.
Click here for more details.
Where’d the Pukekohe Long Keeper Onion come from?
This well-known onion variety was first planted in the 1920s when Pukekohe farmer, John Turbot, crossed a Spanish Brown onion and a Spanish Straw onion.
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Cutting newspapers to cut out plastic
The first day of June has passed and with it the first official day of winter. While most of you are probably scaling back your time spent in the garden at the moment, we’re still as busy as ever at Awapuni.
The picture on the right shows us cutting Dominion Post newspapers for next season’s seedlings to be wrapped in. We recycle around 20 tonnes of paper every year! Each Traditional Value bundle usually uses around six sheets of paper. And, our Pop’n’Grow pots are made from newspaper pulp, which is moulded to create pots.
This means you’ll never see an Awapuni seedling in a plastic container. And, because our packaging is made from newspaper, its biodegradable – simply bury and let the worms enjoy!
On that note, I better get back to my cutting!
Happy gardening.
Henri Ham
Awapuni Nurseries
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Onions – the essential ingredient in any garden
 Onions are a staple ingredient in my kitchen.
My bean spectacular – as I like to call it, but otherwise known as Chilli Con Carne – lacks flavour and fullness without them. Can you tell I’ve been watching the cooking channel lately?
I know I’m not the only wannabe masterchef who needs an ever-ready stock in the pantry, so this month I’m going to teach you how to grow your own onions.
I’m a big fan of Awapuni Nurseries’ Pukekohe Longkeeper Onions. They’re the white fleshed onion with brown skin – famously developed in Pukekohe in the North Island. They’re easy to plant, extremely low maintenance, and great tasting.
So get down to your local supermarket, The Warehouse, or Bunnings today and grab a Traditional Value bundle of Pukekohe Longkeeper Onions. Alternatively, order online and have your seedlings delivered direct to your door.
What’s a Traditional Value bundle I hear you ask? Traditional Value seedlings are grown with strong individual root systems. They’re perfect for the budget-conscious gardener because the seedlings are wrapped in recycled newspaper, so the value is in the plants and not the packaging.
Click here to read more.
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Snapdragons – the perfect companion
 When I think of dragons, words like fiery, fierce and ferocious come to mind - definitely not friendly or companionable. So it can be hard to see the similarities between the fairytale monster and the similarly named flower – the snapdragon.
Antirrhinum, otherwise known as snapdragons, are so called because when you squeeze the flower it looks like a dragon. And that’s where the comparisons end. While you might not ask the fire-breathing dragon to be your friend, the floral variety makes a great companion.
Click here to read more.
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Battle colds and scare off vampires
