Garden Shop
Garden Shop
Garden tools and kits are coming soon. In the meantime, here are step-by-step how-tos for common jobs.
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Coming soon
I'm planning a small range of garden tools, planting kits and habitat pieces that match the guides on this site. Nothing is on sale yet.
DIY how-tos
The key steps for each job, with a link to the full guide. For reference guides and handouts, see Resources.
Water natives the right way
- Water new plants deeply and regularly until they settle in, then ease off.
- Check the soil with a finger: water when the top few centimetres are dry.
- If water beads and runs off, the soil is water-repellent; use a soil wetter first.
Mulch without smothering
- Use coarse mulch, usually 50 to 75 mm deep.
- Keep it a hand-width back from stems and trunks.
- Water the soil before you mulch, not after.
Pruning basics
- Prune most flowering shrubs straight after flowering.
- Use clean, sharp secateurs and cut just above a bud.
- Take no more than about a third in one go.
Clear weeds and keep them out
- Identify it first: some natives look like weeds.
- Pull or dig small weeds before they seed.
- Replant the gap straight away so weeds don't come back.
Put up a Possum Hotel
- Fix the box about 2 m up a sturdy tree, facing away from the weather.
- Leave the possums another way up (a branch, fence or climber).
- Plant decoys like parsley and lilly pilly so they leave your roses alone.
Sow a meadow
- Sow between autumn and early spring, unless you can water through summer.
- Clear weeds first; a weedy bed is the biggest cause of failure.
- Rake seed in lightly and keep it moist until it comes up.
Want it done for you?
I can do the job for you: garden care, planting and weeding on the North Shore, with no travel fee.