Shape Landscaping Have Some Great Ideas For The School Holidays

July is a great time to get gardening with the kids, as school holidays have arrived (again!). It’s a great idea for parents to encourage their kids to help them in the garden, digging holes and involving them in the planting. The friendly team at Shape Landscaping advise that July is the time to sow pansy seeds, so why not involve the kids in this and plant a colourful mix that the kids can enjoy watching come to life over time. It’s also, amazingly, strawberry planting time as to ensure a good strawberry crop the plants need to have a period of winter chilling. This helps stimulate the flower buds which produce the fruit.

This is also the time of year for people who have any shrubs and vines that are prone to frost to cover them up with netting which will protect them from the frost. Now is also the time to turn off our irrigation systems for the winter, as there will be enough moisture present in the soil over the winter months. Shape Landscaping take care of their clients’ landscape installation, from expert design to careful implementation and ongoing maintenance and are happy to share their knowledge and skill in landscaping, and recommend July as the time to sow broad beans and peas for spring. They are tough enough to germinate in the cold soil, so can be sown directly into the soil. Radish and carrot seeds can also be started in warmer areas.

They also recommend that people spend some time in the orchard, pruning their fruit trees so that they can control their shape and to provide light to the inside of the tree which allows for new growth to flourish. All deciduous fruit trees can be planted in July, August and September while the plants are still dormant, and people should remember to plant fruit trees in the sun, sheltered from the wind. Another good tip from the professional team at Shape Landscaping helps minimise disease on pip and stone fruit by giving them a spray with a broad spectrum copper spray which will help eradicate bacterial and fungal infections, as well as a horticultural oil which provides a barrier against scale, mites and mealy bug. Lemons, limes, mandarins, grapefruit, and oranges are all ripening and ready for harvest during this time, in the warmer areas.

For more information on Shape Landscaping and their landscape design services, please go to http://www.shapelandscaping.co.nz.