Gardening: Plant bulbs now for Christmas colour
Planted now, your lilies will sprout during the late winter, then they will grow during spring and commence flowering around December.
Lilies are easy to grow and can be left in the ground for a number of years. Each year, the clumps of bulbs will increase, as will the subsequent number of blooms. This is the time of the year when these and other dormant bulbs, such as dahlias, can be lifted and divided to create new plants.
Most know the Christmas lily, though there are many other worthy colours, shapes and sizes in lilies that can be grown very easily.
Both Asiatic and Oriental lilies make a wonderful cut flower to bring indoors during the summer. They can last up to two or three weeks in a vase by changing the water regularly and occasionally snipping the base of the stem again to keep the wound fresh.
Asiatic lilies are generally earlier-flowering and there is a larger colour range to choose from. Most are not scented. They tend to multiply much faster than Oriental types. The growth habit, as a rule, is more compact, which can make them better for pots and small spaces.
Oriental lilies are a bit later in flowering. The flower size tends to be larger and they have the famously scented blooms that are reminiscent of 'Grandma's garden'. The stems are usually taller, with a stately presence.
Planting some each of the Asiatic and Oriental lilies is recommended as this will give you a longer flowering season of beautiful lilies.
How to grow successfully
They grow best in a sunny situation with rich, well-drained soil. The free-draining aspect is particularly important, as otherwise the tuberous root system can be prone to rotting and you can lose your plants during wet periods. If necessary, your desired spot can be raised into a mound to achieve the free-draining conditions.
For great results, lilies should be fed Ican Bulb Food, once at planting, once before flowering and a third time after flowering, when the plants are storing energy for flowering the following year. Care should be taken to ensure the fertiliser does not come into direct contact with the bulbs.
Planting them in groups of three to five bulbs in the garden usually gives the best visual effect. Taller-growing varieties will need staking so that wind doesn't snap off the stems during the summer. Adding a stake at planting time is a good idea to avoid the chance of root damage that can occur if stakes are added at a later date. It is also a good marker for knowing where your lilies are when they are dormant.
And what about in pots? Yes, absolutely: using a good-quality potting mix is key to success, along with a pot that is not too small. I recommend Tui Bulb Mix or Ican Premium Potting Mix. Both have good structure. The addition of Tui Enrich for Pots & Containers every six months, and using liquid fertiliser Ican Fast Food as a top-up during the summer months, will bring success.
They can be used to great effect in large pots with a mixture of plants, such as a permanent shrub, plus seasonal annuals and, of course, the lilies to come through for the summer months.
Get inspired to plant something now for summer – call in to the store to see the range of lily bulbs available now.
For more gardening information, visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz.
Gareth Carter is the general manager of Springvale Garden Centre in Whanganui.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
How the humble air fryer took over Kiwi kitchens – and what we're cooking in it now
In 2022, demand surged in the lead-up to Christmas, and shops struggled to keep up with sales. A year later, Consumer NZ released a detailed buying guide to help shoppers compare the swelling number of models on the market, including larger, oven-style versions big enough to cook a roast chicken. Fast-forward to now, and the trend hasn't fizzled. If anything, it's evolved. What we're cooking now On TikTok, a search for 'air fryer baked oats' returns thousands of short videos featuring ramekins of mashed banana, oats, milk and baking powder, cooked at 180C until puffed and golden. The result is somewhere between a muffin and porridge – a warm breakfast for one with minimal mess. Chocolate chips, peanut butter and berries are popular additions. Other recipes trending this winter include molten chocolate cakes, croissant bakes, cheesy breakfast wraps and stuffed capsicums. On the savoury side, creators are showing off 15-minute pork roasts, skin-crackling chicken thighs, and air-fried gnocchi with crispy edges. Reddit threads and Facebook groups devoted to air fryer cooking are full of creative ideas, from drying orange slices to reviving day-old pizza and finishing off sourdough loaves. Whether it all tastes as good as it looks is another matter, but for many, the joy is in the trying. More than just convenience Part of the air fryer's success lies in how it aligns with how many people now cook: often solo or in small households, and without the time or inclination to use a full-sized oven. It heats quickly, cooks quickly and doesn't leave a sink full of dishes in its wake. Independent tests from UK-based consumer groups show that air fryers can use less than half the electricity of a conventional electric oven when preparing small to medium meals. As energy costs rise, that efficiency can make a noticeable difference to household bills. Air fryer ownership has risen sharply in Australia and New Zealand since 2020, driven by consumers prioritising speed, cost-effectiveness and healthier cooking methods. That shift is visible in local food media and retail recipe collections, where air fryer instructions now sit comfortably alongside oven and stovetop methods. From nuggets to lava cakes While early air fryer content focused on simple swaps – think nuggets, wedges and spring rolls – the new wave is more ambitious. Some creators are tackling pavlovas and bread puddings, while others use the appliance to streamline traditional favourites: shepherd's pie with a mashed kumara topping, or roast vegetables done in half the usual time. Of course, it has its limits. The air fryer isn't a magic wand. Large casseroles and liquid-based recipes are still better suited to a conventional oven or slow cooker. And some of the more elaborate desserts, such as lava cakes in silicone moulds, can be fiddly and prone to failure. 'Frying' without oil was the air fryer's biggest pull for those looking to limit fat in their diets. Photo / 123RF But for everyday use, especially in winter, the appliance has become an unlikely hero. It suits a generation of cooks who want fast results, low energy use and fewer dishes – and it taps into the quiet satisfaction of producing something hot and crispy with just the push of a button. An air fryer is no longer a novelty; it's shorthand for a practical, flexible, and modern approach to home cooking. As winter settles in, more New Zealanders are reaching for theirs not just for after-school snacks or reheating pizza, but for solo breakfasts, weeknight roasts, and the kind of crispy, warming dinners that keep power bills down and satisfaction levels up. And while the internet may still have a few unhinged hacks left to share (air-fried scrambled eggs, anyone?), most people are sticking to what the appliance does best: fast, hot food with minimal mess. Herald contributor Nikki Birrell has worked in food and travel publishing for nearly 20 years. From managing your kitchen to cutting costs, she's shared some helpful advice recently, including how to prep your barbecue for summer grilling, gourmet hacks for elevating budget ingredients and what toppings to choose for different crackers.
NZ Herald
18-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Gardening: Plant bulbs now for Christmas colour
Now is the time to plant them. As they grow from a bulb/tuberous root system, they are dormant during the winter months. If you have some lilies in your garden, they benefit from being divided every three to five years and you get new plants from the process. Planted now, your lilies will sprout during the late winter, then they will grow during spring and commence flowering around December. Lilies are easy to grow and can be left in the ground for a number of years. Each year, the clumps of bulbs will increase, as will the subsequent number of blooms. This is the time of the year when these and other dormant bulbs, such as dahlias, can be lifted and divided to create new plants. Most know the Christmas lily, though there are many other worthy colours, shapes and sizes in lilies that can be grown very easily. Both Asiatic and Oriental lilies make a wonderful cut flower to bring indoors during the summer. They can last up to two or three weeks in a vase by changing the water regularly and occasionally snipping the base of the stem again to keep the wound fresh. Asiatic lilies are generally earlier-flowering and there is a larger colour range to choose from. Most are not scented. They tend to multiply much faster than Oriental types. The growth habit, as a rule, is more compact, which can make them better for pots and small spaces. Oriental lilies are a bit later in flowering. The flower size tends to be larger and they have the famously scented blooms that are reminiscent of 'Grandma's garden'. The stems are usually taller, with a stately presence. Planting some each of the Asiatic and Oriental lilies is recommended as this will give you a longer flowering season of beautiful lilies. How to grow successfully They grow best in a sunny situation with rich, well-drained soil. The free-draining aspect is particularly important, as otherwise the tuberous root system can be prone to rotting and you can lose your plants during wet periods. If necessary, your desired spot can be raised into a mound to achieve the free-draining conditions. For great results, lilies should be fed Ican Bulb Food, once at planting, once before flowering and a third time after flowering, when the plants are storing energy for flowering the following year. Care should be taken to ensure the fertiliser does not come into direct contact with the bulbs. Planting them in groups of three to five bulbs in the garden usually gives the best visual effect. Taller-growing varieties will need staking so that wind doesn't snap off the stems during the summer. Adding a stake at planting time is a good idea to avoid the chance of root damage that can occur if stakes are added at a later date. It is also a good marker for knowing where your lilies are when they are dormant. And what about in pots? Yes, absolutely: using a good-quality potting mix is key to success, along with a pot that is not too small. I recommend Tui Bulb Mix or Ican Premium Potting Mix. Both have good structure. The addition of Tui Enrich for Pots & Containers every six months, and using liquid fertiliser Ican Fast Food as a top-up during the summer months, will bring success. They can be used to great effect in large pots with a mixture of plants, such as a permanent shrub, plus seasonal annuals and, of course, the lilies to come through for the summer months. Get inspired to plant something now for summer – call in to the store to see the range of lily bulbs available now. For more gardening information, visit Gareth Carter is the general manager of Springvale Garden Centre in Whanganui.
Otago Daily Times
01-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Museum opening date should be known within 6 months
A date for the opening of Te Unua Museum of Southland should be known within six months. At the Invercargill City Council's infrastructure and projects committee meeting yesterday a report updating councillors on the progress of the build was tabled by independent project director Nick Hamlin. Mr Hamlin began the part-time role at the beginning of June. In the report Mr Hamlin outlined the factors that could put the project behind schedule and ways of mitigating those factors. Speaking to his report, Mr Hamlin said construction company Naylor Love was on target to finish the building on schedule in September next year. However, the risks identified were related to fitting out the museum, including the education and central foyer areas. During the discussion Cr Tom Campbell asked for reassurance those working on the project were committed to have at least part of the building opened by the planned date of Christmas next year. Mr Hamlin said at this point staff were working through the risks. "It would be remiss of us to commit to a timeline until we're really confident we've got those areas well-known and knowledged and a plan around them." Council capital portfolio group manager Jamie Garnett said it would take between three and six months for staff to be confident of an opening date. Cr Ian Pottinger said people he spoke to wanted to know when the museum would be open and if it would be on budget. Mr Garnett said there was no more money for the build apart from what had been budgeted for. "At this point of time we are working within our budget and contracting our major pieces of work within that budget." Cr Trish Boyle said the residents she chatted to wanted the museum "done and done right". Therefore she was not in favour of the museum being opened in stages. "It's important for us as a community to see what it is when it opens, not as it might be." Cr Darren Ludlow said he cautioned rushing the project. "There are risks in thumping the table and trying to put a magic date on it and get things to happen." When projects were sped up the costs increased, he said. Cr Steve Broad said he would sooner swallow his pride, wait a few more months and open a museum that was worthy of its residents. "For me on time is when it is ready for our community." Council chief executive Michael Day said the challenge of fitting out the museum would be finding staff to complete the work. Committee chairman Grant Dermody said it was important to remember how far the project had come in a short time. It was a "50-year asset for our community" and another 12 months would not change that, he said.
