Grow A Butterfly Garden
Here's our quick guide to NZ butterflies, plus how to look after them. Read on for tips on how to grow swan plants, for the full Monarch experience!
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Bromeliads are unusual and attractive plants that are easy to cultivate. Many species are grown outdoors successfully in the tropics, subtropics and generally mild areas. They can also be grown indoors although flowering rarely occurs unless there are ideal conditions of light, temperature and humidity.
Neoregelia
One of the common names for this bromeliad group is ‘Heart of Flame’. This aptly describes the way the plant’s centre colours in order to attract pollinating insects to the insignificant flowers.
Pineapple
The best-known bromeliad, pineapple, grows in humid, frost-free climates. It can take two years for the fruit to develop and ripen. In cool climates, the pineapple can be grown as a scene stealing indoor plant.
Billbergia Nutans
Billbergia Nutans is one of the easiest bromeliads to grow. ‘Nutans’ means ‘nodding’, and is used to describe the drooping flower stems. It will grow indoors or out and, as long as the soil is well-drained, is tough enough to handle light frosts.
Spanish Moss
Spanish moss, or old man’s beard (Tillansdia usneoides), can survive on the moisture and oxygen it captures from the surrounding air. It doesn’t need any soil and can be draped from any convenient position in a warm, humid, lightly shaded position. The greatest threat it faces is from passing birds – they love to steal sections of the soft plant to line their nests!
Aechmea
The most popular aechmeas have blue-grey leaves and a central clump of jewel-like mauve flowers that hide themselves amongst pink bracts.
How to Propagate Plants, by Layering
‘Layering’ is a type of plant propagation where new stems remain attached to the parent plant, while they develop their own roots. Here's how to do it and get free plants!
Get an early start for your heat-lover vegies
A challenge with growing heat-loving vegies is getting started early enough to give them a long enough growing season. In cooler areas it can be a nail-biting race against winter when you’re waiting for your harvest, so get ahead of the game!
What's eating my plants?
Learn how to diagnose exactly which pests are chewing on your plants.
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