Gareth Carter: Daffodils, magnolias and daphnes lead spring charge

The twice-flowering magnolia Summer Magic delivers twice a year with strong, bold pink blooms. It flowers in spring and again in summer. Photo / Supplied

As we are on the cusp of the official start of spring, we are now in level 4 lockdown as I write this.

While the lockdown is viewed from a number of perspectives, If you are a gardener this can be a bonus time of "gardening leave" - a few days to tidy up the garden ready for spring planting.

The first of the summer bedding plants are due in-store in the next week. Early glasshouse vegetables are in stores already too.

August is a great time to get out and about and walking around our local streets, there are so many sights of spring being on its way.

Last weekend I took a trip to Bason reserve (on Rapanui Rd), which is always a favourite park to visit.

The daffodil area is worth a special trip and they are looking stunning at the moment. The neighbouring camellia garden is also in full bloom and worth a walk around while you are there.

Magnolias are looking great around the city at present. If you are looking for a show-stopping feature tree for your garden the magnolias are a good one to choose.

There are a range of colours and sizes of plants to choose from, including a new 2019 release called "Sentry".

Sentry is the first magnolia that we've seen that can grow in any garden, as its columnar form takes up so little space.

The blooms are tulip-shaped, have a spicy scent and are a rich pink-purple with a white interior. This tree is also hardy and easy to grow.

The unique feature though is its size - in 10 years you can expect Sentry to be around 3.5 metres high and only 1m wide. We are excited to have this exceptional new tree in-store now - numbers are limited, and once word gets out these trees will quickly disappear.

The blooms of magnolia Sentry are tulip-shaped, have a spicy scent and are a rich pink-purple with white interior. Photo / Supplied

Another new magnolia variety – a 2021 release - is "Summer Magic". What's so special about this one? It delivers twice a year with strong, bold pink blooms, flowering in spring and again in summer.

Summer Magi' has been bred by Vance Hooper in Taranaki and is described as having elegant, narrow, healthy foliage and is almost willow-like when it's not in flower. These trees have been admired for their foliage alone.

Summer Magic is the best summer-flowering magnolia we've seen and can be expected to grow quite slender and tall - the parent tree at 10 years old is 4m tall and 1.8m wide.

Also signalling the end of winter are the sweet smells of daphne and brown boronia.

There are three main varieties of daphne readily available, and most are highly fragrant. These are "daphne odora leucanthe", which has a pink flower and "daphne odora alba", which is white-flowered.

Then the relative newcomer, "daphne perfume princess"" which is pale pink but has a longer flowering time.

Daphne are relatively easy to grow as long as they are provided with favourable conditions. They prefer a site with morning sun and afternoon shade.

Good soil is a must, they are acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and camellias, and prefer well-drained, rich, fertile soil. If you have had difficulties growing daphne, the addition of Yates Hauraki Gold Peat Moss is recommended.

It helps improve soil quality in a number of ways, including, breaking up heavy clay soils and improving drainage. It also adds body to light soils, retaining extra moisture and nutrients.

Regular feeding with Tui Acid Fertiliser is recommended: four times a year (spring, summer, winter, autumn) generally gives good results.

A top-up dose of magnesium (epsom salts) during May and June and again in August will help maintain good health and strength as the plant develops into its final stages of flowering.

Daphne can be grown successfully in a pot. The secret to success is using a good potting mix, such as the Natural Bark brand of potting mix or Tui Pot Power, and positioning the pot in the preferred sun/shade situation, as mentioned above.

They can be heavy feeders - use a slow-release fertiliser such as Ican Slow Food when growing in pots, with a top-up of Burnets Gold Acid Fertiliser every three months.

Daffodils at the Bason Botanic Gardens. Photo / Supplied

Boronias come in a range of colours including pink, red, yellow and purple. The brown boronia, however, is the most popular and is highly scented.

What is intriguing is that a significant number of people cannot smell this magnificent scent. While boronias have a reputation for being difficult to grow, they are worth growing even if they only last a few years, for the fragrance they offer.

The ideal conditions for boronia are dappled light and well-drained soil. However, they do not like their roots drying out, so mulching is highly beneficial. They are also acid-loving plants so using peat moss as with the daphne is beneficial.

Feeding boronia should generally be avoided as they have a very low tolerance to phosphate. A light prune after flowering will encourage new growth and prevent the plant from getting woody.

Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre.