Daltons Growing Ideas Newsletter Issue 76 - July 2026
Daltons Growing Ideas
Kia ora,
Brrrr, winter has well and truly settled in, with short days, cold nights and frosts for many parts of the country.
This month, we’re sharing practical winter gardening jobs, rose planting tips from our friends at Amore Roses, and our new nutrition segment with Registered Clinical Nutritionist Melanie Storey.
You’ll also find advice on feijoas, Asian greens, hardwood cuttings and garlic, plus winter recipes to make the most of your harvest.
Congratulations to Barbara Donald, winner of our fruit tree pack and books, and Julia Butler, who is also receiving a fruit tree pack for her great question about lemon trees and borer.
Keep warm and happy growing,
The Daltons Team
July Gardening Tasks
Plant winter veg, learn how to choose the best daphne plant and care for flowering cyclamen, harvest citrus, take hardwood cuttings, and prune, plant or move roses while they are dormant.
Time to plant roses. We asked Briony Barnett from Amore Roses what trends she's seeing.
"Fragrance is big this season and gardeners are choosing roses for their scent as much as their looks. Hybrid tea rose varieties are popular too, with one beautiful bloom per stem, they are great for cutting and bringing inside.And when it comes to colour, pastels are having a real moment as people move away from bold tones."
Briony also shares some helpful tips on planting - watch the video 👉
We're excited to introduce a new monthly segment - Nourished from the Gardenwith Melanie Storey. She is multi-talented and not only works on our Quality Assurance here at Daltons, but is also a Registered Clinical Nutritionist, and founder of Elani Wellness and Nutrition.
Each month she will be connecting what you grow in the garden with how it can support your health, from gut health and energy to hormones and seasonal eating.
This month, Melanie is focusing on broccoli, a nutrient-dense vegetable, and shares a few helpful tips on how to eat and store it.
Got Feijoa Questions? You're Not Alone
Feijoas are one of our most asked-about topics right now; variety selection, planting timing, getting larger fruit, and pruning without affecting next season's crop. Our guide below covers it all.
✔ Prune late autumn to early/mid winter (March-July), before new growth begins.
✔ Limited space? Self-fertile varieties like Unique and Bambina™ will crop happily on their own.
✔ Plant two varieties within 2–5 metres of each other, even self-fertile ones, for larger fruit and a bigger harvest.
Expand Your Garden With Hardwood Cuttings
Take hardwood cuttings from woody plants like roses, corokia, griselinia and buxus. Whether you're pruning anyway or specifically looking to grow more plants, it's one of the easiest ways to fill a hedge, extend a border or plug a gap in the garden.
Asian greens thrive in the cooler months. They grow quickly and are packed with nutrients, ready to go straight from garden to the kitchen in just a few weeks. Varieties include bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna and pak choi.
Explore our latest guide for growing tips and popular varieties to get you started.
If you haven't planted your garlic yet, don't stress, you've still got time! Garlic can go in anytime from April through to the end of July.
Choose a sunny spot with free-draining soil and mix in Daltons Premium Bulb Mix for a solid start.
No garden bed? Garlic grows well in pots, just make sure the container is at least 20cm deep with good drainage.
Once shoots appear, feed with Daltons Premium Bulb Fertiliser to support bulb development through spring.
Watch how to plant garlic below 👇
Tried Elephant Garlic?
If you haven't tried Elephant Garlic, it's worth a go. Bulbs are impressively large, and the flavour is milder and sweeter, great roasted or anywhere you want garlic without the punch.
When life gets busy, one-pan dishes are a timesaver. Tender chicken, fluffy rice and caramelised lemon slices all cooked together in one pan, so less fuss, less washing up, and a meal the whole family will enjoy. If you've got a fruiting lemon tree in the garden, time to put it to work.
