Gardening A to Z: D

Useful information for you, brought to you by Garden NZ

Introduction
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Daisy
A type of bloom characteristic of the large composite family of plants, though by no means all composites have a typical daisy ‘flower’. It is in fact a whole inflorescence (or unit of a larger inflorescence), consisting of a disc of tiny disc florets surrounded by a ring of more showy rays or ray florets.

Daltons
With many years experience in the horticulture industry, Daltons produce top quality "growing media" for both domestic and commercial markets.

Dave Vennell
Our products are predominantly crafted from Premium grade tanalised plantation grown Pinus Radiata. Both here and abroad, this resource is respected for its versatility and durability.

David Austin Roses
In 1956 David Austin, set about breeding a group of roses that would retain the desirable characteristics – such as fragrance, delicate petals and attractive foliage – of the old garden roses with the vigor of modern roses.

Daylilies
Daylilies are easy to grow in full sun or half day shade, tolerate all soils and attract no diseases in NZ. They require no sprays, tolerate drought and reward you with a wide colour range and a long blooming season.

Deadhead
To remove dead flowers, with the twofold aim of tidying up the plant and preventing it wasting energy in unwanted seed.

Debco
Debco Products are designed to make gardening easy, especially when you are leading a busy lifestyle. With Debco you can have 'a Garden and a Life'. Through our technical 'know-how' we have developed special techniques in water saving products, supreme potting mixes and mulches that will help you create your dream garden in a quick and easy no-mess way.

Decidious (of trees and shrubs)
Losing all the leaves each year, growing a fresh set later. Typically the leaves fall in Autumn, sometimes assuming brilliant colours before they do so, and new leaves grow in Spring. Many tropical trees drop at any time of the year in anticipation of a prolonged dry season. A tree that doesn’t drop all its leaves is called semi-deciduous

Die-back
The death of the tips of shoots or branches, sometimes followed by the death of the entire shoot. It can be caused by frost or disease.

Disease
An ailment of a plant caused by an infectious micro-organism, either fungal, bacterial or viral, or by a defect of environment such as a mineral deficiency in the soil, or an air pollutant. Infestations of most insects and other fauna are not regarded as diseases, except maybe for nematodes (eelworms) and some gall-producing insects.

Division
The simplest method of propagation, whereby a clump of plants is dug up and broken up into several pieces which are then replanted.

Discoveries in Gardening
All DIG lines are made from ANGEL aqua moss, which is well known for its long leafy strands and delicate coloring. But there is much more to this moss than meets the eye.

DIY – Mitre10
Mitre 10 Online is the Website that caters for all your home improvement needs. You can SHOP, seek DIY ADVICE or browse our TV SHOWS. From installing a watering system, to creating a garden pond, to lawn care and composting suggestions, our GARDEN ADVICE section offers a range of "How to" guides. You can also email your question to our expert.

Dormant
(of plants) In a state of non-growth, usually leafless or with leaves and stems having died back to the ground and the plant surviving as underground storage organs, thus evading winter cold or a dry season. (of seeds) In a state adapted to long-term survival and in which germination is not readily initiated. Seed dormancy can be broken in a variety of ways, including stratifying and scarifying of the seeds.

Double (of flowers)
Having more than the ‘natural’ number of petals. The extra petals are formed from stamens, and where these are completely transformed the flower is apt to be sterile. A flower with only a few extra petals and enough stamens for fertility is described as ‘semi-double’.

Downy (of leaves, fruits)
Having a coating of fine, short hairs, as on the skin of a peach.

Downy Mildew
A disease that tends to attack the underneath of plant foliage. It is mainly a problem during warm, damp weather.