Gardening A to Z: G

Useful information for you, brought to you by Garden NZ

Introduction
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z

Garden Doctor
See The Garden Doctor.

Garden Enterprises
Garden Enterprises and Information Ltd, is a wholesale and Mail Order Company that is dedicated to bringing safe to use and organic solutions to common gardening problems. The owner, Wally Richards, is also a gardening writer with a weekly readership of about half a million gardeners through out New Zealand.

Garden Grip Gloves
GARDEN GRIP GLOVES are a tough new design that takes care of all those old garden glove problems.

Garden Room Gifts
Looking for Unique Garden Gifts? Their aim is to bring you an exclusive range of accessories and gifts, suitable for conservatories and gardens. They source their products from within New Zealand and overseas concentrating on quality products not readily seen here.

Garden Pools
Garden Pools formerly known as Industrial Plastics, has been manufacturing pools and products since approximately 1973, mainly supplying garden centres and watergarden specialist outlets throughout New Zealand.

Garden Treasures
Garden Treasures is a small Christchurch nursery with a treasure trove of rockery, alpine and perennial plants from old fashioned favourites to the rare and unusual, including potted bulbs, hostas, and other woodland plants.

GardenMax
An innovative garden design company from the Christchurch area.

Gardenz
The Great New Zealand Garden Show Gardenz was established in 1991 and is the largest and most popular garden show in the South Island, attracting exhibitors from all over New Zealand.

Garlic
Garlic is not only good; it is good for you too. Garlic's amazing medicinal properties as well as its' delicious taste has led to its' ever increasing popularity. Increasingly, doctors & researchers the world over are confirming what the Chinese have known for 4000 years; garlic is an effective weapon against heart disease, cholesterol, parasites and many forms of cancer.

Genus
A group of species which have sufficient in common to be classed as closely related; the name is always Latin. For example, roses are members of the genus Rosa, and both the smoking and ornamental tobaccos are of the genus Nicotiana.

Glasshouses
A structure, traditionally roofed and clad with glass but now often with polythene sheeting, designed to trap the sun’s heat and thus allow warmth loving plants to be grown in cool climates. Supplementary heating may be provided.

  • Christies Glasshouses
  • Eden Glasshouses
  • Greenhouse – Redpath

Glaucous (of leaves)
Bluish grey, a more accurate description for the many conifers sold as having ‘blue’ leaves.

Grafted Tomatoes
One question I get asked every year is should I buy grafted tomatoes over seedling tomatoes. I choose grafted ones because they produce an above average crop of tomatoes each season.

Grafting
A method of propagation which involves the uniting of a piece of stem of a desirable plant, the ‘scion’, to that of a less desirable one, the ‘stock’ or ‘understock’, to give a stronger root system than the scion would have naturally. Many different techniques for grafting have been employed.

Grapefruit
See Citrus.

Grass
Any member of the very large grass family (Poaceae or Gramineae). Grasses are mostly tufted or creeping plants with narrow leaves and much-reduced flowers born in large inflorescences, consisting of spikelets each containing one to several florets. The cereals are grasses which produce edible grains (seeds) in large quantities. Lawns are almost invariably composed of grasses. Enthusiasts for ornamental grasses often include superficially similar plants such as the sedges (Cyperaceae) in their concept of 'grass'.

Grasses
New Zealand grasses are tough and versatile and are available in an extensive range of colours. They are especially effective in mass plantings.

Green Manure
A crop of annual plants grown to be dug into the soil at maturity to improve or restore its fertility; most useful are some annual legumes, such as lupins and cowpeas, as these absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to plant food; green manures also improve soil texture.

Greenhouse
Originally a lavishly windowed structure where evergreen plants were placed to keep them from winter cold; but now synonymous with ‘glasshouse’.

  • Redpath greenhouses has been manufacturing greenhouses & shadehouses for the home for more than 25 years. Redpath greenhouses may be ordered through your local garden center or on-line directly from Redpath via their web site www.greenhouse.co.nz using their shopping cart feature.

Greymould
Also known as Botrytis, a disease found on some plants. Watch out for it especially in cooler conditions as it can spread rapidly.

Ground Cover
An extensive planting of a single species of low-growing plants, intended to carpet the ground with foliage and suppress weeds. Also, a plant suitable for such use.

Growing Season
The time of year in which a particular plant makes its maximum growth of stems and foliage; usually late Spring and Summer, though for some plants from mild climates with dry summers it may be Autumn or Winter.

Gubba Garden Products
A range of quality garden products to help you get more organised in the garden