What glorious weather we are getting at last, but with it comes the dry ground!! it is so important to keep moisture around the roots of all plants and trees right now because if you are going to loose anything because of the dry conditions it will be during this month and March. At the end of March we will get dews again to help parched plants along but for the next two months it is up to the gardener.
There is so much to do right now, dead heading roses, cutting just about anything that has flowered back, getting rid of weeds before they run to seed and yes watering and more watering. The one thing we can hold off from at this hot time of the year is planting, unless you are able to water new plantings daily.
Lavenders can be topped now to encourage new flowers, its just a matter of cutting off the old flowers unless the bush has gone ugly and woody then take it right back to the ground and it will soon send up some nice new soft growth.
I have been cutting my well established buddlias right back to the ground also, They get really tall and woody if you let them, their new soft growth is much more attractive than new growth on old wood. Buddlias are such great gap fillers for big gardens with such beautiful flowers that attract butterfly's but it is not worth planting them if you are not prepared to cut them off at ground level every now and then.
Bulbs are arriving in Garden centers now as late summer is the traditional time to plant winter and spring flowering bulbs.
Providing a well drained soil or potting mix (if putting in pots) will ensure success with most bulbs. Drainage in heavy soils can be improved by working in a generous layer of gravel prior to planting. The general rule when planting bulbs is that the depth of the soil above the bulb should be about twice the length of the bulb. Now days planting instructions and where to plant are offered on bulb packets. If it says full sun, shade or semi shade then that is where they must be planted to preform at their best.
Roses are delivering us their second batch of blooms right now, after all the overcast weather and now these dry conditions my roses are not the healthy specimens they were at the start of their growing season. I have been removing rust and black spot diseased leaves as I decided not to spray this year. My trial this year was to foliar feed as much as possible to keep the roses healthy but with all the overcast weather last month the leaves needed to be kept dry to not encourage mildew and fungus.Deep root watering only and keeping the leaves dry has worked so for me, there is no sign of the usual mildew and I don't mind having to remove the black spot and rust leaves by not spraying in the hope the roses will build up a stronger resistance.
I have been removing masses of oxygen and duck weed from my ponds and using it to mulch around plants, it is wonderful as a mulch and should add a lot of goodness to the ground as it breaks down. Ponds can get a bit murky at this time of the year, if you think your pond is stagnant and producing lots of green slime add some non sprayed straw and weigh it down with rocks. This will soon neutralise the water and get the pond working the way it should.
Keep water up to the vegetables, don't leave veg past it's best along side healthy vegetables and always rotate plantings of leafy veg with root veg to eliminate disease being passed on.
Mound soil up around the roots of corn not ready yet, and keep an eye on the pumpkin patch, their leaves soon let you know when they need water to help them grow into prize winning pumpkins.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Gardening in North Otago February 5th 2010
What glorious weather we are getting at last, but with it comes the dry ground!! it is so important to keep moisture around the roots of all plants and trees right now because if you are going to loose anything because of the dry conditions it will be during this month and March. At the end of March we will get dews again to help parched plants along but for the next two months it is up to the gardener.
There is so much to do right now, dead heading roses, cutting just about anything that has flowered back, getting rid of weeds before they run to seed and yes watering and more watering. The one thing we can hold off from at this hot time of the year is planting, unless you are able to water new plantings daily.
Lavenders can be topped now to encourage new flowers, its just a matter of cutting off the old flowers unless the bush has gone ugly and woody then take it right back to the ground and it will soon send up some nice new soft growth.
I have been cutting my well established buddlias right back to the ground also, They get really tall and woody if you let them, their new soft growth is much more attractive than new growth on old wood. Buddlias are such great gap fillers for big gardens with such beautiful flowers that attract butterfly's but it is not worth planting them if you are not prepared to cut them off at ground level every now and then.
Bulbs are arriving in Garden centers now as late summer is the traditional time to plant winter and spring flowering bulbs.
Providing a well drained soil or potting mix (if putting in pots) will ensure success with most bulbs. Drainage in heavy soils can be improved by working in a generous layer of gravel prior to planting. The general rule when planting bulbs is that the depth of the soil above the bulb should be about twice the length of the bulb. Now days planting instructions and where to plant are offered on bulb packets. If it says full sun, shade or semi shade then that is where they must be planted to preform at their best.
Roses are delivering us their second batch of blooms right now, after all the overcast weather and now these dry conditions my roses are not the healthy specimens they were at the start of their growing season. I have been removing rust and black spot diseased leaves as I decided not to spray this year. My trial this year was to foliar feed as much as possible to keep the roses healthy but with all the overcast weather last month the leaves needed to be kept dry to not encourage mildew and fungus.Deep root watering only and keeping the leaves dry has worked so for me, there is no sign of the usual mildew and I don't mind having to remove the black spot and rust leaves by not spraying in the hope the roses will build up a stronger resistance.
I have been removing masses of oxygen and duck weed from my ponds and using it to mulch around plants, it is wonderful as a mulch and should add a lot of goodness to the ground as it breaks down. Ponds can get a bit murky at this time of the year, if you think your pond is stagnant and producing lots of green slime add some non sprayed straw and weigh it down with rocks. This will soon neutralise the water and get the pond working the way it should.
Keep water up to the vegetables, don't leave veg past it's best along side healthy vegetables and always rotate plantings of leafy veg with root veg to eliminate disease being passed on.
Mound soil up around the roots of corn not ready yet, and keep an eye on the pumpkin patch, their leaves soon let you know when they need water to help them grow into prize winning pumpkins.
There is so much to do right now, dead heading roses, cutting just about anything that has flowered back, getting rid of weeds before they run to seed and yes watering and more watering. The one thing we can hold off from at this hot time of the year is planting, unless you are able to water new plantings daily.
Lavenders can be topped now to encourage new flowers, its just a matter of cutting off the old flowers unless the bush has gone ugly and woody then take it right back to the ground and it will soon send up some nice new soft growth.
I have been cutting my well established buddlias right back to the ground also, They get really tall and woody if you let them, their new soft growth is much more attractive than new growth on old wood. Buddlias are such great gap fillers for big gardens with such beautiful flowers that attract butterfly's but it is not worth planting them if you are not prepared to cut them off at ground level every now and then.
Bulbs are arriving in Garden centers now as late summer is the traditional time to plant winter and spring flowering bulbs.
Providing a well drained soil or potting mix (if putting in pots) will ensure success with most bulbs. Drainage in heavy soils can be improved by working in a generous layer of gravel prior to planting. The general rule when planting bulbs is that the depth of the soil above the bulb should be about twice the length of the bulb. Now days planting instructions and where to plant are offered on bulb packets. If it says full sun, shade or semi shade then that is where they must be planted to preform at their best.
Roses are delivering us their second batch of blooms right now, after all the overcast weather and now these dry conditions my roses are not the healthy specimens they were at the start of their growing season. I have been removing rust and black spot diseased leaves as I decided not to spray this year. My trial this year was to foliar feed as much as possible to keep the roses healthy but with all the overcast weather last month the leaves needed to be kept dry to not encourage mildew and fungus.Deep root watering only and keeping the leaves dry has worked so for me, there is no sign of the usual mildew and I don't mind having to remove the black spot and rust leaves by not spraying in the hope the roses will build up a stronger resistance.
I have been removing masses of oxygen and duck weed from my ponds and using it to mulch around plants, it is wonderful as a mulch and should add a lot of goodness to the ground as it breaks down. Ponds can get a bit murky at this time of the year, if you think your pond is stagnant and producing lots of green slime add some non sprayed straw and weigh it down with rocks. This will soon neutralise the water and get the pond working the way it should.
Keep water up to the vegetables, don't leave veg past it's best along side healthy vegetables and always rotate plantings of leafy veg with root veg to eliminate disease being passed on.
Mound soil up around the roots of corn not ready yet, and keep an eye on the pumpkin patch, their leaves soon let you know when they need water to help them grow into prize winning pumpkins.
Gardening in North Otago 28th January 2010
Sunshine at last and such heat, things have dried out in a matter of days.
The plants that seem to have suffered the most are the rhododendrons, I have had to buy a large bale of peat to spread around the roots and water in, I mixed it with some vormacast to make it go further. A good long soak is best for a dry Rhododendron and then a shift to another location in the garden if the area in which it is growing is too dry for it.
If you have another spot to transplant it to then dig a hole twice as large as needed and half fill with peat, soak the peat and push around the rhodo roots, cover with soil and mulch with wet straw. The recovered rodo will probably show signs of stress next season by developing brown tips on its leaves. This is ok if you know the Rodo is doing better, just cut the brown tips off.
It is not unusual for some deciduous plants to loose all their summer leaves in these dry conditions and then grow another lot when it is cooler. If there are still signs of green when you break a twig you will know that your bush or tree is still alive and will probably recover. If the twig is brittle and snaps off then you have lost it. Mulching is so important now to take the garden into what could be a long dry Autumn. All bulbs that have died down will need a good watering and mulched to hold the moisture in, from now on is when bulbs dry out and whole clumps can disappear if thy get too dry for too long.
I have been dead heading roses and feeding for the next lot of blooms, cutting lavenders and bunching for dried lavender. If you have very woody lavenders it's a good time right now to cut them right back almost to the ground. They will regrow fresh and bushy and make hard wood again before winter, Keep cutting back all early summer perennials and shrubs before they made seed. Cutting will promote a new lot of blooms, but remember to feed what you cut back because they will need it to make the new growth required of them.
Lawn weeds can be sprayed out during theses warm days, use the right product that kills the weeds and not the grass. There are a few on offer even one that weeds and feeds at the same time. Then pray for a good rain and apply lawn fertiliser while it's raining.
The weeds have gone mad in the vegetable garden after the few warm days, get them out before they seed and keep planting as you use, rotating leaf veg and root veg to eliminate disease being passed on to the new planting from the same old plantings.
i.e where carrots have been growing plant lettuce.
I have sown carrots and parsnips to be ready at the end of the growing season.
The plants that seem to have suffered the most are the rhododendrons, I have had to buy a large bale of peat to spread around the roots and water in, I mixed it with some vormacast to make it go further. A good long soak is best for a dry Rhododendron and then a shift to another location in the garden if the area in which it is growing is too dry for it.
If you have another spot to transplant it to then dig a hole twice as large as needed and half fill with peat, soak the peat and push around the rhodo roots, cover with soil and mulch with wet straw. The recovered rodo will probably show signs of stress next season by developing brown tips on its leaves. This is ok if you know the Rodo is doing better, just cut the brown tips off.
It is not unusual for some deciduous plants to loose all their summer leaves in these dry conditions and then grow another lot when it is cooler. If there are still signs of green when you break a twig you will know that your bush or tree is still alive and will probably recover. If the twig is brittle and snaps off then you have lost it. Mulching is so important now to take the garden into what could be a long dry Autumn. All bulbs that have died down will need a good watering and mulched to hold the moisture in, from now on is when bulbs dry out and whole clumps can disappear if thy get too dry for too long.
I have been dead heading roses and feeding for the next lot of blooms, cutting lavenders and bunching for dried lavender. If you have very woody lavenders it's a good time right now to cut them right back almost to the ground. They will regrow fresh and bushy and make hard wood again before winter, Keep cutting back all early summer perennials and shrubs before they made seed. Cutting will promote a new lot of blooms, but remember to feed what you cut back because they will need it to make the new growth required of them.
Lawn weeds can be sprayed out during theses warm days, use the right product that kills the weeds and not the grass. There are a few on offer even one that weeds and feeds at the same time. Then pray for a good rain and apply lawn fertiliser while it's raining.
The weeds have gone mad in the vegetable garden after the few warm days, get them out before they seed and keep planting as you use, rotating leaf veg and root veg to eliminate disease being passed on to the new planting from the same old plantings.
i.e where carrots have been growing plant lettuce.
I have sown carrots and parsnips to be ready at the end of the growing season.
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