Still dry! and autumn wants to start early because of it, I have the last wedding of the season tomorrow and the garden is JUST holding on. Next week I can get really stuck in after a nice lot of rain I hope.
In the garden Autumn marks the end of the main growing season and brings in a time of gathering and tidying.
Save news papers from now on because they make a wonderful weed suppressant under what ever you are going to mulch with, be it straw or fine bark or a good well cooked compost. Before any mulching takes place the ground needs to be moist and the news paper wet as it is laid down over the wet dirt. The thickness of an Oamaru mail will do the trick. I find I need to wait until I have raked all the leaves up in some areas before I can mulch otherwise the mulch comes off with the leaves.
Get ever green shrubs and trees in now while the ground is still warm, stake to protect from the strong winds and water in well. Leave a large plastic container of water with a drip hole beside each new planting.
Any hedges not trimmed yet should be cut without delay to allow new growth to harden off a little before winter.
On the coast cut back marguerite daisies, geraniums, and pelargoniums to encourage strong new growth, the prunings can then become soft cuttings planted out in trays of river sand until they develop roots. Then pot them up in potting mix but keep them protected until after the frosts before planting out.
In colder areas soft cuttings can be take from a lot of your summer flowering perennials and annuals but they will need to be raised indoors with good light and a plastic cover held up away from touching the plants and placed in a warm draught free place. These plants can be stock plants and once they bush up in spring cuttings can be taken from them to produce summer flowering plants. Impatiens, begonias, geraniums and hydrangea are some you can try.
If you are dealing with soil or mix that will not re-wet and the water just runs off it because it has dried out during this long spell of rain-free weather, it can get to the point where it won't absorb water.
Break it up, keep adding water until it begins to look wetter, then dig or fork through compost for the water to soak into to increase the water retention capacity. If it's an ongoing problem in your garden bed or planter box, add a wetting agent from the garden centre to the mix.
The Lawn
With autumn around the corner and temperatures starting to cool down it is time to turn attention to your lawns. After a long hot summer existing lawns need some TLC and the sooner you do this the better they will look for the autumn and into the winter months. If your lawn is looking tired, yellow, full of weeds or just a little thin then it's time for a late summer rejuvenation.
• Fertilise and water in well to encourage strong growth. Animal manure put through a mulch er with some lime would be organic and it would not burn the lawns, I have started to spread and water mix this in.
• Spray weeds with a broad range weed killer.
• About 3 weeks later de-thatch or rake out the dry dead grass build up in the lawn to create a good seed bed.
• Over sow bare or weak areas with the appropriate seed mixed into fine compost and keep the water up until you get a strike.
Veg:
• Powdery Mildew on leaves is the result of high temperatures and intermittent rain, often prevalent when vegetables such as courgettes are watered in the evenings. Mix I cup of milk into 1 litre of water and spray over plants.
• Bacterial leaf spots appearing on veggies such as broccoli and tomatoes could well be the result of overhead watering in this heat. Don't put the sprinkler on - use a soak hose and get the water to the roots where the plants really need it.
• Cut back tired herbs such as thyme, rosemary and mint and they'll put on fresh growth. Don't over water basil - it likes the dry heat and will keep growing until May.
Spry leafy greens often with fish based liquid food to deter the butterfly's.
• Courgettes (zucchini) haven't been pollinating in areas of high humidity - the female flowers have small unformed courgettes at the end of them, so find a male flower and push some of the pollen into the female flowers.
• An autumn crop of lettuces, parsley and coriander will do well now, liquid feed at planting and water regularly so they do not 'bolt'.
• Harvest garlic and onions -
Cheers, Linda.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Gardening in North Otago March 19th 2010
Another dry week with Autumn making a start... leaves, leaves, leaves, another wedding in the garden tomorrow so again things are full on keeping things look fresh as they are slowly drying up!!
Nights are cooling off now which is a blessing for dry parched plants, deep watering and mulching is the only way to save precious shrubs now. My rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas are really suffering and with such a big garden I am spotting everyday shrubs that have missed being watered.
Continue to remove spent summer annuals and always fork in and fresh compost and wet well before replanting beds. Be on the look out for useful self sown seedlings like fox glove, lupin, cineraria, and primula melacoides, they can be transplanted now to settle in before winter. Plants for spring and winter flowering can be planted out now on the coast even though there has been no rain, as long as the ground is well watered before they go in and new plantings are shaded from the hot autumn sun until the days are cooler. These plants will keep making strong feeder roots over winter and be well ahead of any thing planted in early spring. Plants that will go through the winter are, antrrhinum, calendula, iceland poppy, stock, pansy, primrose, pollyanthus, viola and wall flowers. This will not work further inland where the ground freezes.
Lift gladioli now and store in a dry place, if left in the ground they may be attacked by pests.
This is the best time to plant conifers, which in my mind have a place in any garden as winter interest when gardens are bare and uninteresting. Conifers come in many shades and sizes and the size given on any conifer label is only up to 10 years. No mater how small they are said to grow they all keep growing to a larger size than the 10 year size given. Don't be afraid to cut out conifers that have out grown their space, I had 4 20 year old conifers cut out this week and will build up the soil where they were growing and start again in the same place with new conifers.
Get that grass seed in now, the cooler nights and mornings are allowing the moisture to remain longer after watering and a strike will happen pretty fast as the ground is still nice and warm.
I am really wanting to dethatch my lawns but have decided to wait until all the weddings are over which will be after next weekend. The dry weather encourages thatch to build up around the grass roots and lawns can become thick, with it killing out the good grass.
Keep an eye out for the first early frosts if you still have pumpkins and corn to harvest, dry off pumpkin and squash skins before storing them in a cool dry place.
The birds are making a feast of apples and late peaches, if they are eating them then they will be ready to pick and use. Apples can be stored in a cool dry place for ages.
Cheers, Linda.
Nights are cooling off now which is a blessing for dry parched plants, deep watering and mulching is the only way to save precious shrubs now. My rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas are really suffering and with such a big garden I am spotting everyday shrubs that have missed being watered.
Continue to remove spent summer annuals and always fork in and fresh compost and wet well before replanting beds. Be on the look out for useful self sown seedlings like fox glove, lupin, cineraria, and primula melacoides, they can be transplanted now to settle in before winter. Plants for spring and winter flowering can be planted out now on the coast even though there has been no rain, as long as the ground is well watered before they go in and new plantings are shaded from the hot autumn sun until the days are cooler. These plants will keep making strong feeder roots over winter and be well ahead of any thing planted in early spring. Plants that will go through the winter are, antrrhinum, calendula, iceland poppy, stock, pansy, primrose, pollyanthus, viola and wall flowers. This will not work further inland where the ground freezes.
Lift gladioli now and store in a dry place, if left in the ground they may be attacked by pests.
This is the best time to plant conifers, which in my mind have a place in any garden as winter interest when gardens are bare and uninteresting. Conifers come in many shades and sizes and the size given on any conifer label is only up to 10 years. No mater how small they are said to grow they all keep growing to a larger size than the 10 year size given. Don't be afraid to cut out conifers that have out grown their space, I had 4 20 year old conifers cut out this week and will build up the soil where they were growing and start again in the same place with new conifers.
Get that grass seed in now, the cooler nights and mornings are allowing the moisture to remain longer after watering and a strike will happen pretty fast as the ground is still nice and warm.
I am really wanting to dethatch my lawns but have decided to wait until all the weddings are over which will be after next weekend. The dry weather encourages thatch to build up around the grass roots and lawns can become thick, with it killing out the good grass.
Keep an eye out for the first early frosts if you still have pumpkins and corn to harvest, dry off pumpkin and squash skins before storing them in a cool dry place.
The birds are making a feast of apples and late peaches, if they are eating them then they will be ready to pick and use. Apples can be stored in a cool dry place for ages.
Cheers, Linda.
Gardening in North Otago February 26th 2010
Another lovely week but oh so dry.
Parts of my garden are really tired now, particularly the long boarders which I plan to attack this weekend!
Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering and top dress the clumps with compost.
To get superior blooms on gerberas, dahlias, delphiniums and chrysanthemums give fortnightly feeds of liquid fertiliser, remove excess buds from large flowering chrysanthemums.
I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer by being shifted at this time of the year even if the water was kept up to them. Best to wait until the end of Autumn when the sap has gone down in most plants.
However trees and shrubs can be wrenched to cushion them from the shock of being moved at this time of the year. Wrenching is when one half of the roots are dug around and lifted, then compost is added under them which will encourage new feeder roots to grow into the compost. It is important to keep the water up once roots have been cut or disturbed. The tree or shrub will survive with being fed from the remaining untouched roots. Wrenched trees and shrubs have a much higher transplant success rate than tress and shrubs that are lifted in one and transplanted. Wrench now and transplant in winter when plants are dormant.
I am gathering seeds for planting next spring an with all this hot weather there are plenty to be had, like foxglove, poppy, dianthus, lupin, marigold, sweet pea, even rhododendron and azalea.
Store them away in a dry place in brown paper bags and plant them into seed raising mix at the end of winter.
Watering plants is a priority now but it is best not to water in the heat of the day, wait until it cools down and your plants will absorb and retain the moisture.
Mulching is also beneficial right now, but always apply mulch to ground that has been well soaked then forget about watering for a while because the mulch will do the job of keeping that moisture in the ground.
If you are thinking of sowing lawn this autumn, prepare the ground now by getting rid of perennial weeds which is easily done by using round up then rotary hoe the area to ensure there will be no hard pan, then rake and rake to create a fine tilth on top. Then test the PH and if it is very acid adjust to about 6 with dolomite lime. The lime will take a few months to be absorbed so leave applying fertiliser to your new lawn until Spring. Then once or twice a year there after.
The vegetable garden should be abundant now, keep the water up to corn and pumpkins to ensure a juicy crop, they both need a long ripening season.
Dig out old spent strawberry plants that have finished cropping and discard, Plants that are being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps.
Cheers, Linda
Parts of my garden are really tired now, particularly the long boarders which I plan to attack this weekend!
Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering and top dress the clumps with compost.
To get superior blooms on gerberas, dahlias, delphiniums and chrysanthemums give fortnightly feeds of liquid fertiliser, remove excess buds from large flowering chrysanthemums.
I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer by being shifted at this time of the year even if the water was kept up to them. Best to wait until the end of Autumn when the sap has gone down in most plants.
However trees and shrubs can be wrenched to cushion them from the shock of being moved at this time of the year. Wrenching is when one half of the roots are dug around and lifted, then compost is added under them which will encourage new feeder roots to grow into the compost. It is important to keep the water up once roots have been cut or disturbed. The tree or shrub will survive with being fed from the remaining untouched roots. Wrenched trees and shrubs have a much higher transplant success rate than tress and shrubs that are lifted in one and transplanted. Wrench now and transplant in winter when plants are dormant.
I am gathering seeds for planting next spring an with all this hot weather there are plenty to be had, like foxglove, poppy, dianthus, lupin, marigold, sweet pea, even rhododendron and azalea.
Store them away in a dry place in brown paper bags and plant them into seed raising mix at the end of winter.
Watering plants is a priority now but it is best not to water in the heat of the day, wait until it cools down and your plants will absorb and retain the moisture.
Mulching is also beneficial right now, but always apply mulch to ground that has been well soaked then forget about watering for a while because the mulch will do the job of keeping that moisture in the ground.
If you are thinking of sowing lawn this autumn, prepare the ground now by getting rid of perennial weeds which is easily done by using round up then rotary hoe the area to ensure there will be no hard pan, then rake and rake to create a fine tilth on top. Then test the PH and if it is very acid adjust to about 6 with dolomite lime. The lime will take a few months to be absorbed so leave applying fertiliser to your new lawn until Spring. Then once or twice a year there after.
The vegetable garden should be abundant now, keep the water up to corn and pumpkins to ensure a juicy crop, they both need a long ripening season.
Dig out old spent strawberry plants that have finished cropping and discard, Plants that are being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps.
Cheers, Linda
Gardening in North Otago February 19th 2010
What a wonderful rain we got on Thursday night, just what North Otago was wanting, I have another wedding here tomorrow so was glad of it.
I have been cutting back so much I am afraid of getting rsi in my fingers!! but it all has to go if it has died back to encourage new fresh growth.
February: can be a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants.
Why? Because by late summer the soft new spring growth has hardened and the cutting is less likely to lose water from the leaves.
Semi-succulent plants like geraniums (Pelargoniums) or impatiens are easiest for beginners, but many common shrubs such as abelia, buxus, lavenders,camellias, azaleas, fuchsias and hebe's have a relatively high success rate.
The trick when growing plants from cuttings lies in keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots.
Professional nurserymen do this by growing cuttings in glasshouses where they’re regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there
are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Try these:
Take cuttings early in the morning, while it’s still cool. Choose tip pieces that are about 100- 150 mm long. Wrap immediately in damp newspaper and then in plastic.
Work in the shade. Fill pots with Seed Raising Mix and water well. Allow to drain.
Trim the base of the cutting so that it ends just below a leaf node (which is where the leaf is, or has been, attached to the stem).
Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top. Large leaves can be cut in half (with scissors or sharp secateurs) to further reduce water loss. Dip the base of the cutting into hormone Gel or powder.
Use a pencil to poke holes in the top of the mix a 150mm pot can hold about six cuttings.
Insert the base of each cutting into a hole and gently move the mix back to hold it in place.
When the pot is full of cuttings, water carefully.
Place the pot in a lightly shaded spot, out of direct sunlight and Ideally, cover with plastic wrap.
Use wire hoops made out of an old coat hanger or chopsticks to support the plastic and keep it above the cuttings.
Check regularly to make sure the mix stays moist.
After a couple of months, gently move the stems to feel if they’re firm. This will mean roots have started. When roots are established,
new plants can be moved into individual pots filled with good quality potting mix and fed with a gentle liquid fertiliser such as Fish Emulsion.
Plant these cuttings out in spring.
I keep on about planting bulbs, they are in the shops and they want to be in the ground now.
A bulb comes ready-equipped with the promise of a flower. In its previous growing season the bulb did all the work
of flowering, and the embryo flower is now safely stored within the bulb. It’s just waiting for the right moisture
and temperature triggers to start growing.
In all but the warmest areas, bulbs can be left in the ground from one year to the next, but good feeding’s the secret to ongoing success.
Water the growing bulb regularly with soluble Flower & Fruit fertiliser Continue feeding this way every one or two weeks,
even after flowering, until the leaves have died down completely. Good drainage is important, too.
If soil stays wet for long periods (especially during cold weather) your bulbs will simply rot away.
Vegetables:
Keep sowing veg seeds like carrot, beetroot, parsnip, spring onion, and keeping onions and lettuce because there is plenty of growing time left.
to germinate seeds before the frost start again.
Feed citrus trees with citrus food and spray any scale you notice with winter oil.
Cheers, Linda
I have been cutting back so much I am afraid of getting rsi in my fingers!! but it all has to go if it has died back to encourage new fresh growth.
February: can be a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants.
Why? Because by late summer the soft new spring growth has hardened and the cutting is less likely to lose water from the leaves.
Semi-succulent plants like geraniums (Pelargoniums) or impatiens are easiest for beginners, but many common shrubs such as abelia, buxus, lavenders,camellias, azaleas, fuchsias and hebe's have a relatively high success rate.
The trick when growing plants from cuttings lies in keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots.
Professional nurserymen do this by growing cuttings in glasshouses where they’re regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there
are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Try these:
Take cuttings early in the morning, while it’s still cool. Choose tip pieces that are about 100- 150 mm long. Wrap immediately in damp newspaper and then in plastic.
Work in the shade. Fill pots with Seed Raising Mix and water well. Allow to drain.
Trim the base of the cutting so that it ends just below a leaf node (which is where the leaf is, or has been, attached to the stem).
Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top. Large leaves can be cut in half (with scissors or sharp secateurs) to further reduce water loss. Dip the base of the cutting into hormone Gel or powder.
Use a pencil to poke holes in the top of the mix a 150mm pot can hold about six cuttings.
Insert the base of each cutting into a hole and gently move the mix back to hold it in place.
When the pot is full of cuttings, water carefully.
Place the pot in a lightly shaded spot, out of direct sunlight and Ideally, cover with plastic wrap.
Use wire hoops made out of an old coat hanger or chopsticks to support the plastic and keep it above the cuttings.
Check regularly to make sure the mix stays moist.
After a couple of months, gently move the stems to feel if they’re firm. This will mean roots have started. When roots are established,
new plants can be moved into individual pots filled with good quality potting mix and fed with a gentle liquid fertiliser such as Fish Emulsion.
Plant these cuttings out in spring.
I keep on about planting bulbs, they are in the shops and they want to be in the ground now.
A bulb comes ready-equipped with the promise of a flower. In its previous growing season the bulb did all the work
of flowering, and the embryo flower is now safely stored within the bulb. It’s just waiting for the right moisture
and temperature triggers to start growing.
In all but the warmest areas, bulbs can be left in the ground from one year to the next, but good feeding’s the secret to ongoing success.
Water the growing bulb regularly with soluble Flower & Fruit fertiliser Continue feeding this way every one or two weeks,
even after flowering, until the leaves have died down completely. Good drainage is important, too.
If soil stays wet for long periods (especially during cold weather) your bulbs will simply rot away.
Vegetables:
Keep sowing veg seeds like carrot, beetroot, parsnip, spring onion, and keeping onions and lettuce because there is plenty of growing time left.
to germinate seeds before the frost start again.
Feed citrus trees with citrus food and spray any scale you notice with winter oil.
Cheers, Linda
Gardening in North Otago February 12th 2010
What glorious weather and a little rain earlier in the week to help things along.
It is so important now to cut plants that have finished flowering back if you want the plants to grow back with a new lot of fresh leaves to fill the gaps. If you let things run to seed as they want to right now some perennials and annuals will give up because they have made seed to take their place.
Seed collecting:
However if it is seed collecting you want then it is time to start collecting now. Always store seed in brown paper bags and leave in a dark dry place until required. Seeds collected now can be planted now as nature intended or sowing can be done in the spring. Spring sowing will work better some times, hot summer sowing will usually result in fewer seedlings surviving.
Seeds to collect now would be delphinium, aqualegia, dianthus, poppy, marigold, rhododendron,sweet pea, lilies, violas & Pansy's, all of these will do well planted into seed raising mix and planted out when strong enough.
Native seedlings
I am also finding an abundance of native seedlings growing all over the garden, this is the work of birds doing their bit to regenerate the forna. I dig out the small ones and pot them up at this time of the year but leave the larger ones until winter, they will have a better survival rate then.
Gladioli
Lift summer flowering gladioli as leaves begin to dry off, and hang upside down inside to ripen before cleaning and storing.
Clematis:
It's the right time from now on to plant large flowering clematis to get roots established before winter. A fungus spry at planting will help eliminate the wilt problem some clematis suffer from at planting time and all clematis like a little lime to sweeten their ground.
Bulbs:
Keep planting spring bulbs where you picture a show of them in spring, Clumps are much more effective than one planted here and there.
Dahlias
Keep dead heading dahlias to keep them bushy and flowering longer. take stalky old growth right back to where the stem is plumper.
Lawns:
Begin preparations for new lawns to be sown in autumn, Start by spraying out all perennial weeds,then the area should be dug or rotary hoe to ensure there is a fine tilt and no underlying hard pan.Test the ph and if, as is likely in many areas it is very acid bring it up to about 6 with lime, leave as long as possible for the lime to be absorbed before applying fertiliser.To ensure a level, firm planting surface, the soil should be gently compacted again after digging by raking and treading.
Veg & fruit
This is a major harvest month for vegetable and fruits, the jam and preserving pans will be busy and the gardens abundant with food. Keeping the water up to everything especially the late ripening fruit trees is a must to get the best crops.
It is so important now to cut plants that have finished flowering back if you want the plants to grow back with a new lot of fresh leaves to fill the gaps. If you let things run to seed as they want to right now some perennials and annuals will give up because they have made seed to take their place.
Seed collecting:
However if it is seed collecting you want then it is time to start collecting now. Always store seed in brown paper bags and leave in a dark dry place until required. Seeds collected now can be planted now as nature intended or sowing can be done in the spring. Spring sowing will work better some times, hot summer sowing will usually result in fewer seedlings surviving.
Seeds to collect now would be delphinium, aqualegia, dianthus, poppy, marigold, rhododendron,sweet pea, lilies, violas & Pansy's, all of these will do well planted into seed raising mix and planted out when strong enough.
Native seedlings
I am also finding an abundance of native seedlings growing all over the garden, this is the work of birds doing their bit to regenerate the forna. I dig out the small ones and pot them up at this time of the year but leave the larger ones until winter, they will have a better survival rate then.
Gladioli
Lift summer flowering gladioli as leaves begin to dry off, and hang upside down inside to ripen before cleaning and storing.
Clematis:
It's the right time from now on to plant large flowering clematis to get roots established before winter. A fungus spry at planting will help eliminate the wilt problem some clematis suffer from at planting time and all clematis like a little lime to sweeten their ground.
Bulbs:
Keep planting spring bulbs where you picture a show of them in spring, Clumps are much more effective than one planted here and there.
Dahlias
Keep dead heading dahlias to keep them bushy and flowering longer. take stalky old growth right back to where the stem is plumper.
Lawns:
Begin preparations for new lawns to be sown in autumn, Start by spraying out all perennial weeds,then the area should be dug or rotary hoe to ensure there is a fine tilt and no underlying hard pan.Test the ph and if, as is likely in many areas it is very acid bring it up to about 6 with lime, leave as long as possible for the lime to be absorbed before applying fertiliser.To ensure a level, firm planting surface, the soil should be gently compacted again after digging by raking and treading.
Veg & fruit
This is a major harvest month for vegetable and fruits, the jam and preserving pans will be busy and the gardens abundant with food. Keeping the water up to everything especially the late ripening fruit trees is a must to get the best crops.
Another good week with a hint of rain, I want it to really rain but I have another wedding in the garden tomorrow so maybe not just yet.
This week I have been moving the hoses around as much as I can, so many of the plants are suffering right now with the dry conditions customary with March weather.
March is such a mellow month and the colour of all blooms intensifying as the growing slows down, seeds ripen along with fruit and vegetables.
This is when I take note of where the weeds are and get them out before their seeds pop every where, I do not want to be faced with all the biddy bids and convolvulous I had this growing season in the next one!
I am also looking at the spent tired areas of our garden and taking note of what is looking good right now in other areas with a view to dividing those perennials to plant in the dull places when the ground is moister.
Drifts and mass plantings really work in the garden from now on, the agapanthas and hellebore leaves in mass have such a cooling effect on a dry garden.
Both these plants can be divided and planted out after we have had a rain, they are wonderful gap fillers for maintenance free gardens. I am just a bit tired of dead heading flowers now and really appreciate the foliage gap fillers.
Because the growing season is winding down plants do not require the same amount of fertilising, except for late flowering annuals and hanging baskets, keep folia feeding these to get the best out of them.
I am ready with the blood and bone for when I divide and transplant plants but will stop all fertilisers like nitrofoska which is designed to encourage new fresh growth.
This goes for roses as well, no more fertiliser and dead heading is not important from now on. Roses need to be able to make seed to harden them off for the cold months ahead. I will dead head my roses for another couple of weeks as I still have a lot happening in the garden and need the roses to look tidy but after that I will let them make seed and harden off.
This week I cut all my English lavender and have started to bunch it, the fragrance is so powerful even one bunch left in a closed room is enough. I bunch it and leave it to dry then later in the year I will rub it and it will probably find its way into lavender bags and pillows.
I will give the lavender plants a dressing of lime before winter to sweeten the ground before spring when they will start to preform again.
I put some grass seed in spots that I missed getting a spring strike, in spring more weed is likely to come up than grass. Autumn after rain, when the soil is warm is the best time to sow a lawn. We have a good two months left before the ground starts to chill off so new grass will shoot up in no time.
With the lack of rain my lawns are full of thatch so I plan to get the dethatcher on to them next week then go over them with a fork to airate them as much as I can. It is a time consuming job but at the end I value all the thatch I am left with to use as mulch around the gardens.
Keep planting out veg plants if you think you can beat the white butterflys!! try using frost cloth over them, it lets the light and rain in and keeps the butterfly off. it just looks a bit strange at this time of the year.
Leeks go in now, but to get the best results plant them in a well drained and sunny position, add some lime to the soil a few days before you plant to help raise its pH level.
if you want to give them a really good head start, add a general fertiliser, to the soil prior to planting. This will encourage growth and ensure lovely, luscious leeks come harvest.
Dig a small trench. Next, place the seedlings in the trench, approximately 10cms apart. Leeks need space to expand, and grow best when planted in rows.
Fill in the trench with soil to the top of the stems, leaving the leaves at the top exposed then give a light water. Try to keep the soil constantly moist, without being too wet.
leeks are a little fussy. They loath water-logged conditions but need constant moisture. So, for the first few weeks after planting, you will need to check on the soil every couple of days until they are well established.
As the plants grow, regularly fold in the soil around the stems. Doing this will ensure they increase in size and will help to achieve white, chunky, stems.
They dislike tightly compressed soil. Hoeing the soil gently on a regular basis will keep the soil light and fluffy and your leeks happy.
Cheers, Linda
This week I have been moving the hoses around as much as I can, so many of the plants are suffering right now with the dry conditions customary with March weather.
March is such a mellow month and the colour of all blooms intensifying as the growing slows down, seeds ripen along with fruit and vegetables.
This is when I take note of where the weeds are and get them out before their seeds pop every where, I do not want to be faced with all the biddy bids and convolvulous I had this growing season in the next one!
I am also looking at the spent tired areas of our garden and taking note of what is looking good right now in other areas with a view to dividing those perennials to plant in the dull places when the ground is moister.
Drifts and mass plantings really work in the garden from now on, the agapanthas and hellebore leaves in mass have such a cooling effect on a dry garden.
Both these plants can be divided and planted out after we have had a rain, they are wonderful gap fillers for maintenance free gardens. I am just a bit tired of dead heading flowers now and really appreciate the foliage gap fillers.
Because the growing season is winding down plants do not require the same amount of fertilising, except for late flowering annuals and hanging baskets, keep folia feeding these to get the best out of them.
I am ready with the blood and bone for when I divide and transplant plants but will stop all fertilisers like nitrofoska which is designed to encourage new fresh growth.
This goes for roses as well, no more fertiliser and dead heading is not important from now on. Roses need to be able to make seed to harden them off for the cold months ahead. I will dead head my roses for another couple of weeks as I still have a lot happening in the garden and need the roses to look tidy but after that I will let them make seed and harden off.
This week I cut all my English lavender and have started to bunch it, the fragrance is so powerful even one bunch left in a closed room is enough. I bunch it and leave it to dry then later in the year I will rub it and it will probably find its way into lavender bags and pillows.
I will give the lavender plants a dressing of lime before winter to sweeten the ground before spring when they will start to preform again.
I put some grass seed in spots that I missed getting a spring strike, in spring more weed is likely to come up than grass. Autumn after rain, when the soil is warm is the best time to sow a lawn. We have a good two months left before the ground starts to chill off so new grass will shoot up in no time.
With the lack of rain my lawns are full of thatch so I plan to get the dethatcher on to them next week then go over them with a fork to airate them as much as I can. It is a time consuming job but at the end I value all the thatch I am left with to use as mulch around the gardens.
Keep planting out veg plants if you think you can beat the white butterflys!! try using frost cloth over them, it lets the light and rain in and keeps the butterfly off. it just looks a bit strange at this time of the year.
Leeks go in now, but to get the best results plant them in a well drained and sunny position, add some lime to the soil a few days before you plant to help raise its pH level.
if you want to give them a really good head start, add a general fertiliser, to the soil prior to planting. This will encourage growth and ensure lovely, luscious leeks come harvest.
Dig a small trench. Next, place the seedlings in the trench, approximately 10cms apart. Leeks need space to expand, and grow best when planted in rows.
Fill in the trench with soil to the top of the stems, leaving the leaves at the top exposed then give a light water. Try to keep the soil constantly moist, without being too wet.
leeks are a little fussy. They loath water-logged conditions but need constant moisture. So, for the first few weeks after planting, you will need to check on the soil every couple of days until they are well established.
As the plants grow, regularly fold in the soil around the stems. Doing this will ensure they increase in size and will help to achieve white, chunky, stems.
They dislike tightly compressed soil. Hoeing the soil gently on a regular basis will keep the soil light and fluffy and your leeks happy.
Cheers, Linda
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