Gardening in North Otago 2nd April 2010

April is a cooling down month, evenings and mornings cool down but days stay warm a bit longer yet for growing to continue.
I am busy keeping the water up to all the shallow rooted shrubs like rhododendrons, azalea's, hydrangea and newly planted plants and shrubs. I notice even some of my large established trees are suffering and have had to have turn about with the dripping hose.

I have been viewing the light situation around my garden before all the leaves fall, trees and shrubs get taller and wider every year and block out light. I have made a note of what trees & shrubs to top and which trees and shrubs to remove altogether. Some times one tree or shrub will do the job of two or three that are in one spot. I am ready to sacrifice trees that give little interest for trees close by that offer more through the year and shrubs that have grown too big in the front of a garden hiding what is behind. I have at times changed the whole look of gardens by removing a few things, letting more sun in then planting out sun loving plants.

Keep cutting back large daisy and lavatera bushes to encourage new buds that will flower over the next two months. Also get all hedges cut back now before frosts start and it should be there last cut until the new growth in spring. Photinia bushes and hedges cut now will put out nice bright red leaves for dull winter days if trimmed now.
Easter is a great weekend clean up garden areas that have been flowering all summer and to visit the garden centres to choose more plants for planting now that will bud up and bloom through the winter, as long as they are planted while the ground is still warm to get the roots going and in a place they will get winter sun they will bloom.
Plant: Viola, snapdragon, pansy, polyantha's, stock, calendula and good old primula malacoidies.
If you want to plant evergreen shrubs other than conifers now is the time or wait until the frosts are over in spring, once frosts start it is only deciduous trees, shrubs and conifers that will cope with the really cold nights.

Still time to get spring bulbs in if they are still on offer, make sure they are planted in a sunny spot for the best result.

Hybrid clematis are still on offer and love being planted into warm autumn ground, they are so pretty growing in with other climbers that flower at a different time to them.

Lawns: If you notice dead patches in the lawn that birds are interested in then you have grass grub, sprinkle grass grub granuals around the green grass areas at the first sign of rain.
This is a good time to apply sifted compost ( a bucket to the square metre) with some lime added, the compost will improve the humus content and the lime will condition and sweeten the soil.
If you have had a good strike with a newly sown lawn delay cutting until grass is 7-8 centimetres high, set the blades high and avoid cutting when the ground is wet and soft.

Veg: I have planted out carrot and onion seeds with the promise of rain, cabbage, spring and winter can go in now but leave broad beans until the end of this month but a vegetable garden will not thrive without a good rain or two I have found.

Cheers, Linda.