Gardening in North Otago April 10th 2010

What a wonderful Autumn week it has been, I have been clearing out my herbaceous borders of spent summer flowering annuals and perennials in readiness for each clump and plant to have a shovel or two of the wonderful compost I have had delivered from the freezing works. After the compost is spread around I will water the gardens well then cover all with new pea straw for the cold winter months.
I have taken the time this week to look around the garden to see what plants have been flowering well over the summer months and which plants have not because of trees getting taller and wider and blocking out light. The plants I found most suffering were dahlia's.
Some bushes have not flowered at all from lack of light and moisture. I have dug them up and transplanted them into a sunnier spot and watered them in well, leaving the top growth on to die off back into the tubers. Other plants that have suffered the same are dwarf agapantha, roses, asters and dianthas, all of these need a lot of sunshine and light to preform well.

I have also been looking to improve the look of established gardens by planting a front boarder, there are so many plants multiplying around my garden like lambs ear, a lovely silver shade that will break up and transplant easily to form a front boarder to give a garden a whole new look. Other plants that will allow you to do this are, the variegated iris, blue grass, silver clump dianthus, dwarf agapantha, perennial primula, Helibours, and succulents. Plus heaps of other low growing evergreen plants that cuttings can be taken from right now to create borders like purple sage, thyme. erigeron daisy, hebe's, all of these plants I have mentioned look great planted on mass in long rows to change the look of a garden.

The following annual seeds can still be sown anywhere around the country, aquilegia, calendula (marigold) perennial lupins, stocks, sweet peas,
Top dress lilies with blood and bone and compost, a cup full of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. If you need to shirt lilies never let them dry out, get them back in the ground straight away or store them in a wet sack or towel until ready to transplant plant and water well once planted.

If you have trees and shrubs that need to be moved, wrench them now, this means digging around one half of their roots and leaving the other half untouched for a few weeks. The roots you dig around, make a trench and fill it with soft compost, the cut roots will form new feeder roots into the compost which will make the eventual transplant cope better. Remember plants which have had their root system reduced should also have their top growth pruned to correspond, or they may die back.

In cooler areas citrus trees, especially when young should given a temporary roof for frost protection.

Pumpkins and squash should be bought in before the frosts starts, always picking them with a short length of stem attached.

Tomato plants threatened by frost can be dug out and hung in a shed for the last of the tomatoes to ripen.

Sweet pepper plants that need more time to ripen can be dug up and put into a pot and placed under shelter to continue growing.

Improve the soil in vacant vegetable plots by sowing a green crop which can be dug in just before it reaches the flowering stage.
Blue lupin, mustard, wheat, barley or oats are good for this purpose.

Cheers, Linda