A lovely early summer week just past in North Otago, the ground is warm and will grow anything as long as the water is kept up.
I have been spending a lot of time watering over the last few days, plants are at their best if moisture is consistently available. If plants, tree's or shrubs get too dry between watering they become stressed and this will lead to disease and poor growth.
Keep a eye on rhododendrons, after flowering they are intent on making seeds and as I mentioned last week the old flower heads need to be removed before they do start to set seeds. Removing all on very large rhododendron bushes is not possible but it is important to keep the water up to these large bushes through the warm seasons. Rhododendrons are very shallow rooted, if they dry out during this season it will not show up in the leaves until the next season when the leaf tips will go brown. If you would like to grow another rhododendron from one you have doing well in your garden try layering a branch down into a trench of river sand in the ground. Pin it down with bent wire and cover with sifted soil and compost. Place a rock on top of the branch if it wants to spring up. Keep the water up to the layered branch and it should send out roots. Leave until next spring before cutting from the Mother plant and bagging up to make more roots before planting out into the garden. Hydrangeas can be layered this way as well.
If you have a lot of forget-me-not just finished flowering don't pull it out, cut it back and let it grow again. forget-me-not is usually treated as an annual but if cut back I have found it becomes a perennial and clumps up into strong growing ground cover plants which will flower well again next spring.
Along with forget-me-not I have been cutting back other ground covers like aurbretia, iberis, phlox, erica's, and thyme. All of these will grow back into fresh clumps over summer.
In the past week I have been lifting branches on trees like flowering cherries,maples, oaks and any others that put out a lot of new growth over spring, All trees are designed to put out branches to shade their roots bit in a garden situation we usually have plants growing beneath them that require light.
Cut the offending branches back, and take out any branches which are crossing over others. If two branches are doing the same job take out completely to a slanted cut so the little remaining will not hold water.
Sterilize saws and loppers with spraying on diluted jays fluid or methylated spirits in between cuts on different flowering cherry trees to avoid spreading the dreaded contagious silver leaf should any of your trees be affected. You will know if you have a flowering cherry infected with silver leaf, leaves loose their dark sheen and become faded. There is no cure for this infection, eventually the tree will produce weak unhealthy growth.
Grapes are turning their flowers into fruit now, I have a few wine grapes planted growing along wires.
At this time of the year I shorten back the leaders to encourage new side shoots. I also have to cut out all new growth developing from below the trunk graft. This is the root stock which will undermine the main vine if not removed, the leaves are usually different from the grafted plant. Grape growth goes ballistic from now on, remove all new wild growth which will take necessary nutrients away from the fruiting Kane's.
Vegetables:
We are into bolting weather now, green leafy veg grow fast to seed before we can use them all, keep trimming and using or drying herbs to prevent them running to seed. Plant small amounts of seed in seed trays at 2 to 3 week intervals, once germinated water and feed with liquid fertiliser only when soil is dry on top, very wet soil will encourage fungus and the collapse very small seedlings. Plant well grown seedlings into the garden on overcast days.
Cover ripening strawberries, the birds will have their eye on them and will nab when ripe. Old net curtains or frost cloth will cover them from birds view while still letting needed light in for continued flowering and fruiting.
Cheers, Linda.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A nice down pour last weekend and welcome overcast weather for me as most of the box hedges have been trimmed here by Pete my hedge Man who makes a wonderful job while I follow behind and do the clean up.Once cut box hedge tends to sun burn on hot sunny days but this overcast week was just perfect to allow them time to recover.
If people are trimming soft hedges right now use the trimmings for mulch,I find soft trimmings perfect because their softness will break down quickly adding humus to the ground. I do this only with the soft hedge leaves at this time of the year, so with hedge trimmings, un-sprayed lawn clippings and spent blossom there are plenty of mulch choice's for your Rhododendrons.
This week I have made a start on dead heading rhododendrons and camellias that have flowered. This stops them from making seed which means that they are left to put everything into new growth. They can be feed now with a light dressing of acid fertiliser and mulched around the roots to keep the moisture in over the dry months This goes for azaleas as well once they have finished flowering.
Everything needing a boost here our garden I have given nitrofoska blue, lawns included because it will not cause burning like other dry fertiliser's on lawns if not watered in well, nutrients need to be kept up to plants and trees while they are making such rapid growth.
A lot of town gardens use bark as a mulch and start topping this up about now. Bark is fine to keep the weeds down but it takes a lot of good nitrogen out of the ground as it breaks down, using slow release fertilisers around plants surrounded by bark is a must for their on going health.
I have been rather ruthless on some deciduous shrubs in my garden earlier this year and good results are beginning to show now. There are some shrubs which need to be cut by a third every second year once they have reach the desired height or they will become too tall and woody. Lilac is one of these, it flowers on new seasons wood and each new lot of growth turns into hard wood which puts out new growth each year making the flowers higher and higher on the bush. After a number of years it will be only ugly bare branches at eye level. Other plants which need to be renewed by cutting back by a third and removing aged wood once they have reached the desired size are wigelia, the small pale pink trumpet shaped flowers which are covering their bushes right now, kolwotsia, long bell shaped pink flowers on woody arching shrubs flowering now, Philidelphous,mock brides blossom which is also flowering now with it's lovely white very fragrant flowers, it will flower the second year after being cut back. These three mentioned are all very old fashioned shrubs which will probably be found in older established gardens but very worth while growing. Most hard wood shrubs will start again as a bushy shrub if cut low in late winter or once finished flowering, don't be afraid to get the saw and loppers out and say goodbye to ugly leggy shrubs. Two years ago I cut hebe's and pittosporums and other natives which were all planted together right to the ground, they had all out grown their space. I thought some may die but no, they all regrew as new small shrubs and already they need to be trimmed again..
Our gardens are getting dry again and moisture is so important to the new growth of early summer, get that water deep down into the roots and mulch to keep it there.
The green fly have found my roses this week so I have been forced to deal to them with a systemic pesticide which I will continue with every 10 days for a while, but I will use fish emulsion on the vegetables to confuse the bugs who will see green veg but smell protein.
Keep planting out the vegetable plants at 2 week intervals so that you will all ways have fresh produce coming on. Keep the weeds at bay by using a push hoe between the rows while the weeds are tiny, it only takes a minute, weeding takes ages.
Cheers, Linda.
If people are trimming soft hedges right now use the trimmings for mulch,I find soft trimmings perfect because their softness will break down quickly adding humus to the ground. I do this only with the soft hedge leaves at this time of the year, so with hedge trimmings, un-sprayed lawn clippings and spent blossom there are plenty of mulch choice's for your Rhododendrons.
This week I have made a start on dead heading rhododendrons and camellias that have flowered. This stops them from making seed which means that they are left to put everything into new growth. They can be feed now with a light dressing of acid fertiliser and mulched around the roots to keep the moisture in over the dry months This goes for azaleas as well once they have finished flowering.
Everything needing a boost here our garden I have given nitrofoska blue, lawns included because it will not cause burning like other dry fertiliser's on lawns if not watered in well, nutrients need to be kept up to plants and trees while they are making such rapid growth.
A lot of town gardens use bark as a mulch and start topping this up about now. Bark is fine to keep the weeds down but it takes a lot of good nitrogen out of the ground as it breaks down, using slow release fertilisers around plants surrounded by bark is a must for their on going health.
I have been rather ruthless on some deciduous shrubs in my garden earlier this year and good results are beginning to show now. There are some shrubs which need to be cut by a third every second year once they have reach the desired height or they will become too tall and woody. Lilac is one of these, it flowers on new seasons wood and each new lot of growth turns into hard wood which puts out new growth each year making the flowers higher and higher on the bush. After a number of years it will be only ugly bare branches at eye level. Other plants which need to be renewed by cutting back by a third and removing aged wood once they have reached the desired size are wigelia, the small pale pink trumpet shaped flowers which are covering their bushes right now, kolwotsia, long bell shaped pink flowers on woody arching shrubs flowering now, Philidelphous,mock brides blossom which is also flowering now with it's lovely white very fragrant flowers, it will flower the second year after being cut back. These three mentioned are all very old fashioned shrubs which will probably be found in older established gardens but very worth while growing. Most hard wood shrubs will start again as a bushy shrub if cut low in late winter or once finished flowering, don't be afraid to get the saw and loppers out and say goodbye to ugly leggy shrubs. Two years ago I cut hebe's and pittosporums and other natives which were all planted together right to the ground, they had all out grown their space. I thought some may die but no, they all regrew as new small shrubs and already they need to be trimmed again..
Our gardens are getting dry again and moisture is so important to the new growth of early summer, get that water deep down into the roots and mulch to keep it there.
The green fly have found my roses this week so I have been forced to deal to them with a systemic pesticide which I will continue with every 10 days for a while, but I will use fish emulsion on the vegetables to confuse the bugs who will see green veg but smell protein.
Keep planting out the vegetable plants at 2 week intervals so that you will all ways have fresh produce coming on. Keep the weeds at bay by using a push hoe between the rows while the weeds are tiny, it only takes a minute, weeding takes ages.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 13th November 2010
Warm spring days with none of the winds we are usually getting at this time of the year, makes it perfect gardening weather.
As we all know here in North Otago the lack of spring and summer rain can be a problem and after many years trying to grow anything regardless of the conditions preferred, thinking as long as I kept the water up I could beat nature. I finally learned that it's a waste of time and money nursing plants that need warmer conditions and more rain than we have here.
Plants like hibiscus, banana, gardenia, palms, anything that requires a tropical seasonal rain is going to struggle. Bougainvillea is growing here on the coast, mine can be fine for a couple of years but other years the frost really knocks it back. Read the labels and make sure that our conditions are right for the plants on offer at this time of the year, for example there are some lovely pelagoniums on offer right now but I have yet to have one survive the winter in my garden, although I see them growing well on the south hill where the frosts are not so harsh so I guess it's a matter of looking at what is growing well in gardens close by and knowing that the same plants will do well in your garden.
I will now sing the praises of raised gardens, Some of the advantages of raised bed gardens include:
The soil warms up faster in the spring, and doesn't cool as fast in the autumn.
You don't have to bend far to work in the garden and access the plants
The soil has better drainage, so there is less disease.
You don't walk on the soil, so it doesn't get compacted, roots need air, and therefore compacted soil is very detrimental to plant growth.
A raised garden can be a garden feature as it has a specified geometry and form.
Studies have shown that a raised bed garden may be up to two times more productive per square foot compared to normal gardening techniques.
While you may make the raised bed garden to any shape there are some guidelines to follow. the garden can be any length that you want, but it shouldn't be more than 4ft wide so you can reach it comfortably from either side. It can be as high as you want it, but keep in mind that the higher you go, the more support you will need to build. Even a railway sleeper high raised bed will give benefits.
If it's a raised vegetable garden you would like then it must be built in a spot that gets all day sun. Raised beds for shade and moisture loving plants need to be closer to the damp ground, if they are raised too high the drainage will too great for these plants.
Fill your raised bed garden with fresh soil, compost, and well aged manure
If you choose to frame your raised garden with wood make sure not to use treated timber, this has been known to leach chemicals into the soil. While untreated wood will not last as long, it is a safer alternative. Rocks are an economical option but they tend to loose soil with rain and watering.
I have seen ready made wooden raised garden surrounds on offer, these would do the trick if space was a problem.
Roses:
Time to start spraying roses for green fly and disease if you have not already started. Shield takes care of both if you follow the instructions and spray at the suggested intervals. Keep the food up as they flower, it's hungry roses that are more susceptible to disease. Slow release rose fertiliser will feed each time you water.
The for-get-me-no'ts and spring bulbs have finished flowering, tie a knot in the leaves of daffodils rather than cut them off yet as they need to take all the top green into storage. Tulips collapse quickly and can be dug up and stored in a dry place until planting out again in May next year. Blue bells need to be left to seed if you want them in mass, they increase in the bulb but also seed successfully.
Keep the water up to Lillie's, they are making rapid growth now and hate drying out, stake them now before they become too heavy.
Vegetables:
Keep mounding the potatoes to keep them producing, consistent watering is important for potatoes now during this dry spell, this goes for all root vegetables.
Leafy veg tends to run to seed during theses hot days and don't need any extra feeding to help them do this. Plant as many plants you think you would use when ready to pick and hold back other small seedling plants from the same batch to plant at two week intervals. The small plants will hold if watered only when too dry (don't over water seedlings they do not have enough root growth to absorb and will rot, keep in a semi shady place until required for planting.
Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, their roots are fragile until their large leaves grow to create the root shade needed.
All new small plants can be over watered to the point where their roots cannot cope and they collapse, the soil should be dry on top between watering's and good drainage is essential .
Cheers, Linda
As we all know here in North Otago the lack of spring and summer rain can be a problem and after many years trying to grow anything regardless of the conditions preferred, thinking as long as I kept the water up I could beat nature. I finally learned that it's a waste of time and money nursing plants that need warmer conditions and more rain than we have here.
Plants like hibiscus, banana, gardenia, palms, anything that requires a tropical seasonal rain is going to struggle. Bougainvillea is growing here on the coast, mine can be fine for a couple of years but other years the frost really knocks it back. Read the labels and make sure that our conditions are right for the plants on offer at this time of the year, for example there are some lovely pelagoniums on offer right now but I have yet to have one survive the winter in my garden, although I see them growing well on the south hill where the frosts are not so harsh so I guess it's a matter of looking at what is growing well in gardens close by and knowing that the same plants will do well in your garden.
I will now sing the praises of raised gardens, Some of the advantages of raised bed gardens include:
The soil warms up faster in the spring, and doesn't cool as fast in the autumn.
You don't have to bend far to work in the garden and access the plants
The soil has better drainage, so there is less disease.
You don't walk on the soil, so it doesn't get compacted, roots need air, and therefore compacted soil is very detrimental to plant growth.
A raised garden can be a garden feature as it has a specified geometry and form.
Studies have shown that a raised bed garden may be up to two times more productive per square foot compared to normal gardening techniques.
While you may make the raised bed garden to any shape there are some guidelines to follow. the garden can be any length that you want, but it shouldn't be more than 4ft wide so you can reach it comfortably from either side. It can be as high as you want it, but keep in mind that the higher you go, the more support you will need to build. Even a railway sleeper high raised bed will give benefits.
If it's a raised vegetable garden you would like then it must be built in a spot that gets all day sun. Raised beds for shade and moisture loving plants need to be closer to the damp ground, if they are raised too high the drainage will too great for these plants.
Fill your raised bed garden with fresh soil, compost, and well aged manure
If you choose to frame your raised garden with wood make sure not to use treated timber, this has been known to leach chemicals into the soil. While untreated wood will not last as long, it is a safer alternative. Rocks are an economical option but they tend to loose soil with rain and watering.
I have seen ready made wooden raised garden surrounds on offer, these would do the trick if space was a problem.
Roses:
Time to start spraying roses for green fly and disease if you have not already started. Shield takes care of both if you follow the instructions and spray at the suggested intervals. Keep the food up as they flower, it's hungry roses that are more susceptible to disease. Slow release rose fertiliser will feed each time you water.
The for-get-me-no'ts and spring bulbs have finished flowering, tie a knot in the leaves of daffodils rather than cut them off yet as they need to take all the top green into storage. Tulips collapse quickly and can be dug up and stored in a dry place until planting out again in May next year. Blue bells need to be left to seed if you want them in mass, they increase in the bulb but also seed successfully.
Keep the water up to Lillie's, they are making rapid growth now and hate drying out, stake them now before they become too heavy.
Vegetables:
Keep mounding the potatoes to keep them producing, consistent watering is important for potatoes now during this dry spell, this goes for all root vegetables.
Leafy veg tends to run to seed during theses hot days and don't need any extra feeding to help them do this. Plant as many plants you think you would use when ready to pick and hold back other small seedling plants from the same batch to plant at two week intervals. The small plants will hold if watered only when too dry (don't over water seedlings they do not have enough root growth to absorb and will rot, keep in a semi shady place until required for planting.
Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, their roots are fragile until their large leaves grow to create the root shade needed.
All new small plants can be over watered to the point where their roots cannot cope and they collapse, the soil should be dry on top between watering's and good drainage is essential .
Cheers, Linda
Friday, November 5, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 5th November 2010
Wonderful November weather leading up to last Friday's change to the south which lead to soggy blossom.
My roses are full of fat buds waiting to burst open, they still have no green fly or black spot attacking them , no doubt both will arrive eventually. I have just sprayed with Winter oil and fish emulsion combined to discourage them, the leaves are so soft and new it pays to do your spraying on a dull day so the sun will not burn through droplets and damage the leaves. No problem when the leaves have toughened up to spray in the sun. Never spray or water the leaves at dusk, they should be dry going into warm nights to prevent mildew growing.
Spring is the best time for transplanting seedlings that have popped up from existing plants in the garden, like last years hellebore seedlings. ( Winter rose) they should be nice strong small plants now so plant them out in groups under deciduous trees, or around rhododendrons, camellias, hydrangeas and fuchsias, they all like the same shady conditions.
Trim spent flowers from perennials and daisy bushes often to keep them bushy and continuously in flower, if you let flower heads go to seed the bush or plants will become woody.
If you would like to increase your chrysanthemum display for this coming autumn take tip cuttings NOW, put into river sand, keep them moist and every one should form roots to give you as many new plants as you need. Why not do more than you need to give to friends or the School or Church fair.
Planting on a slope:
Spring is also the time to plant out a slope or bank, the ground is moist and plant roots are growing fast which means they will get a good hold before the dreaded winds arrive.
Spray out all weeds, they will compete with moisture that your plants will need. If it is possible terracing a steep slope with rocks or sleepers would be beneficial to hold moisture around the roots.
If this cannot be done try not to disturbed soil / clay in areas that are not being planted. If the soil is disturbed and broken up it will wash away with rain and watering.
Planting;
Dig a hole that is deep into the bank and shallow at the front, (an angle hole) this will create a hollow reserve for water.
Make sure it dips down at the back for water to pool. Use stones around each plant, this will help in preventing wind blowing soil away from the roots.
Choose plants that grow in dry conditions, like South African plants; Greviller, leucodendron, Proteas, ask the Garden center assistant what survives well in a pot without a lot of watering. The plants they can leave for a while and they still look good when dried out. I have mass planted lupines to fill the gaps on my bank until all the other plants get bigger,
they give a spectacular show in the second year of planting.
I have been trimming the soft growth off some of my hedges this week, if a hedge has reached the height required best to take the soft growth off now before the foliage beneath gets too much protection from the new growth it has put out. The Winter hardened the under growth up and it should still be strong enough not to get sunburned. I am trying this with my box hedges this year because they have all reached the required height, I will be choosing an overcast day for the box to be trimmed which will allow them to recover with out the added stress of the hot sun.
If a hedge is not yet as tall and thick as required leave the new growth to harden off, but if you have to trim just do enough to tidy it up. I put all my soft trimmings on the garden as mulch.
Grass, Grass. Grass...So much mowing! If like me you have not had to spray the weeds out yet you can sprinkle your clippings around the garden, it is wonderful humus. Don't leave thick piles, spread it out so it can break down fast. Your garden can take as much fresh green growth that you can throw at it now the warmth is here to break it down. I have had excellent results from all the grass seed I have sown it is struck in places only a week from planting which has encouraged me to rake out every bare patch, add the wonderful sifted soil I have been hooked on lately, and plant grass seed like there is no tomorrow!
My no dig veg garden is still going strong, no weeds and the rough straw on top is a great deterrent to slugs. As a lettuce is used put a new lettuce plant back in its place. The raised beds that had the sheep invasion are waiting to be planted out again!!, I have seeds and plants lined up ready to plant once I am certain the fence will hold up.
Plant a green crop like mustard, oats or blue lupin now if you think your vegetable garden is could do with more humus, it will be up and ready to dig in a couple of weeks at this time of the year. Soil is not meant to be bare and exposed to the hot sun to dry out so growing a green crop in vacant areas and digging it in while it is soft, before it flowers will really benefit tired soil.
Cheers Linda.
My roses are full of fat buds waiting to burst open, they still have no green fly or black spot attacking them , no doubt both will arrive eventually. I have just sprayed with Winter oil and fish emulsion combined to discourage them, the leaves are so soft and new it pays to do your spraying on a dull day so the sun will not burn through droplets and damage the leaves. No problem when the leaves have toughened up to spray in the sun. Never spray or water the leaves at dusk, they should be dry going into warm nights to prevent mildew growing.
Spring is the best time for transplanting seedlings that have popped up from existing plants in the garden, like last years hellebore seedlings. ( Winter rose) they should be nice strong small plants now so plant them out in groups under deciduous trees, or around rhododendrons, camellias, hydrangeas and fuchsias, they all like the same shady conditions.
Trim spent flowers from perennials and daisy bushes often to keep them bushy and continuously in flower, if you let flower heads go to seed the bush or plants will become woody.
If you would like to increase your chrysanthemum display for this coming autumn take tip cuttings NOW, put into river sand, keep them moist and every one should form roots to give you as many new plants as you need. Why not do more than you need to give to friends or the School or Church fair.
Planting on a slope:
Spring is also the time to plant out a slope or bank, the ground is moist and plant roots are growing fast which means they will get a good hold before the dreaded winds arrive.
Spray out all weeds, they will compete with moisture that your plants will need. If it is possible terracing a steep slope with rocks or sleepers would be beneficial to hold moisture around the roots.
If this cannot be done try not to disturbed soil / clay in areas that are not being planted. If the soil is disturbed and broken up it will wash away with rain and watering.
Planting;
Dig a hole that is deep into the bank and shallow at the front, (an angle hole) this will create a hollow reserve for water.
Make sure it dips down at the back for water to pool. Use stones around each plant, this will help in preventing wind blowing soil away from the roots.
Choose plants that grow in dry conditions, like South African plants; Greviller, leucodendron, Proteas, ask the Garden center assistant what survives well in a pot without a lot of watering. The plants they can leave for a while and they still look good when dried out. I have mass planted lupines to fill the gaps on my bank until all the other plants get bigger,
they give a spectacular show in the second year of planting.
I have been trimming the soft growth off some of my hedges this week, if a hedge has reached the height required best to take the soft growth off now before the foliage beneath gets too much protection from the new growth it has put out. The Winter hardened the under growth up and it should still be strong enough not to get sunburned. I am trying this with my box hedges this year because they have all reached the required height, I will be choosing an overcast day for the box to be trimmed which will allow them to recover with out the added stress of the hot sun.
If a hedge is not yet as tall and thick as required leave the new growth to harden off, but if you have to trim just do enough to tidy it up. I put all my soft trimmings on the garden as mulch.
Grass, Grass. Grass...So much mowing! If like me you have not had to spray the weeds out yet you can sprinkle your clippings around the garden, it is wonderful humus. Don't leave thick piles, spread it out so it can break down fast. Your garden can take as much fresh green growth that you can throw at it now the warmth is here to break it down. I have had excellent results from all the grass seed I have sown it is struck in places only a week from planting which has encouraged me to rake out every bare patch, add the wonderful sifted soil I have been hooked on lately, and plant grass seed like there is no tomorrow!
My no dig veg garden is still going strong, no weeds and the rough straw on top is a great deterrent to slugs. As a lettuce is used put a new lettuce plant back in its place. The raised beds that had the sheep invasion are waiting to be planted out again!!, I have seeds and plants lined up ready to plant once I am certain the fence will hold up.
Plant a green crop like mustard, oats or blue lupin now if you think your vegetable garden is could do with more humus, it will be up and ready to dig in a couple of weeks at this time of the year. Soil is not meant to be bare and exposed to the hot sun to dry out so growing a green crop in vacant areas and digging it in while it is soft, before it flowers will really benefit tired soil.
Cheers Linda.
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