Gardening in North Otago 19th February 2011

Wow what wonderful night rains we have been getting, I notice that some of my potted plants like petunias are looking a bit yellow in the leaves, when i investigated further the affected pots had their drain holes blocked or were continually sitting in water in the saucers that were filling with rain. these plants were drowning, there was no oxygen for their roots. Take the saucers away until we get a dry spell and they are needed. I tipped the sodden pots on their side and left them like that for a day or two until the excess water had drained away. when i do water them again I will add fertiliser as the potting mix will be stale. I have been filling gapes in my garden with annuals I know will go on flowering until the first frosts, such as lobelia, impatients and saliva, they are perfect for cheering up a tired looking basket or garden.I plan to trim the photinias bushes we have around the garden to reward me with bright red new foliege in April / May and into the winter. you think something in your garden needs a cut back do it now, at this time of the year you cannot do damage the grow back rate is pretty quick. Even if the plant is still producing flowers, but you notice there are more seed heads than flowers it's a good indication the plant or bush is ready for a trim.Some rose bushes now have leaves that are yellowing and have rust and black spot, don't be alarmed these are old leaves ready to drop and make way for new fresh leaves. it is best to remove these diseased old leaves before they fall and spread disease into the ground. After I have done this some of my bushes have only one or two leaves left. New leaves soon grow along with new buds if you keep the dead heading up.If you have If buddleias, ( the butterfly bush) tall thin arching branches with grey/blue leaves and lavender, purple or pink long narrow flower heads at the end, cut them back almost to the ground when they have finished flowering then again at the end of winter. They grow back very quickly and are best grown at the back of a border. Lawn clippings should be filling catchers after the rain's, keep the food up to them when it rains and keep the blades up a notch to what you usually have them set at from now on to give needed shade to roots.Vegetables
Keep planting all vegetable plants in rotation...if you now have a space where root veg were growing fill it with leafy veg and visa versa. Any spaces you have vacant fill with a green crop, wheat, barley, oats, blue lupin or mustard seed. Dig into the soil before it flowers. The humus created from a green crop is about the very best thing you can do for tied soil. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 12th february 2011

Well we got the decent rain that we were waiting for and what a lot of good it has done to freshen everything up after such hot weather this
It is great compost weather, plenty of moisture and heat to get compost heaps cooking. I know we have a lot of grass clippings right now but don't pile these on your compost heap on their own especially if they are wet, they will form a shield and not let the air and rain in and end up with a musty smelly mess. A compost heap needs air to work well. When starting your compost heap roll up some wire netting and secure with stakes. place this in the center and build up the heap around and over it. The wire can be removed when the heap is well cooked and ready to use. another way to aerate is to place thin planks of wood at different depths across the width of the pile as you are filling. When filled you can then move the planks up and down to let air in while decomposing.

Dahlia's are taking center stage now, and will carry us into autumn. Dahlias are making it into our flower borders where they contribute bright clear colour over a long season. Mix them with other late flowering perennials, there's a dahlia style and colour for every situation - cacti, singles, pompom and more. A bright splash of candy pink, almost black, vivid red or sassy orange, dahlias bring vibrant colour into a summer garden and remain through until the frosts force them back into the ground. Dahlia tuba's are a good investment for the garden because they increase in size from year to year and in time can be broken up to plant as gap fillers. They can be left in well draining ground all year round but if left in ground that holds water they will rot.

Plant annual seeds now to give colour in the winter like Iceland poppy, primula malacoidies, Virginian stock (a great plant for winter hanging baskets) wall flower, and flowering kale. have any of these at budding stage before the frosts arrive and they will push on and flower. This applies to coastal gardens only not further in land unless you have a frost free sheltered spot.
Lawns have really benifited from that last lot of rain it is strange to see them so green at this time of the year. I will give another reminder about dealing to grass grub from now until May when they are most active. have some granuals ready to apply during.. the next lot of rain.
Veg & fruit
Many edibles are peaking in production at the moment so enjoy – the more you harvest, the more some crops such as beans will crop
Water in the morning or evening before or after the full heat of the sun, otherwise there’s too much evaporation for the plants to thrive.

Here is a tip I read, Deter cats from using your new veggie garden as a toilet: blend up 4tsp chilli powder, 3 garlic cloves and an onion and stand in 2 litres of water overnight. Strain then spray the soil – also use on plants to control caterpillars and aphids. Might be worth trying if you have cat problems.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 3rd February 2011

February already, where did January go?
The strong winds we have been experiencing here in North Otago have left us with the dry summer ground we are accustomed to, my hoses have been working overtime and the rain has been only teasing plants.
The first of the seeds I left to fall from spring flowering plants are up, I will wait until perennials are stronger, another week or two and then transplant them into trays then sit them in the shade to keep growing and probably plant them out at the end of next winter. Have a look around plants that have dropped seed in your garden and you will find nice little seedlings of pansies, viola, marigolds, hellebore's, sweet William and aquilegias to name a few.
Seeded annuals can be planted out as soon as they are big enough,they should flower over Autumn.
I have been cutting back the early summer flowering plants like bush lavateras, buddleia, geranium, astrantha and lupins they will bush up again in no time and refill gaps.
Take the seed heads off anything that you do not want to spread, that goes for weeds as well, make sure you whack the seed heads off until you have time to deal with them.
Keep trimming hedges as they put on soft new growth and either compost the trimmings or scatter them around the garden, they are soft enough to break down at this time of the year.
Hydrangeas are looking lovely right now, i have been taking hard wood cuttings of one or two that I need more of. Select a stem that has flowered and cut at a node just before a new shoot, this would be the flower for next year. Push the cuttings into some firm, damp shady ground where they will not be disturbed and place a pot with drainage holes over the top of them. Forget about them until they start to shoot after the frosts then pot them up and get them big enough to plant out in the late spring, early summer.

Give roses a dressing of manure or blood and bone now as they will be ready for a boost after their first long flowering and keep the dead heading up to encourage flowering.

Give lavenders a hair cut now before they make seed, they will flower again, same for catnip I cut mine back twice during their flowering season.
Lawns
its grass grub time again, they are most active from February to May. There are products that can be shaken on and watered on both need watered in well like powdered fertiliser so when it is raining or about to rain is the best time. The grubs feed on the grass roots and leave dead patches of grass on lawns, once the dead grass patch is visible they will have moved on to another area of the lawn so concentrate on the unaffected areas
Vegetable / Fruit
Trim back all leaders on grape vines, this will put the new growth into only the fruit which should be plumping up now.
The strong winds have been hard on fruit trees and bushes, fruit is blown off before ready and needed moisture is sucked out of the ground.
I have been watering in blood and bone, anything too rich in nitrogen will only encourage more leaf growth.
A lot of my leaf veg has bolted before it was used in the last month, the hens at least are happy!
Keep sowing root veg seed and peas, beans and lettuce there is heaps of growing time still ahead of us.

Cheers, Linda