Gardening in North Otago 19th March 2011

More rain this week to make this the greenest Autumn ever.
The ground is so easy to weed and seeds are germinating fast.
This week I have had the hedge trimmer out because some shrubs in my garden have grown and grown with the warmth and rain. I thought it might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs.
Shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like buddleias, rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceonothus, forsythia, coleonema (breath of heaven) only if they need to be trimmed and shaped to reduce their height and width. they should always have this done while there is still enough growing season left for them to make new growth and harden off before the frosts.In colder areas like Kurow this trimming should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas you can leave the old growth on through the winter to protect the new shoots and cut them back in spring in colder areas.
I have also thinned out crowded camellia bushes, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through to let enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring.


Shrubs that flower on current years growth like lavenders, daisy bushes, hebes, rosemary, fuchsia are best left with top growth on them now until the end of winter.They will make rapid new growth when the days begin to get warmer, you will only risk loosing them if you cut them back hard now.
This month is the latest I feel to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's they need to have the new growth harden off before winter, if you intend to shape them be quick or leave them until after winter.
The rule of thumb is hedging plants such as photinia, box hedge, viburnum and tecrium can be cut any time during the growing season but I apply that only to here on the coast in the late autumn. Late spring and summer is a safer time in colder areas.
you can always tell when it is time to trim hebe's, if they are covered in flower heads gone to seed they need the spent flower heads trimmed off, if this is not done hebe's will get lanky, woody and look untidy. Once they have been trimmed plant a few tip cuttings, remove the bottom leaves and cut the top leaves back by half then plant into the ground or trays, keep them moist and in no time at all they will develop roots. Once growing pinch the cuttings back at least twice to get nice bushy plants.
Lawns.
This is such a good year to sow autumn lawns and fill in gaps in lawns. I have been spraying the flat weeds in lawns and applying grass grub granules to be washed in by the rain.


Vegetables
Gardens will be producing in abundance now, I have so much ready to use, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, and a new crop of peas filling out along with corn that may be too late to ripen now and pumpkins scrambling everywhere. I mention all this because you may remember the first full veg garden I grew for the sheep!! they cleaned it right out even ate the potato tops.

Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost.

Cheers Linda