Gardening in North Otago 16th April 2011

Leaves, leaves, leaves so many on the ground and yet to fall, "groan" but to compensate we do have a beautiful gold, red and orange wonder land out here right now.
Most of the leaves turn into good compost but I do not compost oak or walnut leaves, they take too long to break down in my heaps, I burn them and then add the ash. Always good to add lime to Compost heaps now as well, lime will sweeten heaps as they break down over the next few months. I add the compost left over from last years heaps in between layers of leaves and grass clippings and horse or cow manure and water now while the sun is hot to get things cooking enough to keep cooking through the winter months.

Camellias are budding up now and some of mine need opening up to let in light needed for buds to develop well so I have been removing inward facing and cross over branches. I will feed camellias and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, water in well and mulch soon, then forget about them until they reward me in spring.

Don't feed azaleas now, do this as soon as they have finished flowering.

Prune back perennial wall flowers now to encourage new growth for a good winter flowering. On the coast only, do the same to Marguerite daisies. further inland take hard wood cuttings, pot up and protect over winter as a lot of Marguerite daisy bushes are lost due to continuous frost.

Break up clumps of viola like Maggie Mott and the clumping primula vulgaris, plant sections with root attached into pots or trays, they will grow and clump up from now on ready to be planted out in spring. Both of these make lovely edging plants.

I planted out different shades of ranunculus this week, They are so worth while and a good investment for your garden because the multiply well and give vibrant or soft mid height colour to an early spring garden. Renuculas look very dried up and brittle in the packet when bought, soak them over night and they will become nice and plump before planting. Plant at least five together in groups to get the best effect.

Some lilies become available in shops this month and established clumps may be lifted if necessary, but do not disturb them unless they are very crowded or unsuitably sited. Instead top dress them with a mixture of compost and blood and bone. (A cup full of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. be sure to keep lily bulbs moist while they are out of the ground, roots must never dry out. Almost all lilies need to be planted as deep as three times the height of the bulb. the only exception to this deep planting is the Madonna lily which is planted just below the surface and prefers to be shifted in mid summer straight after flowering. This is also one of the few lilies which also prefers limy soil.

Keep planting evergreen shrubs, still time to get them settled in before winter.

Give evergreen hedges a last trim during this month


Vegetable garden
I have mentioned growing a green crop in vacant areas of the vegetable garden, oats is probably the best one to plant in the autumn, it will grow in no time, dig in while still soft and green.
first timers might like to follow the green manure suggestion of using blue lupin as a nitrogen additive . other wise, use mustard as a good soil conditioner in spring and summer, changing back to oats in the autumn.
Green vegetable seedlings will be targeted by birds right now so best to cover them with strawberry net while small, birds will not be so interested when they plump out a bit.
Broad beans can be planted now, try a little potash in the soil just below the bean when planted, it is said to help prevent rust.