Gardening in North Otago 8th November 2011

What a cold blast we got last Friday!! just when we, as well as the garden had warmed after the winter chill. The damage was noticeable in our garden, hydrangeas, potatoes and grapes being hit the hardest along with the new growth on box hedge and one or two other plants. I am sure gardeners further inland would have feared badly. Remove the damaged growth and let new growth over take it, damaged growth on roses is a shame because the first flush of blooms will not happen now. Cut damaged branches back to a new bud and in six weeks you will have flower buds again.

Most of the blossom has been raked up here, a shame such beauty it is over so soon. "But oh", the Rhododendrons how beautiful they are right now, in my view they are equal to the beautiful tropical flowers unable to be grown this far south.
One or two my roses started to flower this week, a little later than usual according to my notes. They are at their best right now with fresh new leaves To keep them like this food needs to be kept up to them at the roots as well as folia spraying. I add liquid fertiliser to the bug and fungus spray at 10 day intervals until things are under control, then fish emulation is a good maintainer as well as a great folia food.
Peony roses are starting to flower, supports under them help to hold up the heavy flower heads. I have tall wire supports shaped like a u at the top that are pushed into the ground with the rounded top in place to let them flop over and stay in place. They need lots of water and benefit from liquid fertiliser. I have heaps of lovely fat buds ready to open on my larger clumps and have some crowns that were planted last season, I am letting only one flower develop on these to remember what I planted and have removed all others. I will cut the one blooming flower off before it makes seed pods. The clump will form much faster if no blooms are produced for the first two years. Peony roses need full sun and do not like to be smothered by other plants.

Some hybrid clematis are looking beautiful right now, Hybrid's are especially large, bell shaped or delicate flowered variety, not the invasive pink and white montana type. You have to be quick to train hybrids where you want them to go while the trailers are still soft, they too like a lot of feeding to take them to great heights. Manure with a little lime added deep down in their planting hole is what is needed. Don't worry if you have one with no buds just yet they all have different flowering times, If you have just put one in this year, let it flower then cut it to the ground this will make it send up more shoots and you will have a much bushier and stronger climber. If you have a hybrid showing leaf then it is sure to flower at some stage before the end of the growing season. Hybrids can also wilt and die for no reason if this happens cut it to the ground but don't be quick to dig it out because I have known some to shoot away again the following year with no sign of wilt.

The first of my roses are out this week, later than past years but looking at their best with fresh new leaves. To keep them like this they need food kept up to them at the roots and folia feeding is helpful, add some each time you spray.
Most years I use only fish emulation but have noticed quite a few green fly so I have decided to use a systemic pesticide/fungicide spray to give them a good start.
I have been filling the gaps in the flower garden with old fashioned cottage flowers like cosmos, love in the mist, salvia blue bidder
Clary sage, and lavatera. These are all taller flowering annuals, I put a lot in close together so they hold each other up. The more plants I put in the less room for weeds to grow is the plan. All the plants I mentioned will be flowering at Christmas, and then for ages after if dead headed regularly.
Vegetables & Fruit
The nor wester arrived and blew my board bean down stakes and all.... I should have been firmer with the stakes, I lost quite a few stalks. I notice that they have no rust this year, could it be the pinch of potash I put in with them when I planted them? or just a lot more sun this growing season than the last few.
keep planting veg seeds and plants, a few at a time so you can have the continuous thing happening. If you put too many in at one time they will all bolt altogether in the heat of summer. I have just planted coriander, rocket, lettuce, corn and beetroot seeds.
The night beetle stripped the leaves from our apricot tree, the fruit is forming and should hopefully continue to grow along with some new leaves.
Planting by the moon
FULL MOON

Friday, 11 November 2011

Since prehistoric times, man has been planting and harvesting crops according to the phases of the moon. In a nutshell, it means that various plants do best when planted or harvested at certain phases.

Basic lunar planting info: All crops that produce their yield above ground should be planted during the Waxing (New to Full) Moon. The first week is especially good for crops that have their seeds on the outside, and the second week (between the 1st quarter and the Full Moon) is best for crops that produce seeds on the inside.

During the waning Moon (Full to New Moon) is the time to plant root crops. No planting is to be done on the day of the New moon or Full Moon.

New Moon
Waxing Crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter
Waning Crescent


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