Gardening in North Otago 16th March 2012

Some sun this week, soooo good for people & plants, the ground is so easy to weed and seeds are germinating fast with the soil being warm again. I have been planting wall flower, stock, Virginia stock , sweet pea, Iceland poppy, pansy, pollyantha, primula malacoidies and forgetmenot seeds and if the sun keeps shining they should all be soon for me to prick out and and plant into containers where they will continue to grow and harden off a little before the danger of hard frost. If some grow big enough to reach bud stage I will plant into the garden but most will need to be carried over until the ground warms up again in spring.( Sweet pea seeds should to be planted straight into the garden.)
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 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 then prune in Spring when they begin to shoot.
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, 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. 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.
The rule of thumb is hedging plants such as photinia, box hedge, viburnum and tecreium 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.

Autumn is said to be the best time to plant conifers, there are such a lot of different types on offer now and I consider these contribute to the bones of the garden along with trees. Tall narrow conifers planted in groups give larger gardens a vertical push and formality. Read labels carefully they will give you the height and width for the first ten years, after that they do keep growing and can be removed if they start to look untidy but most ornamental conifers look wonderful for years & years.

Lawns.
This is such a good year to sow autumn lawns and fill in gaps in lawns. I have been spot spraying the flat weeds in lawns and when we get rain again I will apply grass grub granules, from February until may is the time to do this.

Vegetables
Gardens will be producing in abundance now, I have so much ready to use, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, corn and pumpkins scrambling all over the place needing to make up for the loss of sunny days. Have frost cloth ready for outside tomatoes and pumpkins should there be an early frost.
Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost.
When potatoes are dug they need to be kept in the dark or they well green up and even potatoes stored in the dark will sprout as spring nears. There are products which will inhibit sprouting but many like me avoid chemicals near food so I will share a natural alternative with you. Layer the stored potatoes with dried sprigs of rosemary, sage and lavender, the essential oils given off by these herbs not only inhibit sprouting, they will also help to keep the tubers free from bacterial soft rots.

Gardening by the moon

17 March 2012

Waning crescent

Synodic:
This is not a good time to be sowing anything in the garden. Instead use this time to weed and harvest from the garden. It is an excellent time to start building a new compost heap.

Biodynamic:
Moon in Sagittarius: This is a Fire sign. This is a good time to sow Fruiting plants like Broad Beans (Fava) , Cucumbers , Peas , Tomatoes , but it would not be a good time to sow Leaf plants like Cabbages , Celeriac ,Celery , Dill , Lettuce , Rhubarb , Spinach ,

Sidereal:
Moon in Sagittarius: Dry and barren. Good time to plant onion sets and bulbs.

18th March 2012

Root Capricorn
Waning crescent


Synodic:
This is not a good time to be sowing anything in the garden. Instead use this time to weed and harvest from the garden. It is an excellent time to start building a new compost heap.

Biodynamic:
Moon in Capricorn: This is a Earth sign. It is a good time to sow Root plants like Asparagus , Beetroot , Carrots , Chives , First Early Potatoes , Horseradish , Jerusalem Artichokes , Leeks ,Onions , Parsnips , Potatoes , Radish , Second Early Potatoes ,Shallots , Spring Onions , but it would not be a good time to sow Flower plants like Broccoli , Cauliflowers , Globe Artichokes ,

Sidereal:
Moon in Capricorn: Potatoes and tubers planted now will have a strong growth.



Cheers Linda