Gardening in North Otago 3rd April 2012

April, the cooling down month, even with evenings and mornings cooling down thank goodness days stay warm a bit longer yet for growing to continue. With changing weather it’s important to be vigilant in the garden this month. Autumn, I feel is more predictable than spring or summer here in North Otago, autumn is a time to reap and sow lest all be lost to the frost! Thus gardening commentators always suggest to gardeners to apply potash to their plants as winter starts to approach and to avoid too much nitrogen. The potassium hardens up plant growth and helps prevent damage from winter chills.

With the ground drying out really fast I am busy keeping the water up to some shallow rooted shrubs like rhododendrons, azalea's, hydrangea and newly planted plants and shrubs. I notice even some of my large established evergreen trees are starting to show signs of being dry and need turn about with the dripping hose.
If we get rain feed rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas with acid fertiliser, make sure it gets well washed in.

The still days are great for allowing the brilliantly coloured leaves to remain on trees longer and for raking them into piles when fallen, such good humus for the garden when composted down like I mentioned last week with hen manure & grass clippings.

I have been viewing the light situation around my garden before all the leaves fall, trees and shrubs get taller and wider every year and block out light. I have made a note of what trees & shrubs to reduce in height and width and which trees and shrubs to remove altogether. Some times one tree or shrub will do the job of two or three that are in one spot. I am ready to sacrifice trees that give little interest for trees close by that offer more through the year and shrubs that have grown too big in the front of a garden hiding what is behind. I have at times changed the whole look of gardens by removing a few things, letting more sun in then planting out sun loving plants.

here on the coast keep cutting back large daisy and lavatera bushes to encourage new buds that will flower over the next two months. Also get all hedges cut back now before frosts start and it should be there last cut until the new growth in spring. Photinia bushes and hedges cut now will put out nice bright red leaves for dull winter days if trimmed now.
Easter is a great weekend to clean up garden areas that have been flowering all summer and to visit the garden centres to choose more plants for planting now that will bud up and bloom through the winter, as long as they are planted while the ground is still warm to get the roots going and in a place they will get winter sun they will bloom.
Plant: Viola, snapdragon, pansy, polyantha's, stock, calendula and good old primula malacoidies.
If you want to plant evergreen shrubs other than conifers now is the time or wait until the frosts are over in spring, once frosts start it is only deciduous trees & shrubs and conifers that will cope with the really cold nights that can be safely planted.

Still time to get spring bulbs in, I have a lot of daffodils to plant over the weekend, its an on going yearly ritual for me because I like to see daffodils in large groups. They like to be planted in a sunny spot and large over crowded clumps need to be divided for the best result.

Hybrid clematis are still on offer, they are the lovely huge bloom, deciduous type and are not as invasive as the ever green montana. They love being planted into warm autumn ground and are so pretty growing in with other climbers and climbing roses that flower at a different time to them. All clematis like manure and lime.

Lawns: If you notice dead patches in the lawn that birds are interested in then you have grass grub, sprinkle grass grub granules around the green grass areas at the first sign of rain.
This is a good time to apply sifted compost to lawns ( a bucket to the square metre) with some lime added, the compost will improve the humus content and the lime will condition and sweeten the soil.
If you have had a good strike with a newly sown lawn delay cutting until grass is 7-8 centimetres high, set the blades high and avoid cutting when the ground is wet and soft.

Veg: I have planted out carrot and onion seeds with the promise of rain, spring and winter cabbage can go in now but protect from the white butterfly.
My pumpkins seem to be growing before my eyes during the lovely warm autumn days, i will leave them growing undisturbed until the full on frosts arrive.

LAST QUARTER
Friday, 13 April 2012
Garden:
Double dig or prepare all remaining beds for winter crops or compost crops

Empty chook straw yards onto garden and give chooks fresh material for the winter

Manure brassica beds as they are gross feeders

Pick and store main crop apples, pears, potatoes, kumara, pumpkin and dried beans


Transplant last seedlings

Prepare strawberry beds

Orchard:
Spread dolomite lime, manure, rock phosphate, liquid seaweed and vermiliquid around orchards and garden

Manure, mulch and compost around fruit trees after first rain. take special care with young trees, beery fruit and perennial crops

Prune tamarillo trees hard after last fruit comes off. Staggered pruning will stagger next year's crop

Tie up boysenberries, loganberries, blackberries and rasberries

Trim blueberries and Chilean cranberies

After the rain, apply soil conditioners, vermicast, vermiliquid and seaweed preparations

Begin collecting fallen leaves to make compost leaf mould, hot beds, etc.

Cheers, Linda.