Gardening in North Otago 7th August 2012

More of those dull damp days this week but still so much is beginning to awake in the garden, I feel spring in the air with the fragrance from winter sweet, witch hazel, Daphne and boronia wafting to the music of Chopin around our garden. The birds are beginning to nest and I see the first jonquils opening. I do love the beginning of a new growing season as you can surely to tell!
After months of winter work going on in this garden it is now time to create and dress the garden by planting out and feeding . I have been liquid feeding with worm juice from my worm farm, which I add at black tea strength to a full watering can then apply generously to all new leaf and budding plants like pollyantha's, forget-me-nots, dianthus, sweet peas, pansy, viola and winter roses. Helping them along with feeding now will get their roots going and keep them green and strong through any cold snaps yet to come.
Slow release fertiliser is a great idea now as well, sprinkle around established ornamental and newly planted trees and shrubs to be there ready when the plants need food as the awake.

This week I am still pruning the hydrangeas and noticed nice fat buds swelling on the stems, prune only those stems that have flowered, cut at the second bud from the bottom, leave all other stems because these are the flowers for this year. Spread old stable manure around the drip line and a dressing of lime for pink flowers and aluminum sulphate for blue, White never changes, but are best planted in light shade – the flowers will tinge pink in the full sun. It is much easier to control the colour of hydrangea's in a pot, if the PH of your soil is high blue hydrangeas will always revert to pink no matter how often you add aluminum to the soil. If your PH is too high and you plan to grow hydrangeas in large pots to achieve a certain shade,it would be best to use soil from a garden in a different area mixed with tree and shrub mix. Used coffee grinds, grass clippings or pine needles spread around the drip line can help lower the PH.

I have been taking cuttings from the hardened off geranium steams, fresh grown geraniums give amazing colour to a warm sunny garden for all of the growing season and even into the winter, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. Take short cuttings with semi hard wood, (not a new green steam) and let them dry out a little before planting, which means you don't have to deal with them straight away. plant them into a soil and river sand mix and firm down, Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around the cutting. I am forever taking cuttings from geraniums I like when I come across them in friends gardens, and giving cuttings from mine.

Trim dentata lavender now, that's the tall growing one with the lavender bumblebee flower, they are budding up now ready to burst into flower. Lavenders like sweetening up with a dressing of lime. Leave trimming other lavenders a little longer

Cut back bush lavatera now also, they get very woody if left.

Dahlias and gladioli, can be planted from now until September.

I will mention again to apply a dressing of Rose Food to establish Rose's (Water in if powder), slow release will add food each time you water or when it rains.

Trees and Roses are still available in most Garden Centres. If you think your garden is too small for trees, I have seen dwarf Peach and Nectarine Trees on offer, what better if you need a little tree to add height in an era of your garden why not have one that blossoms beautifully and then gives you fruit.They are perfect for the smaller garden as they only grow to a width and height of 1.5 metres. They can also be grown in a tub and require very little pruning.
There are masses of bedding plants on offer now and the ground temperature warming up now to get them growing.

Vegetables
The vegetable garden has been enjoying the rain, I am still digging carrots and using silver beet, it is so good not to have to worry about the bugs during these colder months when planting out leaf veg.
Cold and frosty areas inland can make a start now by adding some compost and a little lime in readiness for when you plant out later this month.

Lets hope these dull overcast days are over by the time the fruit trees blossom so the bee's will come out and set to work pollinating .
It’s the right time to spray copper fungicide to prevent leaf curl in peach trees if they are just at bud burst. If they are already in flower it is too late, don't spray.

Gardening by the moon.
LAST QUARTER
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Garden:
Prepare seed raising mix 1/3 sieved compost, 1/3 sieved garden soil, 1/3 sand - possibly 10% vermicast if available. it is critical to use seedraising mix that does not contain fungicides to get maximum vigor and strength from your plants.
Pot up any cuttings that you took in May and are now shooting in a sand box
Weed garden beds, make compost, double-dig or prepare beds fo planting as they become dry enough
Orchard:
Very last tree planting for deciduous fruit tree
Good time to plant citrus
Very last pruning
Mulching trees for the summer (if you didn't feed the orchard earlier then feed now underneath the much)
Mulch all newly planted trees before the grass begins to grow
Cheers, Linda.
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