Gardening in North Otago 20th November 2012

This was a better week,apart from the chill in the wind. I have been weeding, weeding,!! and cutting back heaps of stuff that has finished flowering, alyssum, ground cover phlox, aubrietia and aquilegias, if you cut them back now they will green up again and look good over summer. Same goes for Erica's, cut all the brown spent flower stems off and they will green up again in no time. I have also been changing the flower beds from Spring to summer, all the forget-me-not is gone along with the died down bulb tops. I spread well cooked compost on the cleared ground then start filling every gap with flower seedlings like cosmos, static, blue salvia, natushims, lavatera and lobelia not leaving any room for weeds to grow. All trees have leafed up now, don't be afraid to cut out over crowding branches to let light in to what is planted underneath. If there are two branches filling the same spot take the lower one out. Maple trees tend to grow thick canopies so I have been thinning mine out. I remove heaps but when I stand back and look it is not noticeable and now there is nice dappled light coming through. Dahlias can be pinched out like chrysanthemums to encourage bushiness' but they will still get tall so put stakes in now before they begin to bend and fall. Autumn flowering bulbs are in now, like belladonnas, crocuses, nerines, plant in full sun where they will not be disturbed. If your daffodils did not flower so well this spring, It's a good time to break up large clumps while you can still see where they have been, flowering can be restricted when the clumps get over crowded. Plant out in small groups in about 20cm of compost...plant to a depth of double their height then feed with blood and bone and mulch so they don't dry out over summer.Christmas lilies could also use a feed so they’re ready to stun in summer displays. Prune daisies bushes where needed to encourage summer flowering, and prune spring-flowering shrubs once they’re done producing blooms. Geraniums are now available; plant in a sunny, dry spot. Don’t forget fuchsias! They are also available but prefer semi-shaded areas in the garden. My buxus hedging is still too soft to be trimmed, would be trimming it this week in past years. Lawn mowers need to be lifted a notch now, try mowing without the catcher now and then, and rake the clippings out over the lawn to add humus to the lawn. Lawns need fed regularly through the growing and cutting seasons but never feed a dry lawn, if you do you are in danger of burning it. Have some fertiliser on hand for the next rain which never seems far away this month. I sprayed the lawn weeds two weeks ago, then fed them in the last rain, and filled the gaps with lawn seed. already the gaps where the weeds died have a green grass tinge. Vegetables & fruit Keep planting all vegetables but not too many of the same at one time. The ground is taking longer than usual to warm up this year which is holding rapid vegetable growth back, good in a way I think because leafy veg are not bolting to seed before they are used. I planted basil, corn and silver beet seeds this week ( have to keep the greens up to my chooks with the silver beet) Check your fruit trees now for over crowded bunches, thin the bunches out by snipping small fruits off with sharp scissors. Give each fruiting tree and bush a good root soak now and then in this dry weather. Gardening by the moon. First Quarter on 2012-11-20 The first quarter, which occurs in the waxing period, is considered the period of growth. This it the time to concentrate on the upward movement of plants or tasks that require water and light. Plant or sow seeds that are productive above ground. This includes everything from beans and flowers to fruit trees. It is also an excellent time to take cuttings. Grafting, too, requires a strong flow of water through the stems. Root crops, on the other hand, should not be planted in this period, as the rising water will enhance top growth at the expense of root development. Cheers, Linda