Gardening in North Otago 26th February 2013

Another lovely week but oh so dry, there are parts in our garden that are really tired now, particularly the long boarders which I plan to attack this weekend. Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering then top dress with compost and some blood & bone. To get superior blooms on gerberas, dahlias, delphiniums and chrysanthemums dead head and give fortnightly feeds of liquid fertiliser, remove excess buds from large flowering chrysanthemums. I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer by being shifted at this time of the year even if the water was kept up to them. Best to wait until the end of Autumn when the sap has gone down. However if you have no option and have to shift trees and shrubs it would not be as traumatic if they were first wrenched to cushion them from the shock of being moved at this time of the year. Wrenching is when one half of the roots are dug around and lifted, then compost is added under them for new feeder roots to grow into. It is important to keep the water up once roots have been cut or disturbed. A tree or shrub will survive with being fed from the remaining untouched roots while at the same time the other half is making new roots into the compost in readiness for a shift later on when the whole tree or shrub is lifted. Wrenched trees and shrubs have a much higher transplant success rate than trees and shrubs that are lifted in one go and transplanted. if not in a hurry to shift large trees & shrubs wrench now and transplant in winter when plants are dormant. I am still gathering seeds for planting next spring, with all this hot weather there are plenty of ripe seeds to be had from foxgloves, Poppy's, dianthus, lupin, marigold, sweet pea, lavender, snapdragon, even rhododendron and azalea. Store them in brown paper bags in a dry place( where mice cannot get at them) to plant into seed raising mix at the end of winter. Watering plants is a priority now but it is best not to water in the heat of the day, wait until it cools down and your plants will absorb and retain the moisture. Mulching is also beneficial right now, but always apply mulch to ground that has been well soaked then forget about watering for a while because the mulch will do the job of keeping that moisture in the ground. I am sure many people will be on the look out for bales of new seasons pea straw! I look forward to passing on contacts should I be given any. Phone: Linda 034349786. Lawns: If you are thinking of sowing lawn this autumn, prepare the ground soon by getting rid of perennial weeds, this is easily done by using a product such as round up then once weeds are well dead rotary hoe the area to ensure there will be no hard pan. Then rake and rake to create a fine tilt on top. Test the PH ( I am sure soil testers can be hired ) if the soil is very acid adjust to about 6 with an application of fine lime. The lime will take a few months to be absorbed so leave applying fertiliser to your new lawn until Spring, then apply once or twice a year there after. Veg & Fruit Vegetable gardens should be abundant now, keep the water up to corn and pumpkins to ensure a juicy crop, they both need a long ripening season. Dig out old spent strawberry plants that have finished cropping and discard, Plants that are being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps. Transplant strong runners and keep the water up to them until the make roots. Apple trees are really producing well this year, the birds are having a ball. I have been picking mine if I see the birds have been at some. Store apples in a cool dark place, check them often and remove any that show signs of rot.....it should be a great season for home cider making. Gardening by the moon Third quarter During the third quarter, from the full moon to half-full, plant biennials, perennials, bulb and root crops, any crops which are planted in one season to winter over and produce yields the following year, trees, and shrubs. Some third quarter plants include onions, potatoes, rhubarb, grapes, winter wheat, and berries. Cheers, Linda