Gardening in North Otago 2nd July 2013

Where were the frosts this week? milder dull, overcast days closeing in on us around 4.30pm do not inspire gardeners to work outside making it I think the perfect garden planning time to be a step ahead before spring planting. Rose pruning continues here in my garden.The time by which rose pruning should be completed varies by several weeks from the warmest to coldest gardens now that rose wood has hardened off. Pruning should be done and dusted by the time buds break. Bush roses: concentrate on clearing the center of the bush, remove all inward facing branches at an outward facing bud, prune height back by two thirds always at an outward facing bud and remove any really old and damaged branches. Brush old gnarly rose centers with a wire brush to stimulate and encourage new budding. Florabuda bush roses like iceberg need a few older branches taken right back each year to encourage new strong branching and newer branches taken back by two thirds. Hybrid tea roses: These are the roses that can grow exhibition blooms, these rose bushes can be pruned back quite hard to an outward facing bud. Standard bush roses: Same as bush roses. Climbing roses: These roses flower at their best when the branches are trained horizontally along a fence or wall, they develop small branches along the length of the trained branch and give a brilliant show. After a number of years these long horizontal branches will need to be removed and replace by a softer new branch, being careful not to damage this soft wood, train gently out to take the place of the removed old wood. The new branch will bud up quickly sending out small outward growing branches and harden off in a couple of years. Prune the outward growing branches growing along established horizontal branch's back to the second from the bottom at an outward facing bud. It's the new bud growth from this pruning that will develop into flowers. Pillar roses; These are the best type to climb up and be trained over an arch or pergola. I cut the old growth back off these with a hedge trimmer. Fairy rose & flower carpet roses: These, I also cut back with a hedge trimmer but open them up by removing branches from the middle with secateurs. The bulk of new seasons bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now, continue planting while the soil is soft and moist, but avoid times when the ground is frozen or excessively wet. Young deciduous trees and shrubs can also be moved at this time, trim damaged roots and cut back any that are inconveniently long. Evergreen trees and shrubs are on offer as well, choose now but don't be in a hurry to plant them at this coldest time of the year because you will not gain any new growth until spring. Keep in their bags or pots outside in a sheltered place to harden off. They can sit like this through winter. Make sure to read the labels and know how high and wide a shrub and tree will grow, some, like natives grow fast and when mature will throw considerable shade. When planting along side the house ask advice. Compost heaps are working much more slowly now than in the summer and autumn but the worms will be still working as long as there is adequate moisture. Heaps can be kept warmer by being covered, I use straw which lets the rain in. Boost bedding plants with fish based fertiliser or a little dried blood.to encourage buds during sunny winter days. Veg: This mild winter weather has been kind to producing vegetable gardens, I have peas in flower, I planted them at the start of winter as a trial and so far so good. Once I have used all the carrots, parsnip and silver beet I will dig the raised gardens over and work in some compost in readiness for spring planting. In cold areas start garlic off in containers and plant out later when the ground warms up If your strawberry patch is manured and ready plant new strawberry runner plants in now while the ground is soft and moist. Fruit: Finish planting deciduous fruit trees and bushes in a sunny site, avoid frosty hollows for early starters such as plums and pears. Frosty sites are no disadvantage for soft fruits as winter chills will stimulate fruit buds. Continue to shelter citrus in frosty gardens, they should be offering a lot of fruit to pick now ( marmalade sounds good ) The best time of the year to prune fruit trees. Early to Late Spring for Peaches Peach trees should be pruned yearly to maintain an open center, prune off the damaged wood in the early spring. This will allow the wounds to close faster as growth begins. In the early spring you should also be able to see how many flower buds have survived the cold weather. Be sure to thin the fruit on the trees to about 6 inches between fruits. Early Spring for Plums Plum trees should be pruned to maintain an open center. If the prune off the damaged wood in the early spring. This will allow the wounds to close faster as growth begins. Don't let your plum tree branch too close to the ground. The best fruit often grows at the top of the trees. Keep the tops of trees low, so they are easily accessible. Winter for Apples and pears The best time to prune your apple and pear tree is when it is dormant, during the late Autumn and winter. During the dormant season, you will want to cut away any overly vigorous stems, which are usually high in the trees. Cheers, Linda