Gardening in North Otago August 13th 2013

Another good rain here in North Otago this week but leaving the ground wet and soggy when it was just starting to dry out. I am sure nature knows what it is doing and the trees and plants are not complaining, however it is a pain for gardeners wanting to get on with early spring gardening. It is best to keep off wet ground, the last thing soil needs is compacting. To prepare for spring, treat your garden to a late-winter pep-up by digging in plenty of organic matter, such as compost and manure. then remove weeds and apply snail and slug control measures to reduce any winter population build up, slugs love wet conditions. I set to cutting back my wigelias and spirea's, these are lovely old fashioned deciduous shrubs with no center trunk, they send long canes up from the ground that cover themselves in small light & dark flowers in late spring. I remove all the old branches that have flowed long enough, you can tell which branches they are because the wood looks really old and spent compared to the new fresh wood there ready and waiting to take their place. My hypericum (St Johns Wort,green leafed evergreen shrub with large bright yellow flowers got a chop as well, right down to the ground. It had grown really big over a number of years with most of its new growth only on the top. After a couple of days after the chop it was pushing out new growth and will be a manageable bush again soon. Lift and divide perennials such as delphiniums, chrysanthemums, asters and astilbes. Sow seeds of: alyssum, begonia, californian poppy, carnation, celosia, chrysanthemum, cosmos, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, gypsophila, honesty, nemesia, marigold, pansy, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, verbena, viola, viscaria, and zinnia,. Plant seedlings of: alyssum, aquilegia, canterbury bells, carnations, cornflower, cosmos, cineraria, delphinium, pansies, polyanthus, poppy, gypsophila, forget-me not, hollyhock, stock, and viola, .. Want a tree with stunning blooms the size of your hand? The New Zealand-bred Jury magnolia, ‘Felix’ has hot pink flowers up to 30cm wide and mass-blooms in early spring. Growing to 5m, it’s ideal for smaller gardens and needs little pruning. On a smaller scale the new fairy magnolia blush is proving to be a winner for a pretty hedge and looks great in a pot, this magnolia / michelia cross grows 4m high and 3m wide after 10 years, likes full sun or semi shade. Apply a dressing of Rose Food to establish Rose's and Water in well. Lawns: August can be a tricky time of the year for your lawn. This is because we don’t really know exactly what weather we are going to get Fertiliser now to for food to be available when needed. You may find the growth rate of grass increase from now on so it is important to keep on top of your mowing and because this is proving to be a mild August you may consider a broad leaf weed spray to take out any undesirable species that have come into your lawn during winter. Vegetables: With my raised gardens being in a sunny location I feel they have not had enough hard frosts this winter to break up the soil. I am still digging carrots and parsnips using silver beet, and the leeks are growing well, it is so good not to have to worry about the bugs and white butterflies at this time of the year. Onions: although onions prefer a sunny position with a rich but light soil, they will do well in most soils as long as it is firm. You can grow them in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Seeds should be sown at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. When planting, space plants 5-10 cm, seed trays don't have to be in a greenhouse, any sheltered spot will do to guard against rapid changes of temperature, especially at night. Downy mildew, neck rot and white rot are the most common diseases that attack onions. To avoid these, plant disease-resistant varieties and keep the garden clean of diseased debris. If your veg garden is further inland start adding some compost and a little lime now in readiness for when you plant out later this month. Fruit: I have finished pruning my wine grapes - this year I have had to remove some old leaders, replacing them with new growth leaders along wires. The result of this will be vertical budding and fruiting next year. To prune a fruiting leader remove all new long growth on the vine other than the fruiting leader, on the leaders prune each new growth back to the second bud. These fruiting buds should be around a hand space apart to ensure adequate sized fruit, this means removing some of the new bud growth along the top of the leader and all of the new bud growth growing underneath. Some of these new budding top growths will throw two lots of bud branch, remove the least stronger one leaving only one lot of double buds to produce fruit. This applies to domestic grown grapes as well. Citrus trees may need to be covered against late winter frosts in sheltered areas. New season’s fruit trees particularly pip and stone fruit can be planted out now. August can be a tricky time of the year for your lawn. This is because we don’t really know exactly what weather we are going to get. Fertiliser to keep your lawn thick and healthy You may find the growth rate of grass increase so it is important to keep on top of your mowing If we have a mild August you may consider a broad leaf weed spray to take out any undesirable species that may have come into your lawn during winter. I see a few bees at work already which is a good sign for the soon to be happening fruit blossom pollination. Cheers, Linda.