Gardening in North Otago 5th March 2014

March, Autumn begins: "Ahhh the warm ripening season I love, long shadows, low sun in Cornflower blue sky's above". ( At this mellow time of the year the poet in me emerges!!) Although the begging of this week was as cold as mid winter, wind rain & winter woollies before they should be! and because most of this week was so cold I had to keep on the move, the hedge trimmer was out again because some shrubs in our garden have out grown their space. I thought this might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs. Shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceonothus, forsythia, coleonema (breath of heaven) only if they need to be trimmed and shaped to reduce their height and width. they should always have this done while there is still enough growing season left for them to make new growth and harden off before the frosts begin. In colder areas like Kurow the trimming of all flowering shrubs should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas the old growth can be left on these through the winter to protect the new shoots, pruning can be done in mid to late Spring. I have also thinned out crowded camellia bushes, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through which will let enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring. Shrubs that flower on current years growth like daisy bushes, rosemary, fuchsia are best left with top growth on them now until spring they will then make rapid new growth, you will only risk loosing them if you cut them back hard now. I am still cutting back plants that looked stunning last season but are now just tied and straggly like bush lavatera, mignonette, lavender tops, geraniums and every acanthus mollis plant in my garden (oyster plant) needs to be cut right back to the ground now so they will all leaf up again and look good through winter. Seed collecting is still on the go here, there are so many ripe and ready now, I plant a few now but save most to sow in spring. I consider this month your last chance to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's as they need to have new growth harden off before winter to avoid frosting. If you intend to shape some be quick or leave them until after winter. If hebe's are covered in flower heads gone to seed they need the spent flower heads trimmed off, if this is not done they will get lanky, woody and look untidy. Once they have been trimmed plant a few tip cuttings by removing the bottom leaves and cutting the top leaves back by half before planting into the ground or trays of crusher dust. I came across a good idea for getting cuttings started using large clear plastic tubs, I bought a couple of these tubs for camping last year which I will put to use this way as mini tunnel houses. Line the bottom with lengths of stick to alleviate cuttings / seed trays for draining when watered, cuttings should not dry out, a mist spray is what I use. Place the tub lids on top of spacers to let air in and weight down with something smallish but heavy like a brick to stop the lid blowing off. Semi shade would be a good place for these tubs to sit at this time of the year. When the cold weather begins shift them into a sunny warm position. When cuttings have rooted pot into individual pots and pinch cuttings back at least twice to get nice bushy plants. The rule of thumb is hedging plants such as photinia, viburnum and tecreium can be cut any time during the growing season, but again be careful not to leave it too late in colder areas. Autumn is said to be the best time to plant conifers, there are such a lot of different types on offer now and I consider these shrubs & trees contribute to the bones of a garden. Tall narrow conifers planted in groups give larger gardens a vertical push and formality. Read labels carefully they will give you the height and width for the first ten years, after that they do keep growing and can be removed if they start to look untidy, but most ornamental conifers look wonderful for many years. Lawns. Once we are well into Autumn it will be the best time to sow a new lawn,because perennial weeds will have slowed down, the ground still holds warmth and the nights are still not cold so grass seed should be up in no time. I have been spot spraying the flat weeds in my lawns and applied grass grub granules during the rain we had before the last cold snap. Vegetables: What a great year for produce this is, I have so much ready to use, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, corn and pumpkins scrambling all over the place. Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg have been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost. When potatoes are dug they need to be kept in the dark or they will go green. I take what I need from a dig and leave the rest in the ground until needed. When the time comes for you to store them there are products which will inhibit sprouting, but many gardeners avoid chemicals near food so I will share a natural alternative with you. Layer the stored potatoes with dried sprigs of rosemary, sage and lavender, the essential oils given off by these herbs not only inhibit sprouting, they will also help to keep the tubers free from bacterial soft rots. Fruit: Apples, quince, plums, walnuts and late peaches all ready at once! the birds must be overjoyed by their feasting and the rats / mice will be feasting on the walnuts and sun flower seeds, such abundance! Cheers, Linda