Gardening in North Otago 2nd April 2014

April, the cooling down month but thank goodness days stay warm a little longer even if the nights and mornings are cooler. With this change in the weather it’s important to be vigilant in the garden this month. Autumn here in North Otago is usually more predictable than spring or summer, but I must say not so this year. Autumn is a time to reap and sow lest all be lost to the frost! Thus gardening commentators always suggest gardeners should apply potash to their plants as winter starts to approach and avoid too much nitrogen. Potassium hardens up plant growth and helps prevent damage from winter chills. Because we have had so much moisture so far this autumn trees and shrubs are slower to colour up and leaves hang on longer, but when they do fall gather and make good humus for the garden, compost down with manure, grass and soft hedge clippings. I have been viewing the light situation around our garden before all the leaves fall, because trees and shrubs get taller and wider every year blocking out light. I am noting what trees & shrubs to reduce in height and width and which trees and shrubs to remove altogether. Sometimes one tree or shrub will do the job of the two or three in one spot. Sacrifice trees that give little interest for trees close by that offer more, and shrubs that have grown too big in the front of a garden hiding what is behind need to be cut back, wrenched for shifting later or cut out. I have at times changed the whole look of gardens by removing a few shrubs / trees, letting more sun in then planting out sun loving plants. Here on the coast keep cutting back large daisy and lavatera bushes to encourage new buds that will flower over the next two months. Also get all hedges cut back now before frosts start, this will be the last cut until the new growth in spring, especially photinia bushes / hedges, a trim now will encourage nice bright red leaves to brighten dull winter days. It is a great time to clean up garden areas that have been flowering all summer and to visit the garden centres (here on the coast only) to choose more plants for planting now to bud up and bloom through winter, if they are planted while the ground is still warm to get the roots going they will continue to get enough winter sun to carry on and bloom. Plant: Viola, snapdragon, pansy, polyantha's, stock, calendula, wall flowers, sweet William and good old primula malacoidies. If you want to plant evergreen shrubs other than conifers now is the time or wait until the frosts are over, once frosts start it is only deciduous trees / shrubs and conifers that will cope with the really cold nights that can be planted without the need protection. Keep getting spring bulbs in the warm ground. Hybrid clematis are still on offer, they are the lovely huge bloom, deciduous type which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. This type are not as invasive as the Montana variety. They love being planted into warm autumn ground and are so pretty growing in with other climbers and climbing roses that flower at a different time to them. All clematis like manure and lime. Lawns: Spray lawn weeds and apply sifted compost to lawns if they are compacted ( a bucket to the square metre) with some gypsum added, the compost will improve the humus content and the gypsum will soften clay soils. If you have had a good strike with a newly sown lawn delay cutting until grass is 7-8 centimetres high, set the blades high and avoid cutting when the ground is wet and soft. Veg: I have dug the last of my potatoes and stored them with a covering of herbs like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. The peas I put in are up and making growth. I have not harvested any pumpkins yet, will leave growing until the threat of frosts. Time to dig up and divide Rhubarb crowns, mixing in heaps of compost before replanting. Sow: Spinach,Snap Peas, board beans and Spring Onions. Fill the top of a shallow pot with Spring Onions and have handy by the back door, start thinning when plants are still quite small, pull them as they’re needed, Cheers, Linda http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.co.nz/