Gardening in North Otago February 25th 2015

Another lovely week and still so dry, but with that comes clear blue sky's, continuous colourful blooming and fragrance, Oh the fragrance of the jasmine, roses and my cream Annabelle hydrangeas wafting among the lush summer foliage is intoxicating here in our garden. Around town I am loving the glow of golden elms contrasting beautifully with the mass's of blue agapanthas in flower right now.

Plants are moving into the ripening season, they feel the urge to make seed to reproduce, by continuous dead heading we can prolong this stage by encouraging plants to keep flowering. All plants respond well to dead heading and those perennials that flower only once send up fresh new foliage if cut well back now.

Cut back; tall phlox, (right to the ground) Penstemons (spent flower stalks),Alstroemeria ( pull spent stalks right out), dahlia ( spent flower stalks) delphiniums (spent flower stalks right to the ground) mignonette ( cut back to new buds) English lavender ( cut back by two thirds), French lavender (bumble bee type, cut back to new buds), Sweet peas ( keep picking flowers, leave a few for new seeds then pull all out), petunias (cut back to new buds) saliva (cut back to new buds), Hydrangeas ( cut spent flower stalks right down to the second bud from the bottom), Geraniums ( cut off spent flower stalks and branching back if leggy) lupins (cut right to the ground when flowering is finished)

Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering, 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. 

The ground is getting hungry here now so I plan to give areas opened up after a cutting back a good soak then a top up with compost to encourage spreading plants to make new roots. 

Resist the urge shift shrubs, 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 is down. If large shrubs are needing to be shifted wrench them now in readiness to lift them at the right time. 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, keep water up once roots have been cut or disturbed. The wrenched tree / 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.

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 now, or at the end of next winter. 

 Mulching of the soil is beneficial right now but always apply mulch to ground that has been well soaked then you can forget about watering for a while because the mulch will do the job of keeping that moisture in the ground. Un-sprayed grass clippings mixed with compost as a mulch around plant roots will work, if you don't make compost pick up a trailer load from the resource recovery park to keep the garden going until the big autumn clean up.

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 roll if you can to firm down and create an even service, then it's raking and more raking to create a fine layer on top to rake over seed once sown. The warm ground and gentle sprinkler watering will have the seed struck in no time. Leave any fertilising until the lawn is really established, new grass will burn easily. 

Veg and 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 for new croppers and keep the water up to them until they 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!.

Time to cover grapes, the birds are waiting to feast. 

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago February 17th 2015

This real summer continues to dry North Otago with crops ripening and ground cracking, we have in the past been considered a drought area which sure rings true this summer.

Keeping the water up here in this garden is top priority, dragging hose's from one garden to another with more often than not a small determined dog pulling the hose end the opposite way!! Yes, I know he thinks it is our special game and my verbal responses like Scruuuufffff...... seem to be the attention he craves from this one sided game. 

As well as hose pulling I have been tidying up the fluffy new growth on some hedges, the sharp neatness really stands out among the full summer growth. 

I thought it might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceonothus, forsythia, coleonema (breath of heaven) but only if they need to be trimmed and shaped to reduce their height or width. This should always be done while there is still enough growing season left for them to make new growth and harden off well before temperatures plummet. In colder areas like Kurow this trimming should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas you can leave the old growth on through the winter to protect the new shoots then prune in Spring when they begin to shoot.

This would be a good time I feel to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's as they must have new growth hardened off before winter. If you intend to shape them be quick or leave them until after winter. You can always tell when it is time to trim hebe's, if they are covered in flower heads gone to seed they need cut back, if this is not done hebe's will get lanky, woody and look untidy. Once trimmed pot up a few tip cuttings, remove the bottom leaves and cut the top leaves back by half, plant into the ground in a semi shaded spot or into river sand, keep moist and in no time at all they will develop roots. As they grow pinch the cuttings back at least twice to get nice bushy plants.

I am also working my way round camellias and thinning them out, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through to let enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring. And as time allows the removal of seed heads from rhododendrons is recommended, especially on newly planted rhododendrons to encourage new plant growth. There is a place on the stem where if bent will snap the seed head clean off, it dose not take long to discover where this point is.

Ornamental grasses have finished making seed and can be cut back now before too many of the seed heads float about the garden and germinate, cut them well back and they will soon fluff up again to waft about in a breeze.

Lawns.

With all this heat lawns are suffering and begging for the next shower,I notice even the lawn weeds are struggling which means lawn weed spray would work a treat while weeds are thirsty, spot spraying on a dull day is kinder to worms and bee's than full lawn coverage on a sunny day.

Vegetables.

Keeping water up to veg Gardens is on going, my raised beds dry out in no time so good soakings are require rather than the sprinkler now and then. I find myself wanting cooler nights for the sake of vegetables which is a bit on the sad side considering it is for once an fantastic summer.

If you are prepared to keep the water up keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago February 10th 2015

Rain, yes more rain on Monday to freshen everything up after all the hot weather, Hurrah!

Dahlia's are taking center stage now, they are making it into more and more flower borders and look great mixed with late summer perennials. Dahlia tuba's are a good investment for the garden because they increase in size from year to year and in time can be broken up to plant as gap fillers. Dahlias bring vibrant colour into summer gardens with a style and colour for every situation - cacti, singles, pompom and more, a bright splash of candy pink, almost black, vivid red or sassy orange and they remain through until the frosts force them back into the ground.  

Tall perennial phlox put on a fantastic show in our garden with it's tall frothy pinks and white. They are also a great investment for the garden because one plant will grow into large clump in no time and not only do they look beautiful the perfume from a clump of tall phlox can be intoxicating wafting about the garden. most tail phlox succumb to mildew, spraying with a herbicide when they start to leaf up helps to hold mildew back for a while. Once finished flowering cut large clumps down to the ground and remember to soak spray the crown when new growth appears.

Plant annual flower seeds now to give colour in the winter like Iceland poppy, primula malacoidies, Virginian stock (a great plant for winter hanging baskets) wall flower, and flowering kale. Have any of these at budding stage before the frosts arrive and they will push on and flower. This applies to coastal gardens only not further in land unless you have a frost free sheltered spot.

I have found over the years that if petunias in pots are cut back when they have finished flowering they will green up and flower again, I have one that is in it's third year of lowering and is into it's second flowering for this year. This works well for potted petunias but in the garden the ground would get too cold over the winter for them to last from year to year.

Pea straw is available again thank goodness, I could not garden as I do without the cover of pea straw over winter. Ross & Sue McCullough Phone 034326844 are offering large and small bales off the paddock.

Lawns

Lawns have really benefited from that last lot of rain it is strange to see them so green at this time of the year. As I mentioned last week grass grub is on the munch again but I have just learned that the only brand of grass grub prill's offered have been taken off the market! A water on product is available but I have never used it so cannot rate how effective it is, but I do know that if this product is used the lawn needs a good soaking down to the grass roots to enable the product to get down to where the grubs are feeding, however if too much water is applied it could wash the product past the root depth.

Veg &fruit Many edibles are peaking in production to enjoy at the moment. Water in the morning or evening before or after the full heat of the sun, otherwise there’s too much evaporation for the plants to thrive. I swear my pumpkins grow every time I turn my back on them! a bumper crop this summer I feel.

I have been free flow freezing veg when I have the time, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, courgette's beans, peas and corn all keep well after blanching in hot water then freezing in the free flow method. For those not familiar with this, after blanching I spread the veg out on oven trays, freeze then bag.

This is the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside. Examples are lettuce, spinach, celery, cabbage, cauliflower.  

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago February 3rd 2015

February already, where did January go?

The rains we have been experiencing here in north Otago have been fantastic, softening the ground for weeding and planting.

The first of the seeds I left to fall from spring flowering plants are up, I will wait until perennials are stronger, another week or two and then transplant them into trays to sit in the shade and keep growing ready to plant out at the end of next winter. Have a look around plants that have dropped seed in your garden, I have found nice little seedlings of pansies, viola, marigolds, hellebore's, sweet William, aquilegias, foxglove, and hollyhock to name a few. Seeded annuals can be planted out as soon as they are big enough ,they should flower over autumn.

Heaps of cutting back still going on here, early summer flowering plants like bush lavateras, buddleia, geranium, astrantha and lupins they will bush up again in no time and refill gaps.

I planted out a number of geranium seedlings before Christmas and with this hot summer they have grown into bushy flowering plants ready to fill some of the gaps. If you see any seedlings on offer grab them, they are such great flowering plants for sunny gardens and need little attention.

Take the seed heads off anything that you do not want to spread, that goes for weeds as well, make sure you whack the seed heads off even if you don't pull them out there and then .

Keep trimming hedges as they put on soft new growth and either compost the trimmings or scatter them around the garden, they are soft enough to break down at this time of the year.

Hydrangeas are looking lovely right now, I have been taking hard wood cuttings of one or two. Select a stem that has flowered and cut at a node just before a new shoot. Push the cuttings into some firm, damp shady ground where they will not be disturbed and place a pot with drainage holes over the top of them ( to let rain in). Forget about them until they start to shoot in late spring, then pot them up and get them big enough to plant out the following year in early summer.

Give roses a dressing of manure or blood and bone now as they will be ready for a boost after their first long flowering and keep the dead heading up to encourage flowering.

Give lavenders a hair cut now before they make seed, the bumblebee type will flower again, same for catnip I cut mine back twice during their flowering season then tidy them up again before winter.

Lawns

its grass grub time again, they are most active from February to May. I use a product that can be shaken on and watered /rained in well like powdered fertiliser. The grubs feed on the grass roots and leave dead patches on lawns, once a dead patch is visible they will have moved on to another area of the lawn so concentrate on the unaffected areas

Vegetables:

There is heaps of growing time ahead so keep sowing root veg seed and plants.

carrots (harvest April / may)

parsnips (harvest June)

board beans (harvest May / July)

cabbage sow in seed tray,plant out in 4 weeks (harvest April May )

cauliflower sow in seed tray, plant out in 4 to 6 weeks (harvest May / July)

leeks grow in seed tray plant out in 4 to 6 weeks (harvest May / June)

lettuce I sow butter crunch now and stagger it right into winter

onions grow in seed trays, plant out in 4 to 6 weeks (harvest July - October)

silverbeet (harvest March / April

Cheers, Linda