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.