Gardening in North Otago March 24th 2015

Autumn is all around, sun low in the sky and moisture staying in the ground to benefit trees and plants as they come to the end of this growing season, preparing now for a magnificent colourful finally.

The grass is staying green and weeds still popping up but if the hoe is kept on the go while weeds are small in soft ground they wont get away on us like they do in spring. ( wishful thinking?) I am still cutting back still because everything is really tired now and wanting to make seed but am holding myself back from getting too carried away until after the last wedding of the season happening here on Easter Saturday. Once I really start chopping back at this time of the year there is no stopping me from leaving destruction in my wake. 

While working my way around I dealt to all my bearded iris's by cutting leaves back by two thirds and making sure the top of rhizomes were above ground to bake in the autumn sun. Some needed shifted from the shade created by trees getting bigger, into sunny well drained locations. Iris's are well worth the trouble of growing and look wonderful planted together in their own bed enabling them to put a grand display on their own. 6-8 weeks after blooming rhizomes can be divided leaving a chunk of rhizome and roots to every new division. 

If needed you can also divide and re potted clumps of water iris now. To re pot water iris line a plastic pot ( that will still stand with the top heaviness of the iris when tall) with sacking, or loose woven material place a generous amount of gravel on the bottom then some soil, a little stable manure, or slow release fertiliser granules well into the middle of the pot then plant iris and add another thick layer of gravel. The gravel on the bottom and top helps to prevent manure or fertiliser leaching from the pot while at the same time weighting the pot down when the iris becomes top heavy. Submerge replanted iris back into the pond.

If you are having trouble with pond water growing green slime, remove as much of it as you can and place a good slice from a bale of  straw into a least visible part of your pond, weigh it down with a rock then flood the pond to overflowing. The straw will rot down and the pond will go through a murky stage before eventually working the way it should be. Be careful never to let fertiliser drift into ponds, nitrogen is what causes still warm water to green up.

Remove seed heads from ornamental grass if you have not already done so, they just pull away with a rake. Clumps can also now be trimmed back if getting too big or divided by putting a spade through the middle and removing half. Sometimes I have to dig the whole grass out to do this, by putting the spade through once pulled apart while standing on one half of the clump.

If thinking of adding Rose's, or more roses to your garden I suggest you look at rose variety books or go on line to make your choices now,  then get your order into a Garden center. New seasons roses will begin arriving in June and by ordering now you will be sure not to miss out. If ordering for a new rose bed be sure to take note of heights and widths because they will be all growing together and you would not want some out growing and shading others. 

All bought roses have been grafted onto strong root stack but roses can be grown from Autumn cuttings on their own roots. Choose a strong new growth about the thickness of a pencil that has made hard wood, if cut from the bottom of the bush three or four cuttings can be taken. Strip all leaves, make a straight cut on the bottom and a slanted cut at a bud node on the top of each cutting. Dig a narrow slit into firm damp earth and push cuttings in straight cut down, then firm soil around cuttings and water in. These cuttings will not make roots until spring, shift and pot each one up when you notice buds swelling.

Vegetables. March is an important month for planting winter veg, prepare prior to planting with compost, general garden fertiliser and lime (only if needed to bring the Ph up), I add lime to my compost then know the garden is getting it when compost is added. Beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and silverbeet seedlings and broad beans can be planted, cover with netting or frost cloth if they are troubled by white butterflies until the cold temps deal to them. In colder areas seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are best sown in trays for planting out later. 

A green manure cover crop will germinate quickly right now to be dug in before flowers develop, this will add enriched humus to soil. Blue lupin, mustard or oats are good options. 

Parsley can be grown from seed if sown now and perennial herbs such as, chives, mint, thyme, sage, and marjoram can be divided and replanted. Basil, a summer annual should be harvested, dried or frozen before frost. 

Prepare garlic beds, sow heartease (small wild pansy) along side, a companion plant to garlic and onions.

Fruit: Manure, mulch and compost around fruit trees while ground is warm. Late peaches should be ready to pick now. Feed citrus bushes with citrus fertiliser, they just keep on producing flowers and fruit. 

A Scruff update, showing initiative now by bringing his food bowl and placing it at my feet when he thinks I have left him waiting too long and the other day he dropped his lead at my feet...telling me something??

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago March 18th 2015

Having had rain last week and more this week plus such a cold snap last Tuesday Autumn has probably taken a couple of steps back confusing plants and Gardeners alike! The silver birch tree's and the bougainvillea are always the first to drop a carpet here so the leaf blower and rake are on the go again to fill the first of many wool packs.

Still cutting back and tiding plants here before the compost and pea straw is applied,  I got a bit desperate for potting mix so dug into one of my compost heaps and was pleased to find everything was decomposing really well due to the heat and the showers we have been experiencing, I was able to add some to the potting mix to make it go further.

The rain spoiled a lot of my rose blooms but there are still buds to come to make a vibrant last showing before winter.  Rust is always a problem on roses in Autumn and if you did not get rust under control during summer try to eradicate affected leaves now from the bushes as well as those on the ground and burn them to reduce this problem for next year. Don't feed roses now, let soft growth harden off to take them through to the big winter prune.

Here on the coast we can still enjoy colour during winter if bedding  plants are prepared now. I have been potting up seedlings grown from seed and some bought in punnets. The idea is to utilize the warmth in the days from now on to encourage individually potted plants to bush up, bud up and harden up for planting out before frosts get heavy. Bedding plants that respond well to this method are pansy, viola, pollyanthus wall flower, stock, calendula and primula melicoidies

March is defiantly a great planting month with the soil warm and the cooler nights and mornings retaining moisture newly planted trees and shrubs settle in well. There are a lot of well grown shrubs and plants on offer right now in Garden centers ready and waiting to be planted. Gardner's further inland will need to read the labels to establish frost ratings before buying, if in doubt wait until spring. 

If you have not already done so break up really large clumps of Spring bulbs, clumps tend to double in size with out you noticing and in no time a garden bed can become choked, looking attractive only in spring and dull for the rest of the year. I have been asked often the reason for spring bulbs not flowering after the first couple of years from planting and the problem can be over crowding, lack of adequate light as trees become larger and throw more shade during summer, but the most common problem is bulbs may not have not been planted deep enough. Spring bulbs need to be planted 4 to 6 inches deep and that's 4 to 6 inches on top of the bulb, if not planted deeply eventually when they do come into leaf and experience a slight dry patch during this time and they wont take up enough moisture to come into bud.

Rake mulch off bearded iris rhizomes they need to be exposed to the sun for a baking now.

Layer carnation stems by pinning the center of the stem down under the soil while still attached to the mother plant with the flower end still exposed, roots should form along the buried stem. Once rooted cut from the mother plant and pot up to grow on before planting out in lime sweetened soil.

Lawns. 

After those baking hot days and a lot of mowing lawn growth starts slowing down from now on although, catchers will still be filling up for a while yet. Lawn weeds start to slow down as well which is beneficial for newly planted autumn lawns, not having to compete with weeds as in a spring sowing. 

The flat weeds I do come across now I pop out with the blade of secateurs before they seed and spread.  

Vegetable Gardens will be growing new crops for the cooler seasons, leaf veg should not bolt so readily now and will not mind the days getting shorter and cooling and root veg seeds will germinate well while the ground is still warm. My second sowing of peas are ready for picking now, corn is picked and the pumpkins have out grown their space and just keep going. Onions can be lifted once leaves have bent over, don't bend or damage leaves before they are ready to bend naturally if you want them to store and keep well.  Once dug lay them out in a warm place to fully ripen then store in a cool place.

 

Cheers Linda

Gardening in North Otago March 3rd 2015

Autumn begins:
Another much needed rain at the beginning of this week but it only wet the surface of our baked ground. At this mellow time of the year growing slows and I tend to slow down a little as well, often topping up on moisture around roots by hand watering and at the same time noticing what needs dead headed or cut back, Autumn crocus has burst into flower and chrysanthemums are budding and perennials cut back last month have bushed up again to fill in gaps.

Sow Seeds

March is the month to sow the seeds of hardy annuals, foxglove, honesty and sweet william directly where they will flower with a little fertiliser, forked into the soil, before sowing. Once sown these areas need to stay open to the sun so mark them to avoid covering with winter mulch.

Hard wood cuttings: This is the time to take hard wood cuttings , place cuttings in a water filled container as they are taken. Prepare cuttings by removing the bottom leaves and cutting the top leaves back by half. Plant into river sand filled trenches in the ground or trays of river sand, keep moist and in no time at all they will develop roots. Once growing pinch the cuttings back at least twice to get nice bushy plants.

Bulbs:

Plant Spring now, iris, crocus, hyacinth and any daffodil bulbs you need to shift. Tulips and lilies can be planted in may or June. Bulbs require a deep planting in a sunny well drained spot.

This week I have had the hedge trimmer out again because some shrubs in our garden have out grown their space and with the favorable conditions we are experiencing they should make new growth which will harden off before frosts here on the coast. 

Planting

With days shortening and nights cooling the still warm ground begins to retain moisture again making Autumn one of the best times for planting trees and shrubs. Always plant trees and shrubs to the depth they were in the pot or bag and stake well if tall.

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 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. 

Caring for soil is important now after the intense heat and summer blooming this year, deep watering then the addition of organic matter either dug in or left as a top mulch will help to condition soil in readiness for next spring.
I wait until autumn leaves have been raked off gardens before I add the compost and pea straw cover that will take gardens through winter which leaves time from now until then to sow a cover crop like blue lupin, mustard or alfalfa to add natural nitrogen to soil. Dig in before flowering, or as I will do, cover with compost in which lime has been added, then a final cover of pea straw.

Lawns. 

Keep sowing those new lawns, the ground is nice and warm, perennial lawn weeds have slowed down and if the moisture is kept up grass seed will be up in no time. 

I sprayed for flat weeds at the end of January but see the odd few settling in again so have been popping them out with the blade of my secateurs to avoid spraying. 

Vegetables: What a great year for produce this is, keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been. Sow Root plants like Asparagus , Beetroot , Carrots , Chives , Leeks ,Onions, Shallots, Spring Onions and last month to sow parsnip before winter.

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 inhibits sprouting but will also help to keep the tubers free from bacterial soft rots. 

Fruit: Apples, crab apples, quince, plums, late peaches and soon walnuts, so much at once! the birds must be overjoyed by their feasting and the rats / mice will be waiting patiently for the nuts and sun flower seeds, such abundance!

Cheers Linda