I am back into gardening mode again after a short break away, Hawks Bay temperatures were chilly with people there really feeling it is winter and Wellington was cold and dismal on the day we flew out .....why didn't we go to Rarotonga? you may ask, had Bob's meeting and the Field Days been there it WOULD have been a warm break away! However it did the rejuvenating trick and Scruff had a great social time in kennels annoying all the other boarders I am sure!
Frosts are here to stay for a while now with the shortest day upon us, Plants can be acclimatised to the cold by gradual exposure to outside and overnight temperatures, and many plants may be frost tender when young but will be quite tolerant when mature. Meyer lemon trees are a good example. There are plenty of things you can do to minimise frost damage:
Keep an eye on the weather forecast and if the overnight low is predicted to be 4 degrees Celcius or below with little wind, tender growth will need a cover. Cover plants with frost cloth, newspaper or any light material that will drape over, although woven fabrics are better insulators than plastics or paper. The covers can be laid right over plants, or can be supported on stakes.
Plants under evergreen trees are protected from frost so this might be an option for where to place potted tender plants.
Water before the frost –it has been proved that a moist soil can hold four times more heat than a dry soil. It will also conduct heat to the soil surface faster than a dry soil, aiding in frost prevention. These days sprinklers are sometimes used on commercial plantings to keep the plants “warm” on a frosty night, the science being that as water freezes, it releases heat, go figour?
Most perennial plants will recover in the spring from frost damage even if they have gone black or mushy with frost, don't remove the effected growth, just leave to protect the new growth which will appear when the ground warms up again.
I favor of frost, it is very effective in reducing the populations of over-wintering pests, it will will also help break down clay soil if clods are left exposed over winter, come spring it will fork over easily prior to planting.
Digging up and shifting things around like rhododendrons, azalea's and magnolias can be done now, anything you think has been struggling in the spot it has been planted in. This is also the time to remove trees and shrubs that have long out grown their youthful beauty, you can change the whole look of a tired garden by replacing these plants with a younger version of the original or something different.
I notice many native shrubs that have grown into ugly woody trees, like ake ake, hebe's, olearia traversiorum (Chatham island ake ake) and Hoheria (lace bark) which is a nice tree for a number of years but will then die back and eventually look half dead. Pittosporums will grow nicely for many years if trimmed but if left to grow into a tree will soon become unattractive. Olearia traversiorum responds well to being taken off at ground level and will regrow into a nice shrub as will hebe's and some pittosporums, depending on how tall they have been allowed to grow. Over grown hoherias need to be completely removed.
Veg.
The shortest day is here already which should mean we are over the hump of winter and heading to warmer days down the other side, BUT as we all know there is a lot of winter yet to come here in the south. The shortest day means garlic planting and plenty more veg here on the coast if you provide a warmer microclimate to aid germination. A cold frame can be used for starting seeds, and cloches for protecting newly planted seedlings in frosty areas, or plant veg in pots or boxes and position them in a warm sheltered spot to make the most of our North Otago winter sun.
Cheers, Linda
rockvalegardens@gmail.com
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