Wee ones keep me busy over the School holidays so I saved the outdoor painting touch ups for little hands and painting shirts....both get covered! Paint work fades and blisters over the summer so I like to touch up seating and pots to protect over the harsh winter. This season it is burnt orange and dark plumb/purple popping up around the garden, when I get a paint brush in my hand I have to force myself to STOP!!!
If shrubs and climbers need cut back it needs to be done now while there is still time for things to recover, harden off and bud up again before June.
Peony roses: If you are planning to move a peony the best time is now in the autumn when the plant is nearing or in dormancy. Peonies start to go dormant when the foliage is rapidly losing colour. Cool soil temperatures allow peonies to start growing a new root system quickly before the ground freezes. The site should be sunny and well drained, deep fertile soil is best but they can still do ok in quite poor soils as long as they never become water logged (especially over winter). Planting depth is important, too deep means they will spend time pushing up to the right depth, find the uppermost bud on the crown and plant so that the base of the bud is 5 cm (2") from the soil surface. Don't expect much growth in the first year, if you do get flowers in late spring leave on the plant because stems don't regrow during the season. Leaf die back adds strength to the tuba so foliage needs to be left on then cut down to ground level in autumn and disposed of which may help prevent carry-over of fungal infections like bytritis.Don't cut down tree peonies, the stem above the ground remains alive - only remove diseased leaves and leave pruning out dead wood until spring.
Hellebores will benefit from fortnightly feeding now to encourage better blooms. I have been removing the old foliage from mine, but in colder areas it is best to leave some top growth on to protect the new growth. The flowers will soon shoot up past the old leaves. Cut all old leaves off and destroy because green fly seem to winter over on the underside of hellebore leaves.
Only feed bulbs and plants that are due to flower now, all other plants will be slowing their growth right down to sleep through the winter. Move all spring flowering plants in pots into a sunny spot now, plants like camellia, azaleas and rhododendrons that have been tucked away in a shady spot over the hot months. Shrubs in pots get root bound and hungry, If you fed them when they finished flowering, they should be fine. If not then give them a little fertiliser and water in well to give them a boost. Seedlings and rooted cuttings need as much sun as they can get over the colder months, they may not look as though they are growing as they will not put out any new growth on top but with the warmth of the sun on the pots they will be making lots of feeder roots. I shifted all my potted seedlings from semi shade where they have been over the hot months to a sunny spot where they should do well through the winter months.
Keep layering leaves on the compost along with animal manure, soft garden green, hedge trimmings and un-sprayed grass clippings along with left over compost from your last lot. Give the heaps a good watering from time to time to get things started. With the very warm days we have had compost heaps should be building up heat now which will remain working through the cold months.
There is still time on the coast to divide border plants, perennials and rock plants, they will make new roots before before growth stops. In very cold districts leave the dead top growth on, safer to remove in spring but If you are strawing your gardens this will do the same job.
This is the best time to shift small evergreen shrubs and conifers, as long as the root ball is not to well spread they should transplant well. Rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas can be shifted now as well.
Lawns have really picked up since the nights have cooled, our lawns were spot sprayed last week, there was quite a lot of clover and flat weeds spreading, I only spot spray where needed because I would hate to kill hard working worms. The grass grub damaged areas raked out and resown here have new grass now, thankfully germination of grass seed is very fast while the ground is still warm. Next time we get rain I plan to spread gypsum and fine compost around the lawns to soften and add humus.
Vegetables I planted broad beans and carrots this week and have had to have the hose out again to give the veg garden a good soak, let’s hope we get the rain that was promised Remove shading from glass houses now and reduce the watering,more light, less watering for pot plants inside as well. Leeks should be available now for planting, they are planted laying down in a trench that will hold water to get them going, then they sit up and grow fast. Fruit If you have apple trees laden, pick most of them unripe and store them a cool dry place for later. But leave as many as you intend to eat on the tree to ripen naturally, nothing nicer than ripe fruit straight from the tree. We are still picking those delicious late peaches It's grape picking time for me again while it is still dry, not such an abundant crop this year but enough to make into a few special bottles of wine....... or vinegar !!! which could be turned into Homemade Weed Killer, 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, dish detergent (any brand), Empty spray bottle. Put salt in the empty spray bottle and fill it the rest of the way up with white vinegar. Add a squirt of dish detergent. This solution works best if you use it on a hot day. Spray it on the weeds in the morning, and as it heats up it will do its work. So how ever bad the wine turns out there will be no waste.
Cheers, Linda.
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