Gardening in North Otago October 18th 2016

Warm spring days and yes....that October wind once again to spread blossom confetti around North Otago but Spring bulbs and blossom are still a joy to behold as I drive past town and country gardens, ending much too quickly as trees become draped in fresh new leaves. In the garden growth is rampant, Gardeners will have been tossing up between a getaway in the long weekend or getting stuck in! for us it was getting stuck in because of the beautiful wedding that took place in our garden on Labor Saturday. A tulip display in the main garden came to grief during the strong winds last week so I dug them up with green tops still attached, healed them in the ground until die back has finished then will store them in a dry place away from hungry rats. That garden got compost dug in and is now awaiting blue saliva to put on a little more growth before planting for the summer display. Many other bulbs are finishing now, I let only bluebells make seed and cut spent flowers stems out of all other bulbs but leaving leaves in tact to die back into the bulb. If spent daffodils become a nuisance or look untidy bundle them together in a knot to reduce the spread, bulbs need the nutrition from photosynthesis in the leaves to feed them for next years bloom and if you have really big clumps of bulbs choking your garden space there will always be someone willing to bring a spade and take half, once died down, maybe put a sign at the gate saying "Bulbs to give away, bring a spade"! Lavenders, I have had to pull quite a few out this year because they have reached the end of growing nicely, after a trim back at the end of Winter they were not making a lot of new growth, Just a bit here and there with most of the plant staying woody. If you have the odd lavender doing this pull it out and replace it with a fresh plant. Cut back fuchsias now to encourage fresh new growth, most of last years hard wood can be cut back hard. Fuchsia cuttings can be taken at any time of the year except winter but earlier in the year like right now will get best results while we are pinching out the growing tips to stimulate a bushy habit. These pinched out tips can become cuttings, pinch out below the tip and past the next set of leaves. Your cutting should have the tip leaves, stem, then two more leaves and another section of short stem. Remove the lower leaves, dip the cutting into rooting powder and plant into river sand right up over the nodule's remaining from where the two removed leaves were. Pop cuttings in sheltered shade and keep moist until they produce roots then pot up, protect through next winter and plant out this time next year. Keep an eye on tall growing chrysanthemums they start making growth now, I cut back the first new growth before they make hard wood. They do not flower until the Autumn so by removing the first new growth they should regrow shorter and be more manageable. Some hedges have been trimmed here, the soft trimmings can be spread around the garden along with fresh grass clippings, too early yet to trim box hedges, wait until the new growth firms up more. The perfect time to trim box in late spring is when there are a few overcast days in a row, hot sun burns new undergrowth, dull days will allow time to recover. It's time to think about Dahlias in the garden for summer colour. If you have a sunny spot that needs a bit of brightening up how about putting in a few dahlia tubers they are so reliable and there are some beautiful shades and varieties on offer now, tall, medium and dwarf. They are just starting to make a move so if you want colour to continue when the spring show is over dahlias will do the job. Dahlias like a warm, full sun, free draining spot, the tubas will rot if planted in ground that stays wet. Vegetables: I touched on Tomatoes last week because they are in the shops now. For those with glass houses, prepare the soil well by digging in good organic compost. This will need to have been heated to the point of all fungus disease being eradicated. Because our summers here in North Otago can be cool a glass or tunnel house is the a must if wanting to be a serious tomato grower. However a glass house is a perfect incubator for fungus disease during nights and dull days when moisture is not taken up quickly by plants, never let tomato plant leaves go into the night wet. There are a lot of tomato varieties to choose from. Beefsteak, the big tomato best for sandwiches & cooking, Early girl, stars producing early and keeps on until late in the season, Potentate, medium/small firm with moderate acidity and low in sugar, Money maker, medium size and good flavor , Doctor Walter is the very low acid tomato Cherry tomato's, the plant you can grow in a pot inside or on a porch, great for Children's lunch boxes. Russian red a tomato to grow outside in a sunny spot protected from the wind. Heirloom tomatoes have become popular, they don't look great but they have the great taste of yesteryear. There are others that I have not mentioned, nearly all need staked and tied up in the glass house and ALL tomato's like sun all day, 6 to 8 hours and it helps the fruit if there are fewer leaves on the plants. Tomato leaves compete for nutrients, create unwanted shade and harbor disease. Keep planting vegetable seeds directly into the garden but not too thickly mix seeds with fine soil when sowing to avoid a lot of thinning. Cheers, Linda.