Gardening in North Otago February 1st 2017

Children back at School, ok, now we really are into this new working year and so far this summer no day is the same weather as the one before! The hot winds are a chellange for people and plant life, they quickly dry the top soil and plant roots so for the first time this summer hoses have been really needed. Hand watering around roots is the most effective along with low soak hoses, evaperation is too great for sprinklers unless they are in the same spot for an age. Keep the water up to maples, hydrangea, rhododendons, azaleas and camellias. Hybrid clematis: It's the right time from now on to plant these large flowering beauties to get roots established before winter. Fungus spray on roots when planting will help eliminate the wilt problem some clematis suffer from, when planting try not to disturb the roots and sprinkle a little lime around the drip line to sweeten the ground. There are some stunning hybrid clematis on offer, huge or delicate flowers, in vibrant shades that to me have a tropical look climbing and spilling through gardens, I have two stunning varities flowering now one claret red and one lavender scrambling up over structures. I forget about them every year until they bloom to surprise and please me. Spring bulbs, strange I know to think about Spring but wanting a spring bulb display starts now. Clumps are much more effective than one planted here and there, so if you have scattered spring bulbs about your garden now would be the time to dig up same bulbs and plant together for maximum effect. Irises (bearded) finished flowering some time ago and we are now left with green tops, these tops carry on photosynthesis for next years growth and will die down to nothing over the summer. Irises need at least a half days sun and well drained slightly acidic soil, bearded irises do not mind baking in the summer sun and push rhizomes up out of the ground for this to happen. After 2 to 5 years when clumps become congested, divide and replant the best rhizomes in fresh soil, (usuallly soon after flowering) however I am transplanting now into places where they will have moist feet but dry knees." Irises (bulb) Dutch, English, and Spanish irises. Choose a site that has reasonably fertile soil and plenty of moisture, soil that won’t dry out in summer. Dutch and Spanish produce leaves in autumn and winter, so they need a sheltered environment and good drainage will help them survive the winter. Bulbs will be avilable in Autumn to be planted in deep soil, with about 5 to 7 inches of soil cover. Dutch and Spanish irises, are best lifted and stored in a cool, dry place over Summer, lifting them provides the dry resting and ripening period they need for a great flowering season the following year, replant in late Autumn. Lawns Mowing, mowing, mowing the lawns are so lush and green for this time of the year and clippings used as mulch have given our garden continuous humus, I fertilised lawns during the last rain which adds to the nutrients for gardens and compost. Fruit: soak and mulch while fruits are developing in the heat. Vegetables: Weed, plant, pick and enjoy.

Gardening in North Otago January 24th 2017

Such a lovely summer day today, Tuesday the 24th January with blue sky and a gentle warm breeze, as summer should be. The heavy rain we received last weekend was welcome to keep gardens and lawns looking green although we could have done without the plummet in temperature. I do tend to repeat myself with the cutting back all early summer perennials and shrubs before they make seed because this is mostly what is happening here in our garden, along with hedge trimming. You can be especially hard now on hedges if height and width need reducing, grow back rate is fast to cover any unsightly scalping. Height can be taken out of shelter shrubs like pittosporum, laurels and conifers should they be getting taller than required. Remove the center leader to a point where lower branches will cover the cut, this will stop these shrubs from becoming the trees they will eventuate into and reduce woody growth at ground level. Growth removed from top's and sides will regrow but branches removed from the bottom will seldom regrow. It's been a wonderful summer for rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas, some here have out grown the space allotted so width and height has been reduced now before budding becomes too advanced. I am collecting rose petals on sunny days for potpourri, laying them out on a table until dry then storing in a large paper carrier bag which needs to be shaken about often to keep petals separated. Seed collecting is well under way now, a few warm days in a row ripen pods that have been slow to mature. I like to store pods that are ready into small paper bags / envelopes where they can pop in their own time. Continue to mulch with un-sprayed grass clippings to keep moisture in the soil, they break down into humus quickly with summer rain. Tree foliage is benefiting from the moist summer soil, this time last year hot drying winds had really effected the new growth on our trees. Lawn should be doing really well this year and with a dressing of lawn food on a rainy day they will remain green and lush. Weeds can be sprayed out during dry days, there are a few different lawn weed sprays on offer, even one that weeds and feeds at the same time. Use a product at the suggested strength and consider spot spraying for the sake of worms. Fruit & Veg: It's proving to be a bumper year for both fruit and veg, warm moist soil and the slightly cooler nights down here in the south...perfect! My corn and pumpkins have really taken off now after a slowish start, and gardeners are telling me their tomato plants are producing and ripening really well so pollination has been good on sunny days. Plums are plentiful for plum sauce and we still have a few black currents ripening for the last pie. Keep rotating root and leaf vegetables to get the best results, i.e Where carrots have been growing, plant lettuce. I have just sown carrot seed, and will plant lettuce where board beans grew. French, butter and runner beans should be flowering well now and new potatoes should be producing good numbers, I leave them in the ground until ready to use even when the tops have died back. I feel there is still time to put in a late crop as Autumn here is long and warm. 3 late crop varieties are Heather - a purple skinned variety (the purple disappears with cooking) firm large tubers and a high yield. A general purpose variety, keeps well. Rua - an older type producing high yields of large oval flat tubers. A good keeper. Van Rosa – A newer variety with great taste. Cheers Linda

Gardening in North Otago January 18th 2017

And this changeable January continues, with spectacular cloud formations. I am liking the heavy rain falls keeping the garden fresh, but must be annoying for hay making. Some of my roses are still suffering from rust on leaves, there are varieties more susceptible to rust attack and I feel these roses succumb and become distressed when the ground becomes dry during strong warm winds. Removing affected leaves and destroying will help to stop the spread and a feed now with manure enriched compost and deep watering around the roots will keep roses happy. The summer cut back is still in full swing here in our garden, with the continual growth and with garden maintenance being all about keeping plants and shrubs under control cutting back after flowering is the rule of thumb. Hydrangea's are wonderful right now, intense colours, big healthy leaves and large full blooms, result of the frequent rains and overcast days, hydrangeas like damp conditions. Lavender is right for picking now, choose a hot dry day and pick when stems are strong but before flowers have opened fully. I have been bunching and hanging to dry in a bone dry place, any hint of moisture and lavender will rot. Drying takes a few weeks once dried it can be enjoyed just in bunches, or rubbed from the stems and stored in paper bags, (never plastic). Uses: add when filling wheat bags, lavender sachets for draws and wardrobes, use dried lavender buds in pot-ourri along with dried rose petals and other dried summer blooms then lavender stalks can be saved for putting on the fire to bring the fragrance into the house when summer has long past. Herbs are at the right stage for cutting and drying as well, so worth the effort to pick and lay flat on news paper or hang in bunches in a dry airy place for as long as it takes for them to dry out completely and become crunchy to the touch. Then simply rub between hands, remove stalks and store in glass jars. My mix is as follows: thyme, marjoram, mint, coriander, tarragon, dill, parsley, sage, small amount of rosemary and a few bay leaves. Seed collecting starts now as well, I select beautiful annuals and perennials and let a part of them go to seed for collecting when fully ripe then store seed pods to pop out into brown paper bags, so far I have aquilegia, poppies, dianthus, pansy, viola, and pollyanthus still waiting on delphiniums, peony, iris, and many more treasures. Fruit & Veg. Sill picking black currants to freeze for when I have time to process them, strawberries have been disappointing for me this season, I put it down to replacing old plants with new and will need to give them another season to preform. Raspberries have taken longer to ripen this season with overcast days and up and down temperatures and the last winds have taken care off thinning out apple bunches. The vegetable garden is doing fine,seeds are popping up in no time after sowing, my lettuces seem to be sitting waiting to be picked without bolting, the corn is putting on some good growth now but I find myself telling the pumpkins to hurry up as they and corn need a long hot ripening season. Keep planting all veg, seeds and plants (apart from corn and pumpkin) they should have been started before now. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago January 10th 2017

Changeable weather still continues this month but the good thing for me so far this summer is that I have not had to drag hoses around, what a wonderful time saver that has been and I am sure a godsend to those of you who took time away knowing that your gardens would still be fresh and in bloom on your return. Roses: will be enjoying the contestant moisture but too much dampness and not enough sun will rot buds, remove these as they will encourage mildew, dead head by cutting down to an outward facing bud, there will be another bud to bloom in 6 weeks. Remove all diseased leaves from the ground around roots and add compost plus blood and bone or slow release fertiliser, with continuous blooming roses respond well to feeding. There are so many plants requiring a cut back now, my wheel barrow and wool packs are on the go most days filling up in no time with cut back lupins, munkshood, mignonette, nasturtiums, iris, buddleia and delphiniums to name a few. I have just cut back a plant which flops all over the place in the heat, acanthus mollis known sometimes as (Bears britches) or (The oyster plant) This cut well back, it will not take long to regrow new fresh growth for autumn and winter. Hydrangea's are wonderful right now, big healthy leaves and large full blooms, and I guess because of the frequent rains the colours are very intense. Petunias are taking center stage now, they are great gap fillers for sunny gardens, but do not preform well in shade. A shady spot can be filled with impatiens which are also colourful when planted in bold groups. Dead heading rhododendrons is really boring and time consuming but worth doing on newly planted bushes to encourage growth into the bush not into making seeds. I have started seed collecting, sweet peas, sweet William, poppies, iris, there is a lot of ripening going on and I have a lot of small paper bags stored away already. A few years ago I planted what were supposed to be small growing flaxes!! Hmmm...they reverted to huge flaxes and this week, I attacked them by cutting them right back resulting in blisters and filling a large trailer. Flaxes are great along fence lines on farm land or filling large embankments but not ideal for town gardens. Now I have reduced them they can be removed. Trees for new gardens: Planting out a new section can be daunting, most want quick growing privacy but quick growing usually results in eventually too big for most sections. In my experience eight years from planting trees a garden will look semi established and the bones of the garden well and truly in place. Trees to begin with in North Otago: Alder, Rowen, Hoheria, Birch, Kowhai (sophora) Magnolia, Elm, Prunus, Cornus, Robinia. Acer,(once shelter has been established) I suggest searching the web for information on these tree varieties, height, spread and differences will be noted for choices to be made for the right spot requiring a tree. Lawns: I was out with the lawn fertiliser in that last heavy rain and see the weeds have been fed as well so will need to spot spray again, it's never ending when lawns need to look good. Fruit & Veg. Many pots of black current jam will be on the go I am sure with currents ripening, It's one of those jobs I need to find time for but always pleased I did once it is done. The vegetable garden is doing fine with seeds popping up in no time after sowing, my lettuces seem to be sitting waiting to be picked without bolting, corn is putting on good growth now but I find myself telling the pumpkins to hurry up as they and corn need a long hot ripening season. Tomatoes are needing more sunny days, keep glass houses moist through the day because white fly like it dry. Keep planting all veg, seeds and plants (apart from corn and pumpkin) they should have been started long before now. Cheers, Linda.