Gardening in North Otago July 1st 2017

Well into July now and still the odd mild day, as long as the sun shines I am happy, dull damp days do not inspire gardeners to work outside but the perfect garden planning time. 

Rose pruning: has started here even though rose wood has not yet had severe hardening, the time by which rose pruning should be completed varies by several weeks from the warmest to coldest gardens, pruning should be done and dusted before bud burst. 

Bush roses: concentrate on clearing the center of the bush, remove all inward facing branches at an outward facing bud, prune height back by two thirds always at an outward facing bud and remove any old and damaged branches. Brush old gnarly rose centers with a wire brush to stimulate and encourage new budding. 

Floribunda  bush roses: like iceberg with a number of blooms on one stem need a few older branches taken right back each year to encourage new strong branching and newer branches taken back by two thirds.

Hybrid tea roses: These are the roses that grow a single exhibition bloom on a stem, these rose bushes can be pruned back quite hard to an outward facing bud. 

Standard bush roses: Same as bush roses. 

Climbing roses: These roses flower at their best when the branches are trained horizontally along a fence or wall, these branches will develop small branches along the length to carry the flowers. After a number of years a main horizontal branch will become unproductive and need to be removed and replaced with a new branch to be trained gently out to take it's place. The new branch will bud up quickly sending out small outward growing branches to harden off in a couple of years. To prune established horizontal branches, take the outward growing branches back to the second out facing bud closest to the main horizontal branch.

Pillar roses: These are the best type to climb up and be trained over an arch or pergola. I cut the old growth back from these with a hedge trimmer.

Fairy rose and flower carpet roses: These, I also cut back with a hedge trimmer but open them up by removing branches from the middle with secateurs. 

Every rose will benefit from a dressing of manure enriched compost needing to be there long before we think it is needed, now is the time.

The bulk of new seasons bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now, make sure to read the labels and know how high and wide a shrub / tree will grow, some grow fast and when mature will throw considerable shade. When planting along side the house ask advice. Plant while the soil is soft and moist, but avoid times when the ground is frozen or excessively wet. Young deciduous trees and shrubs can be moved at this time, trim damaged roots and cut back any that are inconveniently long. 

Evergreen trees and shrubs are on offer as well, choose now but don't be in a hurry to plant them if ground is frozen, they will continue happily in a bag and if in a grow bag can be planted bag and all in the ground when ground softens in colder areas. 

Small garden deciduous tree's available locally: Roinia lace Lady ,  pretty, small twisted branching, nice shape, Robina mop top gives privacy along a fence top leaving planting area below, Kilmarnock willow, a ground growing willow grafted onto a standard, ornamental but will get wider each year. Gleditsia emerald green, weeping ornamental on a standard, lovely by a pond.  Cornus pendula, weeping ornamental, waxy white flowers very pretty.

Compost heaps will have stopped working now but worms will still be working as long as there is adequate moisture.  straw is a good cover for heaps, still letting rain in. 

Boost winter flowering bedding plants with fish based fertiliser or a little dried blood.to encourage buds during sunny winter days. 

Veg: This mild winter weather has been kind to producing vegetable gardens, time to work in some manure enriched compost in readiness for spring planting. 

In cold areas if ground is frozen start garlic off in containers and plant out later when the ground warms up, here on the coast if your strawberry patch is manured and ready plant new strawberry runner plants while the ground is soft and moist.

Fruit: plant deciduous fruit trees and bushes in a sunny site, avoid frosty hollows for early starters such as plums and pears. Frosty sites are no disadvantage for soft fruits as winter chills will stimulate fruit buds.

The best time of the year to prune fruit trees. Early to Late Spring Peach and nectarine trees, this will allow the wounds to close faster as growth begins, early spring also allows you to see how many flower buds have survived the cold weather. Early Spring for Plums as well, they should also be pruned to maintain an open center and don't let your plum tree branches too close to the ground. The best fruit often grows at the top so keep the tops down making fruit easily accessible.  Plum and Apricot remove about 20% of last years growth. Cherries only summer prune the first 5 years.

it's a winter prune for Apples and pears, you will want to cut away any overly vigorous stems which are unusually high, remove about 20% of last years growth. 

Cheers, Linda. 

Gardening in North Otago June 21st 2017

Frosts again here on the coast last week as it should be at the end of June which also means sun, blue skies and gardening after the thaw.  

At long last we have come to the end of leaves and while trees rest for a couple of months there is plenty going on beneath them. Bulbs are pushing through with early snowdrops almost in flower, shrubs are budding up along with hellebores, ericas, wall flower and all the pollys and primulas planted last month, it's time once again to notice all the special little things happening in our gardens.

Tiding up and dividing perennials is what I am up to along with pruning the large climbing and old fashioned roses, some ramblers have become so entangled I need to use a hedge trimmer to reduce the height and width. 

 Make early plantings of gladioli for November flowering and sweet-pea planted now will flower in early spring. 

Roses: Clean up dead leaves under rose bushes to prevent the spread of pest and disease, I have done a lime sulphur spray which needs to be left a few weeks before pruning then after pruning a spary of Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil to eliminate powdery mildew, lichen and moss. 

wisterias have lost all their leaves now, prune off all long and unruly canes, if you don't they will entwine themselves around established branches and keep growing thicker each year.

More new seasons trees available locally:Prunus, Flowering cherries and Malus, crab apples are ballerinas in the garden but when choosing the important factors are Height and width when fully grown. Some grow vase shaped which allow garden beneith others spread branches wide and down and weeping which spill to the ground from the top. All are grafted onto standard 1.2m/ 1,5m/ 1.8m root stock which allows height when first planted, each label will tell the allotment height and width. Very few are suitable for small gardens. 

Yedoensis -med/large,spreading mass of mid season  single white or pale pink blossom, Shirotae (Mount Fuji) large spreading, early season double white blossom. Shimidsu sakura late season, low spreading double pale pink blossom. Pink perfection med/large, upright spreading,mid season double pink blossom. Autumnalis rosea: smaller branched pale pink small blossom 3 times a year, flowering now. Weeping varieties:falling snow, white blossom pendula rosa pink blossom and Kiku shidare double pink blossom. They all start at a manageable size but within 5 years they become a sizable tree.

Veg: On the coast Sow broad beans, garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing much can be planted. 

Fruit: This week I will go through the pruning required for pear trees, it is not recommended to heavily prune pear trees but if this is required the best time to do major pruning is during winter. The more you prune, the greater the chance that fire blight will develop where leaves and branches look as if they have been burned by fire, this delays fruit production. If a light trim is required this is best done late in the summer. If living in an area where there's a chance of winter damage, wait to prune until late winter. Pear trees bloom and bear fruit on the sharp, short spurs that grow between its branches, older spurs should be removed occasionally to be replaced by more vigorous young ones.Too many spurs will result in small fruit, thin them out to let the remaining fruit grow larger. Envision how you want your pear trees to look and set a three-year plan to get them into that shape and size. 

First year: remove damaged, crossing or crowded limbs, ssuckers need to be removed as soon as you notice them to avoid them turning into wood.

Second year: Thin out the tree some more and bring down some of the height. 

Third year: thin out the trees some more and cut down to the desired height. (Burn all trimmings) There are many new varieties of both pear and apple trees that have been cultivated to be very resistant to fire blight, this is one disease that can severely damage and, or kill your fruit trees.The leaves and twigs of the trees get the disease from insects who enter the flowers during springtime, insects get it by gathering pollen from nearby cedar trees. Choose a resistant variety and keep trees moist, especially during blossom time and when fruit is ripening. If your tree has already been hit by fire blight, you will need to prune out the affected shoots at least several inches below the damaged area. Be sure to sterilize your clippers between cuts and burn cuttings. . 

Cheers, Linda. Blogspot http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.co.nz

Gardening in North Otago June 14th 2017

After a mild weekend Tuesday threw winter back at us but I guess we expect that mid June and I was pleased to have the last of the leaves blown to the ground, after this week the leaf rakes can be put away... whew! 

As I have written not so long ago It is a good time of the year to really look at the garden, with deciduous trees and shrubs bare inspection can be done, sprouting new growth beneath a trees graft area can be taken off. All large deciduous trees bought today will have been grafted onto strong growing root stock and sometimes root stock will push out growth at the grafted point. This must be cut out, I have seen a few mature trees left to grow this way and the result is not good, a prunus displaying beautiful pink blossom on one side and insipid root stock white blossom on the other side spoils a tree that should have grown beautifully into its shape.Thin out crossed over branches, don't just shorten a branch back as it will regrow from that point, take it right out and let some light in. Prunus and Malus (crab apple) and silver pear are bad for branches over crowding. Always make sure pruning equipment is cleaned from one tree to the next, methylated spirits is good for doing this to.

New seasons trees offered in local outlets this season: Magnolia, many to choose from, large deciduous type with beautiful tulip shaped flowers, Star wars, upright H 4m, flowers pink with white centres, Genie, H 3m flowers black/red tulip shaped, a relatively small tree to suit a small confined area. Magnolia grandiflora: Evergreen, thick shiny leaves and large waxy white flowers H4m W6m Magnolia little Gem H 5m 3m can be trimmed as a hedge. Bush type Magnolia stellata slow growing 3m when mature, flowers white or pink star shaped.

Nyssa Sylvatica: desidous H 5m x W3m, one of the brightest red autumn coloured trees.

Parrotia persica: H8 clusters of red flowers on bare branches in spring, interesting bark, fine autumn colour

 Magnolia grandiflora: Evergreen, thick shiny leaves and large waxy white flowers H4m W6m Magnolia little Gem H 5m 3m can be trimmed as a hedge.

Plane tree: Excellent shade tree H 12m x W 5m maple- like leaves,attractive mottled bark.

Digging up and shifting shrubs like rhododendrons, azalea's and magnolias can be done now, any plant I think has been struggling for a couple of years will get a shift. This is also the time to remove trees and shrubs that have long out grown their youthful beauty, replace with a younger version of the original or something different. you can change the whole look of a tired garden by doing this.  While weeding I find rogue trees and shrubs that birds have introduced to our garden, some which have grown in amongst shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias have become quite established before I noticed them. If any removed are worth keeping planting them into Ever grow bags to encourage root development, these bags are produced locally and can be planted into the ground when needed which means shifted trees and shrubs can keep growing in the bags until a place is found for them or left to grow in the bag. If space is limited fruit tree's thrive in these bags.

Mulch: If in need of  well cooked / ready mulch I recommend what they now have available at our Resource Recovery Park in Chelmer st, perfect for mulching around trees and shrubs.

Lawns that performed poorly in spite of feeding and watering during the growing season may be improved with a winter liming, aim to achieve a PH of around 6 (mildly acid) which will encourage strong grass growth. Worms will also appreciate lime.

Vegetables: In the vegetable garden where green leafy vegetables and onions will be growing next summer give a dressing of 250 grams per square metre of dolomite lime. If you follow a regular rotation this will ensure that most of the garden receives lime once in three years, permanent crops like rhubarb should be limed every three years as well. in gardens fed with compost rather than chemical fertilisers the PH tends to rise gradually eventually making regular liming unnecessary. 

Fruit People have been asking me about the pruning of fruit trees, it is confusing to explain unless showing someone so I thought I would give an explanation which I hope will be easy to follow starting with apples. Apples are produced from shoots which are in their second  year. One of the aims of pruning is to produce a balance between side shoots produced this year and those produced last year. Winter pruning will invigorate the tree, causing it to grow more during the following season. The first pruning should occur immediately after planting, make sure you know if you have a one or two year old tree. A one year old tree - cut off the top half of the trunk with a sharp secateurs but before cutting make sure the bottom half contains at least four buds or formed branches. If not, make the cut higher above the fourth bud. Second, third and fourth year old trees: The light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should Not be pruned,  black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third, cut just above an outward facing bud - this bud will then produce a side shoot in spring which will grow away from the centre of the tree.   A five year old tree can be considered mature and the basic shape will have been established. Pruning should consist of keeping the centre of the tree relatively clear of growth, removing all weak or diseased growth and keeping the tree within the space available. Remember that apples will grow on wood produced the previous year, so always leave a good proportion (say 50%) of the previous year's growth. I hope this is straight forward and helpful. 

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago June 6th 2017

Mud and more mud plus soggy leaves after the rain last week, lawns are holding a lot of moisture, needing as much sun and airing as possible to firm them up again, raking leaves off grass is a must, piles of wet leaf cover will be blocking much needed light and in shady areas grass may rot away. Soggy leaves are perfect for adding to compost. 

Roses: I picked the last bunch of summer roses this week, the rain dealt to most still in bud which I remove from bushes and the ground,  the fungus Botrytis cinerea requires cool wet weather to thrive and can wreak havoc among lants susceptible like roses, azaleas and bedding plants. We need hard frosts to take care of fungus and bugs.  I spray Lime Sulphur first which defoliates bushes then wait several weeks before spraying Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil usually leaving this second spray until after I have pruned in July.  New seasons, bare rooted roses have arrived in Garden centers, prepare ground by digging in old stable manure or bagged rose mix. If planting a rose in the same place a rose has been growing, you will need to remove most of the soil and replace with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another. Roses planted at this time of the year are less likely to suffer from planting stress. 

Last week I mentioned a few new seasons trees  available locally and worth selecting, I continue with more below.

For large gardens: Fraxinus (ash) deciduous fast growing attractive shade trees 5m high in 5 years,( est )height 30 m. Golden ash / Claret ash and pendula weeping ash.

Fagus (English beech): beautiful deciduous shade trees or hedging, 4m in 5 years (est) 30m, fagus sylvatica purpurea attractive wine leaves, Fagus sylvatica, fresh green.

Crataegus (hawthorne) Paul's scarlet, deciduous 3m in 5years,est 6m very hardy displaying full clusters of dark pink flowers in November.

Ginkgo biloba: Deciduous, colourful, unique foliage foliage, Pest and drought resistant mature height 13-20 m / mature width 12m, one for a shelter belt.

Smaller gardens: 

Gingo jade butterflies: unusual deciduous, dwarf slow growing vase shaped tree, jade leaves. 3m high 2m wide.

Gleditsia emerald cascade: A very attractive weeping form, smaller growing making an ideal garden focal point. 2m high by 3m wide.

Cotinus Goggygria / Grace (smoke bush) large spreading shrub, stunning plum coloured leaves, plumes of smoky pink flowers in summer. Height 2m after 5 years / 3m when mature.

Michelia starbright: Very pretty, fragrant, evergreen large shrub with creamy-white blooms.Can be used for hedging or screening. Height 4m width 2m in 7/10 years.

Vegetable garden:

Muddy conditions keep me off soil so trenching manure/compost in will have to wait, well done if you dealt with this before all the rain. When the soil drys out a little here on the coast plant garlic, shallots, butter crunch lettuce plants, broad beans, and top weight carrot seeds. 

Fruit: 

Tamarillos, if lucky enough to have these in your garden they will be hanging like jewels from almost bare branches, such a treat at this time of the year. Because the plants do not make hard wood they are frost tender but here on the coast in a sunny location they ripen and are ready to pick now. Tamarillos will grow from tip cuttings, a bush will last for a decade if protected during winter and prefer to be outside not in a glass house.

Lemon “Meyer” are cold hardy and will fruit all year, if planting a new plant remove all flowers and small fruit for the first 3 years to get branch work established then it will produce for years. Plant where they get afternoon sun, feed with citrus food in early spring and early autumn.

NZ Cranberry(Myrtus ugni) has a taste combination of strawberry, pineapple and apple my Grandchildren pick and eat them when ever here. A small evergreen bush very fragrant when fruiting, can be hedged.

Cheers, Linda.