Gardening in North Otago 1st December 2017

North Otago is very dry while I write this, rain clouds gather but come to nothing, I do hope our quoter of rain was not a part of what fell in Central last week! how devastating for all that fruit growing region.
 Clean up here after all the hedge trimming has been on going, things look a little too neat and tidy but nature will do it's best to put that right!
I know you will be finding there is so much to be cut back in the garden, plants like tree peony which doubles in size each growing season and deciduous trees that persist in pushing out new growth wide and low, you be in charge as nature will always  want to push new growth out as far as the roots spread. I have been removing low branches from oak, prunus, ash, sorbus, maples and walnut to allow light onto gardens.

Dead heading of roses is here again, cut back to an outward facing bud on a strong lower section of the branch to encourage new budding and flowering. Feed often and keep water up for them free of disease.

Begonias are really pushing through now and I see that I have lost a few of what were left in the ground from last year, I am guessing all the rain we had rotted them. Fish fertiliser is what keep begonias happy.

Fuchsias and hydrangeas are making a lot of growth now,  a must for a summer flower garden and so many different varieties to choose from now. Both Fuchsias and hydrangeas prefer shade and will brighten a dull garden.

Tip cuttings from Hebe's, chrysanthemums and daisy bushes will root with no trouble now, a firm stem with budding new growth and some larger leaves removed. Use wet crusher dust or river sand to strike them, never beach sand.
If you are looking for something non invasive to make a show of colour against a wall why not try Abutilon (Chinese lantern ) it comes in a number of strong shades of yellow, orange, burgundy and red, as well as white. I have planted yellow, burgundy and white together in a large container with nice lime green grass's below them, being a rather spindly plant wanting to grow tall they can be spread out on wires. If trained against a wall leave some longer branches and shorten back others to get a good cover of flowers. I remove leaves that flowers want to hide behind.

What a wonderful addition to the flower garden peony roses are, they are fantastic this year or am I just seeing more in peoples gardens? The brilliant shades and very large blooms fill many vases I am sure. Remove seed pods once blooms have finished to stop plants putting too much effort into making seed.

Lawns
We need rain to get the fertiliser on!! Lawns get really stressed from now on as the heat of the day intensifies. If your lawns are inclined to crack when dry they have probably been planted on clay soil, apply gypsum ( soluble lime) and water in. After a couple of years of doing this your lawns will have a spring back in them.
If lawn weeds are a problem spray before cutting on a sunny day when weeds are thirsty, or remove flat weeds with a knife when noticed. I spot spray with lawn weed spray because I don't want to upset the balance of the work going on in the soil beneath the lawn by contaminating it with chemicals.
Vegetables
Perfect weather for vegetables and fruit this year, keep the hoe going because the weeds are doing well also. The days are warm and the nights a little cooler, just right for growing. still no white butterflies in our garden!  long may it last.

Tomatoes: Cool nights upset tomato plants, leaves can become bluish and tend to curl causing plants to become susceptible to blight, glass and tunnel houses need good ventilation, bee loving plants among tomato plants will encourage insects needed for pollination, one mignonette plant would do the job.
Fruit: Strawberries, raspberries  and all other berries need a lot of water as they plump up, strawberry plants need food as well as water to keep them producing. I am using worm and comfrey tea plus I have spread some more pig manure around. Gooseberries are ready to pick, black currents are plentiful on branches ready to ripen, blueberries need mulched to keep shallow blueberry roots moist, supply 1 -2 inches of water per week and protect all berries from birds scoffing the lot.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago November 21st 2017

Almost the last month now as we experience  overcast pre Christmas days. Because nights are still cool the night beetle and the big brown moths have not yet made an appearance, but the spittle bug is here frothing up plants. Spittle bug nymphs can turn a liquid secretion into bubbles by moving or pumping their bodies, once bubbles have formed, they use their hind legs to cover themselves with the froth that insulates  them from temperature extremes and protects them predators. Although spittle bug nymphs do feed on plant sap, the damage is minimal and populations are usually small, so no pesticide is necessary, a strong hose  blast should be enough to dislodge them. 

Roses: I am keeping up the fish emulsion to foliar feed roses and deter green fly plus have removed old hellebore leaves where I see green fly have populated on the under sides and wintered over.

orchid growers it is the time to re-pot now, use orchid mix for the best results, it takes the guess work out of wondering what to feed them. 

Dew's are still wetting so the ground is still holding some moisture, scatter grass clippings around as mulch if your lawns have not been sprayed, they become good humus. I empty the catcher, then rake it about. So much spent spring growth in our garden needs cut back now, aquilegia's, forget-me-not, pansies, viola's and catmint, plus I have dug out all the pollyanthus to replant in a shady damp spot until next winter. Gaps will be filled with cosmos, poppies, petunias, dahlias and statice.

vegetable garden: Early morning soaking keeps moisture up through the day and helps with the germination of seeds. Successive planting can be kept up right through the Summer. If you must use spray's on your vegetables try an organic option or make your own natural sprays,The following plant leaves can be simmered in water and the resulting liquid used on plants. Basil will eliminate aphids, Chives prevent mildew occurring on cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. Coriander also for aphids and spider mite. Eucalyptus is a good general purpose insecticide. Rhubarb has been found to help prevent black spot. These may be only plants but in liquid form they can be harmful to children so keep marked bottles high up. I found that it is not a good idea to breath in fumes when bringing to the boil, keep doors and window open.  

Companion planting is another option, some plants have been proven to help and enhance others so I will list what has worked. Carrots and onions together, celery and the brassica family, i.e.: cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, marigolds and beans/brassicas.  

Get corn and pumpkins in as soon as possible because they need a long growing and ripening season. 

Fruit: Keep water up to currants an berries, lemons and fruit trees, it takes a lot out of a plant to fruit. There are specially prepared fertilisers for most plants with instructions for how much to apply and when. All fruiting trees and plants need a lot of water now to create juicy plump fruit, the amount of early spring rain we were lucky to get was perfect for a good start but it takes only a day of strong wind to zap moisture from the ground. Remember to cover your strawberries from birds, strawberry netting stretches out to cover a large area and does the job well, birds can strip gooseberries as well, thrown some frost cloth over them until you get a chance to pick them.  

 Keep food up to tomatoes as  they grow, be sure to remove laterals of the taller growing variety and stake them to keep them upright as fruits get heaver. They should be flowering now waiting for the bee's to pollinate them. If your bees are few and far between on these overcast days you may have to take a hair drier into the glass house to gently blow the pollen around while leaves are dry. 

Elder flower is blooming for the making of elder flower cordial, 25 elder flower heads zest and juice of 2 lemons and 1 orange

1.5 litres boiling water 1kg sugar 1 heaped teaspoon citric acid, leave sitting on paper for bugs to take off, place in large bowl with orange / lemon zest. Bring to boil, pour over flower heads and zest, cover, leave overnight. Strain, pour into a saucepan and add sugar, lemon /orange juice and citric acid. Heat gently to dissolve sugar then simmer for a couple of minutes, bottle (sterilized) and seal. Wonderful summer cocktail with fizzy water, ice and maybe a dash of gin.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago November 15th 2017

As I write this North Otago is really in need of rain pleeeease! dragging hoses about with scruff pulling on the end and hose connections bursting often is testing my patience!  Nothing worse in a spring garden to see droopy leaves when all plants are pushing out new growth, a soak is more effective than a sprinkle on those shallow rooted plants like rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias and newly planted annuals.

I have had a couple of grueling days bent over trimming box hedge, mine are all established to the height and width required so I take them back to the last growth. Newly planted box will probably need only the tops straightened leaving the sides to thicken plus a boost with slow release fertiliser.

 After many years trying to grow plants regardless of conditions preferred, thinking as long as I kept the water up and protected them through the winter I could beat nature BUT I finally gave up, it's a waste of time and money nursing plants that need a warmer climate and more rain than we have here. Plants like hibiscus, banana, gardenia, palms, anything that requires a tropical seasonal rain is going to struggle. However bougainvillea is growing here on the coast, mine can be fine for a couple of years but other years the frost really knocks it back. Read plant labels and make sure that our conditions are right for the plants here, for example there are some lovely pelagoniums for sale now but I have yet to have one survive the winter in my garden, although I see them growing well on the south hill where the frosts are not so harsh so I guess it's a matter of looking at what is growing well in gardens close  to you and knowing that the same plants will do well in your garden. 

Roses: I have not needed to start spraying roses for green fly and disease yet, a systemic insect / fungus combined spray will take care of both green fly and fungus if you follow the instructions and spray every 10 days to get on top of infestation. Keep the food up as they flower, it's hungry roses that are more susceptible to disease. Fish emulsion is a wonderful folia feed as well as a deterrent to aphid and Slow release rose fertiliser will feed each time you water.

 I will once again sing the praises of raised gardens,advantages include: soil warms up faster in the spring, and doesn't cool as fast in the autumn. limited bending, better drainage,  soil is not walked on eliminating compaction,  can be a garden feature as it has a specified geometry and form. Studies have shown that a raised bed garden may be up to two times more productive per square foot compared to normal gardening techniques. The raised garden can be any length you want, but it shouldn't be more than 4ft wide so you can reach across comfortably from either side. It can be as high as you want it, but keep in mind that the higher you go, the more support you will need to build.  A raised vegetable garden must be built in a spot that gets all day sun. Raised beds for shade and moisture loving plants need to be closer to the damp ground, raised too high and the drainage is too great for these plants. Once you have constructed your raised bed fill with fresh soil, compost, and well aged manure.  Wood surround must be untreated timber, rocks are an economical option but they tend to loose soil with rain and watering.We are fortunate here in Oamaru to have our own versatile Oamaru stone and there is also the ready made wooden raised garden surrounds on offer.

 Vegetables: Keep mounding potatoes to give depth for them to produce, consistent watering is important for potatoes, this goes for all root vegetables. Leafy veg don't need any extra feeding at this time of the year it will just encourage them to bolt. Only plant as many plants as you think you would use when ready to pick, hold back the other small seedling plants from the same batch and keep in a semi shady place until required for planting. The small plants will hold if watered only when too dry, over watering will encourage rot . Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, roots are fragile until their large leaves grow to create the root shade needed. Corn seeds sown last month are now ready to plant out, planting corn in squares rather than rows will ensure pollination on the lower tassels and add support during strong winds.

 Well done Ardgowan School fund raising members for organising and holding your very successful Garden and new home visit day last Sunday. 

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago November 7th 2017

Some settled spring days last week, warm sun and still a night chill to keep the garden fresh, until the nor-west wind arrived sapping moisture and stripping trees of blossom and leaves. So it was clean up and hosing as gardens, pots and hanging baskets gagged for water.  

Rhododendrons, azalea's, and peony roses are still putting on their show as we look forward to the expectation of something new happening every day in the garden. 

My roses are full of fat buds waiting to burst open, they still have no green fly or black spot attacking them as yet.  Roses will have used up most food in reserve to have reached this lush stage so will need feeding often to keep them in this peek condition. Folia feeding with fish emulsion will help keep green fly away while feeding through leaves. Spray on a dull day so sun will not burn through droplets and damage new soft leaves.  

Trim spent flowers from perennials and daisy bushes as they finish the first flush of flowering to keep them bushy and continuously in flower, if you let flower heads go to seed the bush or plants will become woody. 

Box hedge:  I will make a start on my buxus hedges this week , hopefully on an overcast morning. Take all new growth back to the the last cut on established hedges. On new plantings even up only the top growth leaving the sides to grow together. When planting a new buxus hedge 5 to 7 plants per metre for small plants.

All other hedges can be trimmed now as they have probably finished putting out spring growth. 

Lawns: We have had excellent results from grass seed sown, it struck in places with in a week from sowing which encourages me to rake out every bare patch, add sifted soil and plant grass seed like there is no tomorrow! 

Veg: A good no fuss way to grow veg is in a no dig garden. Making a no dig garden: Find a sunny spot on bare ground,( not concrete) surround with sleepers, logs, Oamaru stone or boards high enough to hold layers of manure, soil, compost and straw. Flood the dirt before you start to get dampness deep down but If you plan to create a no dig garden on top of grass or space that has been growing then you will need to cover the the ground with layers of saturated news paper or cardboard, overlapping to stop strong weeds pushing through. 

First layer manure, (soak) this will bring the worms up, then spread a thick layer of compost, old leaf mulch and dried grass clippings, (soak.) Next add a layer of soil, (clay soil is fine in this layer), water well after each layer leaving no dry spots. Next add a layer of straw, (soak) then add more layers of compost and old leaf mulch and dried grass clippings, (soak) and top that with more soil, (soak). River sand, a little lime and an all purpose fertiliser can be added as you build the layers. Lastly add a top layer of straw to suppresses weeds, also a great deterrent to slugs. When you think the garden is high enough start planting and you should be eating your own produce with in six weeks at this time of the year.

Fruit: With the warmth experienced this spring and bee's doing their job berry fruits are romping along. Water is important while fruit is forming especially after the wind, a good soak from time to time if rain is scarce will ensure full juicy fruit. My grapes are flowering and so far there is no sign of the dreaded botrytis, I give only the vines I think could do with a boost fertiliser in early spring. Feeding established vines that are doing ok will only encourage more leaves and leaders. A little potash from time to time will help with fruiting.  

I have come across another method of dealing with coddling moth which is said to have worked well for some. Use a plastic milk container, and place in it 1 banana peel, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup sugar. Fill the container almost full of water, replace the cap and shake it well to mix and dissolve the contents. Remove the cap and firmly secure one container into each apple tree. The moths are attracted to the scent of the concoction, becoming trapped and drowned when they investigate. Refill with water as needed throughout the summer.  

Cheers, Linda.