Gardening in North Otago 27th March 2018
A nice warm day or two this week with rain seeming never far away here in North Otago. Having spent time in the Waitaki valley last weekend I was surrounded by the beauty of autumn golds and aqua glass like lakes, how blessed we are to have this beauty on our door step.
We have the rakes and wool packs on the go again here collecting the bounty of leaves to turn into leaf mulch by layering lawn clippings, manure and water. Start on wet bare ground for moisture, ground warmth, microorganisms and worms to be drawn up through the heap to start decomposing.
Time to take stock of the garden and make plans for what gets trimmed, shifted, chopped out and nurtured over the soon to be here cold months. Collecting seed and taking hard wood cuttings is top of the list for me, seed is gathered when dry and the cuttings need to be in while the days are still warm enough for them to settle and start to make roots. Take advantage of the warm ground and cool mornings and nights to keep planting out well grown shrubs, roots really take off at this time of the year and settle in before the frosts. I have been finding runners on low growing shrubs, branches that have grown down and rooted themselves into the ground. This is the time of year to cut them from the mother plant, pot them up and nurse over the winter. They will be ready to plant out when a pot is filled with roots in spring. Have a look around the bottom of climbers as well, jasmine, honey suckle and clematis there are sure to be sections rooted into the ground. While looking around the garden see what is there for the taking in the way of seedlings, I have potted up heaps of native seedlings growing among shrubs and many small seedlings from seeds germinated in graveled areas.
We have the rakes and wool packs on the go again here collecting the bounty of leaves to turn into leaf mulch by layering lawn clippings, manure and water. Start on wet bare ground for moisture, ground warmth, microorganisms and worms to be drawn up through the heap to start decomposing.
Time to take stock of the garden and make plans for what gets trimmed, shifted, chopped out and nurtured over the soon to be here cold months. Collecting seed and taking hard wood cuttings is top of the list for me, seed is gathered when dry and the cuttings need to be in while the days are still warm enough for them to settle and start to make roots. Take advantage of the warm ground and cool mornings and nights to keep planting out well grown shrubs, roots really take off at this time of the year and settle in before the frosts. I have been finding runners on low growing shrubs, branches that have grown down and rooted themselves into the ground. This is the time of year to cut them from the mother plant, pot them up and nurse over the winter. They will be ready to plant out when a pot is filled with roots in spring. Have a look around the bottom of climbers as well, jasmine, honey suckle and clematis there are sure to be sections rooted into the ground. While looking around the garden see what is there for the taking in the way of seedlings, I have potted up heaps of native seedlings growing among shrubs and many small seedlings from seeds germinated in graveled areas.
Lavatera's and buddleias need a good cut back now if they are to look good and bushy through the winter, cut out all the old non producing wood and let it come fresh again from the cuts. Same for geraniums, they have made a lot of growth over the summer months and need to be cleaned out in the middle where old leaves accumulate and white fly can be harboring, cut out old non productive stems and shorten back long lanky growth. Further inland leave them alone, cover when frosts arrive but take cuttings now in case you loose established plants over winter.
Sweet-peas popped up for me this week, the winter will hold them back but as soon as the ground warms up in spring they will take off and be there for picking in late august. Sweet-peas are gross feeders, they do best in a different position each year. If you want them planted in the same place again dig a trench and fill with stable manure to keep them fed for their long flowering period.
Keep an eye on hellebore's ( Winter rose's) they dry out at this time of the year to the point where they may die, they are one of the first plants to flower in late winter so keep the water up to them and feed them, blood & bone, manure or slow release fertiliser. The baby plants growing around mother plants can be potted up now, they take about three years from seed to flower.
Fruit & Vegetables
Codling moth caterpillars can be trapped now as they are leaving the trees, Tie strips of corrugated cardboard (Corrugation inwards) around the trunks. Once the harvest is over remove and destroy the cardboard.
Keep sowing vegetable seeds onion, radish, spinach and planting seedlings, cabbage, celery, winter lettuce here on the coast. further inland broad beans, cabbage and spinach. I like to sow and plant butter crunch lettuce now as it keeps growing well into the winter.
I am now going to draw a plan for the big Easter egg hunt for our Grand Children and friends here at Rockvale gardens and will remember to keep Scruff away after he disgraced himself last Easter hunt by showing off hunting my bantams instead of Easter eggs!
Keep an eye on hellebore's ( Winter rose's) they dry out at this time of the year to the point where they may die, they are one of the first plants to flower in late winter so keep the water up to them and feed them, blood & bone, manure or slow release fertiliser. The baby plants growing around mother plants can be potted up now, they take about three years from seed to flower.
Fruit & Vegetables
Codling moth caterpillars can be trapped now as they are leaving the trees, Tie strips of corrugated cardboard (Corrugation inwards) around the trunks. Once the harvest is over remove and destroy the cardboard.
Keep sowing vegetable seeds onion, radish, spinach and planting seedlings, cabbage, celery, winter lettuce here on the coast. further inland broad beans, cabbage and spinach. I like to sow and plant butter crunch lettuce now as it keeps growing well into the winter.
I am now going to draw a plan for the big Easter egg hunt for our Grand Children and friends here at Rockvale gardens and will remember to keep Scruff away after he disgraced himself last Easter hunt by showing off hunting my bantams instead of Easter eggs!
Cheers, Linda.
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