Gardening in North Otago May 29th 2018

June is all but here and our drum is still smoking with the autumn leaf burn which is almost at the end, then I will not smell like a pack a day smoker! 

So important to get dry leaves out of all nooks and crannies, if left they become perfect wintering over havens for all those little garden pests.

Pea straw: Once compost is spread on plants, shrubs and trees pea straw goes on here to keep soil warmer and moisture in the ground for Spring growth. Keep tiding up perennials that need to rest now and divide overgrown plants and pot up or plant rooted cuttings from the outer edges of perennial clumps, if you think the mother plant is past it's best dispose of it. 

Keep planting lilium bulbs. These are best placed in raised beds. Don’t let the roots dry out at all. Make early plantings of gladioli in well drained sites for November flowering. 

Roses: Clean up dead leaves under rose bushes to prevent the spread of pest and disease.  As leaves fall I spray Lime Sulphur first  to eliminate powdery mildew, lichen and moss, then wait several weeks before spraying Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil ( I usually leave this last spraying until after I have pruned in July) Clean up dead leaves under rose bushes to prevent the spread of pest and disease. New seasons bare rooted roses should be arriving in Garden centers soon, prepare ground ready now 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 that rose was growing in and replace with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another. Roses planted in water are less likely to suffer from planting stress. 

Dahlias will have been affected by frost , let them die back into the tubers for a while before cutting back.

Lawns: Growth should have slowed right down now and lawns will be at the tuffty stage, our lawn mowers are usually on the go until the last of the leaves have been picked up. 

Vegetables On the coast Sow broad beans, shallots and rhubarb. In colder areas nothing much can be planted. Get garlic plots ready for planting out around the shortest day, garlic enjoy a rich fertile loam soil or a silty loam soil. Avoid planting in poor draining soil because cloves can rot if sitting in wet ground too long. 

 Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 22nd May 2018

The end of mellow May leads us into a new month bringing different gardening challenges with the start of winters chills.

Nature has a way of putting all right, after those strong drying winds last week, it rained and the ground should stay damp now which is perfect for applying compost / mulch and pea straw to bed gardens and keep soil warmer against freezing frosts and wind.

Roses: flowering is at the end, don't be tempted to cut spent flower heads off, leave all types of roses to make seed and harden wood before the big prune at the end of next month. A clean up spray with lime sulphur on all rose bushes and climbers as well as the ground where they are growing to kill all fungus and disease remaining from summer flowering. Lime sulphur smells like rotten eggs when first applied, is safe for bees and is also the spray to use for the removal of lichen and moss growing on branches of trees and shrubs.

New seasons bare rooted roses should be arriving in Garden centers soon so if you plan to plant a certain type of rose or shades ask a Garden center to hold them for you so you don't miss out. Prepare ground now 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 the soil and replace with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another. Bare rooted, winter planted roses are less likely to suffer from planting stress.

Dahlia's finish quickly after being frosted, let foliage die back foe a while before cutting back, as leaves gather sunlight and provide nourishment for next years blooming. Here on the coast tubers can be left in well drained gardens, if left in gardens that hold water and freeze they will rot. In very cold areas dig tubers about a week after they become frost effected, let tubers air dry for several days. Store in a cool location packed in slightly damp straw and replant in spring when danger of frost has past. 

Re-pot container grown buxus  if they look pot bound, buxus root growth is prolific and they don't seem to suffer from the removal of half the root ball, replace potting mix with new. 

Winter colour: plant  annuals on offer now to get them well on while there is still heat in the sun, I have stock, wall-flower, sweet peas, polyanthus, pansies, poppy and Primula malacoides almost at bud stage. If a mild winter they should keep growing to flower, if a hard winter they will sit until soil begins to warm in early spring.

Lawns; The recent rains perked dry lawns up but growth should be slowing right down now bringing  lawns to that tuffty stage, here in our garden lawn mowers will still be on the go until the last of the leaves have been picked up. Next time it rains have some lawn fertiliser on hand and a week after feeding sprinkle some garden lime over lawns for a boost before they stop growing. A hard cracking lawn is an indication of high clay content in soil which would benefit greatly from a dressing of Gypsum clay breaker, a soil conditioner improving soil structure, aeration and assists drainage and moisture retention. Applied annually hard lawns will soon get a spring in them.

Vegetables:  On the coast Sow broad beans, garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing much can be planted without protection.

Fruit:  Bare rooted fruit trees will be arriving in garden centers soon, so good to pick fruit from your own garden, order the trees you plan to grow now then prepare ground for them, choose an open, sunny position, sheltered from strong winds. Fruit trees grow in a wide range of soil types as long as there is good drainage.

Cheers, Linda. 

Gardening in North Otago NZ May 16th 2018

I am feeling a chill in the air and frosts have started but enough warmth still in the ground for plants to continue growing.
A heap of work was done here in the garden this week, compost is going down fast as it is shoveled on thickly over beds now ready for a layer of pea straw.
I have been potting up well grown seedlings before the nights get colder, because they are straight from seed trays the frost cloth has gone on and will remain on until spring.

Leaves are still falling so piles are still accumulating in our garden, a good many piles have been put on compost heaps, the remainder I burn in a drum and add the ash to compost, but from now on I will be making leaf mulch which is an easy process and gardens really benefit from the nitrogen fix when it is spread in spring.

1.

First pile the leaves and keep them dry then shed them with a lawn mower, (whole leaves don't break down enough for mulch). 

2.

Once shredded add layers 12 to 18 inches deep along with a handful of urea or grass clippings (nitrogen) to each layer, wet each layer (don't saturate) as you build.)

3.Repeat this layering until your bin or bag is full and all will break down over winter to be ready for you to put on the garden in spring. 

This is a great time to make new perennial beds or re-organise existing beds, with perennial clumps increasing in size annually they soon over fill a space. Lift overgrown clumps, break up and replant some of the youngest growths from the perimeter. Healthy vigorous plants can be reduced by putting a sharp spade in where you would like a reduction then lift the cut portion out without disturbing the plant remaining. I have been doing this with asters, phlox, aurbretia, small grass's, hosta's, and herbs like sage, thyme and lemon balm. Rockery plants can be divided now as well. Once plants have been sectioned and rearranged cover the bed and around plants with compost which will encourage new root growth and help to keep perennial beds warmer through the colder months. I have also been potting up well grown seedlings before the nights get colder, because they are straight from seed trays the frost cloth has gone on and will remain on until spring. 

All old leaves from my hellebores have now been removed, they are budding up for a winter display so a fortnightly liquid feed can be given if you feel they need boosting. Further in land it would be advisable to leave some top growth on to give frost protection to soft new growth, once hardened remove all leaves to display flowers.
remove water trays from pots now, the soil will stay damp from now on and should never be waterlogged through winter as this will lead to plant roots freezing and rotting. 
Lilies, this is the main time to shift or divide old over grown clumps of lilies. Be careful not to break the fleshy scales and to retain all the basal roots. Don't pull the old steams away from the bulb as it leaves a hole where water can enter and cause rot, just cut old stems short and bend. Never allow Lilly bulbs to dry out while out of the ground, I plant lilies on a little river sand and cover with compost which has had blood and bone added.

Vegetables and fruit .
Continue planting strawberry plants, raising the beds where drainage is suspect and adding manure rich compost to the beds.
It is said to plant garlic on the shortest day but any time from late May until August is ok. Select large single cloves (plant point up) 5cm deep and 20cm apart in warm, well-drained sites where soil has been recently limed.
Start pruning pip fruit trees any time after the leaves have fallen, remove dead or damaged wood, crossing or inward turning branches, excess leaders or sucker growth developing on the main trunks. Shorten back vigorous leaders by about a 1/3 to promote branching. Prune long side branches, take out weak twigs to discourage further spread.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 8th May 2018

And then the warm autumnal winds arrived, so still raking pile after pile of leaves in our garden as trees shed for a well earned rest.  

A mass planting of bedding blue salvia had to come out this week to make way for the dozens of red tulip bulbs needed to make a show here in early spring. The saliva flowered beautifully all summer but took a lot out of the soil, beds were dug and topped with compost and a barrow or two of sifted soil before bulbs went in.

Bedding plants: I have Pansy's, pollyanthus, primula and snapdragons filling out nicely for planting once gardens are cleared of the summer growth and compost has been watered in, planting this month while the ground is still warm will get plants to budding stage and if the winter is mild they should flower, if very cold they will sit then burst into flower early in spring. 

Wisterias: will need a cut back now, ours is growing along the upstairs balcony threatening to push through the sliding doors and take over a bedroom! I use the hedge trimmer to get rid of all the leafy wispy growth, cutting too hard back into  thick wood will remove new buds. Some of those long winding growth can eventually grow into a thick branch so if training a young plant let only one length go either way along a structure. I needed to be given that advice when planting the now multi branched extremely heavy wisteria we have! 

Seeds: I am still collecting seeds while pods are dry and saving them in paper bags and envelopes, Adding a sprinkle of rice will absorb any remaining moisture and help to keep seed dry and in good condition.

Compost again, Balance all those leaves with layers of old compost/soil, straw, manure and grass clippings . Moisture is a must as well, if the mix is dry add water during the heat of a day so the chill will be off before nights cooling. Decomposing will continue on until temperatures drops dramatically. It is such a bonus to have compost / mulch on hand for hungry plants come spring when the ground is left sour from winter and in need of boosting.

Lawns: 

Our lawns have slowed down at last, lime and gypsum can be spread on lawns now, lime to sweeten and gypsum to soften hard compacted ground which has a lot of clay content. No more cracks in the lawn if gypsum is applied and watered in for two or three years in a row at this time of the year,

Fruit:

If you had bad leaf curl on your peach and nectarine trees this season now is the time to clean up and remove as many old leaves as possible from around the base of your trees, but don’t compost these as it will spread the infection. Controlling leaf curl isn’t easy but good orchard hygiene habits, repeated each year, will give you the best chance. If left untreated the problem will get worse year-after-year and reduce the tree’s ability to produce lots of fruit. In spring apply a light dressing of a quick acting fertiliser such as sulphate of ammonia to encourage new leaf growth. At the same time apply a seaweed fertiliser, such as Seasol and Comfrey spray, to help the plants’ immunity to leaf curl. once you notice the symptoms of leaf curl on leaves it is too late to control the disease in those leaves but you can try and stop the fungus from spreading, after the clean up spray with lime sulphur, I will revisit this in late winter / early spring with advice on further treatment.

Tamarillos These delicious, tangy fruits ripen in autumn and winter and can go from pale green to rich ripe red in about a week. They are ripe when either a deep, dark red or golden orange/yellow depending on variety. Pick fruit individually by cutting stems. Once picked they keep well and will become sweeter after a week or so.  

Citrus bushes would benefit from a rich layer of compost,  well-rotted manure, dolomite, seaweed, straw – whatever you have spread as a mulching layer around roots.

Vegetables:

Save seed from beans and peas and also a few of your herb and companion flower plant seeds for next spring. 

Mold soil around the base of leeks to keep them pale and sweet, but keep it beneath the bottom leaf so it doesn't get inside the stems and make cleaning them difficult. 

An application of lime now is a real benefit to many of the leaf crops – cabbage, spinach, kale, broccoli and silverbeet.

In soon to be very cold areas  an insulating layer will help to prevent soil you plan to plant out in early spring from becoming water-logged once rains come, use polythene, fertilizers bags, old carpet or underlay. Spring planting can be delayed for ages because of wet cold ground.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 1st May 2018

May has sneaked up on us and all that rain this week, what is that all about in this baking, ripening time of the year!

Much lovely compost had been applied to gardens here before the rain which will have washed down to needy roots with the help of wonderful Stan who helps in our garden once a week.  At this time of the year plants are slowing growth down and not needing nitrogen so no fertilizer now but definitely compost / mulch will be beneficial to trees, shrubs and plants by keeping the ground warmer and being there when roots start needing nutrients in early spring. Especially on high ground because North Otago got to the almost flooding stage last week and nutrients needed in spring will have been depleted.

Heavy rain encourages a lot of snails into the garden, my bantams are great slug and snail hunters but I can still find them in dark sheltered spots among pots or behind plants growing up against walls, flax and agapanthus are especially bad for harboring snails to multiply fast and be ready to destroy plants in spring. I have read that it is no good transporting snails to a vacant area away from your garden because they have homing instincts and travel long distances to return to their garden of choice. I cannot bring myself to stamp on them or drown them in a bucket so why not try a humane way, gather up as many as you can find and put them in a plastic bag, close it tight and put in the freezer, this way they will go to sleep and not wake up, yes I know "what is she on about"? working with Nature is what gardening is all about with me and snails belong in gardens until you remove them. 

May is the month to plant tulips, there are so many beautiful varieties on offer now and some that are so double they do not look like tulips. For planting choose ground in good light, a sunny spot but not baking that does not hold water, Bulbs like to be cool so plant deep at least 8 inches, measuring from the base of the bulb digging even deeper, to loosen the soil for drainage.They can be grown undisturbed along a south wall with limited space to grow anything else, where they will multiply annually and eventually fill the space. 

Conifers have been out of favor for a number of years but I consider conifers along with tree's the bones of any garden and now that leaves are disappearing from deciduous trees I am appreciating the wonderful conifers I planted many years ago. To find the right conifer for a particular spot needs a little homework because size and preference to shade and texture need to be considered. A conifer can be used as a focal point, to add interest at the end of a vista in an other wise bleak winter garden. Find an image of the right conifer for your garden and get the information required then order because Garden centers do not carry many varieties these days. Conifers planted along side erica's and callunias are the perfect combination for a low maintenance planting to make a winter garden interesting.

 Lawns have still not slowed down and will not until we get hard frosts, I have sown grass seed on the bare patches (only in very sunny areas) in the hope the ground will stay warm long enough for it to germinate. Don't waste lawn fertiliser on grass now, save it for spring, add a sprinkle of dolomite lime instead to work down by spring to sweeten grass roots. 

Vegetables: Plant board beans, cabbage, carrots, and spinach here on the coast, further inland forget about the vegetable garden apart from planting a green crop to be dug in and left to break down over winter. 

Our garden, Rockvale gardens at Weston is  open daily displaying wonderful autumn colours, plus Scruff the dog,(Cairn Terrier who thinks he is an Alsatian!) is still barking at any one who dares to come onto the property until he gets a tummy rub which is a bit off putting I am sure for visiting Garden enthusiasts.

Cheers, Linda.