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