Gardening in North Otago June 27th 2018

This is proving to be a cold winter at times, I was forced to spend last week in Hospital looking out at the Dunedin gloom on those dull days. So as you will imagine my outside working hard days are over for about 6 weeks, Dam it.

There is much work to be done gardens at this time, compost and pea straw spreading, trees to be dealt to with a chain saw. Because it is too late in the year to trim soft trees and shrubs huge over grown ivy and out of control evergreen climbers can be tidied up. Ivy is like wisteria  if you are too kind to it, some of those twining soft leaders it puts out will grow into a thick woody tree trunk if left.
This is a great time of the year to really look at the garden while it is bare and sleeping, any new growth beneath the graft area on a tree can be removed. All large deciduous trees such as flowering cherries, magnolia, silver birch, ashes, oaks any large well grown specimen tree bought today will have been grafted onto strong growing root stock different to the top graft. From time to time the root stock will push growth out and up and because it is strong growing it will always overtake the grafted wanted specimen. 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 looks some what bazaar.
Thinning out of branches can be done now, if branches are crossing over each other or there are far too many in the centre of a tree don't just shorten a branch back because it will regrow from that point, take it right out and let some light in. Prunus and crab apple trees are bad for producing over crowding branches which tend to rub together and encourage disease if not removed. Always make sure your pruning equipment is cleaned from one tree to the next, methylated spirits is good for doing this. But never prune like this on a dull damp day, this could spread silver leaf pick a bright sunny day.


Digging up and shifting things around like rhododendrons, azalea's and magnolias. Anything that you think has been struggling in the spot it was planted. This is the time to remove trees and shrubs that have long out grown their youthful beauty and replace with a younger version of the original or something different. You can change the whole look of a tired garden by doing this. If a huge gap is going to be left with the removal of a tree or shrub, fill the gap with a section of manuka screening placed behind the smaller replacement plant, it will give the plant protection and privacy and once the plant has reached the desired height and width the screening can be removed. 
Lots of rogue trees and shrubs birds would have have introduced will have popped up everywhere, some which have grown in among shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias some become quite established before they are noticed then are stubborn to remove. It is best to remove them completely if you can because they just keep growing stronger each year and undermine the roots of the needed plant.

On the coast there are so many things that have self seeded and can be planted to grow on at this time of the year like hellebore, lupins, poppies, pansy, viola, forget- me- not and primula. 
If you have pollyantha's and primulas that you left in the ground from last year they will have multiplied, and will be easy to break apart and plant out separately. Polly's love dried blood it l greens them up after transplanting. If you do get some dried blood sprinkle a little around camellia's and Daphne's if they do not look like they are thriving.

Plant sweet-pea's now to flower very early spring.
Lawns:
Winter lawns that have been performing poorly in spite of feeding and watering may be improved with a winter liming. Aim to achieve a PH of around 6 (mildly acid) which will encourage strong grass growth.
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. 

-- Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 12th June 2018

Very dull weekend and week days so far with rain making it even gloomier, 
While rain keeps up it gives a chance to see areas in the garden not draining well, if you have plants that are water logged dig them up and improve where they are growing by digging the hole deep down to the clay which is probably forming a pan and holding the water. Break up the clay as much as you can then put a layer of gypsum on top of the broken clay and add at least three shovels of gravel to create a sump for water to drain into. By doing this the plant of your choice can stay in that spot without drowning.

Pruning: Now trees have shed leaves they are open for inspection, many ornamental trees need attention in late winter, branches crossing, too many branches blocking light from buds once in leaf, height and width reduction. Most trees are pruned in winter while sap is down and insects / diseases that can potentially invade pruning cuts are dormant as well as trees. In winter the worst disease is silver leaf, which attacks stone and pip fruit,roses, poplar, willows and escallonia hedges. It is during cold wet weather that spores are released which can then enter the pruning cuts. During dry weather the spores are not released and this is the reason that some prefer a summer prune on susceptible trees and a reason to avoid pruning on cool wet days.

Thinning: is the removal of an entire branch if two branches are doing the same job, this technique rids the tree of weak and diseased branches and increases light penetration and air movement. I have included diagrams of where and where not to cut for best healing practice. 

Heading back: is shortening the length of a branch back to a bud or the next side branch below, as shown.

Hellebores: I have finally cut the leaves from all my hellebore's, they were infested with greenfly wintering over, new fresh leaves will soon appear after the beautiful flowers have popped up and flowered on their own. 
Erica's are flowering now, very hardy plants that are perfect ground covers, over wall spillers and great as a wide border. They usually grow only 6 - 12 inches high and spread 2 - 3 feet. Upright erica melanthra improved is one of the prettiest winter flowering small shrubs, bright pink 60cm high by 1m wide fully grown.

Leucodendrons are looking wonderful now, perfect for picking, will last for weeks in a vase. Remember not to give them rich compost or fertiliser, they prefer poor soil conditions.

Even though we are in the middle of winter there is plenty on offer to plant, deciduous trees can settle in with a firm stake, roses do best planted now, if planting evergreen shrubs that look like they have been nursed get them used to the outside temperatures before planting then protect with frost cloth. Plant labels should tell you their hardiness.  

Rose pruning: is done once rose wood has had enough time to harden, end of June, July even August is not too late. If unsure of how to prune roses the rose society is holding a rose pruning demonstration at North School, 1pm on the 30th June.

Compost/mulch: This is the perfect time to supply food for plants and bulbs in the form of compost / mulch which worms will take down to roots in time for spring growth. Contact for a load of compost made at our local Pukeuri meat works is Gregg Ph: 0272293215. Also our Resource recovery park offers well heated mulch for keeping weeds down under trees and in rough areas of the garden.
Vegetables: On the coast Sow broad beans, garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing much can be planted. 

Gardening in North Otago 5th June 2018

With the shortest day just around the corner and snow on the Kakanui's I am once again wearing thermals, gloves and woolly socks as fewer leaves are now falling ( thank goodness) and temperatures drop into winter. Ground should remain damp now to boost spring growth already pushing through, pea straw is still going on here to help retain that ground moisture.

Gardeners can pick days that suit to be out in the garden from now on, nothing is desperately needing done apart from tiding up while sap declines, at least not until pruning takes place. Divide overgrown perennials and plant rooted cuttings from the outer edges of clumps, if you think the mother plant is past it's best dispose of it as new plantings will keep making roots and zoom away in spring.

Get early plantings of gladioli bulbs in for November flowering, same for sweet peas they will pop up, sit while ground is still cold with frosts then take off and flower early once ground starts to warm. Sweet peas enjoy a rich growing space, a trench dug at least two or three shovels deep lined with manure to take them to great heights with masses of those beautifully perfumed flowers. Same planting procedure for Clematis.

I see early bare rooted roses on offer, the sooner they are out of plastic bags into chilly air the better. The warmth of the packaging will have encouraged new shoots which will drop off as stems harden in cold air. Bare rooted roses on sale are field grown and are all mass trimmed before lifting so newly planted roses need pruned to out facing buds, 

Root cuttings: If you've ever had problems propagating some of your favorite plants, root cutting is worth trying to produce many perennial and woody plants, it is a straight forward process best done during the plant's dormant season between June and September. Carefully remove dirt around the roots on one side of the plant, dig fairly close to the base of the plant to make sure you find healthy roots pencil thick belonging to the plant you are working on, take 2 to 6 inch cuttings and cut into 2 to 3 inch (6 to 7.5 cm) sections. To keep track of cuttings top end and bottom end is to make a flat cut on top, and a slanted cut on the bottom. Dust the bottom of each cutting with powdered sulfur to control fungi and make sure bottom of the cuttings are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the soil in a  deep pot, (frost free) with a little sand in the bottom of the planting hole, cover with a layer of  coarse river sand or small sharp gravel and water only when soil becomes dry. 

List of Plants suitable for Root Cuttings.
Figs, Hydrangeas, Choysia, Poplar, Red and yellow twig dogwoods, old roses (non grafted), viburnum Snowball bush, Weeping willow, Yucca, Aster, Acanthus mollis, Tall phlox's, Geranium, Globe thistle, Hollyhocks, Horseradish, Aster, Oriental poppies, Primrose, Rhubarb, Sage, Sea hollies, Perennial statice, Raspberry and Blackberry.

Lawns; Growth should have slowed right down now, if you noticed your lawn was hard and cracked during the dry summer spread gypsum during rain to soften and turn clay content into soil. 

Vegetable : Cool season vegetables grow best when temperatures are 10-20 degrees C or even lower. They include broad beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, onions, peas, cauliflower, spinach, turnips  garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing can be planted directly into ground but I am sure plants are being nurtured in protected enclosures.

End of season hydrangea 

Only a few leaves left to drop.