Wow a cold rainy snap this week after such a lovely warm weekend here in North Otago, however we were sure needing rain so it is all good and a difference it has made to new growth and the lawns. The hum of bees is back with the flowering cherries in blossom and it's a joy to be planting out bedding plants that will take our garden through to summer. Seedlings need to be protected during Spring cold snaps so if buying punnets get them accustomed to changeable weather and cold nights before planting them out and possibly losing them. Still too early for lobelia, begonias, petunias and marigold but not too early to sow seed of these under protection. Potted shrubs need to be inspected for root crowding, it takes only a year for some to exhaust the mix they are planted in. Remove from the pot if not too big and trim roots back by half with a sharp spade and replant into a fresh heavy potting mix mixed with compost, then completely soak to the bottom of the pot to help the shrub settle back in with no air pockets surrounding roots. With Larger unmanagable pots and barroals I top up with mix after pushing a sharp object down through the roots to create large holes for potting mix to be washed down in around established roots. However if after a number of years a shub stops thriving it will be time to start again with something fresh. Lavenders: I mentioned lavenders last week and because they are so popular so thought I would touch on them again in more detail. English lavenders eventually get leggy and past it, don't nurse them thinking they will come back because they will probably not, dig them out and replace with new plants. Munstead lavender is the small edging variety which will not spill over a path as other English lavenders tend to. There are so many different varieties on the market now and none of them are very long lived if they do not like where they are growing. Full sun, manure/compost enriched soil with a dressing of lime from time to time, lavenders like it dry but need to get roots down deep to tap int o lower soil moisture. I have noticed the lovely tall English Hidcote does well growing down a solid fence line for support and keeps on keeping on if trimmed often, English lavenders are grown for oil and are a good drying variety. The bumble bee type, lavender major, are more manageable in boarders and the French lavender dentata is a tall hedging lavender that flowers all year round.Fuchsias: Here on the coast fuchsias can be cut back now that they are pushing out leaves, they flower on new growth so take them as far back as you need to for the height you would like them flowering. Fuchsias like moist ground and food keep up to them during the growing season to get best results.Rose leaves are firming up now and buds are forming so they are looking for food to help with the long growing season ahead of them, getting moisture down and mulching to keep it there is really beneficial to keep them healthy and from dehydrating as we head into hot weather. Healthy happy roses do not attract pests which means very little spaying, if any. Lawns: The mowers are out again! keep catchers up while grass is lush and they will not dry out as they do when cut low and if feed during a wetting drizzel they will stay spring fresh and green.Vegetables: Here on the coast plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in seed potatoes. My board beans and peas are up and doing well, I was once told to plant each bean with a little potash to help with rust problems, they still get a little rust but I think that's probably due to them getting too dry between waterings. Time to get the spuds in the ground although I am sure there will be clever Gardeners out there who have some growing in a sheltered spot almost ready for the pot. I wait until I see a rogue potato left behind from last year's digging to send up leaves to let me know the ground is ready. Fruit: All berry fruits are on the move so food, water and mulching are needed for a good production, the earlier this is done the better the crops.
Fruit: All berry fruits are on the move so food, water and mulching are needed for a good production, the earlier this is done the better the crops.
Cheers, Linda.
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