Gardening in North Otago February 27th 2019

Autumn begins: The wonderful warm ripening season, long shadows, low sun in cornflower blue sky's. ( At this mellow time of the year the poet in me emerges!!) I am still cutting back plants that looked stunning through summer but are now just tied and straggly like most cottage plants, bush lavatera, mignonette, lavender tops and geraniums, they will all leaf up again to go through the winter.

Seed collecting, there are so many ready now, dianthus, delphinium, annual lavatera, salvias, hollyhock, sweet peas plus many more. I plant a few now but save most to sow in early spring.

Its the perfect planting time for trees, shrubs, spring bulbs, perennials and annuals. As I have mentioned before buying  punnets of annual and perennial seedling now to pot on into individual pots and nurse over winter will give you a head start for early planting and flowering, some will bud up and flower others will grow strong roots through winter and flower when the ground warms in spring. Try this with pollyantha, Iceland poppy, lupin, primula, wall flower, stock, snapdragon and if sweet peas are planted in late Autumn they will pop up and sit through winter to flower in August.

This month is said to be the best time to plant conifers, there are such a lot of different types, I consider conifers contribute to the bones of a garden. Tall narrow conifers planted in groups give larger gardens a vertical push and formality. Labels need to be read carefully they give the height and width for the first ten years, after that they do keep growing and should be removed if they start to look untidy, most ornamental and ground cover conifers look wonderful for years and years. A web site with a comprehensive selection is ttp://www.conifers.co.nz , a good contact for those who like to bonsai.

It's difficult to think about Spring when Autumn has just begun but if you want that beautiful spring splendor in your garden after the chill of winter it is now that most spring bulbs are on offer, all that beauty sleeping in bags waiting to be planted.  Daffodils along a roadside fence line, grouped in a vacant paddock, under deciduous trees with bluebells best of all they can be forgotten about and happily multiply year after year. Tulips are planted last in the month of May.  

Compost:This is an excellent time to start building a new compost heap and get it heating up before winter. http://freshorganicgardening.com/learn-to-build-a-compost-pile/. The heating process stops during the coldest months so get one started now when leaves are falling and lawns still need mowing. Hen manure becomes too hot for heaps during other months but ok to add now. If you have no time or space for making compost ring Gregg, 0272293215 for a delivery of ready made from our local meat works which is wonderful for feeding plants and supressing weeds.

Lawns. Autumn is said to be the best time to sow a new lawn because perennial weed growth is slowing and the ground still warm with dew adding moisture, grass seed will be up in no time.  Water your new lawn early in the morning instead of during the day, between 6am and 10am, this will ensure that the moisture actually gets down into the soil and to grass roots before the suns evaporation. Mature lawns may need aeration with a fork or a push along spikier, or if a lawn is chocked with thatch then hiring a detaching machine will solve that problem.

Vegetables: That last rain did not make a difference to dry gardens so watering is important now for all new plantings. Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been and it is a good time to sow Root plants like  Beetroot , Carrots and Parsnips also Chives , Leeks ,Onions , Shallots , Spring Onions. and Asparagus. When potatoes are dug they need to be kept in the dark or they will go green, when storing there are products which will inhibit sprouting, but many gardeners avoid chemicals near food so I will once again mention a natural alternative with you. Layer the stored potatoes with sprigs of rosemary, sage and lavender, the essential oils given off by these herbs not only inhibit sprouting, they will also help to keep the tubers free from bacterial soft rots. 

Fruit: Apples, quince, plums, walnuts and late peaches so much at once! the birds must be overjoyed by their feasting and the rats / mice will be munching sunflower seeds and waiting patiently for walnuts to ripen, I am sure they are pleased with the work we have put in to feed them!

Cheers, Linda