Gardening in North Otago March 19th 2019

Overcast mornings and the threat of rain during the week but seeming more and more like Autumn with days drawing in and leaves changing and dropping.

Cut back everything that has finished flowering,  I need no encouragement in this area so the wheel barrow has been getting good use. Once I start chopping back at this time of the year there is no stopping me leaving destruction in my wake. Plants that got the chop in our garden: Acanthus mollis (bears britches), agapanthas, tall phlox, day lillies, damaged hellebore and hosta leaves, buddleia, honey suckle, jasmine, abutilon, evergreen viburnum, alstromeria, hebe's, iris and all leggy, gone to seed herbs. While working my way around I dealt to all the bearded iris's by cutting leaves back by two thirds and making sure the top of rhizomes were above ground to bake in the autumn sun. Shift any in shade to a sunny position. Iris's are well worth the trouble of growing and look wonderful planted together enabling them to put on a grand display on their own. Propagation is usually 6-8 weeks after blooming rhizomes can be divided, leaving a chunk of rhizome and roots to every new division. 

Bulbs, Bulbs, Bulbs: To create a spring explosion in your garden plant them now, bluebells and snow drops can cope with dappled shade, the daffodil family need  sun, the wonderfully fragrant Hyacinth's look great in either pots or garden, ranunculus and anemones are vibrant after a long dull winter and freesia's love a sunny warm spot as do all the other spring bulbs on offer, Tulips are planted in May. Over years of multiplying bulbs can take over garden beds so If your bulb clumps are getting too big offer some to other gardeners who I am sure would gladly dig them up and find the perfect spot in their garden for them or take them to our resource recovery park and from there they will find a good home.

It's time to cut back ornamental grass, seed heads just pull away with a rake leaving grass clumps a lot tidier. Clumps can be trimmed back if getting too big or divided by putting a spade through the middle and removing half. Sometimes I have to dig the whole grass out to do this, then put the spade through and pull apart while standing on half.

If thinking of adding Rose's or more roses to your garden I suggest looking at rose variety books or going on line to make your choices then getting your order into Garden centers. New seasons roses will begin arriving in June and by ordering now you will be sure not to miss out.

Vegetables.
March is an important month for planting winter veg, prepare prior to planting with compost, general garden fertiliser and lime if needed, (I add lime to my compost)
beetroot, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and silverbeet seedlings can be planted but will need to be protected from the white butterfly. A frame work or stakes to hold strawberry net stretched over plants would do the trick.
Any areas of the veg garden not being used for vegetables this winter can be planted with a green manure cover crop to be dug in before it flowers to enrich the soil for spring and summer crops.  Oats, blue lupin, mustard or are good options.

Herbs: Parsley can be grown from seed sown now. Perennial herbs, chives, mint, thyme, sage, and marjoram can be divided and replanted. Basil, a summer annual should be harvested before cold weather, it can be dried or frozen.

Fruit: Late peaches should be ready to pick now and nectarine trees can have a summer prune. Citrus trees should be putting out new growth after heavy cropping, feed with citrus fertiliser before winter. All fruit trees benefit from a dressing of pot ash around the drip line in autumn.