Gardening in North Otago May 28th 2019

Camellia  sasanqua (mixed shades)

Here we are now almost June and still mild as I write this, it often looks like rain but alas only a dampening so far so have been watering new plantings and plants that look parched. Shallow rooted rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and maples need a good soak during a very dry Autumn. The mild weather has encouraged another batch of weeds, I see chickweed everywhere, hoeing before it clumps will deal to it until heavy frosts arrive to wipe it out.

We have some lovely autumn flowering sasanqua camellias putting on a show, it almost seems wrong with every plant near by shutting down for winter. You will probably see these lovely flowering camellias on offer in Garden centres, the perfect shrub to add interest to a garden in late autumn early winter.

I have also needed to dampen my compost heaps with polythene to get things heating, old carpet covering also works well. 

Roses: I picked the last bunch of summer roses this week, we need some hard frosts to harden stems and take care of fungus and bugs.  Later in the month I will spray Lime Sulphur first which defoliates bushes then wait several weeks before spraying Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil usually leaving this second spray until after I have pruned in July.  New seasons, bare rooted roses arrive early in Garden centers these days, if planting prepare the ground 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 and replace with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another.  

Peony rose tubers need to be planted now before the coldest months, if you must shift or divide established peonies, this is the time. Peonies do not respond well to transplanting but if planted well will require little maintenance. Choose the location wisely, full sun, shelter from strong winds, away from trees or shrubs competing for food and moisture. Plant with eyes up (new shoot) in deep, fertile, humus-rich moist soil that drains well spaced 3 to 4 feet apart about 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide.

Last week I mentioned new seasons trees, I will list a few worth selecting below.

For large gardens: Fraxinus (ash) deciduous fast growing attractive shade trees 5m high in 5 years,( est )height 30 m. Golden ash / Claret ash and pendulous weeping ash.

Fagus (English beech): beautiful deciduous shade trees or hedging, 4m in 5 years (est) 30m, fagus sylvatica purpurea attractive wine leaves, Fagus sylvatica, fresh green.

Crataegus (hawthorne) Paul's scarlet, deciduous 3m in 5years,est 6m very hardy displaying full clusters of dark pink flowers in November.

Ginkgo biloba: Deciduous, colourful, unique foliage foliage, Pest and drought resistant mature height 13-20 m / mature width 12m, one for a shelter belt.

Smaller gardens: 

Gingo jade butterflies: unusual deciduous, dwarf slow growing vase shaped tree, jade leaves. 3m high 2m wide.

Gleditsia emerald cascade: A very attractive weeping form, smaller growing making an ideal garden focal point. 2m high by 3m wide.

Cotinus Goggygria / Grace (smoke bush) large spreading shrub, stunning plum coloured leaves, plumes of smoky pink flowers in summer. Height 2m after 5 years / 3m when mature. 

Michelia starbright: Very pretty, fragrant, evergreen large shrub with creamy-white blooms.Can be used for hedging or screening. Height 4m width 2m in 7/10 years.

Robinia lace lady: A deciduous, very daintily branched small leafed tree which will not not grow heavy hard wood branches or roots and can be kept to the size required.

Vegetable garden:

Keep planting shallots, butter crunch lettuce plants, beetroot and broad beans and keep water up until they get settled. Cover with frost cloth to protect from frost and birds when small.

Fruit: 

Tamarillos, if lucky enough to have these in your garden they will be hanging like jewels from almost bare branches, such a treat at this time of the year. Because the plants do not make hard wood they are frost tender but here on the coast in a sunny location they ripen and are ready to pick now. Tamarillos will grow from tip cuttings, a bush will last for a decade if protected during winter and prefer to be outside not in a glass house.

Feijoas are a treat right now as well, they do not ripen all at once, dropping from the bush when ripe.

Lemon “Meyer” are cold hardy and will fruit all year, if planting a new plant remove all flowers and small fruit for the first 3 years to get branch work established then it will produce for years. Plant where they get afternoon sun, feed with citrus food in early spring and early autumn.

NZ Cranberry(Myrtus ugni) has a taste combination of strawberry, pineapple and apple my Grandchildren pick and eat them when ever here. A small evergreen bush very fragrant when fruiting, can be hedged.

Cheers, Linda. 

NZ cranberry (Myrtus ugni)

Gardening in North Otago May 22nd 2019

                                                                         

Still very dry as I write this and the odd morning frost reminding us of winter approaching as growth is shutting down to rest over the colder months. Gardens are looking tired and messy with plants such as dahlia, perennial phlox, alstroemeria, Japanese anemone and salvia, along with annuals that flowered over summer and autumn all coming to an end. Don't wait around to see how much more flowering they will do, chop perennials back and remove annuals before they exhaust themselves making unwanted seed, however I always save seed heads from one or two. Once the cutting back is done fill gaps with annuals for new season colour. 

If worms are rare in your garden, this usually indicates that the organic content of the soil is very low, worms will always find manure but it needs to be spread as a layer low down under a soil bed for them to come up to it. This would be a daunting task to undertake in established gardens, although worth doing bit by bit when setting out new gardens where the soil is dry and has clay content.   

Deciduous trees and shrubs will come into retail outlets soon,  plan new plantings remembering they will grow both up and outwards.  If your ground tends to get wet and sticky in winter it would be a good idea to dig the area up now while the soil is easy to work with. Dig out the soil add peat or compost and blood and bone to it then fill back in again until you are ready to plant. If you know which deciduous trees and shrubs you require order them now from the garden centre and you will not miss out  

Very strong rambler roses can be pruned from now on cutting out any dead stems and cutting back all side stems on canes to with in 2-3 buds from the main steam. Shorten back vigorous leaders by about 1/3 to promote branching. If the bush is out of control like some of mine reduce the size with a hedge trimmer then cut some canes right out from ground level.

Lawns : Those who have had a good autumn lawn strike will probably have given the first cut, don't be too hard on new grass it is still very soft and roots will not be far down. An autumn sow needs to winter over to harden off, don't worry about the annual weeds that came up with the grass the first mowing and frosts will take care of most of them. Leave spraying until spring because you will not gain anything by doing it now and very new grass could be effected by harsh sprays. 

Rake leaves off lawns, if light is kept from grass it will suffer.  

Veg: Continue planting strawberries, raising the beds where drainage is suspect. it is still not too late to sow a green crop in vacant areas of the vegetable garden , oats or blue lupin are a good nitrogen fix when dug in. Broad beans are also suitable, better than a single variety is a mixture of legume and a cereal. Dig them in while still soft and green,this adds nitrogen and humus needed in soil.

Cheers, Linda. 

                                       

Gardening in North Otago May 15th 2019

Some much needed rain for gardens last Monday night but still too many dull days making them shorter than usual for May. 

A heap of work was done here in our garden this week with compost going down fast and as leaves and annual weeds are  removed from gardens it gets shoveled on thickly around plants. However not quite ready for the pea straw cover yet as still a few more leaves to fall and collect. A good watering is required before straw goes on if the rain did not get down far.

Bearded Iris rhizomes and freesia bulbs will have pushed up, exposed to bake in the sun so compost and mulch should be kept off.
Our garden gets carried away from time to time and tries to out grow the size allotted to it!! shrubs I planted and thought at the time I could keep shaped to fit a space but after a while I get fed up with trying to keep them the right size, they are either dug out or dug up if manageable and given a ride in the wheel barrow. Complete new garden rooms can be created by shifting tall front plantings to the back which opens a space allowing room in the front to be edged and graveled for the placing of seating or may be a statue or large ornate pot. Don't hesitate in reducing the height and width of trees and shrubs, it is essential if garden space is limited, if only to let more light on to lower growing plants stopping leggy growth and encouraging optimum flowering. If shrubs have been wrenched to be shifted, height and width needs to be reduced  to compensate for damaged roots.

I continue to divide overgrown perennial clumps, some to fill gaps and some to pot up and grow on until strong roots develop and fill pots before planting. Once plants have  been sectioned and rearranged cover beds and around plants with compost which will encourage new root growth and help keep perennial beds warmer through the colder months.  

Lilies and Peony roses can be planted or shifted this month, be careful not to break the fleshy scales on Lily bulbs and new shoots on peony tubers.

Fruit and Veg.
Strawberries: Continue planting, raising the beds where drainage is suspect and adding manure rich compost to the beds.

Raspberries: When finished fruiting cut fruiting stems back by half, the new tip growth will bear fruit after that cut those two year old canes back to the ground.

Apples: are still dripping from trees, best to pick for storing now before birds enjoy the lot. Leave pruning pip fruit until next month.

Continue planting winter veg to get them going before soil gets too cold. Snow peas, Pak choi, Kale, broccoli, cauliflower and beetroot. Baby spinach in a kitchen window container picked often will supply needed greens over winter.

This is the last month to sow carrot seed, onion sets ( in punnets already at bulb stage) achieve better results now than planting seeds.

Cheers, Linda.

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Gardening in North Otago May 7th 2019

Autumn promises warm mellow days leading into the coldest months, so what are these dull damp days we have been experiencing here on the coast about? lets hope we will revert to past autumns then clear bright winter days.

Trees & shrubs, we play the waiting game now, best to leave all major pruning well into winter when sap is right down, if pruned now new growth is likely to occur then winter damage will encourage disease, best to just stick to cutting back tired summer growth in gardens and raking up the ever increasing leaf drop. 

I have dug out a mass planting of bedding blue salvia  replacing it with annuals and red tulips, the saliva had taken a lot out of the soil so beds were dug and topped with compost along with a sprinkle of blood and bone. During mild North Otago winters here on the coast we can experience colour in gardens if annuals are planted now. Pansy's, pollyanthus, primula, snapdragons, calandulas and statice should be on offer to get planted and reach budding stage before the ground gets too cold.

Wisterias will need a cut back now, ours was growing along the upstairs balcony threatening to push through sliding doors and take over a bedroom and because it was getting very heavy it was cut it right back to the trunk wood. It pushed out new growth really fast and I will now train only one leader left and right. For wisterias that are not causing a problem use a hedge trimmer to get rid of all the leafy, wispy growth, cutting too hard back into thick wood will remove new flower buds. Each long winding growth can eventually grow into a thick branch so if training a young plant let only one length go either way along a structure.

 Seeds:I am still collecting seeds from dry pods and saving them in paper bags and envelopes, I read that adding a sprinkle of rice will absorb any remaining moisture and help to keep seed dry and in good condition, worth a try.

Compost again,  Balance all those leaves with layers of old compost/soil, straw, manure and grass clippings . Moisture is a must as well, if a mix is dry add water during the heat of a day so the chill will be off before nights cooling. Decomposing will continue on until temperatures drops dramatically. 

Fruit: Tamarillos, these delicious, tangy fruits ripen during autumn and winter and can go from pale green to rich ripe red in about a week. They are ripe when either a deep, dark red or golden orange/yellow depending on variety. Pick fruit individually by cutting stems, once picked they keep well and will become sweeter

after a week or so.  

Citrus bushes would benefit from a rich layer of compost, well-rotted manure, seaweed, straw – whatever you have to spread as a mulching layer around roots.

Vegetables:

Save seed from beans, peas, pumpkin family and also a few of your herb and companion flower plant seeds for next spring. 

Mold soil around the base of leeks to keep them pale and sweet, but keep it beneath the bottom leaf to stop it getting inside making washing them difficult. 

An application of lime now is a real benefit to many of the leaf crops – cabbage, spinach, kale, broccoli and silverbeet.

Potatoes need to be dug and stored now, if they still have more growing to do keep water off them, they last better if tops have yellowed and died down. 
Once dug let dirt dry on them, brush off and store in a cool dry place away from any other veg or fruit, any moisture will encourage sprouts. Non sprouting powder can be purchased but I use the layering of dried herbs method, cut Rosemary, thyme, sage, lemon balm, mint any of the herbs before they die back, let moisture dry out of them then layer among stored clean dry potatoes, (a herb filled muslin bag works to)  When all potatoes have been used crush the mixed herbs and store in a glass jar for use. If you have essential oils peppermint, spearmint, and clove oil are said to keep sprouting and rot to a minimum.
Curing Pumpkins: Bring Pumpkins in for curing and storing before hard frosts, pumpkins are ready when the stem is dry and hard to the touch, cut from the runner leaving 10 cm stem attached to the pumpkin and cure by sitting in a warm spot, raised allowing air to circulate around the whole pumpkin for about two weeks then turn upside down and leave for another two weeks, this will harden up skin and intensify the flavor. 
Storing pumpkins: Rub all over with olive oil to seal in moisture, store in a dry place, off the ground is best on layers of newspaper.
Thinking spring planting already? Spring planting can be delayed for ages because of wet cold ground so in very cold areas place an insulating layer on soil you plan to plant out in early spring, this will prevent soil from becoming water-logged, use polythene, fertilizers bags or old carpet. 

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 2nd May 2019

May has sneaked up on us with rain to soften our parched land after the many dry days in a row intensifying the glorious leaf shades. I often bike through our public gardens enjoying the changing seasons, the brilliance at this time of year coming out on top. I acknowledge the vision of those who selected and planted those trees to create such visual beauty.

After rain snails arrive into gardens, they will find a dark sheltered spot among pots or behind plants growing up against a wall, flax and agapanthus are especially bad for harboring fast multiplying snails ready to destroy plants in spring. I have read that it is no good transporting snails to a vacant area away from your garden because they have homing instincts and travel long distances to return to THEIR garden of choice. I cannot bring myself to stamp on them or drown them in a bucket so if you are like me you can gather up as many as you can find and put them in a plastic bag, close it tight and put in the freezer. This way they will go to sleep and not wake up, yes I know "what is she on about"? working with Nature is what gardening is all about with me and snails belong in gardens until you remove them.

Compost is to be applied to gardens here after the rain which will help keep moisture in the soil. Compost / mulch will be beneficial to trees, shrubs and plants by keeping the ground warmer during winter and being there when roots start needing nutrients in early spring. 

Conifers have been out of favor for a number of years but I consider conifers along with tree's the bones of any garden and now that leaves are disappearing from deciduous trees I am appreciating the wonderful conifers I planted many years ago. To find the right conifer for a particular spot needs a little homework because size and preference to shade and texture need to be considered. A conifer can be used as a focal point, to add interest at the end of a vista in an other wise bleak winter garden. Find an image of the right conifer for your garden and get the information required then order because Garden centers do not carry many varieties these days. Conifers planted along side erica's and callunias are the perfect combination for a low maintenance planting to make a winter garden interesting.

Pots that have been full of summer colour will now be looking very tired,  replace the growing medium as all nutreiants will be exhausted. If very large pots, half fill with soil / compost then top up with a heavy potting mix and fill with winter flowering annuals like pansies, Pollyanthas, primulas, dwarf wall flowers, all of these have shallow roots. Some I have filled with succulents because I noticed that a lot of my succulents have flowered and become stalky which means that it is time to forgo the Mother plant and plant out her babies. Each rosette can be broken off with a little part of stem and pushed into river sand to quickly develop roots to become a Mother plant. These Baby succulents look great in pots over the Winter months, You can fill all of the vacant space or push in around the edges and plant Hyacinths or any dwarf Spring bulbs in the center. The succulents give your pots some interest before the bulbs come up. There are so many different succulents, in shades of red, orange, silver, fresh green.   

Lawns slowed down during the dry spell but perked up again after the rain, lawn seed sown should be up and growing before the threat of frost, I have sown grass seed on the bare patches (only in very sunny areas) in the hope the ground will stay warm long enough for it to germinate. Don't waste lawn fertiliser on grass now, save it for spring but a dressing of dolomite lime now will have worked down by spring to sweeten grass roots. 

Vegetables: Plant board beans, cabbage, carrots, and spinach here on the coast, further inland forget about the vegetable garden apart from planting a green crop to be dug in and left to break down over winter. 

Our garden, Rockvale gardens at Weston is  open daily displaying wonderful autumn colours, however a welcome by Scruff (Cairn Terrier ) can be a little off putting by visiting Garden enthusiasts until he gets a tummy rub. 

 Cheer Linda.

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