Gardening in North Otago December 9th 2019

Wind, heat then rain but once again North Otago  escaped the weather damage inflicted on  neighbouring districts.

So much in the garden has finished flowering now and needing a cut back, if early summer flowering plants have grown leggy and collapsed cut back the perennials and pull out annuals even if they are still producing flowers. Fallen plants will eventually rot along stems and rot what they have fallen on top of. Clear the ground where they have been, add compost and plant annuals that will continue flowering through until autumn. Cosmas, nicotiana,saliva, verbena are tall growing. Petunia, gaillardia, coreopsis, bedding dahlia and bergamont (bee balm) are all mid plantings. Alyssum, lobelia, coreopsis and begonias are front planting gap fillers.

Tree peony doubles in size each growing season. Don't let them swamp your garden and shade other plants, the older woody canes can be cut right down leaving the new green stalks to be next years flower branches. By doing this now seed pods will be cut off, if allowed to ripen will pop all over your garden and grow. Other plants I have had to cut back are bush lavatera's, English abutilon, ornamental broom, false Valerian and cat mint, all will grow back quickly and some bud up for another flowering.  

Monarch butterflies are being encouraged into many gardens as gardeners plant swan plants for caterpillars to feed on. To keep the butterflies in your garden plants they feed on should be growing. Buddleias are tall shrubs that flower on new growth, cut back after each flowering to produce new flowers through summer, all verbenas ( tall and low growing), echinacea, daylilies, hydrangea, zinnias, cosmos, Californian poppy, foxglove, Viper's Bugloss and coriopsis will keep monarch butterflies happy but for them to lay eggs there is no alternative plant in NZ for Monarch caterpillars than the swan plant. Swan plants succumb to frost during winter if not protected, I cover mine with a double layer of frost cloth.

Lawns dried out during the strong nor west winds, thankfully we received a heavy shower or two but not enough to repair the damage. Don't cut grass too low  and boost with lawn fertiliser during the next rain.

Veg  will be bolting during this early intense heat we are experiencing,  root veg and potatoes need deep moisture to draw on and leaf veg plants grow faster in moderate weather conditions. A rise in temperature increases the plant's growth rate but to an extent and if temperature goes on increasing growth rate starts falling and loss of moisture increases which will result into the death of plants. Rise in temperature also has bad affects on seed germination.

As tomatoes grow be sure to remove laterals from the taller growing variety and stake to keep them upright as the fruit gets heaver. They should be flowering now waiting for the bee's to pollinate, if they are in a glass house and you do not see many bee's you can spray with a product call tomset.

Rather than using spray on eatables  why not try companion planting, some plants have been proven to help and enhance others I have listed what has been proven to work.

Carrots and onions together, the onions help keep the carrot fly at bay and carrots the onion fly.
Celery and the brassica family, i.e.: cabbage, caulis, and broccoli. the celery will confuse the white butterfly when wanting to land and lay it's larvae eggs.
Marigolds and beans/brassicas, the marigold emits a natural gas which protects surrounding plants from insects like aphids and white fly.
Make your own natural sprays: The following plant leaves can be boiled in water and the resulting liquid used on plants.
Basil will eliminate aphids, Chives prevent mildew occurring on cucumbers, squash and pumpkins, Coriander also for aphids and spider mite. Eucalyptus is a good general purpose insecticide.
Rhubarb has been found to help prevent blackspot. These may be only plants but in liquid form they can be harmful to children so keep marked bottles high up.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago December 3rd 2019

Climbing rose Albertine

Wow the last month of the year already, if you are playing catch up before the Christmas break you can be assured gardens just keep on doing what they are supposed to regardless of weather conditions or people intervention judging by the endless cutting back! It is disposing of everything that creates a problem for most , however at this time of the year the cut back growth is soft and with the help of daily heat will break down in heaps or on the compost so pile it up and leave until all moisture has gone  and this will drastically reduce the green wast. Gaps left can be built up with fresh compost and planted out in summer annuals.  

Catmint edging can be cut right back now, it will grow back and flower again, if left clumps will make seed and collapse and flatten.

English lavender  will need cutting back now and is worth, bunching and hanging once stems have firmed. Dried lavender will continue to give off that lovely fresh lavender fragrance right through until it flowers again next summer if kept inside. 

Rhododendrons finished flowering need spent flowers removed before they make seed, imposable to do on very large bushes but beneficial to smaller bushes as you want them to put growth into the bush not seeds. There is a point on a spent rhododendron flower when bent will break cleanly without damaging new growth. 

Roses: Keep moisture up to roses and dead head to encourage new buds, remove and destroy leaves showing rust or black spot.

Lillies also need moisture to be kept up as the winds we are now experiencing continue to dry out soil, continuous. Lillies prefer  roots moist but like most bulbs will rot if water logged.

Hedge trimming is on going here, trim hedges if you feel they have put out all the spring growth they are going to, ivy that has romped away can be trimmed right back now before it sets flowers. My buxus (box hedges) are still a little soft to trim, as soon as stalks snap cleanly when bent I will get the hedge trimmer to them.

Herbs  are beginning to flower so if cut and bunched now you will prevent them from running to seed and going woody. Herbs should be harvested when flavor and aroma oils are at their peak, before they flower. Harvest early in the morning after the dew dries and before the heat of the day. Herb flowers harvested to dry for craft should be picked just before flowers are fully open. Culinary herbs to dry: rosemary, thyme, sage, dill, basil, chives, parsley, oregano, tarragon, nasturtium (leaves and flowers)

Fruit: black currents, raspberries and gooseberries are all wanting continuous sunny days , large top leaves on strawberries can be removed to let more air and light in but they need to have a net cover if exposed to birds.

Elder flowers are blooming now so elder flower cordial is on the go again here, so refreshing after a hot day in the garden, Gin, tonic, ice and a splash of elder flower cordial.

Elder flower cordial, 25 elder flower heads, zest and juice of 2 lemons and 1 orange, 1.5 litres boiling water 1kg sugar 1 heaped teaspoon citric acid. Method: Wash flower heads to remove any bugs, place in large bowl with orange / lemon zest. Bring water to boil, pour over flower heads and zest, cover, leave overnight. Strain, pour into a saucepan and add sugar, lemon /orange juice and citric acid. Heat gently to dissolve sugar then simmer for a couple of minutes, bottle (sterilized) and seal. 

Vegetable garden: Weeds as well as veg are romping away but easy to pull while young,. Keep potatoes mounded, not long now to harvest for Christmas dinner. Corn will be struggling with winds, add compost over roots and support with stakes and garden twine if needed, I find they get support from each other if planted in squares rather than a row. Pumpkins, zucchinis and the like will not be coping with the drying winds the large leaves dehydrate quickly, wind break protection would be beneficial at very windy times.

Cheers, Linda.

Elderflower cordial