Gardening in North Otago April

Rockvale Gardens taking on an Autumn look

Clocks are back this weekend and Autumn in North Otago is delivering golden balmy days after the lovely rain. I feel extremely blessed to be living in NZ confined  here in our home and garden with so much space to loose ourselves in. However each and every one of us keeping safe are bought back to reality with the daily news updating on so much sadness around the World. ):

The garden defiantly is a healing place to spend time in and now it is Autumn gardens are slowing down getting ready to rest but there is still end of season growing happening in the warm soil. 

I have been taking tip cuttings of many plants before the days get cold, so many plants can be produced from rooted cuttings. Snip 10 cm long tips from the shrubs you are wanting to more of, remove lower leaves and halve soft top growth before pushing them into river sand / crusher dust to make roots. Roots will develop over winter. Leafy tip cuttings from all hedge type shrubs can be taken now along with tip growth from lavender, daisy bushes, hebes, lavatera, salvias and geraniums, give anything you want more of a go now before frosts halt growth in plants.  Autumn is also the time for collecting / sowing seeds and harvesting herbs to hang and dry.  All this while leaves carpet the ground in abundance for to raking, we have started bagging piles for the compost heaps which I have had the sprinkler on between leaves and green layers to help create heat while the sun is still strong.

Roses are showing lovely shades for the last flowering, no more dead heading or feeding as they need to make seed heads now to help harden wood. 

Leucodendrons develop rich colour as days and nights become colder,  picked bracts will last in a vase for weeks, even months. Picking the bracts is a must to keep both leoucodendrons and proteas from becoming top heavy and blowing over. They resent any form of  phosphates. potassium and nitrates fertiliser a little blood and bone in spring will keep them looking good.

On the coast prune back perennial wall flowers and buddleias now to encourage new growth for winter, do the same to Marguerite daisies. Further inland take hard wood cuttings from daisies, pot up and protect over winter. 

Bulbs are making an appearance through the ground to remind us that Spring will arrive and hopefully bringing normality to our World with it. 

Vegetable garden:  We have to make do with what we have on hand now that seeds and retail plants are limited, hunt out seeds left over from your last sowing's and get them germinating now, they will be up in no time then they can be pricked out into punnets then into the garden for a winter veg supply. Pumpkin leaves will soon let you know when pumpkins are ready, bring them in if any threat of frost. Leave the plump stem attached to the stalk on and store in a dry place. 

Fruit: Still a lot being picked from trees and vines, I like to think when storing autumn bounty we are capturing the summer sun stored with in to be enjoyed during those cold dark months to come.

Cheers, Linda.

Leucodendron's make wonderful cut flowers.