Gardening in North Otago August 12th 2020

Early spring pussy willow

Early spring is peeping out from winter here at Rockvale Gardens, snow drops are always first to push up through the frost then winter roses, early camellias, daffodils and now plum blossom. I know with the mild days we have been experiencing Gardeners get the itch to plant and sow. Sown seeds will need protection to bring soil up to a temperature to germinate. In the open garden the time is right for sowing when frosts are coming to an end and bees are in full buzz mode. , Plants that are budding to flower can have a liquid feed now as they will be looking for nutrients to keep strong root growth up. Diluted worm or comfrey tea if available are gentle for soft new growth or any liquid food you have on hand, at a diluted rate. Liquid manure diluted to the colour of weak black tea around rose roots will give a boost as they push out new buds. All rose pruning should be finished by the end of this month.

Comfrey has very deep roots, which means it extracts large quantities of nutrients from far below the soil’s surface, inaccessible to other plants. These nutrients are stored in its leaves. By harvesting the leaves and letting them break down, you’ll have a rich, dark, nutrient-rich plant food to use around the garden. It’s especially rich in potassium, making it the ideal feed to promote flowers and fruits in a range of plants, including tomatoes. Comfrey tea: Pick a good amount of comfrey, remove flowers and tough stems, then chop up leaves and pack them tightly into a water-tight container. Choose a container with a lid, as the solution can smell as leaves break down. Use a brick or stone to weigh down the leaves. Check on the progress every few weeks as leaves will break down gradually, releasing a smelly brown liquid. Collect any liquid into plastic bottles and store in a cool, dark place. Top up with fresh leaves. A comfrey root should be planted where it can spread as it can soon get out of control in a veg or flower garden.

Hydrangeas are showing new green growth at the bottom which means pruning can begin, prune all woody stems that flowered last summer down to the second bud from the bottom leaving all other stems because they will carry the new flowers. Pink hydrangea flowers grow in an alkaline soil with high pH (> 8.5) and blue flowers like an acid soil. The only successful way to keep good blue flowers if hydrangeas in your garden are pink is to plant in an acid potting mix in a large pot.

Keep planting roses, peony roses and gladioli from now until September if dividing or planting lilies get them planted straight away, they never stop making roots and should never dry out.  

Cut back : leggy,bush lavatera and buddlea's, they will bush up again in no time.

Weeds: I imagine the weeds have started at your place as they have at ours and with the ground being soft hand, and hoe weeding is really easy, get them out before they take off and seed everywhere, or dig them in before they seed. Getting rid of the unwanted plants that have invaded your gardens like ivy, aluminium plant (lamium), couch grass, Convolvulus and that pesky biddy bid . Get them out now before spring gardens explode into fullness. I have been scratching in gardens like a hen for weeks now with a determination to get them all gone......I know they will still be popping up here and there, if I spot them they will be gone!

Lawns: Moss can be dealt to in lawns, pathways and garden structures. There are a lot of products for moss but killing the moss in lawns is simply a short term measure, it does not address the basic problem. If you really want to eradicate moss from your lawn, then you have to find the problem causing it. The reasons are varied, but not too difficult to isolate.Things that would be causing moss in your lawn could be: Water logging, Poor feeding regime - usually shown by light green grass, soil too acid - carry out a test, lime may be needed. Shaded Lawns - overhanging trees or large shrubs. Mowing lawns too close is a very common cause, for it weakens the grass allowing moss to take hold. Sandy - free-draining soils. This can weaken the grass and allow moss to take over. Add humus (compost or sieved soil) to add more body and rake in, this will encourage worms as well. Compaction - continued use by children and pets with no remedial attention by way of aeration in the Autumn.Treating small areas of moss in lawns can be carried out with sulphate of iron watered on at the strength displayed on the pack per sq meter, moss will turn black and after a couple of weeks you can rake out the dead moss and re-seed. Generally, lawns that are well maintained which includes being well fed, cut properly, aerated and de-thatched  moss will have a problem competing with strong growing grass. The first spring feeding can be done when the next rain is about to happen.

Vegetables: Pick winter crops while still at their best - Fold cauliflower leaves over and tie to protect from frost and keep florets tight.  Asparagus is a vegetable that repays planting over many years. To prepare beds, cultivate deeply and add a generous amount of compost, plant asparagus on a mound to ensure good drainage. Existing asparagus beds should be cultivated carefully to avoid damaging the crowns that lie just below the surface, Sprouted Potatoes can go into the ground now for an early crop, people have been telling me of the benefits gained from planting potatoes on a bed of pine needles, I lay them on comfrey leaves, they decompose fast in the soil making plant food quickly available.Further inland soil will take a bit of thawing before any planting but the garden can be prepare by digging in compost / humus.  

Fruit: Soak then mulch fruit trees and soft fruit bushes because they have a lot of growing work ahead of them.

Cheers, Linda.

Growing asparagus