Gardening in North Otago August 5th 2020

                                                     Bee's are out and about.

After a few mild days last week I got to thinking Spring is upon us early and quickened up the pruning along with feeding the garden with the lovely pig manure I have bagged on hand. Looking back through past notes it reminded the "gardening me" about the past August snow, harsh frosts and floods......But the birds are wooing and singing spring melodies, bee's are buzzing and buds are swelling.

Plants do not go by our calendar which means we need to read when it is becoming spring in our own gardens and it will differ all around the district. However dryness is affecting all gardens in North Otago with many hoses out as they are here. A good soaking around roots right now is far more beneficial than sprinklers. Plants that suffer most during a dry winter are Maples, rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas because all have roots close to the ground surface. 

Keep an eye out for flowering camellias and rhododendrons now in garden centers, most are showing buds and flowers, this is the time to choose the right shades for your garden, they thrive in semi shade or afternoon shaded areas of the garden.

Sowing seeds: It's the perfect time to sow seeds undercover, any seeds that say spring sowing on the back of the packet will pop up now under cover. I use a tray of compost / soil with a layer of seed raising mix on the top, this way your seed raising mix will go further. Once sown cover the trays with plastic or glass, but use spacers to let air circulate between the plastic / glass  and tray.

lavenders can have a cut back now, I see them starting to put out new growth and really old woody bushes can be cut back hard to encourage new lower growth. If older lavenders did not do well last year it is probably time to replace them. Newly planted lavenders just need a light clip. A dressing of compost and lime for lavenders but no manure as it is best to grow them hard.

Softer shrubs that are encroaching on drive and walkways can be trimmed back , they will soon recover with new spring growth, also reduce the height on some of taller shrubs like phebaliums, pittosporums, psudopanax and the like now if you need to. You can do this without spoiling the shape by cutting out the center branch down to where the other branches bush out, this removes the natural point at the top of the shrub and will sometimes reduce the height by 2 or more meters.  New leaders will be sent up over time  but more growth will be put into the side branching which can be trimmed into shape if a problem. This being just the start of a new growing season plants are intent on just growing. (Leave doing this for another month further inland.)
A lot of climbers are in bud now ready to do their thing in Spring so when trimming watch you are not cutting off new buds. Hardenbergia ( happy wanderer) flowered in early winter so that is one that can be cut back. Jasmines have been knocked by frosts in my garden, I will leave them a bit longer until I am sure the frosts are over before trimming them. 

Roses: If you have still not feed your roses do it as soon as possible, they are moving fast now and should have food given even before they need it if you want them to stay healthy.
If you have no time to do anything else in the garden feeding plants is a must for health and vigour to take them right through to next autumn, it is well worth the effort. 
Slow release fertilisers are a safe bet for continual feeding over a long period, they are very clean and easy to apply and now days formulated to feed specific plants. Now would be a good time to mention that resent being fed. Many South African plants and Australian natives such as proteas, leucodendrons, banksias, and all grevillia's do not need feeding. I have lost some of these because they had absorbed fertiliser from neighbouring plants.

There is still time to divide hostas, these dramatic shade loving perennials can really highlight a shaded spot with their fresh greens and variegated light shades. Simply lift established clumps at least 4 to 5 years old, use a sharp spade to slice them into a few good sizes pieces, then replant. They also look great in pots but get slug bate around them as soon as they start showing leaf or try some of the slug repellent methods that have been passed down by gardeners listed below. Coffee Grounds: Used coffee grounds spread around susceptible plants may work. Epsom Salts: Epsom salts sprinkled on the soil will supposedly deter slugs and also helps prevent Magnesium deficiency in your plants. Magnesium helps to deepen color, thickens petals and increases root structure. Or by planting a group of lettuce previously pot grown to a good size near by slugs will feast on them instead.

Fruit & Vegatables
Deciduous fruit trees and small fruiting bushes should be planted in August at the latest, this is also the time to give fruiting shrubs & trees a dressing of pot ash to help with fruiting. 

If you plan to grow vegetables this year get the garden ready now, dig in some weed free compost and let the soil settle again while worms get to work. In area's you will not be planting out for a while why not sow a green crop to add humus to tired soils, mustard, lupine, barley or wheat. These will germinate in no time here on the coast but only when the ground is warm enough up further inland. Green crops should be dug in when lush, soft and green. Don't let it get to the flowering stalky stage, it takes too long to break down and is not worth the effort of digging in. 

Cover leaf crops from birds or you will be left with stalks, strawberry net framed over veg will keep them out.

                                             

                                                   Still time to divide hosta's