Spring has sprung, well it seemed that was the case today when we were delivered a perfect spring day, as I biked through our lovely Botanic gardens I noticed Hellebore's, snow drops, camellias, jonquils and crocus have all persevered through the coldest months to be the first bloomers of spring. Last week I had the hose out to the plants and seedlings I am raising for the Garden corner at our Resource recovery park which will be open again at the end of this month. Folia feeding is beneficial now as roots are forming and looking for nutrients. Worm tea at weak strength, diluted to (weak tea colour) and any of those liquid plant food on offer in garden centers for newly planted annuals, perennials, roses and shrubs as new buds swell. To prepare for spring, treat your garden to a late-winter pep-up by digging in plenty of organic matter, such as compost and manure, then remove weeds and apply snail and slug control measures to reduce any winter population build up, slugs love wet conditions. Cut back wigelias and spirea's, these are lovely old fashioned deciduous shrubs with no center trunk, they send long canes up from the ground that cover themselves in small light & dark flowers in late spring. I remove all the old branches that have flowed long enough, you can tell which branches they are because the wood looks really old and spent compared to the new fresh wood there ready and waiting to take their place. Hypericum (St Johns Wort, green leafed evergreen shrub with large bright yellow flowers can be trimmed as well, right down to the ground if necessary, they grow large very fast eventually ending up a very tall wide shrub with a lot of old growth. A couple of days after the chop it will be pushing out new growth and will be a manageable bush again. Lift and divide perennials such as delphiniums, chrysanthemums, asters and astilbes. Sow seeds of: alyssum, begonia, californian poppy, carnation, celosia, chrysanthemum, cosmos, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, gypsophila, honesty, nemesia, marigold, pansy, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, verbena, viola, viscaria, and zinnia,. Plant seedlings of: alyssum, aquilegia, canterbury bells, carnations, cornflower, cosmos, cineraria, delphinium, pansies, polyanthus, poppy, gypsophila, forget-me not, hollyhock, stock, and viola. Magnolias will be taking center stage about now, want a tree with stunning blooms the size of your hand? the New Zealand-bred Jury magnolia, ‘Felix’ has hot pink flowers up to 30cm wide and mass-blooms in early spring. Growing to 5m, it’s ideal for smaller gardens and needs little pruning. On a smaller scale the new fairy magnolia blush is proving to be a winner for a pretty hedge and looks great in a pot, this magnolia / michelia cross grows 4m high and 3m wide after 10 years, likes full sun or semi shade. Roses: Apply a dressing of Rose Food to establish Rose's and Water in well. Lawns: August can be a tricky time of the year for your lawn. This is because we don’t really know exactly what weather we are going to get Fertiliser now for food to be available when needed. You will find the growth rate of grass increase from now on take out any undesirable weeds that have come into your lawn during winter, I pop these weeds out with a knife, mowing will take care of annual weeds and an application of gypsum will help new lawns planted in clay soil. Vegetables: Raised gardens being in a sunny location will probably not have not had enough hard frosts this winter here on the coast to break up the soil. I am sure there will be some still digging carrots and parsnips using silver beet, and have leeks planted and growing well, it is so good not to have to worry about bugs and white butterflies at this time of the year. Onions prefer a sunny position with a rich but light soil, they will do well in most soils as long as it is firm. You can grow them in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Seeds should be sown at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. When planting, space plants 5-10 cm, seed trays don't have to be in a greenhouse, any sheltered spot will do to guard against rapid changes of temperature, especially at night. Downy mildew, neck rot and white rot are the most common diseases that attack onions, to avoid these, plant disease-resistant varieties and keep the garden clean of diseased debris. If your veg garden is further inland start adding some compost and a little lime now in readiness for when you plant out later this month. Fruit: finish pruning grapes - remove some old leaders to encourage new wood, to replace then train these new growth leaders along wires. The result of this will be vertical budding and fruiting next year. To prune a fruiting leader remove all new long growth on the vine other than the fruiting leader, on the leaders prune each new growth back to the second bud. These fruiting buds should be around a hand space apart to ensure adequate sized fruit, this means removing some of the new bud growth along the top of the leader and all of the new bud growth growing underneath. Some of these new budding top growths will throw two lots of bud branch, remove the least stronger one leaving only one lot of double buds to produce fruit. Citrus trees may need to be covered against late winter frosts in sheltered areas. New season’s fruit trees particularly pip and stone fruit can be planted now. I see a few bees at work already which is a good sign for the soon to be happening fruit blossom pollination. Cheers Linda.

Magnolia Felix