Gardening in Waitaki 9th November 2021

How warm and calm days have been over the weekend and so far this week, such a pleasure to be gardening. Annual flowering plants are what will take over from all the glorious rhododendron and azalea colours to brighten a summer garden. You have so many choices. Bedding plants grow and flower for summer and sometimes through to autumn, then finish and go to seed. If left seeds will ripen for you to collect and save to sow next spring. There are annuals that flower at a low, medium and tall height and sun or shade for you to plan a wonderful show. For new Gardeners flowering perennials are the plants that stay in the garden growing and increase in size to be broken up when required. In my early years of gardening trying to grow plants regardless of preferred conditions, thinking as long as I kept the water up and protected them through the winter I could beat nature BUT I finally gave up, it's a waste of time and money nursing plants that need a warmer climate and more rain than we have here. Plants like hibiscus, banana, gardenia, palms, anything that requires a tropical seasonal rain is going to struggle. However bougainvillea is growing here on the coast, I had a lovely one in my past garden which became a talking point every summer, but some years the frost really knocked it back. Read plant labels and make sure that our conditions are right for plants here, for example there are some lovely pelargoniums for sale now but I never got one to survive the winter in my past Weston garden. However I see them growing well on the south hill where the frosts are not so harsh so I guess it's a matter of looking at what is growing well in gardens close to you and knowing that the same plants will do well in your garden. Fruit: Keep water up to fruit bushes during dry periods, I see gooseberries are forming, they plump up to a point where birds enjoy them before we think they are ready so it pays to cover them from birds as you do strawberries. Vegetables: Keep mounding potatoes to give depth for them to produce, consistent watering is important for potatoes, this goes for all root vegetables. Leafy veg don't need any extra feeding at this time of the year it will just encourage them to bolt. Only plant as many plants as you think you would use when ready to pick, hold back the other small seedling plants from the same batch and keep in a semi shady place until required for planting. The small plants will hold if watered only when too dry, over watering will encourage rot . Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, roots are fragile until their large leaves grow to create the root shade needed. Corn seeds sown last month are now ready to plant out, planting corn in squares rather than rows will ensure pollination on the lower tassels and add support during strong winds. Tomatoes are romping away now, get stakes and strings ready for support and pinch out side shoots. Don't water tomatoes late in the day, leaves must be dry going into the night to avoid fungus problems. Planting marigolds to grow along side tomatoes is thought to discourage white fly and basil growing along side will improve tomatoes flavor. Cheers, Linda.