Gardening in Waitaki 4th February 2022

We got our share of warmth last week and will have responded by opening blooms and pushing out buds and as I write this rain is promised I must comment on how pretty our town is right now with beautiful blue agapanthus cooling warm sunny gardens and complementing the second flush roses and vibrant dahlia's, a special mention to the colorful Council gardens and pretty hanging baskets. If I was still in my big garden I would be cutting back and deadheading so much, it all has to go if it has flowered and died back to encourage new fresh growth. February is a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants because by late summer the soft new spring growth has hardened and cuttings are less likely to lose moisture from leaves. Many common shrubs such as buxus, abelia, lavenders,camellias, azaleas, fuchsias and hebe's have a relatively high success rate, it is all about keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots. Professional nursery people grow cuttings in glasshouses where they're regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Take cuttings early in the morning, while it’s still cool. Choose tip pieces that are about 100- 150 mm long. Pop immediately into water. Working in the shade, fill pots with Seed Raising Mix / crusher dust and water well, allow to drain, trim the base of the cutting so that it ends just below a leaf node (which is where the leaf has been attached to the stem). Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top, large leaves can be cut in half. Dip the base of the cutting into hormone Gel or powder ( or without) then poke into the mix, a 150mm pot can hold about six cuttings. Place pot in a lightly shaded spot. When nights cool off cover with plastic wrap held above the cuttings, (wire hoops made out of an old coat hangers work well ) keep moist and Check regularly and after a couple of months gently move the stems to feel if they’re firm. This will mean roots have started, plant into individual pots when roots are established. Seed collecting: Seeds grown locally and stored will do well, store in envelopes and label, you think you will remember but! There are many annual flower seeds to collect, Poppy, nigella, cosmos, sweet pea, lupin, lavender plus, plus, plus. If your veg has gone to seed leave until ripe and save to sow in spring. Hedges can get a light tidy up, (not the buxus, too much heat in the sun to trim them just now.) but ok for all other hedges that have put on unwanted new growth. Spring Bulbs will be coming into Garden centers, a bulb comes ready-equipped with food and the promise of a flower, they look best planted in groups. Trees and shrubs: We can hold off from planting planting trees and shrubs, unless you are able to water daily, no reason to not choose and buy trees / shrubs when you see them on offer now, store in light shade while still in growing in bags and keep the water up to them until planting time in mid to late autumn. Lawns: During rain is a good time to fertilise lawns, lawn weeds respond well along with the grass, hydrocotyle is thriving this year with summer rains, hydrocotyle spray which also deals to a number of other lawn weeds including clover will deal to it, sorry worms! spot spraying is best. Fruit: Feed citrus trees with citrus food and spray any scale you notice with winter oil. Fruit is dropping fom trees, plumbs, peaches, apricots and apples and pears are ripening well.I am sure there will be a lot of jam and pickles going into jars. Vegetables: Keep sowing veg seeds like carrot, beetroot, parsnip, spring onion, brussels sprout, keeping onions and lettuce because there is plenty of growing time left to germinate seeds before it cools. Dig and store potatoes if you feel they have been in the ground too long, I was doing this the other day with the unwanted help of scruff the dog...I am sure he thought I was digging up ball's to be carted off ready for throwing! If storing store in a bag or box in a cool dark place layered with a generous amount of fresh mixed herbs cut and placed on top of dug potatoes is an old garden tip for keeping them from rotting and sprouting. I use thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram and mint. Cheers, Linda.