Gardening in North Otago April 1st 2022

Autumn Oamaru botanical Gardens.

Our brand new garden is coming along nicely, it is so good to be planting again and our new back lawn is about to be sown, (so exciting) but Scruff the dog is having trouble knowing where to relieve himself here with all the concrete and gravel connected to a new build, plus no trees, bushes or lawn. So it's a lead and off to the scrub land at the back of the subdivision which is all very strange for a once country dog I am sure. So much needs to be done in established gardens right now, weeding, hedge trimming, cutting back and clearing out summer growth, spraying, mulching, building new compost heaps then all those leaves ....(Whew, no pressure). As leaves turn to gold and red, North Otago pastures and lawns are looking spring green with the unusual autumn rain. Cuttings: I usually take cuttings in April while the ground is still holding warmth to stimulate root growth. I have large deep trays packed with moist river sand ready for cuttings waiting to be taken. Purple sage, geranium, breath of heaven, buxus, fuchsia, escallonia, succulent's lavender rosemary, lonicera, hebe's can all be taken now. Take time to look around the garden to see what plants flowered well over summer and those that have not because of trees getting taller and wider and blocking out light. If you notice dahlias not flowering well from lack of light and moisture and hidden behind other plants, they can be dug up and transplanted into a sunnier spot once frost has knocked them back, leaving the top growth on to die off back into the tubers. Other plants suffering the same probably all need a lot of sunshine and light to perform well. If looking to improve the look of established gardens a front border will do the trick, there are so many suitable plants that will be multiplying around your garden like lambs ear, with it's lovely silver textured leaf, variegated and dwarf iris, blue grass, dwarf agapanthus, hellebores, purple sage, thyme, erigeron daisy, thrift, plus heaps of other low growing evergreen plants that cuttings or divisions can be taken right now to create borders. All the plants I have mentioned look great planted en masse in long rows to formalise the look of a garden. The following flower seeds can be sown now: aquilegia, calendula (marigold), pansy, viola, lupins, stocks, sweet peas, dianthus and wall flowers, some will already be germinating around where these plants have been growing. I pot up the most worthy plants that nature supplies to be planted out either before or after winter depending on the maturity of them. Top dress lilies with blood and bone plus compost, one cup of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. If you need to shift lilies, never let them dry out, get them back in the ground straight away or store them in a wet towel until ready to transplant. April is a good time for wrenching shrubs and trees that need to be moved by digging around one half of their roots and leaving the other half untouched for a few months. Make a trench around the lifted roots and fill with soft compost, the cut roots will form new feeder roots into the compost which will make the eventual transplant cope better. Remember plants which have had their root system reduced should also have their top growth reduced. Lawns: Autumn is the best time to sow new lawns and resow any damaged lawn areas because the soil is warm for germination, nightly dews help with moisture and annual weeds will be slowing growth as days become shorter and nights colder. Resown patches can be covered with shade cloth to keep birds from eating seed. Veg and fruit Tomatoes need all the daylight hours now to ripen, remove all shading leaves. Sweet pepper plants that need more time to ripen can be dug up, put into a pot and placed under shelter to continue growing if there is any threat of frost and pumpkins harvested and stored with stalks still attached to prevent rot. Citrus trees in cooler areas, especially when young, should have a temporary roof for frost protection put in place. Grapes will be ripe to pick this month, net bunches to save them from feasting birds, or pick and store them unwashed in a plastic bag or air tight container and place at the back of your fridge crisper drawer. They thrive at about 30-32 degrees Fahrenheit with 90-95% humidity. Apples and pears are dripping from trees again, fresh fruit picked then eaten is such a treat, crisp and full of flavor. Appels store really well in a cool even temperature, if left in a warm place they ripen faster, I remember as a Child apples being bought by the box and stored in what was called the stone house, an Oamaru stone cool shed built into a soil bank at the back of our house with wire mesh windows to keep flies out as this was before families had fridges and meat would also be hung there. Cheers, Linda