Gardening in North Otago March 15th 2022

Late March and it still feels like summer here in North otago. Silver birch trees were always first to drop a carpet in my big garden so the leaf blower and rakes will be on the go again to fill the first of many wool packs I am sure. Leaves are so good added to compost bins and heaps layered with grass clippings, soft garden green waste and calf shed manure and sawdust mix. Layering is done now while days are warm, watering is required as layers are added to get things heating up and working before the cold of winter slows the heating process right down. Hedge trimmers will be out to give a final tidy up, shrubs tend to put on more growth during a warm autumn receiving rain. It might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs. Shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like buddleias, rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceanothus, forsythia, coleonema (breath of heaven), should always have this done, if needed while there is still enough growing season left for new growth to harden before the frosts start. In colder areas like Kurow this trimming should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas, the old growth can remain on through the winter to protect the new shoots and then cut back in spring. like lavenders, daisy bushes, hebes, rosemary, fuchsia are best left with some top growth on them now until the end of winter. They will make rapid new growth after being cut back in early spring. This month is the latest I feel to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's as they need to have new growth well grown and hard before winter, if you intend to shape them be quick or leave them until after winter. A tall pittosporum can have height reduced by removing the leader branch down to where you want the height without spoiling the overall shape of the bush. The rule of thumb is hedging plants such as photinia, box hedge, viburnum and teucrium can be cut any time during the growing season but I apply that only to here on the coast in late autumn. Late spring / summer is a safer time in colder areas. Hebe's let you know when they need trimmed back, if they are covered in flower heads gone to seed they need the spent flower heads trimmed off. If this is not done hebe's will get lanky, woody and look untidy. Once they have been trimmed, sort out a few strong tip cuttings to grow on. Remove the bottom leaves and cut the top leaves back by half then plant into moist ground or a pot filled with river sand, keep the cuttings moist and in no time at all they will develop roots. Once growing, to raise nice bushy plants, pinch cuttings back at least twice before planting into the garden. Camellias that have grown dense can be thinned out before buds swell, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through to allow enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring. Lawns. This is such a good year to sow autumn lawns and fill in gaps in lawns, remove flat weeds in lawns and apply a grass grub product if you notice a problem. Grass grub treatment will only work from February until May. Fruit ripening is full on, strawberries, autumn raspberries, apples, apples and more apples weighing down branches along with pears and late peaches such abundance. Vegetables Gardens will be producing in abundance, I have so much ready to use, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, and a new crop of peas filling out along with a few corn cobs remaining to be picked. Pumpkins can be left ripening until a threat of the first frost. Tomatoes are ripening well now after a slow start and cucumbers just keep coming. Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, warm soil will keep germinating seeds. Cheers Linda