Gardening in Waitaki April 14th 2022

Rockvale Garden on the hill as I remember it.

Lovely autumn days over the last week, with leaf colours becoming more stunning by the day and a very noticeable drop in temperature morning and night with a nice drop of rain to encourage our newly sown grass to grow. The Easter break is usually a nice, settled time to have a clean up in the garden. If shrubs and climbers need to be cut back it should be done now while there is still time for things to recover, harden off and bud up again before June. Peony roses: If you are planning to move a peony the best time is now in autumn when the peonies are nearing or in dormancy. Peonies start to become dormant when the foliage is rapidly losing colour. Cool soil temperatures allow peonies to start growing a new root system quickly before the ground freezes. The site to plant should be sunny and well drained, deep fertile soil is best but they can still do ok in quite poor soils as long as they never become waterlogged (especially over winter). Planting depth is important, too deep means they will spend time pushing up to the right depth, find the uppermost bud on the crown and plant so that the base of the bud is 5 cm (2") from the soil surface. Don't expect much growth in the first year. Leaf die back adds strength to the tuba so foliage needs to be left on then cut down to ground level in autumn and disposed of which may help prevent carry-over of fungal infections. Tree peonies stems above the ground remain alive, only remove diseased leaves and wait until spring to prune dead wood stems out. Hellebores will benefit from fortnightly feeding now to encourage better blooms. Remove old foliage, but in colder areas it is best to leave some top growth on to protect the new growth, flowers will soon shoot up past the old leaves. Destroy all removed old leaves and destroy because greenfly winter over on the underside of hellebore leaves. Only feed bulbs and plants that are due to flower now, all other plants will be slowing their growth right down to sleep through the winter. Plants like camellia, azaleas and rhododendrons that have been tucked away in a shady spot over the hot months should be moved into a sunny spot now. Shrubs in pots get root bound and hungry, If you fed them when flowering finished they should be fine. If not then give them a little fertiliser and water well to give them a boost. Seedlings and rooted cuttings need as much sun as they can get over the colder months, they may not look as though they are growing as they will not put out any new growth on top but with the warmth of the sun on pots they will be making lots of feeder roots. Keep layering leaves on the compost along with animal manure, soft garden green waste, hedge trimmings and un-sprayed grass clippings. Add some leftover compost from your last lot to the layers. Give heaps and bins a good watering from time to time to get things started. With the very warm days we have had compost heaps should be building up heat now which will remain working well into the coldest months then they will sit until the days get longer and the ground warms again. There is still time on the coast to divide border plants, perennials and rock plants, they will make new roots before growth stops. In very cold districts leave the dead top growth on, safer to remove in spring but If you are mulching with straw this will do the same job. This is the best time to shift small evergreen shrubs and conifers, as long as the root ball is not too well spread they should transplant well. Rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas can be shifted now as well. Lawns have really picked up since the nights have cooled and dew is back. Spot spraying clover and flat weeds works best in the heat of the day when plants are thirsty, I only spot spray where needed because I would hate to kill hard working worms. Grass grub damaged areas can be raked out and resown now, thankfully germination of grass seed is very fast during autumn while the ground is still warm. Next time we get rain gypsum and fine compost can be spread over compacted lawns to soften and add humus. Vegetables I planted broad beans and carrots this week and have had to have the hose out to give the veg garden a good soak. Remove shading from glass and tunnel houses now and reduce watering. Leeks should be available now for planting, they are planted laying down in a trench that will hold water to get them going, they will soon sit up and grow fast. Fruit If you have apple trees laden, pick most of them unripe and store them in a cool dry place for late, but leave as many as you intend to eat on the tree to ripen naturally, nothing nicer than ripe fruit straight from the tree. Some will still be picking those delicious late peaches. It's grape picking time again while it is still dry but not for me anymore, I used to pick from my small vineyard to make into a few special bottles of wine....... or vinegar !!! which could be turned into Homemade Weed Killer, 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, dish detergent (any brand), Empty spray bottle. Put salt in the empty spray bottle and fill it the rest of the way up with white vinegar. Add a squirt of dish detergent. This solution works best if you use it on a hot day. ( not on lawns). Spray it on the weeds in the morning, as the day heats up it will do its work. (However bad the wine turned out there was no waste.) Cheers, Linda.