Gardening in North Otago June 28th 2022

Brrrrrr July, we are getting through winter here in North Otago, but mid winter does not mean the garden shuts down. Despite the cold some of the most fragrant shrubs take center stage later this month. Viburnum, winter sweet, witch hazel, daphne bholua and  sarcocca (sweet box)  introduce sweet fragrance to gardens unlike any other season. Hellebores are also budding up, these wonderful plants bring years of pleasure and there are many new hellebore cultivators on offer now. Another worthwhile winter interest plant is bergenia, this wonderfully bold foliage, edging plant is enhanced by the cold, especially bergenia bressingham ruby turning a deep plum the colder it is then, as a bonus pushes up pinnacles of deep pink flowers in spring. Nandina also intensifies in colour during winter displaying bright red / orange foliage to brighten a garden. Roses: Rain will have dealt to roses still in bud,  remove damaged buds and petals from bushes and the ground, the fungus Botrytis cinerea requires cool wet weather to thrive and can wreak havoc among susceptible plants like roses, azaleas and bedding plants. We need hard frosts to take care of fungus and bugs.  If you feel spray is needed, spray Lime Sulphur first which defoliates bushes then wait several weeks before spraying Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil. leave this second spray until after roses have had the winter prune.  New seasons, bare rooted roses have arrived in Garden centers, prepare ground by digging in old stable manure or bagged rose mix. If planting a rose in the same place a rose has been growing, you will need to remove most of the soil and replace it with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another. Roses planted at this time of the year are less likely to suffer from planting stress.   Birds will be looking for food this month, our native birds are not fond of grains and bread will attract introduced birds like sparrows and blackbirds. These birds can become dominant and crowd-out our natives, especially the small ones, meaning you might have birds in your garden, but they won’t be natives. Sugar water is the perfect food for nectar-eating native birds. You can make it by mixing 1/3 of a cup of sugar (preferably brown or raw) with 1L of water placed somewhere safe where cats can’t easily reach. It's well worth making a bird feeder and placing it where it can be seen from the house, or hang in a tree. Buy wild bird seed or perhaps just use fat to attract the wax-eyes. Birds will be hungry and, once attracted to the station, become very friendly.   Time to clean out glass & tunnel houses: A good job for a winter's day, remove all old plantings and spray to eradicate problems carried over from summer. I use a mix of one part bleach to nine parts water. Remove a generous amount of the past planting medium ( soil / potting mix) then spread manure enriched compost containing worms to work the compost in. A fresh mix can be added on top when planting begins. Veg: On the coast if your veg garden is not too wet and muddy build up soil by trenching in manure enriched compost then plant leafy greens, onion sets, garlic and brassicas. Further inland glass and tunnel houses will be needed.   Start chitting seed potatoes, early varieties are Jersey benne, Cliffs kidney, Rocket, Ilam hardy, Maris Anchor. Lay seed potatoes out on newspaper or straw in a dry, airy place out of direct sunlight. Seed potatoes have eyes to shoot from, these shoots will give potatoes a good start when planted out as the ground becomes warmer. On the coast some Gardeners plant this month in a glass or tunnel house to get very early new potatoes.  Fruit: Tamarillos, if lucky enough to have these in your garden they will be hanging like jewels from almost bare branches, such a treat at this time of the year. Because the plants do not make hard wood so are frost tender but here on the coast in a sunny location they ripen and are ready to pick now. Tamarillos will grow from tip cuttings, a bush will last for a decade if protected during winter and prefer to be outside in a frost free position, not in a glass house.Lemon “Meyer” are cold hardy and will fruit all year, if planting a new plant remove all flowers and small fruit for the first 3 years to get branch work established then it will produce for years. Plant where they get afternoon sun but shade roots and feed with citrus food in early spring.NZ Cranberry(Myrtus ugni) A small evergreen bush, very fragrant when fruiting and can be hedged. Myrtus ugni has a taste combination of strawberry, pineapple and apple. My Grandchildren make a beeline to them.  Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago June 21st 2022

The shortest day already and the sun is beaming down as I write this after a number of dismal, winter days in a row. The first Matariki holiday this Friday will give us a long weekend to maybe get busy in the garden as there is so much to be done right now for Gardeners. Compost and pea straw spreading, chainsaw tree work and hedge trimming, pruning, cutting back and mowing up the last leaves. After all that, gardens will be waiting for Spring and Gardeners can get on with sowing seeds and potting up plants for the new growing season. That is what I am busy doing now because I like to be ready when gardens slowly awaken after winter, plus I do not now have that big garden to put to bed, whew!! Sowing seeds on the coast: I put seed trays under cover and seeds do germinate when the ground warms on sunny days. Pricking out into punnets can also be done once seeds show two leaves then returned to the protection until frosts are over. Wait until the potting mix looks dry before mist watering and always do this in the morning which gives the mix time to warm again before the night chill. Plant sweet-pea's now to flower in early spring. It is too late in the year to trim soft trees and shrubs wait now until new growth has firmed and finished growing in spring. Ivy is one plant you can cut back at any time, like wisteria if you let it get away each soft leader put out can grow into a thick woody tree trunk if left. This is a good time of the year to really look at the garden, with deciduous trees and shrubs bare of leaves branches can be removed if overcrowding and large tree branches taken back if they were throwing too much shade in the growing season. It can make all the difference to letting light into the house and opening a view from windows. If a tree has outgrown its space close to the house consider removing it and replacing it with a smaller tree or shrub to create the enclosed look needed without overpowering and causing problems. Conifers can outgrow an allotted space in 10 years, then just keep growing up and out becoming a problem. If a conifer has branches removed from the bottom they will not regrow and doing this will always spoil the shape. If a huge gap is left with the removal of a tree or shrub, fill the gap with a section of manuka screening placed behind the smaller replacement plant, it will give the plant protection and once the plant has reached the desired height and width the screening can be removed. You may find lots of rogue trees and shrubs birds have introduced popping up everywhere while weeding, some may have grown amongst shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias and become quite established before noticed. They can be stubborn to remove but it is best to remove them completely rather than cut them off, they will just keep growing stronger each year and undermine the roots of the needed plant. On the coast keep an eye out for the many self seeded plants, a bonus for the garden, hellebore, lupins, poppies, pansy, viola, forget- me- not and primula. If you have pollyantha's that you left in the ground from last year they will have multiplied, and will be easy to break apart and plant out separately. Polly's love dried blood, it greens them up after transplanting. If you do have dried blood, sprinkle a little around camellia's and Daphne's if they look like they are not thriving. Winter lawns that have been performing poorly in spite of feeding and watering may be improved with a winter liming. Aim to achieve a PH of around 6 (mildly acidic) which will encourage strong grass growth. Vegetable garden: The shortest day is garlic planting time. The annual crop has been planted at the Weston School veg garden, now we are hoping for a good harvest in December. Planting Garlic: Prepare your soil with organic matter like manure enriched compost. Choose a sunny spot to plant NZ grown garlic, point end up, about 3 inches deep. Bulbs form in November / December so keep water up if rain is scarce and feed with blood and bone or liquid feed during the growing season. Sow a green crop where soil is bare and leave until spring before digging in. I have sown mustard thickly to get a good cover. Cheers, Linda. Digging last years garlic at Weston School.

Gardening in North Otago June 14th 2022

It sure is winter now and It sure is winter now and after the cold wind we have been experiencing, leaf rakes can be put away soon..? whew!  As I have written not so long ago It is a good time of the year to really look at the garden, with deciduous trees and shrubs bare inspection can be done Sprouting new growth beneath a trees graft area can be taken off. All large deciduous trees bought today will have been grafted onto strong growing root stock and sometimes root stock will push out growth at the grafted point. This must be cut out, I have seen a few mature trees left to grow this way and the result is not good. A prunus displaying beautiful pink blossom on one side and insipid root stock white blossom on the other side spoils a tree that should have grown beautifully into its shape.Thin out crossed over branches, don't just shorten a branch back as it will regrow from that point, take it right out and let some light in. Prunus and Malus (crab apple) and silver pear are bad for branch overcrowding. Always make sure pruning equipment is cleaned from one tree to the next, methylated spirit is ok for doing this. New seasons trees will be offered in local outlets about now: Magnolia, many to choose from, large deciduous type with beautiful tulip shaped flowers, Star wars, upright H 4m, flowers pink with white centres, Genie, H 3m flowers black/red tulip shaped, a relatively small tree to suit a small confined area. Magnolia grandiflora: Evergreen, thick shiny leaves and large waxy white flowers height 4m / width 6m Magnolia little Gem H 5m / w 3m can be trimmed as a hedge. Bush type Magnolia stellata slow growing 3m when mature, flowers white or pink star shaped.Leaf autumn colour: Nyssa Sylvatica: deciduous H 5m x W 3m, one of the brightest red autumn coloured trees. Acer ( Maple ), many to choose from, some display wonderful fiery reds and orange autumn colour and some have intense gold autumn foliage. Japanese acer all require a sheltered, simi shaded location to grow as they should.  Spring interest: Parrotia persica: H 8m clusters of red flowers on bare branches in spring, interesting bark, fine autumn colour Summer shade: Plane tree: Excellent large shade tree for the bigger garden with maple- like leaves and attractive mottled bark. H 12m / W 5m Trees for the smaller garden: Robinia lace lady, lovely weeping form with fine twisted branches, Cercis forest pansy, pretty heart shaped wine coloured leaves and pink spring blossom, Cornus florida Cherokee Daybreak,  this small tree has large, blue-green foliage with broad, cream margins and wavy edges. White, flat flowers in spring. Fraxinus Griffithii, is a fast-growing, small tree with shiny, pinnate-like foliage that can be shaped into any size or form. Summer blooms are large white panicles. Needs a warm well drained spot and grows to a maximum height of 4m.  Digging up and shifting shrubs like rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias can be done now, any plant I think has been struggling for a couple of years will get a ride in the wheelbarrow. This is also the time to remove trees and shrubs that have long outgrown their youthful beauty, replace with a younger version of the original or something different. You can change the whole look of a tired garden by doing this.   Mulch: If in need of well cooked / ready mulch to keep growth down in rough areas, I recommend what they now have available at our Resource Recovery Park in Chelmer st, perfect for mulching around large trees and shrubs. Lawns that perform poorly in spite of feeding and watering during the growing season may be improved with a winter liming, aim to achieve a PH of around 6 (mildly acid) which will encourage strong grass growth. Worms will also appreciate lime. Vegetables: In the vegetable garden where green leafy vegetables and onions will be growing next summer give a dressing of 250 grams per square metre of dolomite lime. If you follow a regular rotation this will ensure that most of the garden receives lime once in three years, permanent crops like rhubarb should be limed every three years as well. in gardens fed with compost rather than chemical fertilisers the PH tends to rise gradually eventually making regular liming unnecessary.  Fruit :People ask me about the pruning of fruit trees and I can only share what has worked for me over the years. It is confusing to explain unless shown to someone so I thought I would give an explanation which I hope will be easy to follow starting with apples. Apples are produced from shoots which are in their second  year. One of the aims of pruning is to produce a balance between side shoots produced this year and those produced last year. Winter pruning will invigorate the tree, causing it to grow more during the following season. The first pruning should occur immediately after planting, make sure you know if you have a one or two year old tree. A one year old tree - cut off the top half of the trunk with sharp secateurs but before cutting make sure the bottom half contains at least four buds or formed branches. If not, make the cut higher above the fourth bud. Second, third and fourth year old trees: The light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should Not be pruned,  black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third, cut just above an outward facing bud - this bud will then produce a side shoot in spring which will grow away from the centre of the tree.  A five year old tree can be considered mature and the basic shape will have been established. Pruning is best done in summer to eliminate unwanted new growth and consist of keeping the centre of the tree relatively clear of growth, removing all weak or diseased growth and keeping the tree within the space available. Remember that apples will grow on wood produced the previous year, so always leave a good proportion (say 50%) of the previous year's growth. I hope this is straightforward and helpful.   Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago June 9th 2022

We are almost at the shortest day and only a few frosts behind us as I write this, now it's rain we hope to get  some time soon.  There is still time to put gardens to bed for winter by spreading leaf mulch around then topping with pea straw, even grass clippings will do the job of suppressing weeds and insulating soil. Any store bought fertilisers would be wasted if used while the garden is resting but compost and well rotted manure will work as a mulch for plant roots when taken down by worms to be there when needed in early spring.  The clean mulch on offer by our local Pukeuri ( Alliance  Group)  meat works is ideal for this, dry ground will need a wetting if rain hasn't done this before applying. Contact for this mulch is Gregg 0272293215   Special blooms to look forward to soon in winter gardens will be winter sweet (Chimonanthus praecox) fragile, papery sweet fragrant flowers are a treat along with hellebores, (winter rose), early camellias ( Sasanquas), daphne bholua, snowdrops and violets. Virginia stock and wall flowers are good annual winter bloomers if in bud before the coldest months. While the ground is damp and workable a small sharp edged hoe works well on weeds that persist. Where the ground is clear of weeds I fill gaps with perennial sections taken from clumps that need broken up. Perennial primulas and violas should be well clumped up now after an autumn cut back and because they multiply well these plants make good front borders. First dig out a clump and pull apart, each section with roots will become a new plant to clump up. Trim ragged perennials like catmint back to the new growth you should be able to see coming through, then dig around or mulch to encourage the new roots.  Sowing seeds: It is too early for seeds to germinate in the soil however I have sown cottage flower seeds like poppies, cornflower and cosmos in seed trays which are sitting in a sheltered tunnel house, I protect the trays with frost cloth during the cold nights and fingers crossed I hope for a strike. Vegetables: The mild Autumn rain was wonderful for producing vegetable gardens here on the coast, soups will be on the go with the abundance of silver beet, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, tomatoes and all those lovely pumpkins stored before the frosts arrived.  When areas of the veg garden become vacant, plant a green crop to be dug in or spread some compost on to let frost and worms work on to get soil ready for an early spring plant out. Rule of thumb is that garlic is planted around the shortest day, in cold areas where ground is frozen, start garlic off in containers and plant out later when the ground begins to thaw. Fruit: If your strawberry patch is cleared and manured, pot up runners if needed to establish strong roots before being planted. Choose runners closest to the Mother plant. A three or four year fruiting is long enough for a mature fruiting strawberry plant. Major pruning on older out of control fruit trees, Winter has, in the past been the time to do major pruning and still can be if this time is right for you and your fruit trees are tended annually. However as I have mentioned in previous notes, new upward growing growths on apples and espaliered fruit trees should be done in summer when cuts will heal over and not send more new growth up around that pruned area. Early to Late Spring is best for Peach trees if they need size reduced or centers opened. This will allow the wounds to close faster as growth begins and in early spring you should also be able to see how many flower buds have survived the cold weather. Leave young fruit trees to blossom and fruit only removing any damaged wood or crossing branches to establish good shape. Mulch all fruit trees now as they have a lot of work ahead of them. Cheers, Linda