Gardening in North Otago July 13th 2022

Get those convolvulus roots out.

Well we got the rain I was on about needing in the last issue, and what a rain! I am not looking forward to all the mud that will stick around for a while now. With winter kicking in now plants will know what season it is at last, spring bulbs were being encouraged to burst through on milder days now they will be busy taking up all the moisture. This is a good time to see where water is holding too long in lawns and gardens, this is usually due to heavy clay below the soil. Make a note to address when things dry out. Drainage may be needed in large areas where ground may need to be sloping away from a high point. In smaller problem areas digging down to clay then filling in with gravel / stones will create a sump for water to hold then seep away below plant roots. New builds show these problem areas up once soil has been replaced as we are finding out now while creating our new garden. Deciduous shrubs can be trimmed back now to the required width and height but wait a little longer before trimming native evergreens as, hebe's, pseudopanax and pittosporums that have outgrown the space allotted here on the coast as we will have more harsh weather ahead of us. When things dry out a bit the soft ground will be just right for digging up convolvulus roots, you will know where they are by the tell tale dead top growth. Every root needs to be removed even if they are running through the roots of shrubs and clumps of perennials, if manageable dig up and pull convolvulus roots away then replant. In one smallish patch of garden where convolvulus was growing up and smothering shrubs last summer I dug out more than one wheelbarrow full of roots, I kid you not!!, long white roots that criss crossed this patch of ground had spread through plant roots along the fence line seeming to know where they needed to be to climb. It is so satisfying to start at one end of a root and remove it without breaking right to the other end. Because I never use weed spray on the garden, digging and pulling it out is the only way to beat it.  Pruning: Understanding how something grows is helpful before pruning, does it flower on new or old wood, how mature does a fruit tree need to be to produce fruiting spurs, will a wound heal well or will it bleed like cherries and plums and if so when does it produce less sap?.There is a right time to prune any plant for it to respond beneficially for your purposes by producing new flowers, fruit, foliage or training to shape, ect. But sometimes it is best just to do it, the worst that can happen is that you will lose a season's flowering and learn a useful lesson at the same time. Hydrangeas and lavender are best left now until you see new growth.  Rose pruning: I touched on this last week so I have listed some varieties this week:Bush roses: concentrate on clearing the center of the bush, remove all inward facing branches at an outward facing bud, prune height back by two thirds always at an outward facing bud and remove any old and damaged branches. Brush old gnarly rose centers with a wire brush to stimulate and encourage new budding. Floribunda bush roses: like iceberg with a number of blooms on one stem need a few older branches taken right back each year to encourage new strong branching and newer branches taken back by two thirds. Hybrid tea roses:These are the roses that can grow a single exhibition bloom on a stem, these rose bushes can be pruned back quite hard to an outward facing bud. Standard bush roses:Same as bush roses. Climbing roses:These roses flower at their best when the branches are trained horizontally along a fence or wall, they will then develop small branches along the length to carry flowers. After a number of years a main horizontal branch will become unproductive and need to be removed, replaced with a new branch and train gently out to take it's place. The new branch will bud up quickly sending out small outward growing branches to harden off in a couple of years. To prune established horizontal branches, take the outward growing branches back to the second out facing bud closest to the main horizontal branch. Pillar roses:These are the best type to climb up and be trained over an arch or pergola. I cut the old growth back from these with a hedge trimmer Fairy rose and flower carpet roses: I also cut back with a hedge trimmer but opened them up by removing branches from the middle with secateurs.  Bare rooted trees:The bulk of new season's bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now,  avoid planting when the ground is frozen or excessively wet, they will hold in bags or wet sawdust until the ground is right.Evergreen trees and shrubs are on offer as well, choose now but don't be in a hurry to plant them at this coldest time of the year because you will not gain any new growth until spring. Keep in their bags or pots outside in a sheltered place to harden off, they can sit like this through winter.  Veg: Too wet to do anything other than set seed potatoes for chitting and sow seeds to germinate in a warm light place. Fruit: Plant deciduous fruit trees and bushes in a sunny site, avoid frosty hollows for early starters such as plums and pears. Prune.early to Late Spring Peach and nectarine trees to maintain an open center (only if needed) in early spring this will allow the wounds to close faster as growth begins, early spring also allows you to see how many flower buds have survived the cold weather. Cherries need summer pruning as well for the first 5 years and only on a sunny day to avoid silver leaf.  I have found If I prune an apple tree hard each winter it will make a mass of new growth but no blossom, hence no fruit. So now any tree or shrub that is growing too vigorously I wait until summer to prune hard, when leaves are fully grown, before roots start to store food for winter and cuts will heal over pushing out no new growth. This is a good rule of thumb for cordons (espaliered trees) only cut back any weak growth in winter to encourage vigorous new shoots in spring. If removing large thick branches in summer while sap is up wounds may need sealed if they bleed.  Cheers Linda.

Wet lawns can be drained to the lowest point.