Gardening in Waitaki September 6th 2022

Well it arrived, the last sting of winter....(we hope) snow flurries, cold and frosts here in North Otago yesterday, causing Gardeners, bugs and plants to retreat back into winter mode. Cherry blossoms should be unfolding now, so on warmer days bee's will be back to work. With spring stopping and starting this year it has allowed  more time to shift and reduce the size of perennial plants. I am sure every gardener enjoys trying new plants and colour combinations. Now is the perfect time to sow seeds for summer flowering, I have mine under glass and some hardening off under frost cloth as germination has happened in stop, start mode this year but I see some are up and in need of thinning and regular watering. I thin them out by transplanting some like Pansy and dianthus which have shallow roots into deeper seed trays and those with longer deeper roots like lupin, hellebore and Oriental poppy into their own individual small root pots. It is best to have a well developed root ball attached before planting out. Baskets and pots can thought about now, plan with the thought of using only shallow rooted plants for baskets like pansy, lobelia, small type petunias, nemesia, and trailers like Virginia stock and dwarf sweet pea. Add slow release fertiliser and water Chrystal's to keep plants going through the growing season. To get the best results the roots of what you want to plant will determine the size and depth of a pot, give plants the depth needed for growing. Look around the garden for plants to make an edge to give a border a formal look. A border of low plants will also stop birds scratching uncovered soil for worms to feed their young. A large clump of lambs ear, catmint, dianthus,  scabiosa, aubretia, viola Maggie mott to name only a few clumps that may be growing in your garden.  Hydrangeas and fuchsias Once this cold snap is over hydrangeas and fuchsias can be pruned, they both flower on new growth. Hydrangeas are pruned by cutting stems that flowered last season down to the second bud from the bottom and leaving the new stems unpruned to carry flowers for this year.  Fuschias can be cut right back, commercial  growers do this to encourage new fresh growth so cut back all that scraggly old wood, but have the frost cloth ready in case we have another cold blast. Dahlia tubers can be planted now that soil is not so wet,  tubers left in the ground over winter will start to come into leaf when the temperature is right for them, some may have rotted in wet ground. . Roses are starting to bud, we still have time to plant new roses and feed all established roses, plus we don't have to chase aphids ( green fly) yet but they will be about soon to settle on the top new growth, easily visible for you to dispose of by removing with your finger and thumb.  Lawns: Prepare ground for sowing new lawns, here on the coast ground will soon be warm enough to get a strike, seed must be sown thickly in spring to beat the annual weeds. Once spring mowing starts keep the mower blades up to allow grass to thicken up and feed lawns just before or during rain and they will stay lush. Fruit: Now that sap is up, prune unwanted growth from established fruit trees using clean tools, large wounds can be sealed with beeswax, smaller wounds will heal and not push out new growths as they tend to when pruned during winter. Vegetables: Here on the coast sow lettuce seed and plant lettuce plants out at two week intervals. My board beans are well up, I was once told to plant each bean with a little potash to help with rust problems, they still get a little rust but I think that's probably due to them getting too dry between waterings. Strong winds will be with us soon so now is the time to put in stakes to secure them. Prepare ground for planting seed potatoes in soil with organic matter added like compost ( not manure) this will push out too much green top. Plant sprouted seed potatoes in furrows (rows of small trenches) about 15 cm deep and 80cm apart. Place seed potatoes 25cm apart with the sprouts pointing up and cover carefully with soil. As the shoots pop up through the soil mound the soil around the shoots until the potato stems start to flower. Strawberries are starting to move towards budding, they need to be fed, watered and mulched, aged animal manure and straw, pine needles or un sprayed grass clippings will do the trick. Cheers, Linda.