Gardening in Waitaki March 8th 2023

With days shortening, mornings & nights cooling it will not be long before the major leaf drop and days filled with raking, Right now we need to play the waiting game for trees surrounding gardens to drop all before getting gardens ready for winter with spreading compost then mulch. However, branches can be lifted on large trees and climbers like wisteria, jasmine and honeysuckle can be trimmed along with hedges and shrubs to allow new growth to harden in time for a winter freezing. Deadhead dahlias and geraniums to keep them flowering through until the first frost and continue to remove spent summer annuals so ground can be worked ready for planting winter flowering annuals, such as primulas, wall flowers, polyanthas, pansies and viola's. Fork in some compost and dampen well before replanting beds. Be on the lookout for useful self sown seedlings, you will find quite a few for transplanting now to settle in before winter. Spring bulbs need to be planted during autumn and I see many varieties on offer. Plant in groups, at the depth suggested on packets ( 4 to 6 inches of dirt cover ). Peony roses will be on offer now, they are really worth planting having big showy blooms to take over from spring rhododendron displays. Peonies are very adaptable, but they do prefer a sunny, well-drained, slightly acidic soil benefiting from compost added when planting. Be careful when planting not to disturb the new shoots (eyes) forming as a peony root to be planted should contain at least 3 eyes that will eventually become stems. A root with only 1 or 2 eyes will still grow, but it will take longer to flower. Taking the time to prepare the soil before planting is time well spent, plant with the eyes facing upwards and the roots spread out. Peony roots should be planted relatively close to the soil surface; only about 2-3 inches deep. It may seem odd to leave roots so exposed, but they need a winter chilling to attain dormancy and set bud, so keep mulch away from the base of peony plants as they can remain in the same spot for upwards of 70 years. Lift gladioli now, you do not need to wait for leaves to die back, dry in a warm place with a dust of insecticide to prevent infestation before storing in a cool place for next growing season. They can be left where they are growing if there is not a pest problem. If you want to grow a great number of gladioldi and don’t mind spending a few years doing it, seed germination is a way. Leave the flowers on the stem for about six weeks after they die off to produce hard casings filled with seeds. Sprout seeds into miniature plants and you’ll have full-sized gladiolus in about three years and may even produce new varieties this way. For quicker results try propagating small gladiolus corms. Each plant will have a number of baby corms, known as cormels or cormlets, attached to the bottom. When you remove these cormlets plant separately and they’ll grow to flowering size in a couple of years being true to the Mother plant whereas seeds will develop their own shades. It is time to empty compost bins in readiness for incoming autumn leaves, spread around to give a boost to soil. Shrubs, plants and bulbs take so much soil goodness during each growing season until soil reaches a stage of needing more than Man made fertilisers which work as plant food promoting growth and in doing so depleting soil of humus. Compost / humus is a soil enhancer taken down to roots by worms to get the best results from both ornamental and vegetable gardens. Lawns: Autumn is new lawn sowing time, the cooler nights and mornings allow moisture to remain longer after watering and a strike will happen pretty fast with the ground retaining warmth. Fruit: Apples and pears are dripping from trees, pick when pips are brown and store carefully without bruising in a cool dark place. Vegetables: Good growth will still be happening as long as water is kept up, pumpkins and corn should almost be ready to harvest. Dry off pumpkin and squash skins before storing them in a cool dry place. This is a good time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside like lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain green crops for digging in to decompose and become humus. Cheers, Linda.