Gardening in Waitaki June 27th 2023

Winter colour with ericas

Here we are at the end of June and still mild days being experienced here on the coast plus there are jonquils flowering everywhere now instead of waiting for spring. Helleborus are also pushing up fat buds and flowering, removing all old leaves will show the flowers and allow new leaves to join them. I always started pruning large rambling roses now in my past garden, the time by which rose pruning should be completed varies by several weeks from the warmest to coldest gardens. It should be done and dusted by the time of bud burst so we have a good two months to get rose pruning out of the way here on the coast and a little longer further inland. There are new season roses on offer in Garden centers and this is the time to get them planted and settled in to get feeder roots forming for summer flowering. If planting new standard roses they will need staked to keep them secure until enough roots have established to grip and hold them upright. Newly bought roses also need pruned, growers just lop them back before sending them off to Garden centers so crossover branches need to be cut out and all others cut back to an outward facing bud. The bulk of new season's bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now and the ground is perfect for planting but avoid times when the ground is frozen or excessively wet, no roots like sitting in water, especially new young roots which have not made a root ball of feeder roots. Young deciduous trees and shrubs can also be moved at this time, trim any damaged roots and cut back any that are inconveniently long then stake well. Evergreen trees and shrubs are on offer as well, but don't be in a hurry to plant them. Keep in plant bags outside in a sheltered place to harden off. Choose now and plant later when frosts are over to give them a good start. I enjoyed digging out shrubs and plants that didn't work where they were planted and filling the gaps with a new look. Erica's give wonderful winter colour and I have known them to last for 30 + and still look good if they are trimmed annually after flowering. I managed to get hold of a number of small grade ericas to plant that will in time give drifts of bright clear colour through future winter months. Erica's are low maintenance plants, most are winter flowering, they look great planted as a border or to spill over walls. Fruit & Veg. Keep planting deciduous fruit trees and bushes in a sunny site, avoid frosty hollows for early starters such as plums and pears. Frosty sites are not a disadvantage for soft fruits as winter chills will stimulate fruit buds. Continue to shelter citrus in frosty gardens, they should be offering a lot of fruit to pick now. Keep planting garlic cloves, local if you can get them and never those bought in a Supermarket. In cold wet areas start garlic off in containers then plant out later when the ground warms up. Cheers, Linda