Gardening in Waitaki August 15th 2023

Insects need flowers.

Winter chill is still with us as Nature pushes on towards Spring. Treat your garden to a late-winter pep-up by removing weeds while they are still small then digging in compost or just spread and let worms take it down into soil.  Lift and divide perennials such as delphiniums, chrysanthemums, hostas, asters and astilbes.  Sow flower seeds with spring sowing instructions on the packet.  I have just sown, nigella, alyssum, cosmos, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, nemesia, viola, phlox, salvia, snapdragon, viscaria, and linaria. Most of these seeds I saved from last growing seasons flowers which then makes them locally grown and when germinated should do well. With life being so very busy a good number of gardens now are planted as easy care, ornamental grass and evergreen shrubs requiring less attention than flowering shrubs, perennials and annuals. Bees and butterflies rely on flower filled gardens which I know is a big ask for busy people but why not introduce some flower filled pots and hanging baskets that would also bring necessary insects into the garden.  Roses  are now absent from many new garden plantings  because of the attention needed to keep them healthy and looking good. However, there are the flower carpet type roses that can be trimmed as a shrub and flower right through late spring, summer and autumn and need only manure enriched compost applied to keep them happy. Those gardeners who enjoy the magic roses bring to a garden will be watching new buds swell and applying the food needed to give them a good boost for the start of the busy flowering seasons ahead. There is still time to prune roses during this month but by September pruning should be done and dusted.                     Fairy magnolia blush is proving to be a winner for a pretty hedge or tree for a small garden and also looks great in a large pot. This magnolia / michelia cross grows 4m high and 3m wide after 10 years and likes full sun or semi shade.  Lawns: August can be a tricky time of the year for lawns because the weather is so unpredictable, fertilize if we get a good shower for nutrients to be available when needed. You may find the growth rate of grass increase from now on, if you feel it necessary to start mowing, keep the blades high and  remove any perennial weeds by hand before they flower and seed.   Fruit: Get all fruit bushes and grapes pruned as soon as possible because sap is rising which means branches will bleed sap when cut. remove some old grape leaders, replacing them with new growth leaders, the result of this will be vertical budding then fruiting next year.  Meyer lemon bushes have been happy with our winter conditions with all the fruit covered bushes I am seeing about, now I am waiting on the elderflowers to go with them to make elderflower cordial. Vegetables: Raised gardens in  sunny locations probably have not had enough hard frosts this winter to break up the soil, spreading compost now will get worms going before planting.  Early potatoes planted now will not take long to pop leaves up, as they grow mound soil up over and around them to keep light off. Onions can be planted into seed trays, they don't have to be in a greenhouse in 4 - 6 weeks they can be planted out. When planting, space plants 5-10 cm apart, onions prefer a sunny position with a rich but light soil, they will do well in most soils as long as it is firm.  Downy mildew, neck rot and white rot are the most common diseases that attack onions. To avoid these, plant disease-resistant varieties and keep the garden clean of diseased debris. If your veg garden is further inland start adding some compost and a little lime now in readiness for when you plant out later this month.   Cheers, Linda.

Nursed seedlings.