Gardening in Waitaki 26th September 2023

Spring is such a beautiful time but as always so unpredictable, very difficult gardening weather with one day warm and the next really cold with frosts arriving out of the blue to remind us not to plant those tender plants too soon . Seed sowing and planting to take us right through late spring and summer, happens now there is so much on offer, tubas, bulbs, bedding plants, shrubs and trees. When buying punnets of plants get them accustomed to cold nights and changeable weather before planting. I absolutely love sweet peas so I planted some into punnets in late July and kept under the protection of frost cloth, they are well up and starting to climb for an early flowering. Today I planted more to keep sweet peas scramble and flowering right through until the end of summer. Sweet peas are heavy feeders so a trench filled with well rotted animal manure deep down for roots to reach when in need. Fuchsias: Here on the coast fuchsias can be cut back now that they are pushing out leaves, they flower on new growth so take them as far back as you need for the height you would like them to be flowering. Fuchsias prefer afternoon shade, moist ground and food keep up to them during the growing season for best results. Dahlias : I have just replanted dahlia tubas I had removed and stored over winter because the garden they were in remains wet and cold. Dahlia tubas will rot during winter if left in those conditions. I checked my begonia corms this week and found they are beginning to show tiny shoots, early enough yet but pots and baskets can be planted to get them going but warm, well lit protection is a must until the weather is warm enough for them. Rose leaf tips may be targeted by greenfly during mild days, keep an eye out for hatchlings, usually right at the tip of new growth and squish them with a finger and thumb, I keep this up to eliminate the need to spray. Roses start looking for food well before leaves arrive, old stable manure or the pig and sawdust mix around the drip line (not up against branches) will keep them happy. Worms: I am often told by gardeners their gardens are lacking in worms, especially those newly created gardens like mine. I came across a way to encourage worms a few years ago that really works. Half fill a fertiliser bag with fresh cow / horse manure and leave it sitting on top of grass or soil for a number of weeks, long enough for manure moisture to leach out into the ground. When the bag is lifted there should be a mass of garden worms there. Tiger worms from worm farms do not last long in gardens, they remain too close to the top of soil so are taken by birds. Lawns: Winter damage will be noticed in lawns now that grass is growing again, rake out damaged patches, rough up the soil then spread generous amounts of clean, sifted topsoil to sow grass seed on. If birds are a problem each patch can be covered with green shade cloth until seed germinates. Vegetables: Here on the coast plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in seed potatoes. I am now dealing with clay soil in my new raised gardens. During winter I planted a green crop which has since been dug in plus layered manure enriched compost and managed to grow a few veg in amongst it. The soil is still heavy but I know that layering compost on top for worms to take down, which will improve the top planting layer. Fruit: Strawberry plants are on the move towards flowering, they are heavy feeders as well so will be looking for compost mulch now. Straw or pine needles around strawberry plants will keep weeds down and fruit clean. Bees are about to pollinate blossoms, too late now for any spraying, just let the bees do their work and look forward to bumper crops. Cheers, Linda.

If worms love your soil you will have a happy garden.

Gardening in Waitaki 20th September 2023

Mount Fuji in full bloom.

Rain in North Otago last week and what a difference it has made to new growth and the lawns. I was out in the rain with the lawn fertiliser to boost them even more. The hum of bees is back with the flowering cherries in blossom and what a magnificent display magnolias are making around North Otago. It is a joy to be planting out bedding plants and putting the finishing touches to gardens when the sun shines. I am sure every gardener enjoys trying new plants and colour combinations and now is the perfect time to sow seeds for summer flowering, but keep an eye on seedlings with late frosts. Some I planted a couple of weeks ago and have been protecting are up and in need of transplanting and regular watering. Birds will be scratching about in gardens looking for worms and grubs to feed their young, They usually concentrate on the front edge of a garden making a mess on paths and lawns, if you have a problem with this, growing a mat forming a border will deter them. Some border plants to consider are catmint, lambs ear, alyssum, alchemilla mollis, dwarf agapanthus, armeria maritim (thrift), mondo grass, any low growing perennial plant that mats over soil. Baskets and pots need to be thought about now, use only shallow rooted plants for baskets like pansy, lobelia, small type petunias, nemesia, and trailers like dwarf sweet pea, with the addition of slow release fertiliser and water Chrystal's to keep them going. The roots of what you want to plant will determine the size and depth of a pot. Time to address root bound pots, most established potted shrubs respond well to being removed and half the roots removed with a sharp spade, then re potted in fresh mix with a good amount of plant food to suit the plant, Spring flowering potted shrubs can be repotted after flowering.Potted roses and hydrangeas need a deep pot which will not heat up and cook roots during the height of summer. Tin foil around the inside of a pot before filling,( shiny side facing out) will help keep roots cooler for roses, camellias, azaleas, hydrangeas and small trees and shrubs. All potted plants need excellent drainage and a consistent supply of food and water. If a potted plant is left too dry for too long between watering it will never thrive or look lush and healthy. Roses are putting outleaf now and the warmer it becomes the more aphids ( green fly) will be about, aphids settle on the top new growth of rose bushes and are easily visible on new small leaves for you to dispose of by removing with your finger and thumb. If you feel you need to spray, wait until the leaves are well grown and have hardened up a little or leave to encourage birds and predators to take the bugs. Lawns: New lawns sown on the coast should result in a strike now that the ground is warmer, as I have mentioned before seed must be sown thickly in spring to beat the annual weeds although annual weeds will be mowed out with the first mow. Keep the mower blades up when cutting spring grass to allow it to thicken and feed established lawns just before or during rain and they will stay lush, no feeding is required on very new lawns as they need to push roots down deep looking for moisture and nurishment to become strong. Vegetables: Here on the coast Plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in seed potatoes. Plant corn and pumpkin seeds early and protect once through the soil until frosts have past, they both need a long ripening season. Fruit: Strawberries and rhubarb are starting to move, they need fed, watered and mulched, manure enriched compost then straw, pine needles or un sprayed grass clippings will do the trick around both. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki September 13th 2023

A cool change this week here in Waitaki, I guess that is expected from spring weather. When the sun shines, bees are about working hard among blossoms and plants so all is as it should be in gardens. Seedlings need to be protected during cold snaps so if buying punnets of annuals get them accustomed to changeable weather and cold nights before planting them out and possibly losing them. Still too early for lobelia, begonias, petunias and marigold but not too early to sow seed of these under protection. Right now is the perfect time to plant seed for late spring and early summer flowers. Potted shrubs need to be inspected for root crowding, it takes only a year for some to exhaust the mix they are planted in. Remove from the pot if not too big and trim roots back by half with a sharp spade then replant into a fresh, heavy potting mix. Completely soak to the bottom of the pot to help the shrub settle back in with no air pockets. With Larger unmanageable pots and barrels top up with mix after pushing a sharp object down through the roots to create large holes for potting mix to be washed down in around established roots. However if after a number of years a shub stops thriving it will be time to start again with something fresh. Lavenders: Will be showing new growth now, if yours needs a trim do it now. English lavenders eventually get leggy and past it, don't nurse them thinking they will come back because they will probably not, dig them out and replace with new plants. Munstead lavender is the small edging variety which will not spill over a path. The bumble bee type, lavender major, are more manageable in borders and the French lavender dentata is a tall hedging lavender with serrated leaves that flowers all year round. lavenders like it dry but need to get roots down deep to tap into lower soil moisture, plant in full sun, give a dressing of lime from time to time, Lawns: The mowers are out again! keep catchers up while grass is lush and they will not dry out as they do when cut low. Make use of rain showers by fertilising lawns to boost new growth. Vegetables: Sow veg seeds into trays and protected from cold, cover seedling plants already planted from cold and birds. My board beans and peas are up and doing well and the seed potatoes are in, I am sure there will be clever Gardeners out there who already have potatoes up and growing in a sheltered spot, almost ready for the pot. I wait until I see a rogue potato left behind from last year's digging to send up leaves to let me know the ground is ready. Fruit: All berry fruits are on the move so food, water and mulching are needed for a good production, the earlier this is done the better the crops. The Garden corner at the Resource recovery park will be open again this weekend offering lots of natives and gap fillers. Cheers, Linda.

Repot root bound plants now

Gardening in Waitaki September 6th 2023

Wild flowers, plant seeds now.

SEPTEMBER Tra La" and spring thank goodness! The season of new beginnings and with the nice drizzle we had last week I am convinced a new growing season has begun. As I walked in the drizzle with Scruff I noticed all the pollen being washed into gutters, there is so much pollen in the air, settling on every outside surface and being breathed in I am sure there will be a lot of sneezing going on. Everyday something new is happening in gardens, sweet peas, ranunculus, anemones and tulips are well up and putting on good growth. I am now watching as I work around the garden as to what is pushing through. Weeds are off to a flying start as well so hoes and sprayers will be out, there are organic sprays and they work best when weeds are small so now is the time to remove them before they flower and make seed. My past garden had very wide perennial borders that insisted on growing couch, biddy- bid, and chick-weed and this was the time I attacked them while perennials were still low and the ground damp and soft, making weed pulling easy. While doing this weeding I could see what needed attention, delphiniums needing stakes before they put on too much growth, removing mulch from around iris rhizomes and peony rose crowns and removing self sown plants and natives before they settle in. Plants, shrubs and trees respond to feeding now, sap is well up and buds are swelling, liquid feed all perennials and bedding plants and use a good general fertiliser for trees and shrubs. Azaleas and tulips are the exception, azaleas like fed after flowering and tulips store enough food in the bulb for their requirements. If you load them up with more they will grow more leaves than needed and hide blooms. It is also time to dress your garden for late spring and summer, think colour, where you want it and what colour is needed where. At this time of the year concentrate on the sunny areas in the garden to get bedding pants and perennials moving. Why not plant wildflowers, this year I am filling egg cartons, after piercing with drainage holes fill indents with seed raising mix and wildflower seeds, cartens can be buried into soil suppressing weeds then breaking down once seeds germinate and grow. Roses: there are still roses on offer, they do not always need to grow together in a rose bed, use them as gap fillers in sunny borders. To give new to rose growers an idea of what to look for I will list the different types below once again. PATIO ROSES: grow about knee high for front border planting, plant 80 cm apart when grouping, these can also be grown in containers as long as the roots are kept cool ( tin foil around the inside of the pot before filling will help with this) feed right through the growing season. FLORABUNDA: Flowers grow in clusters - bushes grow to about waist high on average, space these about 1mtr apart when grouping. Cut off spent flower clusters and they will reward you with masses of colour right through the growing season. HYBRID TEA: This is the rose to give you the large exhibition one steam bloom. They grow about chest high, these are the picking rose and need feeding well right through the growing season to give the best results. MINIATURE: A dwarf growing bush rose with all parts scaled down, height will be listed on the label. If you have a rose that is not performing and has been growing for a few years, dig it out, change the soil and plant another. The secret to keeping roses free from disease is to remove all last years' diseased wood and leaves from the ground around them and burn them. Keep the food up to rose bushes starting now while they are beginning to leaf and continue right through until the end of summer. Lawns: With that lovely moisture last week I fed my lawn and can already see results, healthy lawns are fed often to leave no room for weeds. Vegetables: Plant carrot, spring onion, lettuce, brassica, pea and broad bean seeds. Still too early for tomato, basil, corn, summer beans and all from the pumpkin family. All garden areas do not have to be ornamental, why not consider growing food in a sun filled garden front or back of your property, once potatoes are planted and up that will take care of filling a space and weeds, then you can dig and eat them and replant that spot with leaf veg. Fruit: Buds are swelling to blossom burst as sap rises, what's needed now are sunny days and bee's. I worked on my gooseberry bushes this week,Thinning branches before the leaves arrive, cutting up the bottom branches to get bushes higher off the ground making it so much easier to pick the fruit as it hangs beneath branches.. Cheers, Linda. Pretty gardens with produce to be eaten.