Gardening in Waitaki February 13th 2024

Days start to draw in and dews return as we zoom through February and conditions for growing in North Otago remain good with warmth and the moisture in good measure. I am so enjoying the second year in my new garden, the Japanese style plantings on gravel are giving colour and interest in abundance while needing very little attention other than shaping. I planted a long, slightly raised picking garden which is now full to bursting with colour and texture with every shrub and plant finding its own space leaving no room for weeds. The delphiniums are in their second bloom, hydrangeas, salvia, dahlias, roses, gypsophila to name just a few of the back, mid and front plantings are creating a tapestry of beauty. I mention often the importance of cutting back cutting back plants and shrubs as they finish flowering, if not done and bees have done their job seeds will be forming letting the plant know it is finished for the growing season. This is most important for shrubs that make new wood from where seeds are ripening as, hebe's do. If not trimmed back after flowering a hebe bush will show mostly branches and full growth only on the top. February: is a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants. Why? Because by late summer soft new spring growth has hardened and cuttings are less likely to lose moisture from leaves. Semi-succulent plants like geraniums (Pelargoniums) or impatiens are easiest for beginners, but many common shrubs such as abelia, buxus, lavenders, fuchsias and hebe's have a relatively high success rate. The trick when growing plants from cuttings lies in keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots. Professional nurserymen do this by growing cuttings in glasshouses where they're regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Try the following: Take cuttings early in the morning, while it is still cool, choose tip pieces that are about 100- 150 mm long then drop into a bucket with enough water for cuttings to stand up in, cuttings can remain there for a couple of days if you are short of time. Work in the shade. Fill a deepish container with river sand or crusher dust, water well and allow to drain. Trim the base of the cuttings below a leaf node (which is where the leaf is, or has been, attached to the stem). Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top. Large leaves can be cut in half to further reduce moisture loss. Dip the base of the cuttings into hormone gel or powder. Use a pencil to poke holes in the top of the mix a 150 mm pot can hold about six cuttings. Insert the bottom of each cutting into a hole and gently move the mix back to hold it in place. When the pot is full of cuttings, water carefully and place the pot in a lightly shaded spot, out of direct sunlight, no plastic cover is required at this time of the year but check regularly to make sure the mix stays moist. After a couple of months, gently move the stems to feel if they are firm. This will mean roots have started. When roots are established the rooted cuttings can be moved into individual pots filled with good quality potting mix and fed with a gentle liquid fertiliser. Plant cuttings out in spring. Spring bulbs will be arriving into plant shops now waiting to be in the ground. A bulb comes ready-equipped with the promise of a flower and in its previous growing season bulbs do all the work of flowering then creating an embryo flower safely stored within the bulbs waiting for the right moisture and temperature to trigger growing. In all but the wettest areas, bulbs can be left in the ground from one year to the next, If soil stays wet for long periods (especially during cold weather) your bulbs will simply rot away, feeding once they make an appearance is the secret to ongoing success. Lawns are showing heat stress now, keeping lawn mower blades higher will help with shade and moisture retention for grass roots. Fruit: Feed citrus trees with citrus food and spray any scale you notice with winter oil. If your lemon bush has become crowded with branch and leaf remove a few branches to let light and bees in. Vegetables: Keep sowing veg seeds, carrot, beetroot, parsnip, spring onion, and lettuce because there is plenty of growing time left for seeds to germinate and grow. Seedlings being planted now will need bird protection while small. The tunnel house I tend has become over grown with tomato and cucumber plant growth, the cutting out of unneeded leaders has been ongoing from growth starting but still plants have romped while producing plenty of tomatoes and cucumber flowers which are now becoming cucumbers. Oh the joy of growing veg. Cheers, Linda