Gardening in Waitaki June 4th 2024

This being the beginning of June pea straw or preferred mulch will still be going on gardens helping to keep the moisture in the ground for Spring growth. If you have a bare garden over winter, opportunistic weeds will germinate during fine days, mulching will prevent this, plus protect not only plant roots but soil as well.  Perennial tidy up Perennials need to rest now so overgrown plants can be divided and cuttings taken from the outer edges of clumps, if you think the mother plant is past its best, dispose of it. Keep planting lilium bulbs, these are best placed in raised beds, don't let the roots dry out at all. Make early plantings of gladioli in well-drained sites for November flowering.  Roses will have finished flowering now, as soon as the leaves fall I spray Lime Sulphur first, then after the July pruning spray Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil, to eliminate powdery mildew, lichen, and moss. Clean up dead leaves under rose bushes to prevent pest and disease spread. New season bare-rooted roses should be arriving in Garden centers about now, prepare the ground for planting by digging in old stable manure or bagged rose mix. If planting a rose in the same place a rose has been growing, you will need to remove most of the soil the rose was growing in and replace it with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another. Roses planted at this time of the year are less likely to suffer from planting stress.  Re-pot container-grown buxus every second year because they quickly fill a pot with roots. I remove mine from the pot to remove half the root ball with a sharp spade then repot with fresh potting mix.   Winter colour: Plant polyanthus, pansies, snapdragons, and primula malacoides for a bright patch of colour, a few polys in a pot are all that's needed to brighten up any doorway.  Once wisterias have lost all leaves, prune off all long and unruly canes because if you don't they will entwine themselves around established branches and keep growing thicker each year.  Lawns; Growth should have slowed down now lawns at the tufty stage although lawnmowers are usually on the go until the last of the leaves have been picked up. Vege In colder areas, nothing much can be planted.  Vegetables: If you haven't got a green cover crop in, or you've just run out of time to get winter food crops in, put your garden to bed by mulching. Sawdust can be used on wet gardens, straw, shredded garden cutback, or autumn leaves shredded with the lawn mower on dry gardens after a good watering. Planting on the coast in gardens getting winter sun, plant broad beans, garlic, shallots, and rhubarb. In colder areas forget about planting unless you have a protective cover. Cheers, Linda.