Gardening in Waitaki August 27th 2024

Pruned hydrangea.

Wow wet again over the weekend and Monday, which is not a bad thing going into spring growing happens in warm moist soil. Get seeds sown now for whatever you would like to grow, be it food or flowers. I have seed germination from sowing seeds 2 weeks ago in trays with a plastic cloche covering and plenty of ventilation. I have also noticed germination from seeds falling directly onto soil in Autumn so here on the coast, the new growing season begins. It can be a costly time stocking a garden but the rewards make it all worthwhile. I make potting mix go further by adding sifted soil after all soil is the original growing medium and with Garden centers loaded up with so many different mix options soil is now being overlooked. Those who have a soil sieve can fill a wheelbarrow with finely sifted soil in no time. Seed-raising mix can be used sparingly by filling a container with sifted soil and then only a layer of seed-raising mix on the top. Science tells us that a teaspoon of productive soil contains more living organisms than there are people in the World. Baskets and pots can be thought about now, use only shallow-rooted plants for baskets, pansies, violas, primulas, and trailers like Virginia stock and dwarf sweet peas until it is warm enough to plant petunias, lobelia, and begonia. Pots and baskets benefit from the addition of extra slow-release fertilizer and water Chrystal's to keep them going, The method of burying a hole-punched plastic bottle down into a pot or basket allows moisture to seep among plant roots each time it is filled. Potted roses need a deep solid pot to help with the heat of summer cooking roots, Placing a shorter plastic pot inside a terra cotta or concrete pot will help keep roots cooler, interior plastic pots should have wide drainage holes and sit on a layer of gravel inside the bigger pot leaving a three-inch gap at the top to spread mulch which can be a thick layer of gravel, stones, bark or even sheep wool. Potted, camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons can be shifted to the shade once flowered. Hydrangeas can now be pruned at the second new growth from the bottom on stalks that flowered last summer, leaving the unflowered stalks unpruned as these will carry the flowers for this summer. Fuchsias can be pruned once they start showing new leaf, they flower on new growth that's why growers cut them right back to encourage new fresh growth and flowers for retail. Cut back all scraggly old wood. Dahlias can be planted when the soil is drier, I keep a cover of pea straw on top the dahlia clumps until they show signs of new growth. Rose growth is well on now and we don't have to worry about aphids (greenfly) yet but they will be about soon to settle on the top new growth, easily visible for you to dispose of by removing with your finger and thumb. Leave spraying (if needed) until leaves are well-grown and hardened up a little. Lawns: Prepare the ground for sowing new lawns here on the coast, when the chill has left the ground, spring sowing should be spread thickly to beat annual weeds. Once spring mowing starts again on existing lawns, keep the mower blades up to allow grass to thicken as it comes back from dormancy and feed lawns just before or during rain and they will stay lush. Vegetables: Here on the coast sow lettuce seed and plant lettuce plants and other leaf veg on offer now at two-week intervals but protect from frost and birds while small. Carrots and peas can go in but the ground is still too cold for parsnips, beans, corn, and the pumpkin family, they all need warmer soil. Broad beans sown in March should be in flower looking for bees. Prepare the ground for planting seed potatoes, if the soil is too wet, fork over adding compost to get air in to aid drying. Potatoes can rot if the soil is cold and wet. Fruit: Buds are swelling to blossom burst as sap rises, what's needed now are sunny days to bring bees out. Work on gooseberry bushes now before leaves arrive, thin out middle branches and cut bottom skirt branches up to raise bush height making it so much easier to pick the fruit from underneath. Strawberries are starting to move towards budding so will be looking for food, they need to be mulched with compost, old animal manure, then straw or pine needles as a cover will do the trick. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki August 20th 2024

Magnolia Starwars:

Almost the end of August means we should be leaving winter behind, but we had a cold snap last week which had my small seedlings all a-quiver. Unfortunately, weed growth is never checked by cold snaps, chickweed and bidibid are romping away but at this stage are very easy to pull out or hoe in before they produce seed.  Magnificent magnolias will be center stage right now, very worthwhile trees to grace any medium-sized garden. Beautiful bare branching through winter, stunning blooms then large attractive leaves. Azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias grow well with magnolias because they all prefer an acid soil. There are many different choices in tree size and blooms, for the smaller garden Magnolia billowing cloud is White / Pink Upright habit- Hgt / width 3m x 2,5m, for a larger garden Magnolia Charles Raffill soft Pink upright habit, Hgt/width 7m x 5m and magnolia star wars never lets me down. Lavenders can be cut back now as they begin to put out new growth, really old woody bushes can be cut back hard to encourage new lower growth, if they do not respond it will be time to replace them. Young lavender plants just need a slight trim and fed manure-enriched compost plus a little lime. Climbers are in bud now ready to do their spring thing so when trimming watch you are not cutting off new buds, Jasmines may still get knocked by frosts, leave  a bit longer until sure frosts are over before trimming them. Roses: Feed roses as they are moving fast now, well worth the effort to minimize spaying that may be needed later on.  Sow seeds under cover, seed packs that recommend spring sowing should germinate now. I sow seeds in trays of peat, potting mix, and compost combined with a top layer of seed-raising mix. Once planted, cover trays with plastic or glass, using spacers to let air circulate. Lawnswill be greening up now and will need some attention after Winter dormancy.To eradicate moss use a water watering can to apply sulphate of iron, once moss has turned black rake it out. Moss takes hold on Nutrient-poor soil, soil with high acidity, soil that is compacted or drains poorly or where there is excessive shade or thatch accumulation. Give older lawns a good rake to lift any thick thatch and apply lawn fertiliser during rain to give them a good boost.Vegetables: If you are planting out a vegetable garden seedlings are best planted later in the day when the heat is out of the sun, watering however is best done at the start of the day allowing time for the soil to warm before the night chill. In areas you plan not to plant for a while sow a green crop to add humus to the soil, Mustard, lupine, barley, or wheat will germinate in no time then dig in when still soft and green, don't let it get to the flowering, stalky stage because it takes too long to break down. Seed potatoes are on offer now for you to get later crops sprouting, early varieties can be planted, and they should show leaves in about a month when frosts are over. Keep frost protected if early leaf is showing now. Fruit: Give fruiting shrubs and trees a dressing of potash-enriched fertiliser to encourage fruiting. Deciduous fruit trees and everything in the way of small fruit should be planted in August / early September at the latest. Keep an eye on peach and nectarine tree buds, spraying with copper for leaf curl should be done just on bud burst. Cheers, Linda.

Chitting potatoes:

Gardening in Waitaki August 13th 2024

Even though it is not officially spring, here on the coast nature is saying it is as blossom buds burst and spring bulbs flower.  Unpredictable days will continue with heat in the still-low sun while gardeners pay full attention to forecasts. Keep an eye on trees and shrubs shifted over the winter, they will need the water kept up and stakes firmed to allow new roots to take hold. Folia feeding is beneficial now as the ground warms and plants are looking for nutrients. I have worm and comfrey tea as an inexpensive folia or root food but there are plenty of chemically formulated products on offer for specific plants and now is the time to start using them. At this time of the year, I notice the yellowing of some plants, the ground gets depleted of nitrogen during winter especially are shallow-rooted plants like camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons, giving them a feed with an acid fertilizer specially formulated for them. ( If powder water in) Outdoor potted plants that make a lot of roots and have outgrown their containers will soon show poor growth if not repotted into a larger pot or the root mass reduced by half then re-potting back into the same pot. I remove excess roots by removing the root-bound plant from the pot, and laying it on the ground I use a sharp spade to chop the root ball in half. Once potted up again I apply slow-release fertilizer and compost to either soil or a heavy tree and shrub mix and hope for rain to add more nutrients.With all the slow-release fertilisers on offer now it makes it easy to choose the right one for all plants I have been sowing seeds in trays with clear covering to let maximum light and warmth in, sitting trays up off the cold ground helps with germination as well.  Lawns Start the new growing season with fertilizing lawns to help them recover from winter dormancy, I have that noted for the next time it rains to wash it in. Generally, lawns that are well maintained - which includes being well fed, cut properly, aerated, and de-thatched (if needed) problems that result in moss will not occur.  Treating small areas of moss in lawns can be carried out with sulphate of iron watered on at the strength displayed on the pack per sq meter, the moss will turn black, and after a couple of weeks, you can rake out the dead moss, and re-seed. Vegetables: Pick winter crops while still at their best, Asparagus should be available for planting now, asparagus is a vegetable that repays you the planting of it over many years. To prepare beds cultivate deeply and add generous amounts of compost. Existing asparagus beds should be cultivated carefully to avoid damaging the crowns that lie just below the surface, add a new layer of mulch. Here on the coast get spring sowings off to an early start now, use a row of cloches to protect from late frosts, or a stretch of clear polythene to warm and dry the soil in colder gardens to prepare for early plantings as further inland soil will take a bit of thawing before any planting Can be done but the garden can be prepared by spreading compost/humus for rain and worms to take in. Early sprouted potatoes can go in now for an early crop, people have been telling me of the benefits gained from planting potatoes on a bed of pine needles, I lay them on comfrey leaves but will use some pine needles as well this year. Fruit Peach trees should be bud burst in about now so spray with a copper spray for leaf curl, once in blossom it is too late. If you have not already pruned your peach or nectarine tree I will run through how to go about it, recovery will be quicker now the sap has risen.Peach trees need to be pruned into an open “V” or vase shape for the optimum outcome. Early spring is the best time to prune backyard peach trees.1. For the v shape pick four main scaffold branches and simplify, cut larger branches needing to be removed close to the trunk but leave a collar.  2. Remove small weak upright branches on the trunk or main branches. 3. Leave 50 to 75% pencil-thick shooting wood per tree. Both peach and nectarine fruit on wood developed last summer. Inspect the buds on newer wood, single buds are leaf buds, double buds are immature fruit buds and triple buds are mature fruit buds. Cut to an outward-facing double bud, and leave triples. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in Waitaki August 7th 2024

Winter sweet.

Early Spring is showing now in gardens on the coast, blossoms, bulbs flowering, swelling of buds, fragrance from winter sweet, witch hazel, Daphne, boronia, and violets wafting perfume about, and birds are beginning to nest. We are coming to the end of pruning time, humping straw bales and barrows of compost/mulch. It is now time to create and dress gardens by planting, shifting, and feeding. I have been liquid feeding with worm and comfrey tea, adding at the strength of black tea to a full watering can, then applying generously to all new leaf, budding and flowering plants like polyanthus, forget-me-nots, dianthus, sweet peas, pansy, and, viola. Any new plantings can be Helped along by feeding now to get roots going and to keep them green and strong through any cold snaps yet to come. Slow-release fertiliser is a great idea now as well, sprinkle around established ornamental and newly planted trees and shrubs to be ready when the plants need food as they awaken. This week I noticed nice fat buds swelling on the stems of my hydrangeas, I started pruning the more sheltered bushes a couple of weeks back but left the more exposed a little longer. I have found I can pull rooted branches from the base of big old gnarly hydrangea bushes, these take a few years to bush up but it is a sure way to replicate a special variety that has become too large and old for the spot it is planted in. I am forever taking cuttings from geraniums, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. Take short Semi-hardwood cuttings from hardened geraniums, (not new green steams), and let them dry out a little before planting, this means you don't have to deal with them straight away. Plant firmly into a soil and river sand mix, Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around cuttings. I like it when I come across geraniums in friends' gardens to swap cuttings from mine. Trim dentata lavender now if you haven't already. Dentata is a tall growing lavender with serrated leaves and pale lavender bumblebee flowers. Dentata will recover quickly from a cutback because it is continually budding up. Leave trimming other lavenders until it is warmer, All lavenders like sweetening up with a dressing of lime now. Once wet ground dries dahlia tubers can be planted along with gladioli bulbs, planting can be done from now until September. With roses making a move to budding up they will need food to draw on, powdered rose food needs watered in around the drip line, slow slow-release fertiliser will work each time it rains. Trees and Roses are still available in Garden Centres and now is the last time to plant bare rooted trees and shrubs before roots get going. Lawns: I had the lawn mower out this week as the warm weather after the rain pushed out nice lush growth, next rain would be the time to feed lawns to give them a good spring boost. Vegetables: Vegetable gardens will have enjoyed the rain and it is so good not to have to worry about the bugs during these colder months when planting out leaf veg. Cold and frosty areas inland can make a start now by adding some compost and a little lime in readiness for when you plant out later this month. Let's hope we don't get too many overcast days during the time fruit trees are in blossom so the bees will come out and set to work pollinating. Keep an eye on peach and nectarine trees, if they are just at bud burst it will be time to spray a copper fungicide to prevent leaf curl. When they are in flower it is too late to spray. Cheers, Linda